Tang Youyou recognized him; he was Bai Jianping, the eldest son of Second Elder Bai.
"Fine, come over here, I'll pay you back!"
The three members of the Tang family furrowed their brows. Why was Youyou acting so unpredictably today? What on earth was she up to?
Bai Jianping started to step forward, but his mother grabbed him by the sleeve. "If you really want to give us the silver, just throw it over here!"
Tang Youyou let out a cold laugh. "Do you take my silver as something so easily claimed?"
She took several long strides forward, and the people who had formed a circle scattered in panic.
Tang Youyou grabbed Lady Zhou by the collar.
"You... what do you want?"
"What do I want? Tell me, which hand threw that stone just now?"
Panicked, Lady Zhou shook her head like a rattle-drum, completely losing her previous arrogance.
"Eldest Sister-in-law, let my wife go, and we'll call it even for you hitting me."
Bai Jianping was also starting to panic. If his wife got hurt too, there would be no one left to work the fields, and the whole family could just wait to starve to death.
"Remember this: if people don't cross me, I won't cross them. Consider this a lesson for today. If you ever dare to provoke me again, bear the consequences yourselves!"
With that, she placed her hand on Lady Zhou's right hand and exerted force. A sharp "snap" echoed through the air.
"Ah! My hand..." Lady Zhou shrieked.
Tang Youyou knew that Lady Zhou did all the chores around the house. Now that her right hand was injured, she probably wouldn't have to do any work for months.
She really was such a helpful soul.
Stepping into the courtyard, she glanced at the crowd. "What? Planning to stay for dinner?"
A shudder ran through the group, and they bolted away like flying arrows in panicked flight.
She closed the courtyard gate, only then noticing her petrified family members.
Lin Huahua looked at her with adoration in her eyes. "Mother, you are way too domineering!"
Tang Youyou pressed a hand to her forehead. This silly girl, had she unintentionally acquired a little fan?
When the three members of the Tang family looked at her, however, their expressions carried a hint of inscrutable meaning.
She walked sheepishly into the main room, her mind drifting back to the grievances she had suffered when she first started her job in her past life.
She burst into tears with a sudden "wah," startling everyone present.
Mother Tang anxiously took her hand, her heart aching. "You silly child, you always kept everything bottled up inside, and now... now..."
Old Man Tang scratched his head, looking at his daughter weeping like a drenched flower. He wanted nothing more than to slap himself across the face; moments ago, he had actually suspected that his daughter had been possessed by a spirit, making him worse than a pig or a dog.
None of the children had ever seen their mother cry. Even when their father died, their mother had only cried for a single day. They simply felt that their mother had suffered too many grievances, and their eyes involuntarily turned red.
After a long while, Tang Youyou finally stopped crying with a few sniffles.
Bai Ruosi took small, hesitant steps forward and hugged her. "Mother, don't cry! Xiaosi will be a good boy and listen to you from now on!"
Looking at the six-year-old child, her heart melted completely. She gently tapped his nose. "Good boy, Xiaosi!"
She shifted her gaze to the others. "Father, Mother, there's something I didn't tell you. Yesterday, I walked through the gates of Hell, but the King of Hell said my allotted lifespan wasn't up yet and refused to take me!"
"He also said I was a great philanthropist in my past life, yet ended up being framed by villains in this one, so he gave me an Ox-Strength Pill. That's why... that's why I have so much strength!"
"Lass, is everything you said true?"
Mother Tang was heartbroken, realizing her daughter had genuinely died once.
After a moment, Old Man Tang spoke up. "The Bai family has gone too far, a bunch of conscienceless wretches. My Tang clan will never share the same sky with them!"
He was filled with deep regret; he should have knocked out all of Old Man Bai's teeth instead of just a few front ones. His hands clenched into fists of their own accord, and his gaze shifted to his son, Tang Wen.
The latter blinked, completely uncomprehending, until he saw his father tilt his head and finally understood.
"Father, just say whatever is on your mind. There are no outsiders in this room!"
Old Man Tang glared at him. This blockhead, did he really expect him to spell out an order to go settle accounts with the Bai family?
Mother Tang wiped away her tears and looked at her husband. "Enough is enough. Now that Youyou is a separate household from them, don't go stirring up trouble for her."
She patted Tang Youyou's hand. "Lass, did you say that Bai Hansong isn't dead?"
Tang Youyou shook her head. "Mother, I always felt something was fishy about today's events. What I said earlier was just guessing blindly."
What she didn't mention was that Old Man Bai's series of actions today had been quite bizarre—first trying to sell off their entire family, and then trying to divorce her. Something felt fundamentally wrong.
"You child, you've suffered all these years. If it doesn't work out, why not move back home to live?"
Tang Youyou shook her head. "Mother, how can I do that? The family is already short on means; how could I be a further drain on you? I've figured things out now. Huzi is already married, and I'll live a good life. You saw it for yourselves today—our life is going great, and we eat white rice porridge every day."
The younger boys, along with Lin Huahua, widened their eyes in shock. Meeting Mother Tang's gaze, they all guiltily lowered their heads.
Good heavens, their mother's talent for bragging had truly reached perfection. In the past, they used to eat wild greens mixed with chaff, and only once a day at that, usually staving off hunger with cold water.
"White rice porridge every day"? Their mother could actually say such a thing with a straight face? This was the first time in their lives they had ever even tasted white rice porridge!
Seeing the children's uneasy expressions, Mother Tang sighed. Her daughter just wanted to set her mind at ease and avoid being a burden to her maiden family. Oh well, the child had grown up after all.
She looked up at the roof. "Very well. Today, we'll help you fix up this house first."
"Thump, thump, thump!"
A knock sounded at the door. Lin Huahua looked toward the sound and saw the clan head's eldest daughter-in-law.
She hurried over to open the courtyard gate. "Aunt Guihua, what brings you here?"
Guihua smiled faintly and shoved a cloth bag into her hands. "Father-in-law told me to bring you some grain. Take it and store it properly."
For a second, Lin Huahua stood frozen, tears welling up in her eyes. "Thank you, Aunt Guihua."
Guihua shook her head. "Why are you crying, child? Life will get better. I'm heading back!" With that, she turned and left without looking back.
Lin Huahua opened the cloth bag to find dark flour—a full ten catties of it. Buying that would cost sixty copper coins; this favor was far too big to repay.
She carried the grain back into the main room and told Tang Youyou what had happened.
Tang Youyou nodded. "Remember this: the clan head's family is worth keeping close ties with. Always remember that while it's easy to add flowers to embroidery, sending charcoal in the snow is rare. Never forget those who were willing to reach out a helping hand when you were at your lowest and most desperate!"
"Mother! My brothers and I will keep this in mind!"
Mother Tang nodded in satisfaction. Her daughter really had changed and had a knack for guiding children; she felt a faint sense of comfort.
"All right, let's get to work!"
And so, the young boys joined Old Man Tang and his son to start rebuilding the wall.
Next door, Yu Hehua saw this scene and nudged her drowsy husband.
"Wake up!"
Xu Da bolted awake. "What is it? Is it time to eat?"
"Eat, eat, eat, all you know is eating! There's been such a commotion next door today. I thought I heard something about breaking family ties and dissolving a marriage. Honestly, a widow raising several children by herself isn't easy."
Xu Da rolled his eyes. "You were just arguing with people the other day, and now you're getting soft-hearted again?"
"I just feel sorry for the children. Go move those straw bundles from the edge of the courtyard over there. It looks like they're repairing their house."
"You're all bark and bite, but you won't admit it."
He pouted and called his two sons to help move the straw bales next door.