Mother Wang shrieked, "Stop smashing things! We’ve already returned the money to you! Please, I beg you, stop!"
Steward Liu spat on the ground. "Pah! You old hag! If it weren't for you, our young master would have been buried long ago instead of soaking in water. It’s too lenient to let you off without beating you to death."
Tang Youyou arched an eyebrow. Soaking in water? Could it be they were waiting for her to be buried with him yesterday? And then that quarter-hour of rain had soaked the corpse? Ha, that was truly satisfying.
Catching a glimpse of a figure out of the corner of her eye, Mother Wang scrambled up from the ground and pointed at her, screaming, "You jinx! If it weren't for you, why would we be in this state? It’s all your fault! I’m going to divorce you!"
Tang Youyou’s gaze turned icy as she looked toward the group of people huddled and shivering by the courtyard wall—the second branch of the family, and her brother-in-law's family.
Where was Old Man Bai? Had he snuck off?
Mother Wang looked left and right, her eyes locking onto an arm-thick wooden club by the wall. Without a second thought, she snatched it up and charged at Tang Youyou. She was certain that Tang Youyou wouldn’t dare to resist in front of so many people; after all, whenever the threat of divorce was raised, she would always concede.
However, things did not go as she had imagined. Tang Youyou dodged the club, grabbed it, and yanked it forward.
Mother Wang panicked. Since when did she have such strength?
"What are you doing? Let go, you harridan..." Mother Wang continued to bluster.
Tang Youyou’s lips curled upward. "Oh, alright then!"
She let go, and Mother Wang lost her balance, stumbled backward, and landed hard on her backside.
"You... you little slut! Disrespecting your mother-in-law! I am going to divorce you!"
These words directly infuriated the people behind Tang Youyou. Mother Tang began rolling up her sleeves, and Old Man Tang was already eager to jump in. Both had the same thought: tear that woman’s mouth to shreds.
They charged forward. Mother Wang was stunned. She naturally recognized them and pointed a trembling finger at them. "You... what do you want?"
"What do I want? I’m going to tear your mouth apart!"
Mother Tang sat directly on top of her, pulling her hair and slapping her face. When Mother Wang tried to fight back, Old Man Tang kicked her, seemingly by accident, causing her to gasp in pain.
"Help! Elders of the Bai family, are you just going to watch while I’m bullied by the Tang family?"
The few old men in the crowd exchanged glances and promptly backed away. They wouldn't touch this mess; the Bais deserved it.
Seeing the situation, the people by the wall stood up. Second Elder Bai walked to the front, ready to lecture Tang Youyou. "Sister-in-law, you are still a member of the Bai family. I advise you—"
Tang Youyou flexed her ankle and kicked him, sending him flying.
"Ah!" Second Elder Bai soared three meters away, collapsed to the ground, and fainted.
"Husband! Father! Second Brother..." Everyone was terrified.
Tang Youyou arched an eyebrow. What a weakling. She had only used twenty percent of her strength; she didn't want to kill him in front of everyone and end up in prison.
"Anyone who doesn't want to die, stay where you are."
She turned back to see her parents still beating Mother Wang. She felt a bit touched; this was the benefit of having a family to back you up.
"I’ll teach you to bully Youyou, to smear her name, to grind her down..."
Mother Tang exhausted her strength. Looking at Mother Wang’s bruised, swollen face with two missing front teeth, she felt incredibly gratified.
Bai Ruoer and Bai Ruoshan exchanged glances, rushed over, grabbed Mother Tang, and led her away, completely ignoring the wailing Mother Wang on the ground.
"You... you wolf cubs! Just wait, I’ll sell every one of you!"
Tang Youyou’s eyes narrowed as a thought occurred to her. "Father, Mother, I’m a bit tired. Let’s go back."
The group strode away, and even then, they could still hear the gossip.
"Heavens, since when did the Tang woman have so much strength? That kick looked painful."
"Even a cornered dog will jump a wall, and even a rabbit will bite when pushed! The Bai family went too far."
"Weren't those the Tangs' parents? I heard they haven't been in contact for years. Who would have thought they’d show up today? That Mother Wang is truly pitiful!"
"Are you sick? Whose side are you on? What’s pitiful about a mother-in-law who abuses her daughter-in-law? I find it utterly detestable!"
"What business is it of yours whose side I'm on? You must be bored. What, did the Tang woman pay you off to speak for an outsider? Don't forget, you're a Bai daughter-in-law too!"
"I stand with reason, not people, unlike some who can call black white—truly shameless!"
"Who are you calling names?"
"Whoever answers is who I'm calling!"
The woman’s face turned bright red. "You... you foul woman! If I don't scratch your face off, I’ll write my name backward!"
The two began to grapple. The onlookers retreated a few steps, clearing a space for them.
The Village Chief came strolling over and, seeing this, shouted, "What is this? Bored and nothing better to do? Learning to fight now?"
The two women stopped but kept their hands tightly locked in each other’s hair.
"Let go! Both of you, let go, or prepare to go to the magistrate!"
Only then did they let go, though they glared at each other with fury.
The Village Chief looked at the remaining people and barked, "Do you all have nothing better to do? The rice in the fields is dying of thirst; why aren't you out carrying water to irrigate? You're certainly enthusiastic about watching the drama. Now get out of here!"
At these words, everyone dispersed.
The Village Chief glanced into the courtyard, which was in complete disarray. The hired thugs were still smashing things inside the house, and the shed on the far side had already collapsed.
Mother Wang sat on the ground with disheveled hair, head bowed, saying nothing. Nearby, the second and third branches of the family stared blankly at the unconscious Second Elder Bai.
The Village Chief sighed, folded his hands behind his back, and walked away slowly with a slightly stooped spine. "He who sows his own misfortune cannot survive it. The Old Bai family is truly inviting their own destruction."
Back at their home, the group heard wailing the moment they arrived.
"Let me go! Let me go..."
They exchanged glances. Upon entering the courtyard, they saw three men pulling at Lin Huahua. Bai Ruoyi lay at the base of the wall, unmoving. Bai Ruosi was tied hand and foot with a gag in her mouth, leaning against the wall with tears streaming down her face.
Tang Youyou was furious. She looked at Old Man Bai, who was standing to the side, looking on with glee.
"Big Brother, hold Old Man Bai down for me!"
She turned to the thugs. "Let her go!"
One of the men sneered, "Let her go? In your dreams. Let me tell you, we sold the six of you in this house for eighty taels of silver."
He looked at Old Man Bai with a mocking grin; it was obvious Old Man Bai had sold them out.
Bai Ruoer and Bai Ruoshan gripped their small hands tightly, their eyes reddening. Their grandfather had actually sold their whole family? They said even a tiger wouldn't eat its own cubs; just how cruel could he be?
Tang Youyou strode forward and kicked one of the men squarely in the crotch.
"Eat your mother’s bullshit! My whole family separated from him long ago. We are two different households; what right does he have to sell us?"
The man clutched his crotch and collapsed, unable to even scream for a long while. His face turned deep red, his eyes bloodshot, and the veins in his neck bulged.
Seeing this, the other two men circled toward her.
"Mother, be careful..."
Old Man Bai’s lips curled up. "Heh! You little slut, these are professional thugs. You’ll be lucky if you don't lose all your teeth today."
"Smack!" Instead, he was the one who received a slap.
Mother Tang was burning with rage. "Who are you telling to lose their teeth? I’ll make you lose yours first!"