"Ah! Xia Xian! I'll f*** your mother!"
Old Woman Chu shrieked a string of profanities in pain. She reached out to grab Xia Xian’s hair, but Xia Xian stepped back. With her long arms and legs, Old Woman Chu couldn't reach her at all.
Seeing his own mother being attacked, and having been sent sprawling on his backside by Chu Ran earlier, Chu Sheng was furious. He stood up threateningly, intending to strike Xia Xian.
But having been blindsided once already, Xia Xian wasn't about to be that foolish again!
Seeing Chu Sheng charging toward her, she seized the moment. Just as he got close, she delivered a hard kick straight into his crotch!
"Aaaah!!!!"
Chu Sheng immediately doubled over, clutching his groin and letting out a deafening, agonizing scream.
"You dare kick my son’s lifeblood! Xia Xian, I’m going to kill you!"
Seeing this, Old Woman Chu’s eyes turned red with rage. Xia Xian didn't want to sacrifice herself for the sake of these wretched people; she knew that facing the two of them, her odds of winning were slim. Teaching them a lesson was enough.
She didn't even bother with her belongings. After yanking Old Woman Chu’s hair one last time, she scrambled away.
She spun around, pulled the door open, and slipped out in one fluid motion!
Within three seconds, she was outside. The commotion in the Chu household was loud enough that neighbors were already coming out to see what was happening.
At the perfect moment, Xia Xian covered her face and began to sob.
"Help! Someone’s being a pervert!"
"Second Young Master Chu is a beast in human clothing! His brother hasn’t even been dead for a few days, and he’s already trying to force himself on his sister-in-law! Old Woman Chu is helping her son try to break me!"
"Oh, how miserable I am! This whole family is nothing but trash. Eldest Master Chu tricked me into marrying into this family before he even died, and now they want to force a decent woman into prostitution! Wuwuwu!"
Xia Xian’s voice was loud and clear, broadcasting all the sordid deeds of the Chu family for everyone to hear.
When one is truly heartbroken, tears flow naturally. Thinking of the bitter, aggrieved life she had lived in her previous existence, Xia Xian didn't need to act; the tears just cascaded down.
"What! Such a thing happened?"
"Quick, go get the Director of the Women’s Federation!"
"I’m going to the Public Security Bureau to report this! How shameless! To act like a lewd beast toward his own newly widowed sister-in-law—what a degenerate, morally bankrupt scoundrel!"
Most of the people who came out to watch were women, and they could sympathize with Xia Xian’s situation. They began speaking up in her defense, offering to help her find someone in charge.
"Thank you all for helping me, wuwuwu."
"Otherwise, even if I died in the Chu house, I wouldn't have let them get their way!"
Xia Xian spoke with conviction, displaying true backbone. This was much better than playing the demure damsel. The crowd was even more satisfied with her and stepped in to shield her, glaring at the second Chu brother and his mother.
"It’s not what you all think! My brother is gone now, so I’m willing to marry her. This isn't lewd behavior—have you ever heard of a levirate marriage..."
Chu Sheng had been a step too slow, allowing her to say so much and win the crowd’s sympathy. He tried to explain, but his words only infuriated the crowd further.
"Pah! You say you want to marry her, so you just get to? Your brother is dead, why should she have to marry you? What kind of woman marries two brothers? Aren't you afraid of divine retribution!"
"Exactly! I’ve had my eye on you lot for a long time. The man was dying and you wouldn't even call off the engagement; you ruined a perfectly good girl for nothing, and now you want to keep ruining her?"
"Your mother is a widow herself—why doesn't she marry her husband's older brother!"
Xia Xian didn't need to say another word. The neighbors directly lashed out in her defense, berating the mother and son until they were completely cowed.
Old Woman Chu shrank back, not daring to utter a sound, showing her true colors as a bully who cowers before the strong.
Director Mei arrived, hearing the commotion. She hadn't even finished putting her shoes on properly, running over with her heels stepped down and a feather duster in her hand.
"I’d like to see who dares to act like a pervert! Hurting our women comrades! Do you think I, the Director of the Women’s Federation, am dead?"
She glared, her eyes locked firmly on the second Chu brother. Stiff with anger, she gripped the feather duster so hard the muscles in her arm bulged.
At 175 centimeters tall, she was strong and robust. Not only was she an expert at dressing people down, but she was also incredibly effective at stopping men who committed domestic abuse!
Director Mei Yanxia was a figure of terror across the entire neighborhood!
"Director! You’re finally here! There’s no law saying that just because my husband died, I have to marry his brother, wuwuwu! They even tore my clothes, trying to, trying to..."
"I don't dare stay here anymore. I want to go home. I just married in, I’m still an innocent girl, I don't even have a child. There’s no point in me staying in the Chu family. Can you let me go home, wuwuwu?"
Seeing her true savior, Xia Xian immediately rushed over to embrace her, sobbing and playing the part of the pitiful victim, while getting a few underhanded jabs in.
Mei Yanxia looked down and saw that the sleeve of Xia Xian’s garment was indeed torn, revealing a patch of fair, tender skin. Seething with rage, she launched the feather duster directly at Chu Sheng.
"You shameless thing!"
"Ouch!"
The duster hit Chu Sheng square in the forehead, and he clutched his brow, wincing in pain.
"Don't be afraid, little sister. I guarantee I’ll send you home. I’d like to see who in the Chu family dares to bully you again!"
"Wuwuwu."
Xia Xian didn't speak; she just nodded while weeping. As she lowered her eyes, a faint, hidden smile flashed across her face.
She wouldn't be that naive in this life. Making a scene and screaming was useless; crying pitifully like Bai Lian was actually more effective for getting what she wanted.
As soon as the word "lewdness" was mentioned, the Public Security Bureau arrived quickly. The man in the lead was a handsome young fellow with refined features, deep eyes, a high nose bridge, broad shoulders, and a slim waist. His very presence captured everyone’s attention.
"Who is that young man? I’ve never seen him before."
"Yes, he’s so handsome. I wonder if he’s married? I have a niece around his age who’s still single!"
The neighborhood aunties whispered among themselves, itching to get closer.
Looking at the strikingly elegant man before her, Xia Xian was momentarily dazzled. Even with her mature mind, she couldn't help but stare for a second.
However, she did remember this person. He had come from Beijing with an incredibly impressive family background. He only stayed in their area for a few months before leaving—apparently, he had come specifically to crack a major serial murder case, though she didn't know the details.
When he left, everyone had expressed regret that they couldn't keep such a handsome young man around.
Quan Ruifeng’s ink-black eyes first swept over the tear-streaked Xia Xian, then glanced at the Women’s Federation Director holding her, before turning his expressionless face toward Chu Sheng. He spoke in a professional, no-nonsense tone.
"I am Quan Ruifeng, a police officer from the Ningcheng Public Security Bureau. I received a report that someone here was acting lewdly toward a woman. Everyone involved is to come with me to the station."
His voice was low, cold, and remarkably pleasant to the ear.
Liu Jun wasn't offended by being ignored and just smiled good-naturedly.
"I’m Liu Jun. We’re all old acquaintances, so no need for introductions. Director Mei, what exactly happened? Why don't you come with us as well? We can talk on the way. Let’s not cause too big of a scene; it makes a bad impression."
Officer Liu Jun and Mei Yanxia were old friends; he often helped her handle these petty disputes and was quite experienced.
"Fine. You take this old woman and her son with you!"
Director Mei Yanxia was a true warrior. She didn't care how handsome the new police officer was—only how to solve the plight of her fellow women.
"You stay with me, don't be afraid."
She held Xia Xian’s wrist, offering heartfelt comfort.
"Okay."
Xia Xian nodded again like a timid young bride. With her fair skin and beautiful, slightly reddened almond eyes, she looked so obedient that Director Mei couldn't help but feel a wave of affection for her.
With the Women’s Federation Director and the police joining forces, even if they couldn't get Chu Sheng and his mother thrown in prison, at least a few days of detention would be certain.
There was a box of gold bars buried under the Chu family’s courtyard, about five pounds of them. The land had belonged to a wealthy landlord in the past, and they had dug them up when they were expanding the house. She hadn't even had time to be happy about it before Chu Sheng told her the next day that the gold had been stolen.
Ha! She had been half-skeptical at the time, and when combined with his later ability to buy houses for his old mistress and his son, it was obvious he had hidden the gold for himself.
This time, she was definitely going to dig up those gold bars first!