The second branch of the family also had two sons, San Tou and Si Tou.

The third branch, however, had one son and one daughter, Wu Tou and Da Ya.

The fourth branch was different—they had two sons and one daughter: Liu Tou, Qi Tou, and Er Ya.

Logically speaking, Jian Xiu should have been considered a great contributor to the Zhang family.

No matter what, she had given birth to two sons for them.

But for some reason, the fourth branch of the family was always the most unwelcome in the Zhang household.

Taking advantage of Jian Xiu’s moment of distraction, the strong-handed Grandma Liu suddenly shoved her hard.

Caught off guard and weak from hunger, Jian Xiu was actually pushed back.

“You wretched woman! How dare you fight back? Watch me beat you to death today!”

With that, she raised the cane she had just snatched and prepared to lash it down on Jian Xiu.

Seeing this, Jian Xiu, who had just received the original owner’s memories, simply curled her lips into a cold smirk.

With a swift turn, she moved to Grandma Liu’s side and quickly snatched the cane from her hands.

Without a second thought, she imitated Grandma Liu’s previous actions and lashed the cane back at her with the same force.

“Ah… it hurts…!”

“Oh? So now you know what pain feels like? This is just the interest on your debt!”

As she spoke, Jian Xiu didn’t stop. The cane continued to whistle through the air, landing on Grandma Liu repeatedly.

Jian Xiu was never a kind person.

Those who bullied her never had a good ending.

“Have you ever heard of ‘an eye for an eye’?” she sneered. “Today, I’ll give you a lesson on that principle.”

With those words, she struck again.

“Ahhh! I am your mother-in-law! How dare you lay hands on me? I will report you to the village chief and—ahhh! It hurts…!”

But before she could finish, she was already beaten to the point of slurring her words.

Seeing this, the eldest sister-in-law, Fang Shi, and the second sister-in-law, Chen Shi, nudged each other, but neither dared to step forward.

Inside the house, Jian Xiu’s husband, Zhang Zixuan, heard the commotion outside.

Though puzzled, he felt a sense of relief.

As long as it wasn’t her getting beaten, it was fine.

Looking at his hands, now bloody and mangled, he sighed.

Every time Jian Xiu was beaten, he did this to himself, as if the pain in his hands could somehow lessen the torment in his heart.

She was suffering, but he, a paralyzed man, was powerless to help.

This was an agony beyond words.

By now, Grandma Liu was bruised and swollen beyond recognition.

Stretching her thin body, Jian Xiu figured the lesson should be enough.

Earlier, she had noticed that Fang Shi had slipped away.

If she guessed correctly, the village chief would soon arrive.

Speaking of her eldest sister-in-law, Jian Xiu had to admit she was crafty.

She was the laziest when it came to work, yet never missed out on the best food. More importantly, she was full of schemes.

Compared to her, the second sister-in-law, Chen Sixi, was far less cunning.

But to Jian Xiu, these were trivial matters—she never cared about them.

Putting away the cane, she stepped on Grandma Liu’s chest and leisurely asked:

“What’s the matter? Looking at me like that—are you trying to show your dissatisfaction?”

As she spoke, she slapped Grandma Liu’s cheeks twice.

Seeing this, Grandma dared not utter another word.

She had spent her whole life being the one who hit others.

Never in her wildest dreams had she imagined that one day, she would be beaten so badly herself.

Now that Grandma Liu was subdued, Jian Xiu strutted over to the three malnourished children nearby and called:

“Liu Tou, Qi Tou, Er Ya, come to Mother!”

“Mother, we were so scared!” Liu Tou limped over to Jian Xiu.

Er Ya, on the other hand, took Jian Xiu’s hand and gently blew on her wrist after pulling up her sleeve.

“Mother, don’t be afraid. Er Ya will blow on it, and it won’t hurt anymore.”

“Mother isn’t hurt,” Jian Xiu said softly.

She didn’t know if it was due to the emotions of the original owner of this body, but looking at the three children with their dry, yellowing hair, she felt her eyes sting with tears.

In her previous life, she was a successful woman who had already achieved financial freedom.

Having grown up in an orphanage, she never experienced familial love.

She had been a top-level special agent. Due to the nature of her job, her life revolved around missions.

Family? Emotions? They were all foreign to her.

Seeing Jian Xiu stay silent, Qi Tou’s tears started falling as he choked, “Mother, are you in pain?”

“Mother isn’t in pain, not at all.” Facing such obedient and sensible children, how could Jian Xiu ever refuse them?

Just as she finished speaking, Qi Tou ran into the kitchen and came back with a bowl of water.

“Mother, drink some water first…”

“Mother, be careful—!”

Before Qi Tou could finish his sentence, Liu Tou’s urgent voice interrupted.

With her sharp instincts as a special agent, Jian Xiu didn’t even need the warning to sense the danger behind her.

Hugging Er Ya, she swiftly spun around, landing behind Grandma Liu, and kicked her hard on the backside.

“Ahhh—!” Grandma Liu fell flat on her face.

“Seems like I didn’t hit you enough earlier,” Jian Xiu remarked. She then grabbed the cane from Grandma Liu’s hand and lashed down again.

“Owww… This is outrageous! Outrageous! A daughter-in-law beating her mother-in-law—there’s no justice in this world!”

Just then, Old Master Zhang and his three sons returned home.

What they saw was a shocking sight—their once-mighty matriarch, now lying on the ground, being thrashed.

Seeing this, Old Master Zhang immediately dropped his smoking pipe and roared with anger:

“Jian Xiu! Do you know what you’re doing?!”

“Of course,” she replied calmly, “I’m disciplining an ignorant old woman who doesn’t know her place.”

With that, she leisurely crouched down and patted Grandma Liu’s swollen cheek, saying:

“You think you can hurt me? Let me tell you something—I didn’t fight back before out of respect for you as an elder. But now, it seems you won’t learn your lesson unless I teach you properly.”

“Old man! Old man, save me! Save me!” Old Madam Liu wailed. “She’s lost her mind! She’s—ahhh!”

Hearing his wife’s desperate cries, Old Master Zhang didn’t hesitate and turned to his three sons.

“What are you standing there for?! Don’t you see your mother being humiliated?”

As soon as he spoke, Zhang Zirong and Zhang Zihua rushed toward Jian Xiu.

Meanwhile, the third son, Zhang Zifu, hesitated and did not move.

“Mother, watch out!”