Can this dirty child become an official in the future? A night-soil collector?
"Then come find me when your son is truly scared silly!"
Xue Niang took a step, but the woman was quick-handed, grabbing Xue Niang's trousers with a large hand. If Xue Niang hadn't reacted quickly, she would have almost had her trousers torn off.
"How dare you!" Her eyes flashed with cold light, like a newly unsheathed sword, shooting towards the woman.
The woman's hand trembled, startled by her stern reprimand, and her hand unconsciously loosened.
Xue Niang had called out unconsciously and was surprised herself. The words came out so naturally, as if she had said them before.
The woman reacted and was filled with shame and anger. She had actually been scared by this frail girl who could be blown away by the wind. It was truly bizarre!
Ignoring her son, she stood up, hands on her hips, and cursed, "You bought-and-paid-for thing, who do you think you are, some big shot from the city? 'How dare you'? More like 'how dare you fart'! Take off that hairpin on your head, and this matter will be over. Otherwise, I'll strip you naked today and let all the men in the village have a look!"
Xue Niang's chest ached with anger. Wasn't this ruffian acting like a bandit?
She sneered, "Listen, woman! 'If the water is clear, wash your tassel; if the water is muddy, wash your feet.' A person must first humiliate themselves before others will humiliate them!"
She hadn't compromised in the hands of brutal human traffickers, so why would she fear a mere village woman?
"If you want the silver hairpin, you can have it, but you'll have to step over my dead body!"
"You—" the woman glared. She hadn't understood the first part, but she understood the latter. This was indeed a tough nut to crack!
"Well said, girl!" Liu Donghuai appeared, carrying his book satchel, his gaze full of admiration for Xue Niang.
Upon seeing Liu Donghuai, the woman's expression flickered. "The scholar is back."
This was going to be difficult.
"Auntie Luhua, we're all from the same village. Let's talk things out. There's no need to make things so ugly. Talking about dead bodies and such is going too far."
Even though Liu Donghuai wasn't very familiar with the woman, he had heard that she was difficult to deal with and usually quite shrewish. He just didn't know what had happened to stop her here.
Her expression was cold, lacking the usual delicate demeanor. She seemed to be clad in a layer of armor, exuding an air of dominance.
Yet, she was still captivating.
Captivating?
Liu Donghuai flustered for a moment and averted his gaze.
"Scholar, don't interfere. My child was scared by him, and she's in the wrong here!"
The child had stopped crying. The woman kicked him, not wanting to waste any more time and eager to finish this quickly. This little girl, who would have thought that even the scholar would come to her defense? Did her bandit husband know about this? Heh, she would have a good chat with the scholar's wife.
The woman reached out to snatch the silver hairpin from Xue Niang's head, but a pebble flew from the side and hit her.
"Ah—my hand, my hand—"
The woman screamed, clutching her hand. A bloody hole had appeared on it, the fleshy palm pierced through.
This incident made several children cry out in fear, and the entire alley was filled with wails.
Liu Donghuai was also stunned.
Only Xue Niang's eyes moved. She turned her head to look at the man who appeared at the alley entrance. He walked step by step, as if treading on people's hearts. His cold, sharp gaze swept around and softened when it landed on Xue Niang.
"Bullying my woman, do you think I'm dead? Get your man out here. Do you want to lose a hand or an arm? Choose yourself!"
This voice, no less than from hell, scared the woman into retreating with her injured hand, forgetting about her son.
It was too terrifying. He really was a former bandit!
The doors of the surrounding neighbors quietly closed one by one.
Xue Niang curved her lips. "I seemed to hear someone in the house just now. Her man is probably hiding inside."
"No, he's not home, not home!" the woman shrieked.
Xue Niang removed the silver hairpin from her head and handed it over. "Here, I wasn't refusing to give it to you earlier, but this was bought by my man, and I was afraid he would be angry."
Her expression was now gentle, her words soft, but the woman looked as if she had seen a ghost, facing a formidable enemy. "No, don't, I don't want it."
Xiao Shan said expressionlessly, "It's fine to give it away, but I'm afraid some people won't live long enough to wear it."
The man hiding behind the door trembled, not daring to show himself. Xiao Shan snorted.
Xu Donghuai looked at the ferocious man before him, then at the petite woman standing beside him.
His heart felt a pang of discomfort.
Such a terrifying man, she must be afraid of him too, right?
"Xiao Shan, Auntie Luhua made a mistake, but you injured someone without a word. We're all from the same village, isn't that a bit too cruel?"
"Oh? Cruel? You probably didn't see me when I was killing people back in the day. Heads were kicked around like balls."
Xiao Shan looked at Liu Donghuai with disdain. Trying to act like a good person in front of his woman? Get lost!
Auntie Luhua was shaking like a sieve.
At this moment, some villagers cautiously approached, bypassed Xiao Shan, and led the children hiding by the wall away one by one, leaving only the woman's son.
The child was even more frightened, sobbing and hiccuping, but he was too scared to cry out by Xiao Shan's gaze.
"Xiao Shan, this matter—" Liu Donghuai was about to speak.
But Xue Niang interrupted him. She leaned down to the child. "My mother cursed me just now. I've informed the spirits, and they will turn you into an ugly monster tonight too."
"No, I don't want to be an ugly monster! You turn my mother into an ugly monster, she's the one who cursed you! I didn't cry earlier; I only cried because she squeezed me so hard. You find her, don't find me!"
It was too late for the woman to cover the child's mouth.
Xue Niang smiled and returned to Xiao Shan's side. Xiao Shan took Xue Niang's hand and said ruthlessly to the woman, "Auntie Luhua, is it? You scared my woman today. If she has nightmares tonight, I'll come and chop off your husband's hand, or your son's."
"No, I don't want my hand chopped off! It was my mother who cursed you, chop off her hand!"
The child bit the woman's hand, crying and shouting.
No one paid them any mind anymore. Xiao Shan and Xue Niang walked away.
Liu Donghuai's face turned pale and then flushed. He felt completely superfluous. The child's cries and the woman's curses annoyed him greatly, and he quickly left.
Why was he, a scholar, getting involved in such undignified neighborhood squabbles?
He had not only lost his dignity but also made a fool of himself.
Xiao Shan glanced at Xue Niang. There was no anger on his face; in fact, there was a hint of pleasure.
"But this was bought by my man."
Listen to that, "my man"! Wasn't that like pouring honey into his heart?
It was truly music to his ears!
"Ahem!" Xiao Shan cleared his throat. "Were you scared just now?"
"Xiao Shan, why is she like this? Isn't she afraid that the child will learn bad habits?"
In fact, he had already learned bad habits. When that woman bullied her, and Xiao Shan appeared, she turned into a quail, bullying the weak and fearing the strong. Her son was the same; when scared, he didn't even care about his own mother.
"Ignorant woman. There are many like her in the village. They've been influenced by generations. In poor, remote places, there are often wicked people. In the final analysis, it's because they are poor, cannot afford to study, and don't understand great principles."
Xue Niang pondered this.