For a heartbeat after her challenge, the village entrance fell into a suffocating silence.
Then Li Guofu exploded.
"You filthy little slut!" he roared, his face twisting with rage. "You dare speak to your elder like that? I'll break your bones today and see if you can still wag that poisonous tongue!"
Spittle flew from his mouth as he cursed viciously.
"You shameless wretch! A dog raised without manners! Your whole damned family is rotten to the core—thieves, beggars, all of you!"
With that, he lunged forward.
His heavy body surged toward Li Shuying like a charging boar, arms outstretched to snatch the grain sack from her hands.
"Shuying, watch out!"
Behind her, Li Jianmin shouted in alarm.
Instinctively, he tried to rush forward to shield his younger sister. Even if he had to take another blow, he could not allow Li Guofu to strike her.
But just as he took a step—
He froze.
Because what he saw next stunned him completely.
Li Shuying did not retreat.
Nor did she panic.
Instead, the moment Li Guofu's bulky body rushed toward her, her stance shifted subtly. One foot slid half a step back, grounding herself firmly on the dirt road.
Her eyes turned sharp.
In the next instant—
She moved.
Li Guofu's hand shot forward to grab the sack.
But before he could touch it, Li Shuying twisted her body lightly to the side. His grasp caught nothing but air.
The motion was smooth and precise, like flowing water.
Before he could react, her foot suddenly swept forward.
Thud!
Her heel struck the side of his knee.
"Ugh—!"
Li Guofu cried out as his balance faltered. His bulky body lurched forward uncontrollably.
And in that brief opening—
Li Shuying's palm shot out.
Smack!
The strike landed squarely against his chest, forcing him backward several steps.
Li Jianmin's eyes widened in disbelief.
His quiet, timid sister—
Had just knocked Li Guofu back?
But Li Guofu was far from finished.
"You damn little whore!" he bellowed furiously, humiliation burning across his face. "How dare you hit me?! I'll kill you today!"
With a snarl, he lunged again.
This time, his fist swung wildly toward her face.
But Li Shuying had already stepped aside.
His punch sliced through empty air.
In the same moment, she caught his wrist with lightning speed and twisted.
Crack.
"AH—!"
Li Guofu howled as a sharp pain shot through his arm.
"Still have the nerve to curse?" Li Shuying said coldly.
Her foot kicked forward.
Thump!
Her knee slammed into his thigh, sending another shock of pain through his body.
"You filthy bastard!" Li Guofu spat through clenched teeth. "Your entire family should starve to death! You dare take my money and still..."
Smack!
Before he could finish the sentence, Li Shuying's palm struck him hard across the mouth.
The sound rang sharply across the empty road.
Blood immediately seeped from the corner of his lips.
"Curse again," she said quietly.
Her voice was calm—but terrifyingly cold.
Li Guofu staggered, fury blazing in his eyes.
"You—!"
Thud!
Her fist drove straight into his stomach.
The air rushed violently from his lungs.
"—You—!"
Smack!
Another blow landed across his face, snapping his head sideways.
Each time he spat another word—
Another strike followed.
Within moments, the arrogant hooligan who had rushed forward so fiercely was completely overwhelmed.
Li Shuying moved with frightening precision.
Every step was controlled.
Every strike deliberate.
Soon—
Li Guofu collapsed onto the ground with a heavy thump, gasping like a dying fish.
Before he could even crawl away, Li Shuying stepped forward and planted her foot firmly on his back, pinning him to the frozen earth.
The grain sack still hung securely from her arm.
The entire fight had lasted less than a minute.
Yet Li Guofu now lay utterly subdued.
Li Jianmin stood several steps away, frozen in place.
His mind was blank.
Was this really his sister?
The quiet girl who used to lower her head whenever elders spoke?
Before him now stood someone entirely different.
Her posture was straight, her expression icy, her presence sharp as a drawn blade.
Even the air around her seemed to carry a chilling pressure.
On the ground, Li Guofu groaned weakly.
The arrogance from earlier had vanished.
"D–damn girl… let go…" he wheezed.
Li Shuying pressed her foot down harder.
He cried out in pain.
"Still cursing?" she asked softly.
Her tone was so calm that it made one's scalp tingle.
Fear finally crept into Li Guofu's heart.
This was no ordinary village girl.
This little demon had beaten him like a stray dog.
"Alright… alright!" he gasped hurriedly. "I was wrong! I was wrong, alright?"
His voice trembled.
"Let your uncle go… I won't take the grain anymore…"
But Li Shuying did not move.
Her eyes slowly darkened.
Because at that moment—
Memories from her previous life surged violently through her mind.
Her mother's disappearance.
The vague rumors about traffickers.
And later…
The truth she had learned before she was sold in mountains.
Sold.
Sold like livestock into a brothel in South.
She remembered imagining what her mother must have endured there.
The humiliation.
The helplessness.
The despair.
All because of the man now lying beneath her foot.
A terrifying chill suddenly spread from Li Shuying's body.
Her aura turned sharp—almost murderous.
Even the late afternoon wind seemed to grow colder.
Li Jianmin felt his heart skip a beat.
He stared at his younger sister in stunned silence.
For the first time in his life—
He felt a strange sense of awe… and fear… toward her.
Li Shuying pressed her foot down harder on Li Guofu's thigh.
Her heel found a sensitive pressure point near the muscle, and she twisted slightly.
"AAAH—!"
Li Guofu's scream tore through the quiet road.
The pain shot through his entire leg like lightning, making his bulky body convulse helplessly on the frozen ground. His face turned pale, sweat instantly forming on his forehead.
But there was no one to hear him. It was still early evening. At this hour, most villagers were still in the production fields completing their afternoon shift under the brigade's supervision. The entrance road remained deserted.
Li Shuying did not even glance at his agony.
Her expression was calm—almost indifferent.
Then she spoke.
Her voice was soft, yet chilling.
"Li Guofu… have you ever looked at yourself in a mirror?"
She tilted her head slightly, as if genuinely curious.
"All day long you swagger around the village like some county tyrant," she continued slowly. "But look at you now—rolling on the ground like a fat pig that's slipped into the mud."
Her lips curved into a faint, mocking smile.
"Honestly speaking, even the brigade's cattle are more useful than you."
Li Guofu's face flushed with humiliation. But before he could curse again, Li Shuying pressed down harder.
"Ah—! Stop! Stop!"
She ignored his cries and continued calmly.
"At least the cattle plough the fields and help produce grain for the commune," she said. "And pigs… well, pigs are slaughtered during the New Year so the whole village can enjoy a decent meal."
Her gaze swept slowly over his bloated body lying on the ground.
"But you?"
She clicked her tongue lightly.
"You neither work nor produce anything. The only thing you've grown successfully is that greasy lump of flesh you call a body."
Her tone turned sharper.
"If someone were to butcher you today, I doubt even the dogs in the village would touch the meat."
Li Guofu's ears burned red with rage and humiliation.
"Y–you—!"
But Li Shuying cut him off coldly.
"So tell me," she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm, "what exactly makes you think you have the right to strut around bullying others?"
She leaned down slightly, her gaze icy.
"Listen carefully, Li Guofu."
"If you ever dare trouble my brothers again… if you so much as look at my father's allowance passbook with greedy eyes…"
Her foot pressed down once more.
Li Guofu let out another miserable howl.
"…then today's lesson will seem like mercy."
Her voice dropped into a quiet, dangerous whisper.
"So take my advice," she said lightly, straightening up.
"Stay far away from my family."
"Otherwise don't blame me for treating you worse than the pigs in the commune pen."
With that, Li Shuying lifted the grain sack onto her shoulder and walked away without sparing Li Guofu another glance.
Li Jianmin stood frozen for a moment, still trying to process what he had just witnessed. Then, snapping out of his daze, he hurried to follow his younger sister.
The two of them walked down the narrow village road in silence.
The late afternoon sun hung low in the western sky. In the distance, the fields were still busy with villagers finishing their assigned tasks for the day's production work.
Neither sibling spoke.
Li Jianmin had countless questions swirling in his mind. His usually quiet little sister had just defeated Li Guofu. It was something he could scarcely believe.
But seeing the faint chill still lingering on Li Shuying's face, he chose to remain silent.
As for Li Shuying, she could not have been more grateful for the quiet.
Her mood had already been unsettled earlier because of the encounter with Li Guofu, which had stirred up memories she would rather have left buried.
Yet strangely, beneath the lingering bitterness, there was also a faint sense of relief.
Thinking about the lesson she had just given Li Guofu, the corners of her lips lifted slightly.
Serves him right.
If the original Li Shuying had been standing there today, she would have long been bullied, beaten, and robbed by him.
But things were different now.
And the reason for that difference was one person.
At the thought of that woman, Li Shuying's steps slowed slightly.
A warmth—and a sorrow—rose in her chest.
In her previous life, after killing her husband, she had been thrown into prison. By that time, her spirit had already been shattered beyond repair.
She had not truly been living then.
She had merely existed.
But that woman had appeared like a small flame in the darkness.
She had protected Li Shuying from other prisoners, stood by her side when everyone else treated her like filth, and slowly taught her how to stand again.
Under her guidance, Li Shuying had learned to fight.
Day after day.
Night after night.
The training had been relentless, almost cruel at times—but it had forged her into someone capable of protecting herself.
For nearly ten years, they had lived like sisters within those walls.
Later, the woman had been released from prison.
After Li Shuying herself was eventually freed, she had searched everywhere for her benefactor.
But what she discovered broke her heart.
The woman had already passed away.
Thinking of it now, Li Shuying's eyes turned faintly red.
If Heaven has truly given me another life…
Then perhaps I can change your fate as well.
Lost in these thoughts, she and Li Jianmin soon arrived at their house.
At the entrance, Li Jianguo was already waiting.
He had completed his assigned work in the fields earlier that morning and earned his work points for the day. Now he leaned casually against the wooden doorframe, occasionally glancing down the road.
The moment he saw the two figures approaching—and the bulging grain sack on Li Shuying's shoulder—his eyes immediately lit up.
"You're back!"
He rushed forward eagerly.
"Did you manage to get the supplies?"
Before Li Shuying could answer, Li Jianguo had already reached out and grabbed the heavy sack from her.
"Let me carry it," he said quickly, slinging it over his own shoulder. "You must be tired after walking all that way. Come on, come inside."
Li Shuying smiled faintly.
"Second Brother," she said lightly, "I'm certain you'll be very happy once you see what we brought back today."
"Oh?" Li Jianguo raised an eyebrow, curiosity flashing in his eyes. "Is it really that good?"
Her smile widened a little.
"I'm sure tonight we'll have a wonderful meal."
"Really?!" Li Jianguo's face brightened instantly.
He looked like an excited child who had just been promised candy.
In his enthusiasm, he completely failed to notice the faint bruising on Li Jianmin's cheek as the three of them walked into the courtyard.
Inside the house, the dim living room was quiet.
At the wooden table near the window, Li Jianhua sat bent over a stack of worn books. The faint light of the evening sun filtered through the paper window, illuminating the careful lines of characters he was copying onto rough paper.
The moment he heard the door open, he looked up.
Seeing his younger siblings enter together, his usually calm expression softened slightly.
"You're back," he said.
Before Li Shuying could respond, Li Jianmin suddenly burst out excitedly.
"Elder Brother! The supplies are here!"
Li Jianhua set his brush down slowly.
Although he did not jump up like Li Jianguo, the faint sparkle in his eyes betrayed his happiness.
"Is that so?"
Li Jianguo had already placed the grain sack onto the wooden table.
"Let's see what our little sister managed to bring back today," he said with a grin, beginning to untie the mouth of the sack like a little child unwrapping a candy, after all this is the novel feeling for each one of them.
Li Shuying stood beside them, the earlier unpleasant encounter already fading from her mind as she watched her brothers' eager expressions.
One by one, Li Jianguo began pulling items from the sack.
First came the small bottle of cooking oil.
The moment it appeared, Li Jianguo froze.
"…Oil?"
Li Jianguo's eyes widened.
Li Jianhua's gaze sharpened slightly.
Cooking oil had become an extremely scarce commodity in recent years. Even families with ration tickets could only obtain small quantities after waiting in long lines at the supply and marketing cooperative.
Yet here it was—sitting on their table.
Before they could recover, Li Jianguo reached into the sack again.
This time, he pulled out a neatly wrapped bundle.
He opened it.
Inside—
Fine white flour.
For a moment, no one spoke.
The soft white powder seemed almost unreal under the dim lamplight.
In these years of scarcity, fine grain like this was practically a luxury reserved for festivals or special occasions.
And yet now…
It was in their home.
Li Jianguo stared at it in disbelief.
"Shuying… where on earth did you get this?" he asked slowly.
Even Li Jianhua, usually calm and composed, could not hide the astonishment in his eyes.
Li Shuying crossed her arms and smiled playfully.
"What do you think?" she said. "Didn't I promise we'd have a good meal tonight?"
Li Shuying laughed suddenly.
"Second Brother, keep looking," she urged.
"Is there more?" Li Jianguo asked.
He reached into the sack again pulling out spices, coarse grains.
When he pulled out the final wrapped bundle and unfolded the cloth—
A piece of pork appeared.
For a long moment, the room fell completely silent.
"Pork?!"
Li Jianguo's voice rose in shock before he could stop himself.
But before the word could properly echo through the small house, Li Shuying swiftly stepped forward and clapped a hand over his mouth.
"Second Brother, keep your voice down!" she whispered urgently, her eyes widening anxiously.
Li Jianguo blinked and quickly nodded.
Only then did Li Shuying remove her hand.
Across the table, Li Jianhua's expression had also turned serious and looked at his second brother with a stern gaze.
"Second Brother," he said calmly, "do you wish for the entire production brigade to know that our family has pork?"
His eyes shifted briefly toward the paper windows, as if wary of unseen ears beyond the thin walls.
"In these difficult years, even the brigade cadres rarely see meat on their tables. If word spreads that we suddenly have pork and fine flour at home, what do you think the consequences will be?"
Li Jianguo's excitement immediately cooled.
He scratched the back of his head awkwardly, looking slightly embarrassed.
"I… I'm sorry," he muttered sheepishly. "I just got a little too excited."
He than looked at the table full of supplies.
"But…" he said slowly, lifting his gaze toward Li Shuying, "Little Sister, how did you manage to buy all of this with just six yuan?"
Li Jianhua also nodded thoughtfully.
"Coarse grain, salt, and spices would have been reasonable purchases," he said in a measured tone. "But pork… and white flour…"
He frowned faintly.
"Isn't that a bit too extravagant?"
His voice carried neither anger nor accusation—only concern.
"In a household like ours, every coin must be used carefully. Would it not have been wiser to save some of that money for future necessities?"
As he spoke, he had been looking directly at Li Shuying.
But suddenly, his gaze shifted.
His brows slowly knitted together.
Because standing quietly beside the table, Li Jianmin had not said a single word since they entered the house.
More importantly—
There was a faint bruise forming across his cheek.
Li Jianhua's expression instantly darkened.
"Third Brother?"
His voice sharpened slightly.
"What happened to your face?"
Li Jianhua rose slowly from his seat, his usually calm demeanor now replaced with quiet intensity.
He stepped closer and examined Li Jianmin's face carefully.
The swelling was obvious now under the dim lamplight.
His brows furrowed deeply.
Then he lifted his gaze toward the two younger siblings.
"Tell me what happened today."
His voice was steady, yet carried the authority of the eldest brother in the household.
"Did something occur outside?"
There was a brief pause before he asked the question that had already begun forming in his mind.
"…Or did the two of you do something improper?"
The room suddenly grew very quiet.
Even Li Jianguo, who had been grinning moments earlier, fell silent.
_________
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