Madam Zhou was thoroughly enraged. As a seasoned shrew, how could she stand there and be slapped?
Although Madam Gu’s aura was sharp, Madam Zhou’s ferocity also flared up…
“You wretched thing, I’ll scratch you to death today, ahhh!~”
Spitting with every word, Madam Zhou, like a hen flailing its claws and wings, lunged at Madam Gu.
Old Man Yun, quick as lightning, pulled Madam Gu behind him and grabbed Madam Zhou by the collar. “What are you doing? Still want to hit my wife…”
Seeing this, Yun Daman and Jin Xiaolou also rushed into the cowshed and began to pull at Madam Zhou.
“Wuwuwu!~” Madam Zhou, seeing the situation turn against her, simply burst into tears. She plopped down onto the ground, kicking her legs. “Wuwuwu, you heartless wretches, may you all die terrible deaths! You see us as a widow and orphans, weak and alone, and you bully us relentlessly. May your Old Yun family be struck by lightning, wuwuwu…”
Liu Dazhuang, seeing his mother crying and wailing, joined in with a howl. “Wuwuwu, Mother, my chest hurts, I can’t breathe, wuwuwu!~”
Everyone: “……”
Yun Daman clenched his fists, his knuckles cracking. If Madam Zhou were a man, he would have kicked her out with a few punches and kicks long ago.
Xiao Jinfeng stood at the entrance of the cowshed, his sleeves tucked in, watching the spectacle. Seeing the Old Yun family, young and old, panting with anger, he turned to Madam Gu. “Old Madam, do you need me to have Erlongzi throw them out?”
Truly, the world was full of wonders. Living at the Old Yun family’s place, he got to witness such a huge drama…
He was broadening his horizons.
When people endlessly lower their standards, they can truly do anything.
Madam Gu waved her hand. “No trouble for Young Master Xiao!~”
This was their family matter; it wasn’t good to involve outsiders.
What storms had she not weathered? Dealing with a mere Madam Zhou was not beyond her…
Didn’t she drive out Liu Cuirong and Hu Xier when they were causing such a fuss before?
Thinking of this, Madam Gu signaled Old Man Yun and Daman to release Madam Zhou, narrowed her eyes, and sneered, “Madam Zhou, I ask you, today our family is hosting a banquet, who invited you?”
Upon hearing this, Madam Zhou quickly raised her head and scanned the villagers around the cowshed.
Seeing everyone glaring at her with disdain, Madam Zhou opened her mouth, then lowered her head without a sound…
Madam Gu asked again, “Since no one invited you, why did you bring your children to our Old Yun family’s place? To freeload food and drinks?”
“I, I didn’t!~” Madam Zhou rubbed her face and retorted sullenly.
Madam Gu curved her lips. “Didn’t? People with your ill intentions love to take advantage of others. It’s free to eat, and it doesn’t cost money, right?”
Madam Zhou was about to argue when Madam Gu frowned, staring down at her, completely suppressing Madam Zhou’s arrogance…
“Whether you were freeloading or not, I’ll set that aside for now. I ask you, who let your child crawl into the cowshed?” Madam Gu asked sternly.
Madam Zhou blinked her eyes and murmured, “The child, the child is so young, he doesn’t understand. I can’t even stop him from tearing tiles off the roof, let alone crawling into a cowshed!~”
“Is that so? Then your upbringing is problematic!”
Madam Gu leaned closer to Madam Zhou, her eyes filled with chilling coldness. “Since the children don’t understand, tomorrow I’ll have Xiaolou and Jingde set fire to your woodpile and burn your house to ashes. Will that also be without responsibility? If the authorities ask, I’ll say they were just being childlike and unrestrained. Even if they burn someone to death, I can continue to harm others with a clear conscience?”
Little Xi Tian silently gave her mother a thumbs-up after hearing this…
Even though Mother usually spoke gently and politely to everyone, at crucial moments, she could always retort people until they blushed and their necks were thick with anger.
Madam Zhou gritted her teeth and glared at Madam Gu. “You, you’re just arguing!~”
She was a little guilty now. If she had known from the start that the matriarch of the Yun family was so sharp-tongued and could scold without using vulgar words, she would never have come to court this bad luck…
“Arguing?” Madam Gu chuckled, her expression relaxing. “I only argue with unreasonable scoundrels who make baseless claims. Do you know how much this dairy cow is worth?”
As she spoke, she casually pointed to a fat and strong dairy cow beside her. “This cow is worth over a hundred taels of silver. If your son damages it, can your family afford to pay? Don’t tell me about selling everything you own. Even if you sold your house and land, you still couldn’t afford it…”
“Heh, a hundred taels of silver, if you economize, it’s enough for you and your son to live on for a lifetime. But your son, he sneakily crawled into the cowshed and used a sharp bamboo stick to desperately scratch our cow. When the cow got agitated and kicked him, you still have the nerve to come to our house and cry, demanding justice? You truly shame our Dashui Village!~”
“You said you wanted to report to the authorities? Fine, I’ll have Daman go to the county town right now and find the constables to judge this matter. Let’s see if the yamen sides with a swindler like you who extorts people everywhere, or with our Old Yun family…”
With that, Madam Gu looked at Yun Daman. “Daman, go get the horse and report to the county government!~”
Little brat, if I don’t subdue you completely today, you’ll dare to come to the Old Yun family to cause trouble in the future.
This is what they call ‘a single punch opens the way, preventing a hundred punches’.
The Old Yun family doesn’t provoke trouble, but they aren’t afraid of it either. A rude shrew like Madam Zhou shouldn’t be treated with courtesy.
“Alright, I understand, Mother!~” Yun Daman replied and turned to walk out of the cowshed.
The villagers also began to discuss with laughter.
“Oh dear, this Madam Zhou is really asking for trouble. Who in Dashui Village doesn’t know that Magistrate Chen is close to the Old Yun family? I heard the Magistrate is even planning to marry his daughter into the Old Yun family…”
“Is that true? If the two families are related, then the Magistrate would be the Old Yun family’s in-law, truly a marriage of close relatives, haha!~”
“Isn’t that what I’m saying? This Madam Zhou has no foresight at all, coming to extort the Old Yun family. Isn’t she lifting a rock only to drop it on her own foot? If she angers the Magistrate, Madam Zhou and her son might not even be able to stay in Dashui Village…”
A buzzing murmur of discussion arose around the cowshed. Madam Zhou’s heart trembled, and even her pupils quivered.
It seemed she had kicked an iron plate today.
Before Yun Daman could even leave the cowshed, Madam Zhou suddenly scrambled to her feet, rushed forward, and grabbed Yun Daman’s leg, pleading tremblingly, “No, no… don’t go report to the authorities!~”
If the constables were truly called, she wouldn’t be in the right, and being thrown into prison would be troublesome.
“I, I know I was wrong. I’ll take Dazhuang home now and promise not to bother you again!~” Madam Zhou was terrified.
Yun Daman scratched his face and turned to look at Madam Gu. “Mother, perhaps, perhaps…”
He thought Madam Gu would soften her heart and let them go, but unexpectedly, her attitude today was exceptionally firm, allowing no room for argument.
“Report to the authorities!~” Madam Gu frowned.