Li Jianguo lunged forward at once, catching Li Jianmin before he could collapse from the force of the slap. Supporting him firmly, his expression darkened as he raised his voice.
"Mother, why are you hitting Third Brother?" he demanded, his tone edged with restrained anger. "He spoke the truth. These people from the Li family are like venomous snakes—if you give them an inch, they will coil around your throat and never let go. It has not even been a week since we reclaimed Father's allowance, and they have already come to snatch it back. Must we always bow our heads and endure?"
Chen Meilan's shoulders trembled. The exhaustion she had been holding back for so long finally broke through.
"Then tell me—what else can I do?!" she cried, her voice rising in anguish. "I am already doing everything I can to protect you!"
Her eyes were red, her breath uneven, as though each word cost her strength.
"Do you not see what kind of people they are?" she continued bitterly. "Do you think I enjoy yielding to them? I swallow this humiliation not because I am weak—but because I want you all to have a future… a way out of this village, away from this family. I endure so that you may live in peace. So why can you not remain silent and let me handle this?"
Her voice echoed in the courtyard.
For a moment—
everything fell silent.
Even Wang Chunhua and Sun Guifeng were taken aback. Never before had they seen Chen Meilan so fierce, so unyielding in her despair.
The strength drained from her as quickly as it had surged. Her knees seemed to weaken, and tears finally slipped down her cheeks.
For over an hour, she had stood alone, holding the line against two relentless opponents. Her body was exhausted, her spirit worn thin.
She knew they would not leave empty-handed.
She knew this battle was one she had fought for more than fifteen years.
Yet still—
she fought.
Because behind her stood her children.
And that was reason enough.
What she feared most… was not their insults, nor their greed—
but the moment someone threatened her children's future.
That alone was enough to shatter her.
Li Shuying's eyes burned.
The fury that surged within her was no longer something she could suppress.
Without warning—
She stepped forward.
Smack—!
The sound rang sharp and clear.
Zhao Xiaojun's head snapped to the side, his entire body freezing in shock.
For a moment, he could not even react.
He stared at Li Shuying as though he had been struck by lightning.
Sun Guifeng was equally stunned.
But the next instant, realization struck, and her face twisted with rage.
"You little wretch! You dare to hit my Xiaojun?!" she shrieked, her voice rising to a piercing pitch. "Have you lost your mind?!"
She rushed forward in fury.
But Li Shuying did not stop.
Before Zhao Xiaojun could recover.
She lifted her leg and kicked him hard in the stomach.
The force sent him staggering backward, a choked gasp escaping his throat as he collapsed onto the ground, clutching his abdomen, his breath knocked out of him.
The courtyard erupted.
"Stop! Stop beating my son, you vile girl!" Sun Guifeng screamed hysterically, her composure completely shattered.
Then she turned toward Chen Meilan, her face contorted with venom.
"You shameless woman!" she shouted. "Control your daughter! I'm telling you, stop her this instant!"
But Li Shuying did not stop.
Her eyes burned cold and bright, like frost under winter sun. Each movement was sharp, precise and devoid of hesitation.
Zhao Xiaojun had barely struggled to rise when another blow landed.
"Ah...!"
He staggered, his balance failing him as Li Shuying struck again, driving him back to the ground. Dust rose beneath him, his clothes now smeared, his composed façade completely torn apart.
"You...have you gone mad?!" he gasped, his voice trembling between fury and disbelief. "Do you know who you are hitting?!"
He tried to push himself up, his hand lashing out in an attempt to grab her wrist...
But Li Shuying was faster.
She twisted away effortlessly and drove her elbow into his shoulder, forcing him down again. Her movements were swift, almost ruthless, as though every strike carried years of suppressed fury.
"You think you can threaten my family?" she said coldly, her voice low yet cutting, like a blade drawn in silence. "Today, I will teach you what it means to mind your place."
Zhao Xiaojun's face twisted in humiliation and rage.
"You bitch...!" he roared, trying once more to retaliate.
But he could not even touch her.
Each attempt was crushed before it could take form.
Sun Guifeng's wails pierced the air.
"My son! My poor son—stop, stop it!" Sun Guifeng shrieked, her voice breaking as she rushed forward without a thought for her own safety. She threw herself over Zhao Xiaojun, arms wrapped tightly around him, trying to shield him with her own body.
For a fleeting instant, Li Shuying's hand paused in mid-air.
But the coldness in her eyes did not waver.
The next moment—
She moved.
With a sharp, unyielding motion, she seized Zhao Xiaojun by the collar and dragged him out from beneath Sun Guifeng's grasp.
"Ah—!"
Sun Guifeng cried out, her hands grasping at empty air as her son was pulled away from her like prey from a falcon's talons.
Before Zhao Xiaojun could even steady himself—
Thud!
Another blow landed.
Zhao Xiaojun tried to resist.
He struggled, swung his arm, even attempted to grab her sleeve—
"You madwoman! Stop—!" he roared, humiliation and rage twisting his voice.
His threats grew hoarse.
"You… you dare… I will—!"
Sun Guifeng's cries turned frantic.
"Stop! Stop it! You'll kill him!" she screamed, lunging forward again. She clutched at Li Shuying's arm, trying to pull her away.
But Li Shuying shrugged her off without even sparing her a glance.
"Chen Meilan!" Sun Guifeng wailed, her voice cracking with desperation. "Why aren't you saying anything to your daughter! Has she gone insane?!"
Her grief twisted quickly back into venom.
"You heartless wretch! You savage girl! Worse than a bandit—no, a demon!" she shrieked, tears streaming down her face.
Yet even as she cursed—
Li Shuying did not stop.
Not even once.
Each insult only seemed to harden her resolve.
On the other side, Wang Chunhua had completely lost control.
She collapsed onto the ground with a loud thud and began beating her thighs with both hands, her wails rising higher and higher.
"Heavens above! What sin have I committed to suffer such calamity?!" she cried. "To have such an unfilial step granddaughter—this is punishment from the heavens!"
Her voice grew louder, more theatrical, meant for all to hear.
"A curse upon my fate! A curse upon this household! The rites are broken, the morals are gone—this girl dares to strike her elder brother! What kind of world is this?!"
The commotion drew people like moths to flame.
Widow He and Lu Lingmei rushed into the courtyard, alarm written across their faces.
"What is happening here?" Widow He called out.
But the moment they saw the scene—
Zhao Xiaojun being beaten without mercy, Sun Guifeng crying and scrambling helplessly, Wang Chunhua wailing on the ground—
—and Li Shuying standing over it all like a storm given form—
They froze.
Outside, villagers began to gather.
Whispers spread like ripples.
"What's going on?"
"Why is Old Madam Wang crying like that?"
"Has someone died?"
More and more people crowded near the gate, craning their necks, eyes wide with shock.
But Li Shuying did not stop.
Her gaze fixed only on Sun Guifeng.
"You have cursed enough," she said quietly.
Her voice cut through the noise like a blade.
Sun Guifeng froze for a moment—
Then, driven by panic and anger, she shouted back, "Enough? You think this is enough after what you've done?! You—"
Li Shuying stepped forward again.
And struck.
Zhao Xiaojun cried out once more.
That sound—
finally broke something inside Sun Guifeng.
"Stop! Stop—please stop!" she screamed, her voice no longer sharp, but trembling, collapsing under fear. She scrambled forward, her forehead nearly touching the ground as she cried out desperately, "I was wrong! I was wrong, alright?!"
Li Shuying's hand hovered—
but did not lower.
Sun Guifeng's voice shook as tears streamed down her face.
"We don't want the money anymore! We don't want anything!" she cried. "I'll take him away—right now, I'll take him away! Just stop—please, stop!"
Her earlier arrogance had vanished completely.
All that remained was fear.
Only then—
did Li Shuying finally stop.
Li Shuying finally spoke.
Her voice was calm—too calm for the storm that had just passed.
"This is your last warning," she said, her gaze sweeping across them like a cold wind over barren fields. "If you dare come here again to cause trouble for my family, I will make sure that Li Guofu, Zhao Hongmei, and Zhao Xiaojun are the ones who suffer every single day."
She paused, letting her words sink in.
"The allowance book has already been returned. From this day forward, stop coveting what does not belong to you."
Sun Guifeng clutched Zhao Xiaojun tightly in her arms.
Her eyes were red—partly from tears, partly from rage, and partly from the humiliation that burned deep within her chest.
The memory of Li Guofu being beaten not long ago flashed across her mind. At that time, she had stood by and watched with cold satisfaction.
But now—
now it was her own son lying bruised and breathless in her arms.
The bitterness of that contrast twisted her heart like a knife.
Her voice cracked as she spoke, trembling with suppressed fury.
"Li Shuying… how can you be so heartless?" she demanded. "Today, I only came to borrow some money from your mother—to buy study materials for Xiaojun. And yet you dared to beat him like this… why?"
Li Shuying let out a cold, humorless laugh.
"Why?" she repeated, her lips curling into a faint sneer. "Because he dared to threaten my brother."
Her eyes sharpened.
"Because your so-called 'borrowing' looked more like robbery in broad daylight."
"Because you set your eyes on things that do not belong to you."
"And because—" her voice lowered, turning icy, "—you made my mother cry."
Each word fell like a stone.
"And do not pretend poverty before me," she added coldly. "You have your own savings, yet you still come here to squeeze money from my family. Tell me—what face do you have left?"
Sun Guifeng's expression stiffened.
Then she sneered, unwilling to yield even now.
"So what if I came to ask for money?" she retorted sharply. "That money belongs to Li Guoqiang—"
Li Shuying cut her off cleanly, her tone decisive, leaving no room for rebuttal.
"Li Guoqiang is my father," she said, each word measured and firm, "and my mother is his wife. Whether we lend that money or not—that decision lies with us. No one else has the right to interfere."
For a brief moment—
Sun Guifeng fell silent.
Her hands, still wrapped tightly around Zhao Xiaojun, unconsciously tightened further, making him let out a low cry of pain.
But she seemed not to hear it.
Her eyes flicked toward Chen Meilan.
Then—
she laughed.
A sharp, almost hysterical laugh, carrying something twisted beneath its surface.
"Indeed," she said slowly, her voice laced with strange emphasis, "Li Guoqiang is Chen Meilan's husband."
The way she spoke made the words linger in the air, heavy with an unspoken meaning.
But she did not elaborate.
Without another glance at anyone, she helped Zhao Xiaojun to his feet and pushed her way out of the courtyard, parting the gathered villagers like a blade through cloth.
The moment she left—
the tension shifted.
Widow He, who had witnessed everything, stepped forward, her face dark with anger.
"You shameless old hag," she snapped, glaring at Wang Chunhua. "Have you still not learned your lesson? You dare come again to covet the money sent by Chen Meilan's husband?"
Wang Chunhua, who had just stopped wailing, immediately flared up at the accusation.
"I only came to borrow it!" she retorted loudly. "Did you not hear what my daughter-in-law said? It was for my grandson's study materials!"
Widow He let out a cold laugh.
"Borrow?" she repeated, her tone dripping with disdain. "You truly have a thick face."
She took a step closer, her voice rising with righteous indignation.
"That grandson of yours—from your previous marriage—what blood relation does he have with this branch of the family?" she demanded. "You come to ask money from your husband's other son's household—do you feel no shame at all?"
Her words struck sharply.
"Are your other children dead?" she continued mercilessly. "Why don't you go beg them instead? Or better yet—why not leave this family alone entirely?"
Wang Chunhua's face flushed with anger.
"How dare you curse me, Widow He!" she snapped. "You venomous woman—you bring misfortune wherever you go! You are a curse upon your entire family!"
This time—
Widow He did not flare up.
She stood still, her expression calm, almost indifferent.
"I may be cursed," she said evenly. "People say I devoured my own husband—I have heard it all."
She met Wang Chunhua's gaze without flinching.
"But at least I am not a leech."
Her voice remained steady, yet every word carried weight.
"When my in-laws cast me out, I did not go crawling back. I did not cling to them shamelessly for scraps."
A faint pause.
"Unlike some people," she added, her tone sharpening just slightly, "I still know what propriety and dignity mean. I would rather sleep empty stomach but lower my dignity."