As soon as he spoke, Old Wang rolled up his sleeves. How dare they bully someone from the Wang family? Didn’t they even bother to find out who in this area would dare to provoke them?

Especially his old wife—her mouth was the sharpest. She could sit at someone’s doorstep and curse them for three days and three nights without stopping. Yet now she had been beaten into this state.

Wang Cuihua looked at Old Wang, and then thought of Yun Xi’s ruthless skills—how she had pinned her down so she couldn’t move.

She didn’t dare let the old man go over there again. He already had poor health; if something happened to him, it would be disastrous.

And there were no witnesses! If there had been a witness, her injuries would have been enough to send her to the hospital—and she could have sued that little brat Yun Xi.

That was exactly why Old Madam Wang dared to attack on that small path. She had assumed no one was around, and even if she beat Yun Xi up, there would be no way for her to report it.

As long as there were no witnesses, as long as she insisted she never made a move, what could anyone do to her?

When Yun Xi returned, Zhao Mei was sitting on a chair, groaning, while Liu Wei looked at her with an unpleasant expression.

Liu Wei coughed heavily. “So now you finally know how to come back?”

Yun Xi looked up at Liu Wei’s face and genuinely felt disgusted.

“What? Am I not even allowed to return to my own home? Outsiders like you can live here, but I, the rightful owner, can’t?”

Liu Wei gritted his teeth when he heard her bring that up again. “You rebellious girl! I am your father! Is that how you speak to me?”

“Father? What father do I even have?”

Liu Wei didn’t want to argue further and slammed the table hard.

“Today I’m telling you this clearly—you have two choices. Either marry someone, or go down to the countryside for labor and suffer.”

Yun Xi laughed out loud. “Oh really? Marry into what family? Some blind man? A cripple? Or some old man who can’t find a wife, so you’re sending me to him?”

Liu Wei glared at her. “Is that what you think of me?”

“If I don’t think of you that way, how should I think of you?”

“For a bit of money, you even teamed up with that vicious stepmother to send me to a fool’s bed.

What is there that you, Liu Wei, wouldn’t dare to do?”

Liu Wei couldn’t hold back anymore. He slammed the table again and stood up from his chair.

“You ungrateful girl! What nonsense are you spouting? I’ve never done such things!”

Yun Xi looked at his furious expression, picked up a chair from the side, and sat down heavily.

“If you didn’t do it, why are you so angry? I must have hit the mark.

On the surface you say I should marry someone, otherwise go to the countryside as an educated youth—but do you really think I’m stupid?

You just want me to refuse the marriage so I’ll willingly go down and replace your precious son, don’t you?

Now that every family must send at least one person to the countryside, Liu Jiaojiao has already taken my job. If I get married now, wouldn’t your precious son be the one who has to go?

He can’t even bother to lift a finger when an oil bottle falls over—do you really think he could handle farm work?”

Liu Wei trembled with rage. “You don’t need to worry about that. Liu Yao is still young; I will handle it.”

Yun Xi gave him a contemptuous glance. “I might have believed that before—but not now.

Your deputy factory director will never value you again. You couldn’t even make his son-in-law out of me, so why would he keep an useless man like you?

Enough of the nonsense. If you want me to go down in place of your son, that’s fine—but money first.”

As she spoke, Yun Xi stretched out her hand, rubbing her three fingers together.

Zhao Mei immediately exploded in anger. “You wretched girl! You’ve already taken all the money from our family!

Now that you’re about to go to the countryside, you still dare to ask for money? What do you even want all that money for?”

Yun Xi looked at her furious expression and found it almost entertaining—more entertaining than any movie she had ever seen.

However, her 1,500 yuan would probably be taken back by them before she left for the countryside.

Yun Xi ignored Zhao Mei completely. Zhao Mei immediately started crying.

“Oh heavens, I can’t go on living like this!

Everyone says being a stepmother is hard. I raised her all these years!

Now she won’t even go to the countryside for her little brother, and she still dares to ask her father for money!”

She cried as she spoke. Yun Xi tilted her head and watched her.

If this were the modern world, she’d probably win an Oscar.

Crying like a pear blossom in the rain, yet still speaking clearly and getting every point across—quite a skill.

When Zhao Mei noticed Yun Xi’s mocking, amused gaze, she immediately stopped crying.

She turned to Liu Wei and shouted, “Even if I have no credit, I still have effort! I raised such a big child, sent her to school, and now she’s turning against you and taking all the family money!”

Liu Wei went outside and picked up a wooden stick, intending to hit Yun Xi.

Before, he had been beaten by her only because she had a weapon. This time, he was determined to properly teach this ungrateful daughter a lesson.

Seeing this, Yun Xi pretended to be frightened and ran out of the courtyard.

Liu Wei, still enraged, didn’t care where she ran and chased after her directly.

Once Yun Xi ran outside, neighbors saw the scene and immediately dropped what they were doing to watch the excitement.

In those days, many people didn’t have jobs and stayed home taking care of children. With entertainment so rare, they weren’t going to miss a show like this.

Soon, they all gathered outside the Liu household, practically ready with small stools and handfuls of sunflower seeds.

Yun Xi ran while shouting, “I was wrong, I was wrong! I’ll give her the job!

Sob sob—don’t hit me, don’t hit me!”

The neighbors, seeing this, immediately started pointing and criticizing Liu Wei.

Only then did Liu Wei realize what was happening. He angrily threw the wooden stick to the ground.

Zhao’s wife stepped forward and stood in front of Yun Xi, looking at him.

“Liu family, this isn’t right, is it?

The girl isn’t that young anymore! How can you just hit her whenever you want?

And that wooden stick is as thick as a child’s thigh—if it actually lands on her, can she even survive it?”

Behind her, Grandpa Zhao also nodded repeatedly. “Yes, Liu Wei, you can’t treat your daughter badly just because you remarried.”

Zhao Mei rushed out and immediately began crying to the neighbors.

“Waaaaah, my life is so miserable!

I shouldn’t have married Liu Wei! People say being a stepmother is hard, and I’ve suffered so much!

I worked so hard raising her, and now she demands money at home and even beats her brother and sister.

Now she won’t even listen to her father and even wants to fight him!

Everyone says stepmothers are difficult, but I’ve always treated them fairly, and yet I don’t get a single good word!”

The more Zhao Mei spoke, the more wronged she felt.

The reason Yun Xi pretended to run out was to expose the evil faces of Liu Wei and Zhao Mei—otherwise the neighbors would never have known what kind of scum they really were.