Chapter 17: Domestic Violence

Xu Jiaojiao tugged at the corner of her mouth, her thoughts drifting. It was the Sheng family that was out of line.

The tall, thin man said, “Let him go? Sure, just pay up. He ate for 1.2 yuan, paid 0.3, so he still owes 0.9 yuan. The four of us worked a whole day for 0.8 yuan each, totaling 4.1 yuan. Pay up.”

Sheng’s mother just screamed and cursed, “Who are you trying to scam?”

Then she started rolling on the ground, wailing as if she were ready to fight to the death.

“Enough already, Old Qi, take him to the police station; this is getting ridiculous. Let him spend a few days there, and that’ll be that,” a chubby man nearby said impatiently.

“No… not my son… you can’t take him to the police!”

“Oh, Sister Sheng, just pay them; Sheng Jie is the one in the wrong here.”

“Yeah, this is so embarrassing.”

“Exactly, if it were me, I wouldn’t even want to stay in the village after this. He couldn’t find anything better to do but act all rebellious.”

“And eating for free? Ugh, shameless. Such disgrace for our village.”

The words made Sheng Jie and his mother feel like they could faint from humiliation, their faces twisted in rage.

But no one thought these comments were out of line—if he dared to act this way, he shouldn’t be afraid of people talking.

The thin, dark man looked grateful, cupping his hands to thank the villagers around him, “Thank you all for your support. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have had anywhere to cry about this. After all, no one’s money just falls from the sky, and then we have to deal with freeloaders like him.”

The villagers, famous for their love of gossip, enjoyed the praise and even some of the wives began searching Sheng’s mother’s pockets.

Xu Jiaojiao watched as the wives took out money from Sheng’s mother’s pockets and handed it over to the thin, dark man. Then, feeling content, they walked away briskly, justice served.

Xu Jiaojiao knew Sheng Jie was a proud person, and to be shamed like this was no different from killing him. There was a chilling coldness in her eyes; this wasn’t enough—she wanted the Sheng family to be despised for life, never to rise again.

With that thought, Xu Jiaojiao didn’t even feel like finding Hong Yan anymore and drifted off to her mother’s workplace.

Yan Fenglian saw her daughter and smiled, taking a few pieces of dried fruit from her pocket and stuffing them into Jiaojiao’s hand.

“Go play outside; it doesn’t look good to be seen by others.”

Xu Jiaojiao’s eyes widened. Fine. She sighed and went to the open yard outside. Right now, she felt more than ever that she wanted a career.

Everyone in her family had something to do, yet she wandered around aimlessly like an idle person every day.

Never mind. I should go back and change the design of the wedding dress, getting it done sooner.

Thinking that, she walked home briskly. The crowd from earlier had already dispersed, and the villagers were all hard at work.

But as soon as she turned a corner, she saw Shen Yun lurking sneakily in the shadows. Xu Jiaojiao tiptoed over, almost leaning against her back.

She asked abruptly, “Shen Yun, what are you doing here?”

Shen Yun jumped in fright, immediately creating distance between them. She looked Xu Jiaojiao up and down, smirking. “Xu Jiaojiao.”

The sarcastic tone instantly put Xu Jiaojiao on edge. She put her hands on her hips and tilted her fair face upward. “I haven’t done anything to you, so why are you always giving me that attitude?”

Shen Yun chuckled, giving her another disdainful look. Xu Jiaojiao’s skin was soft and delicate, her face still carrying a bit of baby fat, with a sparkly hair clip in her hair. Even her hands didn’t have any calluses.

“Ugh, I’m just laughing at how clueless some people are.”

Xu Jiaojiao couldn’t understand what she meant. Don’t argue with a dog, she thought, or they’ll forget who’s who. She turned on her heel, ready to leave.

“Xu Jiaojiao, go check on Qin Hongyan. That’s what your future will look like.” Shen Yun’s words came from behind her.

Xu Jiaojiao frowned at her retreating figure, then continued walking home. But when she passed by Hongyan’s house, she hesitated, her footsteps slowing. She peeked inside.

The door creaked open, and her eyes widened in surprise. Who left their door unlocked? Weren’t they afraid of thieves?

Xu Jiaojiao cleared her throat, “I’m just here to take a look.”

But as she reached the gate, sounds of yelling and cursing came from inside. She strained to listen, hearing pleas and chaotic groans, confirming there was more than one person.

Xu Jiaojiao pushed open the door forcefully, and the sight that met her eyes was shocking—a woman lay on the ground, covered in bruises, her expression numb. Nearby, three people watched coldly.

A chill rose from the bottom of Xu Jiaojiao’s heart. She looked at the half-naked young woman, immediately recognizing her.

“Hongyan.”

Xu Jiaojiao rushed forward, shielding Hongyan behind her, frantically grabbing the clothes thrown on the ground to cover her. She could hardly bring herself to look at her.

“How can you just beat someone like this? Is there no law?”

“Pfft, law? In my house, I make the rules. Even if the emperor himself came, he’d answer to me,” a young man nearby said.

Xu Jiaojiao guessed he was Hongyan’s husband, despite the summer heat, Hongyan’s body was chillingly cold.

“This worthless woman didn’t even make lunch, so why wouldn’t I beat her?”

Hongyan’s mother-in-law cursed, holding a stick in her hand, as if she wished she could beat her to death right then and there.

Her face twisted, full of hatred, while the other two just stood by coldly, even nodding in agreement. If it hadn’t been Xu Jiaojiao, they would’ve kicked her out already.

A man puffing on a tobacco pipe picked up an ashtray and hit the woman with it, while Xu Jiaojiao was pulled away by Hongyan’s mother-in-law.

The two men slapped her as if venting, causing half her face to swell, blood streaming from her nose. She looked pitiful and frightening.

It was Xu Jiaojiao’s first time witnessing domestic violence up close, and she couldn’t break free from the mother-in-law’s grip.

Realizing what was happening, she shoved the woman aside, rushing to embrace Hongyan, her gaze fierce as she glared at the three of them, her eyes red with anger.

“What right do you have to hit her? What did Hongyan do wrong?”

She looked with heartbreak at the woman in her arms, whose expression was already numb, her body covered in bruises, old and new wounds layered together. Qin Hongyan didn’t resist, allowing Jiaojiao to hold her.

Xu Jiaojiao was terrified herself. Alone, she didn’t dare provoke the Li family too much, so she decided to take Hongyan away first.

“Hongyan, come home with me.”

The three didn’t stop them; as they left, they looked like performers in a comedy skit, overly pleased with themselves.

After carefully covering her, the two of them left the yard.

But suddenly, Hongyan’s father-in-law rushed forward, though Xu Jiaojiao blocked him just in time. Her husband, Li Jun, ran from the side, roughly pulling Xu Jiaojiao away, causing her to fall hard onto the ground.

“Ah…”

Xu Jiaojiao barely reacted before her soft hands hit the stones, pain bringing a cold sweat to her brow.

Qin Hongyan, like a lifeless doll, allowed Li Jun to yank her hair, her clothes slipping off, exposing her pale skin. Li Jun slapped her so hard that her cheeks swelled instantly.

“Dammit, I’ll beat you to death.”

Villagers working in the fields nearby heard the commotion and came running back, excitement on their faces.

Xu Jiaojiao, her face streaked with tears, held Hongyan close, shielding her with her body as best she could.

When she saw her brother, her tears flowed like rain, “Brother, save Hongyan.”