Chapter 16: Kick the vicious stepmother, punch the wicked step-sister, and give the scumbag father a slap in the face!

The three people inside froze for a moment before they realized the person standing at the door—confident, sharp, and striking—was actually Ruan Xiangxiang, the very girl the mother-daughter duo had once conspired to sell off to the countryside.

It wasn’t that they were blind; it was just that Ruan Xiangxiang’s transformation was far too drastic.

Back then, she had never once lifted her head in front of Zhang Lingyu and her daughter. She was always hunched over, timid and submissive, the kind of person that just made you want to kick her. But now, there was not a trace of that pitiful girl left.

Especially when they noticed the tall, well-built, and extraordinarily handsome man standing behind Ruan Xiangxiang—his demeanor alone spoke volumes. He stood protectively by her side, and from the way he looked at her, anyone could tell he cared deeply.

Zhang Lingyu’s heart skipped a beat. Please, please don’t tell her that this man… was actually Ruan Xiangxiang’s husband.

Impossible! The matchmaker had said the groom paid a bride price of 300 yuan and came from some remote rural village under Shandu’s jurisdiction. No matter how she looked at it, there was no way this man could be Ruan Xiangxiang’s husband.

Even Ruan Mengmeng’s eyes lit up the moment she saw Gu Rongqing. This man was so handsome, and from his uniform, she could tell he was an officer. That broad-shouldered, V-shaped frame gave off such a strong sense of security. She was also puzzled—what was his relationship with Ruan Xiangxiang? Please don’t let it be what she feared.

Putting on a smile, she walked forward and said sweetly, “Xiangxiang, you—you’re back? Mom and I have really missed you these past few days. Is this your friend?”

“Be careful with your foot, sweetheart. It’s not worth getting hurt,” Gu Rongqing said with concern, bending down to gently rub Ruan Xiangxiang’s leg, his tone full of affection. Then he stood up, glanced at Ruan Mengmeng, and added calmly, “I’m Xiangxiang’s husband.”

“What?!”
“No way!”

Zhang Lingyu and Ruan Mengmeng were thunderstruck. That man was Ruan Xiangxiang’s husband? How were they supposed to accept this?

Ruan Xiangxiang let out a cold laugh. “Why not? He is my husband. He works at the Shandu Military District and is currently a regimental commander. What about that is so unbelievable?”

“You—you…” Zhang Lingyu’s face turned red and purple with rage. She regretted it so much now. What happened to that so-called country bumpkin groom? Ruan Xiangxiang, that little wretch, had somehow stumbled her way into marrying a military officer!

Even Ruan Chenghong was stunned. That’s his son-in-law? A military officer? He started to feel a little proud—if his daughter married someone like that, maybe he could enjoy some perks too.

Zhang Lingyu was fuming with regret. When she arranged the marriage, the matchmaker had said it was a rural family, and she had assumed the man was some dirt-poor bumpkin. She had been in such a rush to get rid of Xiangxiang that she hadn’t thought it through—what a bargain that little wretch had gotten! Now that it was a done deal, her hatred for Ruan Xiangxiang only deepened.

Her jealousy twisted her face as she snarled, “Ruan Xiangxiang, you foul-mouthed little tramp, don’t think marrying a military officer makes you so great! You kicked down my door today—you better pay for the damage!”

Saying that, she rushed at Ruan Xiangxiang, claws out, trying to scratch her face.

BANG!

“I’ll pay—let me pay you back properly today!”

With that, Ruan Xiangxiang sent a powerful kick to Zhang Lingyu’s stomach, sending her flying and knocking over the table with a loud crash.

Before Zhang Lingyu could even recover, Ruan Xiangxiang strode forward and delivered another vicious kick. Zhang Lingyu slammed into the cupboard, and the dishes inside shattered on the floor with a crash.

“I came today to settle accounts with you once and for all,” Ruan Xiangxiang said coldly, her voice like winter snow—icy and void of emotion.

“Zhang Lingyu, you sold me to the countryside for 300 yuan in bride price—you’d better cough up every last cent. And for the four years I worked, at 32 yuan a month, that’s 1,536 yuan. I want every single coin. If you don’t give it to me, I’ll beat you to death today.”

Zhang Lingyu had never expected Ruan Xiangxiang to start hitting her without even a warning. Those two kicks nearly knocked the life out of her. Clutching her chest, she coughed up a mouthful of blood and glared at Xiangxiang with venom. “You damned wretch! You’re asking me for money? I raised you all these years, worked so hard, and even found you a good husband. Now you’ve grown up and want to hit your stepmother and ask for money? Ha! They were right—being a stepmother is a thankless job. I didn’t believe it before, but now I see I raised an ungrateful brat! You want money? Dream on. And now that you’ve beaten me, you owe me compensation!”

Zhang Lingyu wasn’t one to back down. Now she threw herself to the ground, rolling and howling like a lunatic.

Meanwhile, the nosy Aunt Zhang and her group from earlier hadn’t had enough drama downstairs. They skipped dinner and rushed over to see what was going on at the Ruan house. Just as they arrived, they saw Zhang Lingyu being kicked by Ruan Xiangxiang, spitting up blood.

“Oh dear! What’s going on? Xiangxiang, she’s your stepmother—you can’t just hit her like that!”

“Exactly! Your stepmother’s been nothing but kind to you—she even helped you find such a good husband. What you’re doing is just wrong!”

“Xiangxiang, you can’t forget where you came from. Doing something like this will bring divine punishment!”

The neighbors all began chattering, criticizing Ruan Xiangxiang for hitting her stepmother. No matter what, she was still the younger one—how could she hit someone? That was just going too far.

Ruan Mengmeng finally snapped out of her shock. Crying, she rushed over to help Zhang Lingyu up and sobbed as she scolded, “Xiangxiang, how could you hit Mom? She’s done so much for you over the years…”

SMACK! SMACK!

Before she could finish, two slaps landed squarely on Ruan Mengmeng’s face, leaving two bright red handprints on her cheeks.

It was only then that Ruan Chenghong came to his senses. He never expected that his usually timid and obedient eldest daughter would suddenly become so fierce and unrestrained.

“Xiangxiang, what are you doing? If you have something to say, say it properly—how can you just start hitting people?” he said.

Ruan Xiangxiang, who had been busy dealing with the mother-daughter duo, suddenly remembered—wasn’t this pathetic excuse of a father, Ruan Chenghong, the root of all this? If he hadn’t indulged them and turned a blind eye, how could the original Ruan Xiangxiang have suffered so much?

“Oh right—I almost forgot, you’re the one who most deserves a beating!”

SMACK! SMACK! SMACK!

Without another word, Ruan Xiangxiang strode over and slapped Ruan Chenghong across the face, left and right, one after another.

“Ruan Xiangxiang! You ungrateful daughter! I’m your father—how dare you hit me? I only ever spoiled you too much!” Ruan Chenghong was stunned for a second, then rage took over. His face flushed red as he glared at her with eyes bulging like a mad bull. He lunged forward, ready to strike her back.

“I am hitting you! Honey, help me hold him down—this old man’s got more strength than I thought!” Ruan Xiangxiang called out to Gu Rongqing.

“Don’t worry. With me here, he won’t lay a finger on you,” Gu Rongqing replied calmly.

As he spoke, he had already grabbed Ruan Chenghong’s arms and pinned them firmly behind his back.

Gu Rongqing had been watching her closely the entire time, afraid she might get hurt. But what he didn’t expect was for her to call him “husband” in front of so many people.

He didn’t actually know what “husband” meant in this modern context, but the way it came from her mouth—it felt special. It stirred something deep inside him, a powerful instinct to protect her.

His heart warmed. From that moment on, he silently vowed: no matter what, he would always stand behind her, support her—through everything.