Chapter 22

Ruan Xi didn’t stay in place for long and continued towards the old tailor’s house with the wine gourd. No matter what Ruan Yuejin’s intentions were, they wouldn’t affect her as long as he didn’t cause trouble. Ignoring him was the best course of action.

When she reached the gate of the old tailor’s courtyard, Ruan Xi knocked twice on the door and called out, “Master, I’m back!”

When she finished speaking, the old tailor appeared at the main house door, wearing only one shoe.

Seeing him like this, Ruan Xi couldn’t help but laugh. She walked up to him with the gourd, “Missed me, didn’t you?”

The old tailor snorted, taking the gourd from her, “I missed the wine!” He took the gourd inside and called out, “Get me a small bowl.”

Ruan Xi turned towards the kitchen, “Wait a moment.” She put down her backpack in the kitchen and didn’t immediately get a bowl. Instead, she grabbed a plate and took two handfuls of peanuts. Then she lit a match to start a fire, placed some corn cobs in the stove to burn slowly, and began dry-roasting the peanuts.

The peanuts were roasted until crispy and fragrant, and then she put them on a plate. Ruan Xi brought the roasted peanuts, a pair of chopsticks, and a small bowl to the main house.

The old tailor was sitting at the table, waiting for the wine, but he didn’t rush her. When he saw her bring in the plate of roasted peanuts, the aroma filling the room, he smiled and said, “This apprentice is truly satisfying.”

The old tailor wasn’t alone in the main house. Ruan Yuejin was still bent over the sewing machine. Today, the old tailor had taught him how to thread the machine and draw the bobbin thread, but he hadn’t managed to do it even once.

Ruan Xi had seen him when she entered the courtyard but chose to ignore him. As she brought the peanuts into the house, she continued to act as if she didn’t see Ruan Yuejin.

Ruan Yuejin also pretended not to see her, focusing on threading the bobbin while sneering inwardly—what a sycophant. In terms of flattering and pleasing people, he indeed couldn’t compare to her.

Ruan Xi placed the peanuts, chopsticks, and small bowl in front of the old tailor and sat down at the table. She poured a small bowl of wine for the old tailor, picked up a peanut, and put it in her mouth, deliberately saying, “Wow, it smells so good.”

The aroma of roasted peanuts filled the room, and Ruan Yuejin, sitting at the sewing machine, swallowed his saliva and held his breath.

Ruan Xi sat at the table with the old tailor, drinking wine and eating peanuts. She asked the old tailor, “Master, how come I went out to buy you wine, and you got me a junior apprentice?”

Feeling very pleased, the old tailor took a sip of wine and replied, “He said he’s your cousin, more suited to be a tailor than you, and can inherit my skills. With such words, how could I not take him in?”

Ruan Xi lowered her head, rubbing the peanut skins in her palm, finding it amusing. A smile played at the corners of her mouth: “These days, it’s not easy to find talent. You must teach him well. My cousin is very smart and will surely inherit your skills.”

The old tailor stopped mentioning Ruan Yuejin and asked, “Do you want to drink a little with your master?”

Ruan Xi quickly waved her hand, “No, it’s too strong.”

Actually, a little white wine wasn’t a problem for her, but given her young age, it wasn’t suitable.

Ruan Xi and the old tailor sat at the table, drinking wine, eating peanuts, and chatting. Ruan Yuejin couldn’t join the conversation, so he silently swallowed his saliva while trying to thread the bobbin at the sewing machine.

The old tailor didn’t care how well he practiced. If he could learn, he would; if not, he could leave. The old tailor didn’t bother much.

After satisfying his craving for wine, the old tailor put the remaining wine away.

This half a pound of wine wasn’t easy to come by, so he would drink it slowly, making it last ten days to half a month.

After drinking, he didn’t bother with Ruan Yuejin. He went inside, took out a notebook bound with straw paper and a half-length pencil, and handed them to Ruan Xi. He said, “Girl, you should start learning to draw. I can’t teach you this, so figure it out yourself. Draw the stools and tables first, and once you get the hang of it, start drawing people. Practice a lot and observe carefully. Use the paper sparingly.”

Ruan Xi took the paper and pencil, responding, “Okay, Master.”

The old tailor then left her alone and went out for a stroll.

Once the old tailor left, only Ruan Xi and Ruan Yuejin remained in the room. Ruan Xi had to pretend she didn’t know how to draw, so she took the pencil and paper and slowly sketched the stools and tables, making her drawings deliberately crooked.

She didn’t talk to Ruan Yuejin. The original Ruan Xi didn’t have a good relationship with this cousin, and they didn’t play together. Moreover, she had been tricked by Sun Xiaohui before, and now Ruan Yuejin was trying to take her job. She couldn’t stand him.

Ruan Xi sat at the table, seriously drawing, her face calm, enveloped in tranquility. But Ruan Yuejin, sitting at the sewing machine, was very agitated, sweating profusely and frequently wiping his forehead.

Unable to thread the bobbin, his patience was running out, and his frustration had no outlet. He looked at Ruan Xi, who was drawing, and said, “You’re good at flattering. That’s why the old tailor likes you, right?”

Ruan Xi couldn’t help but laugh and continued drawing, “Yes, do you have a problem with that?”

Ruan Yuejin also laughed, “What problem could I have? I admire you.”

Ruan Xi carefully drew lines, “You’re jealous, aren’t you? Jealous that I can eat peanuts while you can only watch and smell.”

Ruan Yuejin laughed dryly, “You might as well say I’m jealous of you for roasting peanuts.”

Ruan Xi: “You’re just being stubborn.”

Ruan Yuejin got angry, “Whoever is stubborn is a grandson!”

Ruan Xi: “Then you’re the grandson.”

Ruan Yuejin was stunned and stood up from the sewing machine.

Ruan Xi turned to look at him, “What? Do you want to fight? If you do, I’ll have Fifth Uncle beat you up, believe it or not.”

Ruan Yuejin was indeed afraid of Ruan Changsheng, so he held his breath and sat back down. He realized that Ruan Xi was quite sharp-tongued and had Ruan Changsheng backing her up. Provoking her would only worsen things for him, so he stopped talking and returned to fiddling with the sewing machine’s bobbin thread. Unable to thread it and feeling the urge to pee, he hurriedly ran out to the toilet.

As he rushed out of the courtyard, Ruan Xi glanced at the sewing machine and muttered to herself, “So dumb.”

Ruan Xi spent some time drawing at the old tailor’s house, and when the sun reached a certain height, she packed up her things and left as usual. The old tailor returned just as she was leaving, so she greeted him.

Ruan Yuejin, however, was very patient, still struggling with the sewing machine, determined to succeed.

Ruan Xi could see that the reason he came to learn this craft was because he envied the benefits she received from the old tailor. He partly wanted to learn the craft for a better future and partly wanted to take her job. As long as she stayed with the old tailor, Ruan Yuejin would persist. This was the main reason he remained patient despite his frustration. Without Ruan Xi, he would likely have given up like those who had come to the old tailor before, leaving in frustration and never returning. The old tailor’s teaching method made it difficult to learn, and it was full of frustrations!

Given Ruan Yuejin’s intelligence and learning ability, trying to take Ruan Xi’s job was a fool’s dream.

Ruan Xi didn’t take him seriously, thinking that even if she handed him the job, he wouldn’t be able to keep it. No matter how much he struggled, Ruan Xi focused on her own tasks.

Ruan Xi left the old tailor’s house with her backpack, meeting Ruan Jie at their usual spot before heading to the hillside to find Ling Yao. While Ruan Xi and Ling Yao were away, Ruan Jie had been consolidating the knowledge she had learned on her own.

Today, at their usual meeting spot, Ling Yao first checked Ruan Jie’s grasp of the knowledge she had learned. Finding that she had a good understanding, he continued teaching new content according to the textbook.

As for Ruan Xi, because they had talked a lot about their studies on the way to and from the commune, Ling Yao knew that Ruan Xi had a very good grasp of the material, so he didn’t specifically ask her again.

The three of them studied by the stone. After Ling Yao finished teaching Ruan Xi and Ruan Jie, he let them digest the information on their own while he opened his own book. Sometimes, when he needed to draw or calculate, he used a piece of chalk to draw on the stone.

Ruan Xi had slept for a day and a half and had been awake for a few hours, but after reading the textbook and copying some text, her eyelids started to droop again. Not wanting to force herself to stay awake, she simply lay down on the stone and fell asleep.

Ling Yao turned and saw her sleeping, her face pressed against the stone. He closed his book, walked over to her quietly, and gently placed his book under her face as a cushion.

Ruan Jie saw his action and smiled, saying, “You’re so thoughtful.”

The boys in the village she knew were all like wild calves, and it was already good enough if they didn’t bully the girls.

After placing the book under Ruan Xi’s face, Ling Yao sat down on the grass beside her without saying a word, just smiling at Ruan Jie.

While copying the text, Ruan Jie started talking to him again: “Are all the kids in the big city like you?”

Ling Yao replied, “Everyone has a different personality.”

Ruan Jie asked, “Are there any who like to fight, like my Fifth Uncle?”

“Yes, there are.”

Ruan Jie actually wanted to talk more with Ling Yao, to ask him what the big city was like and what kind of life they lived. She had grown up in the mountains and had never been to a big city; she might never go in her lifetime, so she was curious. But she could also see that Ling Yao didn’t like talking to her, or maybe he just wasn’t a talkative person. His responses were always short sentences with no extra words or extended topics. Seeing no point in asking him more questions, Ruan Jie pursed her lips and returned to copying the text seriously.

Ruan Xi slept soundly on the stone, and a leaf drifted down, landing right next to her face. Suddenly, as if pushed in a dream, she woke up with a start and sat up straight.

Ruan Jie and Ling Yao were both startled by her sudden movement and asked in unison, “What happened?”

Ruan Xi raised her hand to cover her forehead, looking dazed and speaking with a slightly nasal tone, “I dreamt I fell into a big pit.”

Ruan Jie laughed, “I often dream of falling into pits too, and then I wake up suddenly.”

Ruan Xi let go of her forehead, sat by the stone to clear her head, then glanced westward and said with a slight nasal tone, “I dozed off again. It’s probably time to go home, right?”

Ruan Jie turned to look at the sun and closed her book, “Let’s go then.”

Ruan Xi stood up immediately, but having sat for too long, she felt dizzy for a moment. She instinctively closed her eyes and raised her hand to her forehead, taking a moment to adjust.

Ruan Jie and Ling Yao packed up their books and went to herd the pigs, then the three headed back to the village together.

With Ruan Xi around, Ling Yao tended to talk more. As they herded the pigs, they chatted about the fun things they did at the commune.

Ruan Xi looked at Ruan Jie and said, “We had dandan noodles, and we watched a movie too!”

Hearing about the movie, Ruan Jie instantly regretted not going, “Really?”

Ling Yao nodded at her, “Yes, really. It was shown on the playground of Tianfeng Middle School, and the movie was ‘Heroic Sons and Daughters.'”

Ruan Jie felt like crying, “I’ve never seen a movie in my life. If I had known there was a movie to watch, I would have gone no matter how tired I was. Sister, what was the movie about? Can you tell me?”

Ruan Xi shrugged, “I fell asleep, so I didn’t watch it.”

Ruan Jie blinked, “You actually fell asleep?”

Ruan Xi pretended to be regretful, “I was too tired.”

She then turned to Ling Yao, “Teacher Ling watched it. Let Teacher Ling tell you.”

Ruan Jie leaned forward to look at Ling Yao, who glanced at Ruan Xi. Whenever Ruan Xi spoke, he usually complied without question, so he recounted the entire movie to Ruan Jie.

After listening, Ruan Jie felt even more regretful, “Ah, I really regret it. I won’t be able to sleep tonight.”

Ruan Xi smiled and patted her shoulder, “I didn’t watch it either. We’ll have another chance in the future.”

Ruan Jie looked at her and said, “What chance? It’s so hard to go to the commune; even if we go, there’s no guarantee there will be a movie. I might never get to watch a movie in my life. Not going this time is such a regret.”

As they reached the fork in the road, Ruan Xi and Ruan Jie said goodbye to Ling Yao and headed home.

Walking up the slope, Ruan Jie suddenly asked Ruan Xi, “Sister, do you think Third Uncle really hit Third Aunt? He seems so honest, not like someone who would hit people. Third Aunt has a good temper. Why would he hit her?”

Ruan Xi continued up the slope, “You can’t judge people by their appearance. People’s exteriors can be deceptive. If Third Aunt had a bad temper, he might not dare to bully her. It’s because she has a good temper that he dares to bully her.”

Ruan Jie took a deep breath, “So marrying into town doesn’t necessarily mean a good life.”

Ruan Xi turned to look at her, “That’s why we can’t stake our entire lives on marriage. Marrying is like gambling; if you’re lucky, it’s good, but if not, and you can’t leave the man and support yourself, your life is almost over. So we must stake our lives on ourselves.”

Ruan Jie listened, half understanding, still finding the idea too abstract. In her ingrained thinking and knowledge, women had no other paths, or rather, people in the mountains had no other paths. Most people spent their lives in the mountains, mining copper, farming, counting the days as they passed.

She looked at Ruan Xi and said, after a moment, “Sister, I feel like you’ve changed a lot recently. You’re always saying things I’ve never heard before. Is it because you spend time with Ling Yao, so your thoughts have changed?”

Ruan Xi smiled, using Ling Yao as a shield, “Probably.”

Ruan Jie thought for a moment and said, “Anyway, I’ll listen to you. If you tell me to study, I’ll study. If you say marrying is bad, then I won’t marry. I’ll stay home with Grandma and be an old maid.”

Ruan Xi turned to look at her, “I didn’t say getting married is bad, just that you need to keep your eyes open and not rush into it.”

Ruan Jie thought hard momentarily and then said, “Forget it. Let’s just go home and feed the chickens and pigs.”

Step by step, meal by meal, task by task, Ruan Xi wasn’t in a hurry about these things either, so she didn’t say more and went home with Ruan Jie to feed the chickens and pigs.

When they got home, Liu Xinghua was already chopping pig feed, and Ruan Xi and Ruan Jie went to help. The three of them quickly finished the chores. While feeding the chickens, Ruan Jie even found a few eggs in the coop.

While Liu Xinghua, Ruan Xi, and Ruan Jie were relaxed, Sun Xiaohui was not. She sat outside the small kitchen across the way, chopping pig feed, glancing over occasionally, and muttering curses at Ruan Jie. At the same time, she was thinking about how to get her daughter back. After she finished feeding the chickens and pigs, Ruan Yuejin, who was learning a craft, came home.

Ruan Yuejin had been in a good mood these past two days because he had finally managed to pedal the empty machine yesterday, and today, just before sunset, he finally threaded the bobbin.

Seeing his cheerful expression, Sun Xiaohui’s mood improved as well. She thought to herself that raising sons was better; raising daughters was just a losing proposition.

Focusing on Ruan Yuejin, she didn’t care about Ruan Jie anymore. At dinner, she asked Ruan Yuejin the usual question, “How was your learning today?”

Ruan Yuejin replied easily, “I learned everything the old tailor taught, nothing difficult.”

Sun Xiaohui was pleased and put more food in his bowl, smiling, “I knew my son could do it.”

Then she curiously asked, “What about Xiao Xi? She spent half the day there too. What did the old tailor teach her? Did she learn well?”

Ruan Yuejin snorted disdainfully, “Her? She didn’t even touch the machine. The old tailor gave her a stack of paper and a pencil and told her to draw. What she drew looked like it was chewed by a dog.”

Sun Xiaohui’s expression became even more triumphant, “So the old tailor didn’t teach her any skills?”

Ruan Yuejin replied, “Not today.”

Sun Xiaohui then asked, “Why is the old tailor so good to her?”

Ruan Yuejin: “She’s good at flattering and currying favor. I can’t learn her tricks. Do you know what she’s been doing at the commune these past few days? She went over mountains just to get half a pound of wine for the old tailor. When she came back and gave the wine to the old tailor, he asked her to get a bowl from the kitchen. Instead, she went and roasted a plate of peanuts.”

Sun Xiaohui clicked her tongue, “She really knows how to flatter.”

Ruan Yuejin looked at Sun Xiaohui, “She can cook too. She didn’t come back for lunch before, probably staying there to cook for the old tailor. Why does the old tailor like her? Because she curries favor well and serves him properly.”

Sun Xiaohui looked at Ruan Changgui, “See, I told you. The old tailor treats her well not because she’s good at the craft but because she’s good at currying favor.”

Ruan Changgui didn’t comment on Ruan Xi but only told Ruan Yuejin, “Then you should learn well.”

Ruan Yuejin replied, “I’m learning well.”

Ruan Xi didn’t care how well Ruan Yuejin was learning. She continued with her routine. But when she arrived at the old tailor’s house in the morning to clean, the old tailor stopped her.

The old tailor called her aside and said, “Go do what you need to do. These chores are taken care of.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Ruan Yuejin appeared outside the courtyard.

After stepping over the threshold, Ruan Yuejin, prompted by the old tailor’s clearing of his throat, went to clean. After a while, he suddenly remembered and ran over to ask the old tailor, “Why don’t you ask her to do it with me?”

The old tailor looked at Ruan Yuejin, “She cooks lunch for me.”

Ruan Yuejin had nothing to say, grumbled, and went back to work.

After finishing his chores, seeing that the old tailor still didn’t teach Ruan Xi any skills and just let her draw, he felt a bit better. He didn’t ask for much, only to learn the craft better than Ruan Xi. From his observation, Ruan Xi had been learning at the old tailor’s for about ten days, and it seemed like what his mother said was true—she was only doing odd jobs and wouldn’t eventually learn any real skills. So, as long as he remained patient and gained the old tailor’s recognition of his abilities, one day, the title of the old tailor’s apprentice would belong solely to him. When the old tailor passed away, he would be the only tailor on the mountain.

By then, let’s see who would be envious.

Ruan Yuejin kept a close eye on Ruan Xi, but Ruan Xi continued to treat him as if he were invisible.

Ruan Xi focused on her drawing. Near noon, she got up to wash rice and cook, then went to the vegetable garden to pick vegetables for stir-frying. Today, she made stir-fried green peppers with eggs and stir-fried tomatoes with eggs. When she finished cooking, Ruan Yuejin was still there.

Ruan Yuejin was about to get up and go home, but when he saw Ruan Xi bring two dishes into the house and place them on the table—one with a refreshing mix of green and yellow and the other with a bright mix of red and yellow—he felt as if his bench was glued, and he couldn’t stand up!

His mother had previously borrowed half a basket of eggs and given them to the old tailor. Now, their hens had to lay eggs to repay the debt, and they couldn’t even smell the scent of eggs at their dining table, yet Ruan Xi – she stir-fried two dishes at once!

Ruan Xi went to the kitchen to serve the rice, while the old tailor took the wine gourd from the cabinet and sat at the table. Seeing Ruan Yuejin sitting at the sewing machine and staring at the dishes, he said, “I’m not keeping you for lunch.”

Ruan Yuejin snapped out of it and instinctively swallowed. He took a deep breath, put away his pitiful expression, and got up to leave.

At the door, he bumped into Ruan Xi, who ignored him and walked past with a bowl in hand.

Ruan Yuejin swallowed his saliva and turned back to look inside. He saw Ruan Xi sitting at the table, happily eating the stir-fried tomatoes with eggs, a smile of contentment on her face. He swallowed and suddenly thought—maybe flattering isn’t so bad after all.

After a moment—forget it, he wouldn’t stoop to that.

Ruan Xi’s dishes were just enough for two people. After she and the old tailor finished eating, she got up to clean the pots and bowls.

The old tailor sometimes took a nap at noon. Today, after a full meal, he felt sleepy and went back to his room to sleep.

Ruan Xi stayed in the main room, lying on the table, ready to take a nap. However, just as she closed her eyes and was about to fall asleep, someone knocked on the door, waking her up.

She woke up with a start, blinked, and saw a slightly plump woman. The woman had a pair of pants draped over her arm and came in, shouting, “Where’s the old tailor? I need him to hem my pants.”

Ruan Xi stood up from the table, “My master is sleeping. I’ll do it for you.”

The plump woman looked Ruan Xi up and down, “You’ve only been learning for a few days. Can you do it?”

Ruan Xi replied, “Yes, I can.”

The woman was still not convinced, “I’d rather have the old tailor do it. Though given to me by someone else, this fabric is still half-new. If you ruin it, who will I go to?”

Ruan Xi spoke decisively, “If I ruin it, I’ll compensate you with a new pair.”

A new pair?

The woman’s eyes widened, “Really?”

Ruan Xi smiled and nodded, “Really.”

The woman looked at Ruan Xi’s face, then at the pants in her hand, and finally said, “Fine, you do it. I need to wear them soon, so I don’t have time to wait.”

Ruan Xi didn’t hesitate. She took the pants from her and measured her leg length with a tape measure. After measuring, she cut off a section of the pants according to the size, folded it up half an inch, and sewed it with the sewing machine. After sewing, she heated the iron and carefully ironed the entire pair of pants.

Seeing Ruan Xi work so efficiently and even iron the entire pair of pants neatly, the plump woman smiled and said, “You’re quite good at this, girl. Looks like you can really take over for the old tailor.”

Ruan Xi smiled and handed the pants to the woman, “Try them on.”

The woman took the pants and went into the storeroom. When she came out wearing them, she said, “Wow, you hemmed them perfectly, just the length I wanted. I’ll wear them now.” She took two cents out of her pocket and handed them to Ruan Xi, “I’ll be going now.”

Ruan Xi took the two cents and saw her off at the courtyard gate. As she watched the woman walk away and turned to go back, Ruan Yuejin happened to be coming from home.

Ruan Xi didn’t greet him and went straight to the rocking chair under the grapevine. As she lay back on the chair, Da Mi jumped onto her lap, and she leisurely started petting the cat.

Ruan Yuejin walked past her, glancing at her, “You sure are relaxed.”

Ruan Xi scratched Da Mi’s neck, watching the cat enjoy it, and said with a smile, “Some people are just jealous.”

Ruan Yuejin snorted, “Whoever’s jealous of you is…”

Remembering the last time he was retorted, he stopped mid-sentence, swallowed his words, and went inside.

Ruan Xi continued petting Da Mi for a while, then looked up at the sun, which was already leaning west, and thought to herself—Ruan Changsheng, with his stamina and speed, should be almost at the commune by now.

Unlike still-developing teenagers like Ruan Xi and Ling Yao and elderly people like Ruan Zhigao and Liu Xinghua, Ruan Changsheng was in the prime of his life, full of energy and stamina, able to work hard and run fast. Even if he got tired, a short rest would quickly restore his energy. So he arrived at the commune earlier than Ruan Xi had predicted, just when families were preparing and eating lunch. Walking down the street, he saw smoke rising from every chimney and could smell the aroma of stir-fried dishes.

Ruan Changsheng had always been a troublemaker since he was young. Besides beating up the young punks on Fengming Mountain who wanted to make a name for themselves and recruiting them as his followers, he would sometimes come to the commune with these friends and stay for days without returning home, so he was quite familiar with the place.

Although he never brought his friends to bother Ruan Cuizhi, he knew where her house was and didn’t need to ask around like Ruan Xi did. So, upon arriving at the commune, he went straight to Ruan Cuizhi’s house. He had planned to be polite at Ruan Cuizhi’s house since Liu Xiong was his brother-in-law, a relative. He intended to have a peaceful lunch first, then privately ask Ruan Cuizhi if Liu Xiong had hit his third sister. But as soon as he reached Ruan Cuizhi’s doorstep, and before he could even knock, his blood boiled.

At that moment, Liu Xiong was asking Ruan Cuizhi to lift a large water tank in the courtyard. Ruan Cuizhi, with her slender arms and small strength, couldn’t grip the tank properly, and it fell back to the ground. This wasn’t a big deal; they could just lift it again.

But Liu Xiong frowned, let go of the tank, and kicked Ruan Cuizhi in the stomach, causing her to fall to the ground. With a dark face, he angrily scolded, “You can’t even lift a water tank! What can you do?”

There was no need to ask anything now; he saw it all!

Ruan Changsheng, full of youthful vigor, couldn’t suppress his anger. He shouted from outside the door, “Liu Xiong, you son of a b****!”

At the same time, he kicked open the half-closed door of the Liu family, rushed in without a word, and punched Liu Xiong in the left face before he could react. Then he kicked him to the ground, straddled him, and started beating his face and head relentlessly.

Ruan Cuizhi, initially stunned by the kick, was then shocked by Ruan Changsheng’s actions, squatting on the ground for a long time without reacting. Her young son ran out, saw his father being beaten, and started crying loudly.

Ruan Cuizhi heard the crying and snapped out of it. She quickly got up to pull Ruan Changsheng, calling out, “Fifth Brother, stop hitting him!”

With his blood boiling, Ruan Changsheng couldn’t stop. He hit Liu Xiong until his hands hurt, then suddenly got up with a fierce look and went inside. Moments later, he came out holding a long bench about a meter long.

Without giving Ruan Cuizhi any time to react or stop him, he walked up to Liu Xiong, holding one end of the bench high, and with a fierce look and gritted teeth, he smashed it down on him with all his strength.

The bench, already flimsy, shattered into pieces upon hitting Liu Xiong.

Ruan Cuizhi was stunned, her eyes wide open, while her son cried out in a sharp scream.

Ruan Changsheng stood in front of Liu Xiong, panting. He looked down at him with fierce eyes and asked, “Who are you hitting?”

Then he roared, “Do you think you can hit my sister?!”

Liu Xiong, holding his arm, rolled on the ground, his face bruised and swollen, groaning, unable to say a word.

Ruan Cuizhi was completely stunned, her expression shocked. She stood still without moving. Her eyes blinked slowly, once, then again. It seemed like she couldn’t hear anything, only the sound of her own breathing, each breath heavier than the last.