Tang Youyou nodded and looked at the other four brothers: "You guys go check out other places. Hua Hua and I will handle things here."
No sooner had they left than a sharp, harsh voice rang out.
"I say, Widow Tang, what is wrong with you? You've stirred the river water all muddy!"
She glanced at the newcomer, then down at her feet, her brow furrowing slightly. She was just standing here and hadn't even started moving yet—how was the water muddy? This was clearly someone looking for trouble.
Ignoring the woman, she began to harvest the houttuynia cordata.
In the woman's eyes, this was a sign of her spineless nature and fear. The woman planted her hands on her hips, acting even more smug.
"I'm talking to you, are you deaf? Oh my, have you become so desperate that you'll eat anything? Even pigs won't eat this heartleaf, ha-ha..."
With that, she turned to the women washing clothes nearby.
"Come, come... come take a look, Widow Tang actually wants to eat heartleaf! It's utterly ridiculous."
Lin Huahua snapped angrily: "I say, Widow Zhao, what is your game? What we eat is none of your damn business. You're just a busybody sticking your nose where it doesn't belong."
"Bah! A mere newlywed dares to scold her elders? I'll teach you a proper lesson today, you little hussy!"
Rolling up her sleeves, she strode forward to strike her.
Just as the slap was about to land, Tang Youyou pulled Lin Huahua aside and threw a casual punch, sending Widow Zhao flying straight through the air.
She looked at her own hand in sheer disbelief.
Equally astonished was Lin Huahua: "Mother, you were so mighty just now..."
Tang Youyou: "..."
Widow Zhao scrambled up in a panic, spun around, and fell flat on her face again.
"Tang, how dare you hit me? You've got a death wish!"
Tang Youyou looked at the women behind her, the corners of her lips curling up: "I wasn't planning to say anything, but you brought this on yourself."
Widow Zhao panicked for a split second: "I didn't mean to!"
Tang Youyou stared at her with a half-smile. Widow Zhao's heart pounded against her ribs; she wanted to run, but having just been sent flying, her right foot had slammed into a rock and refused to cooperate.
"Sigh! Mrs. Liu Shun, doesn't your Tiemin frequently come down to the small river lately?
Sister Bai, didn't your Shunzi keep heading toward the back mountain a few days ago?
Mrs. Zhang Tu, hasn't your second older brother been arguing with your sister-in-law a lot lately?
Mrs. Xu Er, didn't your father-in-law give that plot of land next to my house to Widow Zhao?
Sister Chunhua, the other day, I saw Brother Run buy a pink butterfly handkerchief—was that given to you?
..."
Everyone followed the direction of the gaze and saw a pink handkerchief slip out from Widow Zhao's sleeve pocket, and realization instantly dawned on them.
Widow Zhao followed their gaze, suddenly noticing her dropped handkerchief. She snatched it up in a panic and tried to shove it back into her sleeve.
Chunhua took a few big strides forward and grabbed her wrist: "Let me have a look!"
Widow Zhao struggled: "Chunhua, don't listen to her nonsense! There's no such thing. I embroidered this handkerchief myself."
Chunhua didn't hesitate to slap her across the face, and upon spotting the butterfly embroidered on it, shrieked, "You bitch! How dare you steal my man? Today, I'm going to ruin that face of yours!"
The other women also snapped back to reality and rushed forward.
Some pulled hair, some hammered faces, some pinched ears, some dug their nails into flesh, and others rained slaps down.
The scene instantly spiraled out of control.
"You bitch, my father-in-law is nearly fifty years old, and even he wasn't spared! And here I was feeling sorry for you as a widow raising a child all by yourself."
"You little hussy, and I treated you like a good sister! You might be dark-skinned, but you had the nerve to try and seduce my second older brother. Today, I'll teach you a proper lesson!"
"No wonder my man has been running up the mountain so much lately—so there was a vixen seducing him! I'm going to tear that face of yours to shreds!"
...
Angry curses and miserable wails rose one after another.
Yet none of this concerned Tang Youyou. She patted the dumbfounded Lin Huahua on the shoulder: "What are you standing around daydreaming for? Once you're done cutting, let's go check the front."
Lin Huahua's mouth twitched. Her mother-in-law certainly loved adding fuel to the fire, but she had truly seen an eye-opener today.
"Mother, I'm in absolute awe of your ability to deflect a thousand pounds with a mere four ounces. Hehe..."
Tang Youyou raised her head and glanced at her: "You child, you even know the phrase 'deflect a thousand pounds with a mere four ounces'?"
"Of course! Dalang taught me, hehe..."
This suddenly reminded her that her original body's husband, Bai Hansong, had also studied books for a few years and used to teach the children how to read.
Surviving in ancient times meant she didn't need to fear mere literacy!
In her past life, aside from mountaineering and taekwondo, her hobby had been calligraphy, so she still recognized the vast majority of classical texts. However, she would need to invent a plausible source for where she had learned to read.
She smiled and shook her head, feeling she was overthinking things. Right now, basic survival and food security were still unresolved; those matters could wait until later.
Her train of thought was interrupted by a mechanical chime.
[Ding! Rush found. Fifteen wen per catty.]
"Mother, look at how much rush there is here! I plucked so much in just a little while."
Tang Youyou looked over and saw Lin Huahua holding a basket full of grass, showing off to her.
She placed her hand over the grass in the basket.
[Three catties of rush, forty-five wen. Do you wish to sell?]
Tang Youyou looked down at the houttuynia cordata in her own bamboo basket—not even a catty.
She instantly felt utterly exhausted and speechless.
All her hard work picking for half a day couldn't even compare to the casual weeds her daughter-in-law had cut.
"Mother? Are you getting a headache again? Come sit down and rest over here, I'll take care of these!"
Before she could refuse, Lin Huahua helped her over to a large boulder to sit down.
"Mother, don't wander off. I'll be done in a minute!"
Tang Youyou nodded. This daughter-in-law was actually quite filial.
She tilted her head to look at the group still brawling not far away, muttering inwardly: If only I had some melon seeds to snack on right now.
A moment later, the women let go of Widow Zhao, still looking deeply aggrieved and furious.
"Bitch! I'm warning you, if I ever catch you talking to another man again, we'll drive you right out of Wanfu Village."
"Bah! Shameless wretch!"
"Don't let me catch you again. Every time I see you, I'll beat you!"
The group walked over toward Tang Youyou.
Through the gaps between them, she caught sight of Widow Zhao's battered and bruised face and couldn't help touching her own cheek—these women really didn't hold back.
Someone had even ripped out a patch of her hair, and that swollen, darkened face looked uglier than ever. A corner of Tang Youyou's mouth lifted into a smile.
Chunhua approached awkwardly: "Sister Tang, I'm truly sorry. We shouldn't have been making fun of you earlier."
Tang Youyou raised an eyebrow. So when they had first arrived, all those beaming, animated expressions had been about mocking her?
The other women glanced at the items in her bamboo basket and let out soft sighs.
"Youyou, this heartleaf is both bitter and foul-tasting, how can anyone eat that? I still have some soybeans at home, I'll bring you a bowl."
"Exactly, Sister Youyou, the children are all still growing, you can't live on this stuff. I have some bran at home; if you don't mind it, I'll bring some over later."
"Thank you so much for today. If it weren't for you, we'd still be kept completely in the dark."
Tang Youyou raised an eyebrow. They were looking to get on her good terms now. As a former female executive in her past life, handling interpersonal relations was a piece of cake—absolute child's play!
With an upward curve of her lips, she looked at the women and said, "Then I thank you sisters in advance."