The moment Ruan Yudong burst into the courtyard of the Ruan ancestral home, she threw her head back and started bawling at the top of her lungs.

Old Madam Zhao was instantly infuriated.

She slapped the door curtain aside and stormed to the entrance, pointing a finger at the girl as she cursed.

" How dare you come through the door wailing like you're attending a funeral in broad daylight! Who exactly are you crying for? Your grandfather and I are still alive and kicking!"

Her eyes widened fiercely.

" Keep that up and I'll throw you out myself! "

The scolding startled Ruan Yudong so badly that she choked on her sobs. The cries lodged in her throat, neither coming out nor going back down, leaving her face flushed bright red.

After all, she was her mother's precious little daughter.

Hearing the commotion, Madam Mao lifted the curtain and emerged from the inner room. She wiped her flour-covered hands on the apron tied around her waist and quickly put on a conciliatory smile.

" Mother, perhaps the child suffered some grievance outside. "

As she spoke, she shot a glare at Ruan Yuchun, who had followed behind.

" What kind of older sister are you? You took your younger sister out to play, so why has she come back crying? "

Ruan Yuchun shrank her neck instinctively.

" M-Mother..." she stammered.

" It was those two jinxes, Ruan Mingzi and her mute sister. They ganged up on Yudong and even pointed a crossbow at us. They almost shot me and Yudong! "

The moment Ruan Mingzi's name was mentioned, both Old Madam Zhao and Madam Mao felt their resentment flare anew.

That little bitch again!

Their family had been swindled out of an entire string of copper coins because of her!

These days, chicks were cheap— three copper coins could buy one. That full string of money could have bought how many chicks?

Raise them properly and they'd lay eggs.

Eggs would hatch more chickens.

Chickens would lay even more eggs.

The more they calculated, the more painful the loss seemed.

By the end of it, both mother-in-law and daughter-in-law felt as though their molars ached from sheer heartache.

The more Old Madam Zhao thought about it, the angrier she became.

She practically wanted to grab a broom and beat Ruan Mingzi to death on the spot.

But when she remembered that Ruan Chengzhang was supposed to become Scholar Gao's disciple, she forcibly swallowed her anger.

Grinding her teeth, she turned toward Madam Mao.

" Any news from Scholar Gao yet? "

At the mention of that, Madam Mao could barely suppress the smugness on her face.

" I heard from Sister Xiuhua that Scholar Gao thinks our Zhang-ge is tall and imposing. One look and you can tell he's destined for great things. "

Her smile widened.

" I'd say the matter is practically settled. Once the injury on Zhang-ge's head heals a little more, his father and I will prepare the tuition gift and personally bring him to Scholar Gao's residence. It'll definitely work out. "

Old Madam Zhao was overjoyed.

Her earlier anger vanished without a trace.

" Our Old Ruan family still has to rely on Zhang-ge in the future! "

Then she suddenly remembered something.

" The barred-rock hens laid three more eggs today. Second Daughter-in-Law, don't store them away in the jar. Boil all of them for Zhang-ge to eat. Let him nourish himself properly."

Madam Mao was equally delighted.

" Understood, Mother. "

Humming a rustic village tune, Old Madam Zhao returned to her room. Only then did Madam Mao finally relax.

Turning around, she smacked Ruan Yuchun lightly across the back and scolded in a low voice.

" Couldn't even watch your sister properly. She's young and doesn't know any better. What's your excuse? If you saw her crying, couldn't you at least help her? "

Ruan Yuchun had done nothing wrong and still got hit. Pain shot through her back, and tears immediately welled in her eyes.

Seeing Ruan Yudong wrapped around their mother's waist, acting spoiled and seeking comfort, she wiped her eyes and stubbornly held the tears back.

" Mother, those two jinxes went too far. " Ruan Yudong complained, revealing a row of yellowed teeth.

" She even grabbed my collar and tried to hit me! "

Looking at the face that resembled her own, full of grievance and indignation, Madam Mao felt as though she herself had suffered the humiliation.

Her eyes narrowed slightly, concealing the malice lurking within.

" Don't worry, Yudong. Once your brother's matter is settled, your mother will go settle accounts with her properly. "

Ruan Yudong immediately broke into a grin.

She nodded vigorously.

Both Old Madam Zhao and Madam Mao had intended to wait until Ruan Chengzhang's apprenticeship was secured before dealing with Ruan Mingzi.

Unfortunately, plans rarely survived reality.

That very afternoon, Old Madam Zhao charged toward Ruan Mingzi's house in a towering rage, washboard in hand.

Earlier, while washing clothes by the river with several village women, she had overheard someone jokingly mention what had happened the previous night.

Ruan Family's Third Son had sneaked over to Ruan Mingzi's house and been mistaken for a thief. As a result, he'd been beaten black and blue by Ruan Mingzi.

Only then did Old Madam Zhao realize why her third son hadn't come out for breakfast that morning.

So he'd been beaten!

The realization nearly made her eyes turn red with fury.

That little bitch Ruan Mingzi was trying to rebel!

How dare she lay hands on her third son!

No longer caring about the laundry, Old Madam Zhao hurried home, dumped the wooden basin and wet clothes inside, grabbed her washboard, and stormed toward Ruan Mingzi's residence.

The more she thought about it, the more justified she felt.

This time, Ruan Mingzi had struck first.

There was no way anyone could blame Zhang-er.

Not only would she avenge her third son, she'd squeeze some money out of Ruan Mingzi while she was at it.

After all—

If someone beat another person up, there ought to be compensation, shouldn't there?

---

After Ruan Mingzi left that morning, Village Chief Zhou had gone directly to Gangzi's home and gently raised the matter of repairing the damaged fence as soon as possible.

The moment Wang Auntie's husband saw that even the village chief had personally come over because of the incident, embarrassment flooded his face.

He immediately agreed.

That afternoon, he gathered the fathers of the troublemaking boys and brought tools— shovels, machetes, and the like to repair Ruan Mingzi's fence.

The village sat right beside the foothills.

Deadwood, bamboo strips, and vines were plentiful.

Still, since the trouble had been caused by their own sons, everyone felt somewhat awkward. They all wanted to finish the repairs quickly and leave, so they worked with remarkable efficiency.

By the time Old Madam Zhao arrived at Ruan Mingzi's house wielding her washboard, Ruan Mingzi herself had yet to return.

Ruan Mingyan sat in the courtyard on a small wooden stump, hugging the colorful shuttlecock Ruan Mingzi had repaired for her. She quietly watched the men rebuilding the fence.

Several of the workers glanced at Old Madam Zhao.

None of them stopped working.

Old Madam Zhao swept her gaze around the courtyard and snorted.

Then she strode directly through the open gate.

" Where's that little slut Ruan Mingzi?! "

The moment Ruan Mingyan saw her, all color drained from her face.

Without hesitation, she darted behind Village Chief Zhou, hiding as though she wished to be as far away from the old woman as possible.

Seeing her reaction, Old Madam Zhao clicked her tongue disdainfully.

What a coward.

After greeting Village Chief Zhou, she immediately barked,

" Where's that shameless sister of yours?! "

" Madam Zhao. " Village Chief Zhou reminded her, frowning slightly,

" Mind your language in front of the child. "

Old Madam Zhao slapped her thigh.

" Perfect! Since you're here, Chief Zhou, you can judge this fairly! "

She raised her voice dramatically.

" That little wretch beat her Third Uncle so badly he can't even leave the house! Tell me, what kind of junior dares act so outrageously? What has the world come to?! "

Village Chief Zhou frowned.

He recalled Ruan Mingzi mentioning the matter to him before.

After clearing his throat, he explained,

" It's all a misunderstanding. It was the middle of the night. The girls thought a thief had broken into the house. "

" A misunderstanding? "

Old Madam Zhao scoffed.

Still, she restrained herself slightly in front of the village chief.

" Misunderstanding or not, all I know is my third son got beaten by that little bastard. This debt needs settling. "

Her sharp eyes scanned the courtyard.

" Where is that little bastard anyway? "

At that moment, a clear, melodious voice drifted in from behind the crowd.

" You know, Grandmother, I've actually been wondering something. "

Everyone turned.

" If you keep calling me a bastard..." the voice continued leisurely,

"...and you're my biological Grandmother… "

A pause.

Then came the smiling question.

" If I'm a bastard, then what exactly does that make you? "

Old Madam Zhao spun around.

There stood Ruan Mingzi.

A wooden pole rested casually across her shoulder.

Suspended from it was a plump rabbit, its four legs bound tightly together with cords twisted from tree bark.

She stood there smiling brightly, entirely at ease.

For a moment, the courtyard fell silent.

Then Old Madam Zhao's face flushed crimson.

" You little— "

The insult almost escaped her lips.

" You damned brat! How dare you insult your grandmother! "

Nearly choking with rage, she took several large strides forward, raised the washboard high above her head, and swung it straight at Ruan Mingzi.

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