Chapter 53

God knew what Xu Huai’an felt when he saw this scene.

His so-called good mother had abandoned him like trash at the time he needed care the most, leaving him to fend for himself.

He had already lost the will to live.

Fortunately, he met Gu Qinghuan. She was like a divine being sent from the heavens to save him, suddenly appearing and illuminating his entire world.

And now, that woman who called herself his mother still wanted to destroy this rare happiness. He would never allow it!

Xu Huai’an clenched his teeth, veins bulging on his forehead. His eyes turned bloodshot as a deep hatred surged within him, a violent emotion threatening to break free. At this moment, he regarded Liu Guifang as an enemy.

In the blink of an eye, Liu Guifang nearly wet herself in fear.

Damn it! Why had this bringer of disaster been let loose again? Judging by his expression, he was about to lose his mind and start hitting people again.

“I—I—I was just joking with them!” Liu Guifang stammered, seeing Xu Huai’an clenching his fists. Terrified, she blurted out a hasty excuse.

Gu Qinghuan knew that Xu Huai’an was on the verge of losing control. She quickly ushered the two children inside and shut the door, preventing them from getting caught in the chaos.

Xu Huai’an grabbed a hoe and charged forward with the momentum of a storm, his target locked onto Liu Guifang.

Seeing this, Liu Guifang was so scared that she actually wet herself, trembling uncontrollably on the spot.

If that hoe came down on her, she was as good as dead.

“Run! Why are you just standing there?!” Gu Qinghuan shouted loudly.

“I—I have no strength…” Liu Guifang was so terrified that even her voice weakened.

Gu Qinghuan was speechless. This woman, who always acted so arrogant, became a coward the moment she faced real danger.

If she weren’t worried that Xu Huai’an would be charged with murder—especially for killing his own mother—she wouldn’t have bothered to save her.

Seizing the perfect moment, just before Xu Huai’an swung the hoe down, Gu Qinghuan used all her strength to shove Liu Guifang aside.

The food in her hands—wild vegetable cakes—scattered all over the ground.

Gu Qinghuan looked at the fallen potato and egg pancakes, heart aching. She hadn’t even gotten to eat one yet.

But Xu Huai’an wasn’t done with Liu Guifang.

Seeing that the hoe had missed its mark and that she had interfered with his attack, he simply threw the hoe aside and lunged forward with his bare fists.

The moment he reached her, he swung a punch straight at Liu Guifang’s face, shattering one of her molars. Blood filled her mouth.

Of course, that molar had already been decayed and rotten for years—it wasn’t very sturdy to begin with.

Suddenly, a few startled exclamations came from the entrance.  

The villagers had come to watch the commotion.  

Earlier that morning, Xu Huai’an had gone to the village to borrow a hoe for farming. After wandering around the village, word spread quickly—one person told ten, ten told a hundred—until everyone knew that the madman was not only no longer insane but had even borrowed a hoe to do work.  

Curious, they all came together to watch, some even carrying their breakfast, eating while enjoying the spectacle.  

The courtyard at the foot of the mountain had never been this lively before.  

“How did Liu Guifang manage to provoke the madman? I saw him this morning, and he actually greeted me seriously!”  

“Why is he going crazy again? My goodness.”  

“Should we step in and stop him? Liu Guifang’s just an old bag of bones—she might get beaten to death.”  

“You go if you want. I’m not going. Last time I got hit by the madman, it took me half a month to recover.”  

“Exactly! When he loses it, even ten people can’t hold him down. I’m not getting beaten up for nothing.”  

“How about I just go inform the village head? Let them sort out their own mess.”  

…  

A whole crowd stood at a safe distance, watching, but not a single person dared to step forward to help.  

Zhong Zijun peered through the crack in the door, holding her breath in fear of being noticed and bringing trouble upon her daughter.  

This was her first time witnessing Xu Huai’an losing control. It was terrifying—but honestly, it was happening at just the right time. That old hag had bullied Huan Huan so much—she deserved a beating.  

Meanwhile, Gu Qinghuan circled behind Xu Huai’an, took the hoe, and hid it away in the kitchen.  

As long as there were no weapons involved, things wouldn’t get too out of hand. Let Liu Guifang suffer Xu Huai’an’s wrath a little longer—it would serve as some much-needed payback.  

Liu Guifang, now faced with a real beating, suddenly found strength. She darted around the courtyard, dodging for her life while shouting: “Damn you, Gu Qinghuan! Where the hell did you go? Get out here and save me!”  

Gu Qinghuan stayed hidden in the kitchen, refusing to come out.  

Xu Huai’an, due to his bad leg, wasn’t as fast as before, and his combat strength had significantly declined. Otherwise, Liu Guifang wouldn’t even know how many punches she would have taken by now.  

The courtyard echoed with the old woman’s pitiful screams from time to time.  

Inside the house, the others secretly relished the moment.  

Before long, Xu Mingshan arrived, escorted by a group of villagers. When he stepped into the courtyard and saw Xu Huai’an chasing Liu Guifang around like a hawk hunting a chick, his face turned as dark as the bottom of a pot.

Now, the entire village knew about the incident and had gathered to watch the spectacle. The Old Xu Family’s reputation was nearly in shambles.  

Seeing the situation, Gu Qinghuan pretended to be frightened and walked out of the kitchen with a panicked expression.  

“Dad, you’re finally here! What should we do?”  

Xu Mingshan immediately launched into an interrogation. “You still have the nerve to talk? Everything was fine—why did you untie him? Now look at this mess! Are you satisfied?”  

“This isn’t my fault.” Gu Qinghuan retorted loudly, making sure everyone could hear. “Huai’an hasn’t been insane these past few days. Not only has he stopped attacking people, but he’s even been helping out around the house.  

Who could’ve expected that Mom would show up this morning, take all the food from our house without a word, and claim it was for Mid-Autumn Festival gifts? She even pushed me to the ground and threatened to kill the two children. Huai’an overheard everything—that’s why he lost it.”  

Xu Mingshan’s expression darkened even further. This definitely sounded like something that wretched old woman would do. The scattered food sacks, the wild vegetables, and the mess of potato cakes all over the ground painted a clear picture of what had happened.  

What a disgrace. It wasn’t as if the family had ever let her go hungry, yet she still had her eyes on her son’s rations. So short-sighted—like a frog at the bottom of a well!  

But in front of outsiders, he still had to maintain the family’s dignity.  

“Lao Er’s wife, don’t spout nonsense. I told your mother to invite you all over for a meal tomorrow. Why would she take your food?”  

“Oh? Then I must have wronged her.” Gu Qinghuan said in a deliberately exaggerated tone, feigning sudden realization. “I just saw her rush into the kitchen and start eating and grabbing things. I thought she was planning to take them away. Guess I was mistaken.”  

How satisfying.  

It didn’t matter what they said—everyone had eyes and could see the truth for themselves.  

Xu Mingshan, unwilling to let the matter drag on, turned to Gu Qinghuan and ordered: “Since you’re the one who let him loose, figure out a way to calm him down.”  

He was nervous too. That unfilial son of his hit like a beast. Last time, it had taken him over half a month to recover.  

“I can try, but don’t blame me if it doesn’t work.”  

Gu Qinghuan saw that the timing was just right. Liu Guifang was utterly exhausted from running, her face swollen like a pig’s head—it was truly satisfying to see.  

With that, she headed back into the kitchen and retrieved a large basin of Spiritual Spring Water from her hidden storage space. She wasn’t entirely sure if it would work on Xu Huai’an, but it was worth a shot.  

Just as Xu Huai’an ran toward her, Gu Qinghuan flung the entire basin of Spiritual Spring Water directly into his face. Caught off guard, he ended up swallowing a large mouthful.  

Liu Guifang seized the opportunity to scramble behind Xu Mingshan, muttering incoherently through her swollen mouth: “Jiu jiu… wo…”  

Xu Mingshan scowled at her pitiful state and snapped: “What a disgrace!”  

Xu Huai’an stood frozen in place for nearly a full minute.  

Then, suddenly, he spoke.  

“What… what just happened to me?”