(Before you start reading, also check my another book "Reborn in the 1970s: I made a comeback with the help of the system".)
Hearing the familiar voice, Li Shuying's brows slowly furrowed. For a brief moment she could not place the face that belonged to that greasy tone. The memory lay buried deep within the dust of her past life.
But then it surfaced.
The moment recognition struck, the warmth in her eyes vanished. What replaced it was a chilling, menacing cold.
Li Guofu.
Among all the members of the Li family, if there was anyone Li Shuying hated most after Zhao Hongmei and Wang Chunhua, it was this so-called uncle of hers—though in truth he was only a few years older than she was.
In her previous life, this very person had been responsible for her mother's tragic downfall.
That year, after her father was executed, the monthly allowance that once sustained the main household was abruptly cut off. Without that source of money, the Li family immediately began scheming for another. Zhao Hongmei was of working age, and sending her into the workforce required connections—and more importantly, bribes.
Li Guofu had been the one to arrange it.
Using the contacts he had cultivated among the street hoodlums in the county, he secretly connected with human traffickers and sold her mother away like livestock. By the time anyone realized what had happened, Zhao Hongmei had vanished without a trace.
Thinking of it now, Li Shuying's fingers tightened at her sides. Her eyes reddened, not with tears, but with a simmering mixture of grievance and fury.
Beside her, Li Jianmin felt a chill run down his spine.
Although he also despised the Li family, a deep-rooted fear of Li Guofu still lingered in his heart. Since childhood, both he and his second brother, Li Jianguo, had been constantly bullied by this uncle. Every slap, every shove, every cruel taunt had carved itself into their memories.
And they could never retaliate.
Li Guofu was not only well fed—broad-shouldered, thick-armed, and far stronger than the malnourished village boys—but he also maintained connections with county hooligans. In these difficult years, such people were feared even more than petty officials. It was not uncommon for thugs to beat civilians half to death over a few jin of grain or a handful of coins.
Because of that, Li Jianmin instinctively lowered his head slightly and forced out a strained smile.
"U–Uncle… what are you talking about?" he stammered nervously. "When did we ever spend your money?"
At the same time, a dreadful suspicion rose in his mind.
Had Li Guofu seen them in the black market earlier?
If that were the case, then he must have come here specifically to snatch their supplies—and whatever money remained.
His heart tightened.
Without drawing attention, Li Jianmin quietly shifted the heavy grain sack in his hands behind his back, subtly shielding it from view. At the same time, he took half a step forward, positioning himself between Li Guofu and his younger sister.
No matter what happened, he could not allow Shuying to be dragged into danger.
Across from them, Li Guofu let out a cold sneer.
"I'm talking about the allowance money you took from my mother," he barked loudly, his voice filled with contempt. "You little brats have grown quite bold. Do you even know whose money that is?"
He jabbed a thick finger toward Li Jianmin.
"That money belongs to my parents! It's filial support meant for them in their old age. Yet your family shamelessly snatched it away."
As he spoke, his gaze slowly drifted downward.
Earlier, he had already noticed the grain sacks the moment they approached the village entrance. Now that Li Jianmin was trying to hide them, his eyes gleamed with undisguised greed.
In truth, Li Guofu was both angry and irritated.
When he had left the village that morning, his plan had been simple—to intercept the siblings before they returned, seize the allowance money, and pocket it for himself, but he never found them even after searching entire county for the entire day, and now, seeing the bulging grain sacks, he knew the money had already been spent.
His fists clenched involuntarily.
Still… grain was even better.
In these years of scarcity, a full sack of grain was worth far more than a few crumpled bills.
A cruel smile crept onto his lips.
"What are you hiding behind your back?" he demanded sharply. "Those supplies you bought with my money?"
He stretched out his hand arrogantly, palm open.
"Hand it over. And later bring back the passbook you stole from my mother while you're at it."
His eyes narrowed as he looked at them, his tone dripping with threat.
"Otherwise… you two should know what the consequences will be."
"Stole?"
A cold sneer suddenly sounded from behind Li Jianmin.
Before Li Guofu could react, Li Shuying stepped forward from behind her brother and walked into his line of sight. The early evening wind stirred the loose strands of her hair, yet her posture remained straight and unyielding.
Her gaze was sharp as a blade.
"Uncle Guofu," she said calmly, though her voice carried a biting edge, "you truly have a remarkable talent for deceiving yourself."
She tilted her head slightly, the faintest trace of mockery touching her lips.
"Calling my father's allowance your own money… such behavior is truly shameless." She paused, letting the words settle heavily in the air. "After all, my father isn't even your full brother—only a stepbrother."
For a brief moment, the world seemed to fall silent.
Even the wind rustling through the bare branches near the village entrance felt as though it had stilled.
Li Jianmin froze where he stood.
Li Guofu froze as well.
Especially Li Guofu.
In all his years, he had never once heard this niece speak like this in front of him. In his memory, Li Shuying had always been like a shadow within the Li household—quiet, timid, lowering her head whenever elders spoke. She had been the sort of child who hardly dared breathe too loudly in his presence.
To him, she had always been invisible.
Earlier that morning, when Zhao Hongmei told him that this same niece had humiliated his mother and snatched the allowance passbook, he had merely laughed it off. In his mind, it was nothing but exaggerated nonsense.
But now—
Seeing the girl who had once trembled before him standing straight and openly calling him shameless…
For a moment, Li Guofu was genuinely stunned.
However, the shock did not last long.
A dark flush of anger rapidly spread across his face.
His expression twisted as fury surged through him like wildfire.
"Li Shuying!" he barked, his voice rough with rage. "You've grown quite bold!"
His eyes turned vicious as he glared at her.
"You dare call me shameless?" he sneered, baring his teeth. "Fine! Then today your uncle will show you what real shamelessness looks like!"
Without another word, he suddenly strode forward in a single long step.
His target was obvious.
Before either sibling could react, Li Guofu lunged toward Li Jianmin and grabbed the grain sack in his hands.
The movement happened so quickly that Li Jianmin, already weakened from poor nutrition and fatigue, had no chance to resist. With a rough tug, the sack was wrenched away.
Li Guofu immediately loosened the tied mouth of the sack.
The moment he looked inside—
His breath caught.
Oil.
Spices.
Coarse grains.
And most shocking of all—
Fine grain.
White Flour, that glimmered faintly even in the evening light.
And beneath it… a wrapped piece of pork in old newspaper.
For a moment, Li Guofu's eyes widened so much they nearly bulged from their sockets.
Even in the Li family's main household—where the elders favored him the most—they had never dared to purchase supplies so extravagantly. These days, even obtaining coarse grain required ration tickets and long queues at the grain station.
Fine grain and pork?
Those things were rarer than phoenix feathers.
In these years of scarcity, obtaining such food was like trying to pluck the moon from the sky.
Yet these two useless brats had somehow bought all of this?
Before his greedy thoughts could run further, a sudden force yanked the sack from his hands.
Li Guofu staggered slightly.
Li Shuying had already snatched the grain sack back.
Her face was cold as frost.
"Uncle Guofu," she said sharply, clutching the sack to her side, "are you really planning to commit robbery in broad daylight at the entrance of the village?"
Her voice was not loud, but every word carried weight.
"If I call the brigade secretary and the village cadres right now," she continued coolly, "what do you think will happen when they hear that you tried to snatch food from your own relatives?"
Those words were like a spark thrown into dry straw.
Li Guofu, who had still been stunned by the sight of the supplies, was instantly provoked.
His face darkened.
After all, in this village, no one had ever dared threaten him like this before.
Yet today—
First this girl dared to insult him.
And now she was threatening him with the brigade authorities?
His temper finally exploded.
"You little bitch!" he roared, his voice echoing down the dirt road. "Give that sack back right now!"
His eyes burned with a mixture of fury and naked greed as he stared at the bulging bag.
"You two worthless bastards actually spent my money on such expensive things!" he cursed viciously. "Oil! Fine grain! Pork! Are you trying to live like county officials now?"
His voice grew harsher with every sentence.
"You shameless thieves! Eating such good food while the elders in the main house are still chewing coarse husks at the communal canteen! Have you no filial piety at all?"
Before Li Shuying could respond, Li Jianmin suddenly spoke.
He still looked nervous, but there was a rare firmness in his voice.
"Uncle… these supplies belong to our family," he said, though his words carried a slight hesitation. "And the allowance passbook of my father also legally belongs to our mother."
He swallowed and continued.
"That decision was already made yesterday by the brigade secretary. Everyone in the meeting heard it."
For a moment, Li Jianmin hoped those words might restrain him.
But he had underestimated Li Guofu's temper.
Or rather—
His greed.
Because at that moment, Li Guofu was no longer listening.
His eyes remained locked on the grain sack in Li Shuying's arms, burning with both fury and desire.
Fine grain.
And pork.
In these harsh years, those things were more tempting than silver or gold.
No matter what the brigade secretary had said…
There was no way he would let them take such food home.
"You little bastard!" he spat, his voice thick with rage. "You think waving the brigade secretary's name will scare me?"
He took a step forward, his heavy boots crunching against the frozen dirt road.
"Hand over that grain sack this instant," he snarled. "Otherwise, I'll make sure you regret it for the rest of your life. Don't think I won't deal with the two of you properly."
His tone carried a cold, vicious promise.
Li Jianmin's heart thumped violently in his chest.
Fear crawled up his spine like icy water.
Since childhood, he had always been afraid of this uncle.
But today…
Today was different.
Behind him stood his younger sister.
And the grain sack she held represented far more than food.
It was the result of Shuying's efforts selling radishes in the black market, risking punishment if she were caught. It was the first time their family had managed to obtain something decent to eat in months.
And the allowance passbook?
If he backed down now, there was no doubt the Li family would seize it again. From that day forward, his mother and siblings would never see a single cent of that money.
Thinking of this, Li Jianmin quietly clenched his fists.
His legs trembled, but he still forced himself to take a deep breath.
Then he lifted his head.
"I… I won't give the grain sack back," he said, his voice slightly shaky but unmistakably firm. "No matter what."
Even as the words left his mouth, his palms were already damp with sweat.
But he had made up his mind.
Even if he had to endure a beating today—
He would not yield.
Li Guofu stared at him for a moment.
Then he suddenly let out a cold laugh.
"Good. Very good."
Before anyone could react, he lunged forward like a feral dog.
His fist shot out without warning.
Thud!
The punch landed squarely on Li Jianmin's face.
"Agh—!"
Li Jianmin cried out as pain exploded across his cheek. His vision blurred instantly as he staggered backward, losing his balance. A moment later, he collapsed onto the ground, clutching his face in agony.
The impact echoed sharply in the empty road.
For a second, Li Shuying was stunned.
She had expected Li Guofu to argue, to threaten—but she had not anticipated that he would resort to violence so suddenly.
"Third Brother!"
Dropping to her knees beside him, she hurriedly reached out to support him.
"Are you alright?"
Li Jianmin winced as he slowly nodded, trying to force a reassuring smile despite the throbbing pain.
"I… I'm fine," he muttered.
But the lie was obvious.
Even in the faint evening light, a dark bruise was already beginning to bloom across his cheekbone. His lips trembled faintly as he struggled to endure the pain.
Seeing this, something inside Li Shuying snapped.
A surge of fury rose violently in her chest.
Behind them, Li Guofu let out a mocking snort.
"You little bitch," he sneered, folding his arms as if nothing had happened. "This is what happens when you dare defy me."
His eyes shifted greedily toward the grain sack still clutched in Li Shuying's hands.
"Now hand it over," he said coldly. "Otherwise, don't think I won't beat you as well."
His voice turned vicious.
"If I have to, I'll beat the both of you half to death today. But that grain sack—and that allowance passbook—must come back with me."
The threat hung in the air like a blade.
For a few seconds, Li Shuying remained crouched beside her brother.
Her head was lowered.
But when she slowly rose to her feet, her expression had completely changed.
Her eyes were red with restrained anger.
Her fists clenched so tightly that her knuckles turned pale.
In her previous life, she had endured humiliation again and again. She had swallowed every grievance, believing that patience would one day lead to peace.
But what had that patience brought her family?
Misery. Betrayal. Ruin.
This time…
She would not endure.
Abruptly, she stood up.
Her gaze was sharp and blazing.
"Li Guofu," she said slowly, each word cold and clear, "you truly have courage."
She lifted the grain sack slightly in her hands.
"Not only are you shameless enough to claim things that don't belong to you," she continued, her voice rising with anger, "but you're also bold enough to beat my brother in broad daylight."
Then she pointed at the sack.
"Fine."
Her lips curved into a thin, challenging smile.
"Let's settle it this way."
"If you can take this grain sack from my hands today," she declared, her voice echoing at the quiet village entrance, "I'll kneel at your doorstep and kowtow for an entire week."
The words fell like a stone into still water.
Even Li Guofu was momentarily startled.
He stared at this once-timid niece in disbelief.
Gone was the frightened girl.
Standing before him now was someone else entirely.
Someone who looked at him not with fear—
But with open defiance.
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I'm sorry for disappearing for entire week, I had my university exams going on, so I took a short break. Now I hope to be regular with updates.