Song Zhenping said nothing, only wanting Song Liyun to leave.
Leave for where? Why leave?
Perhaps he, who hadn't even stepped out of the village in ten years, didn't know where his sister should go either.
Song Liyun shook her head in refusal: "Are you asking me to run away alone? No. If we leave, the three of us siblings must leave together."
A look of pain resurfaced on Song Zhangping’s face: "Xiao An and I can't leave. You should hurry back to the city. They... they want to..."
There were many people around, all pricking up their ears to listen to the siblings. Song Zhangping couldn't bring himself to say "sell your body." This concerned a young woman's reputation, and he couldn't be the one to ruin his sister.
He held his younger brother in one arm and grabbed Song Liyun with the other, pulling her toward the exit: "You go first, you'll understand later."
At this moment, the younger Mrs. Gu, who had been hiding behind the crowd, suddenly rushed over, grabbed Song Liyun’s arm, and shouted: "Heavens! Master, stop dawdling! These wolf cubs are trying to turn the world upside down; they want to run off on their own."
She had been lurking at the edge of the crowd ever since she was pulled away, her eyes fixed on Song Liyun.
She knew Song the Second’s temper; if this little hussy disappeared, Song the Second would blame her for not keeping a close watch.
Hearing the shout, Song the Second turned around abruptly and saw Song Zhangping pulling Song Liyun toward the exit. Instantly, the anger he had been suppressing after being sternly reprimanded by the village head flared up.
Under Old Lady Gu’s protection, when had he ever been scolded like this in front of the villagers?
Even his own father didn't have that right, let alone a village head.
But now he had been scolded, and his mother was being blocked by several women, unable to vent his anger for him.
When had the Song family ever been bullied like this by the villagers?
Bullying!
In Song the Second’s eyes, this was a collective act of bullying by the villagers!
As reckless as Song the Second was, he knew he couldn't openly defy the village head in front of the villagers, so the siblings became his perfect targets for venting.
He would show Village Head Song that he, Song the Second, was still the one in charge of this house; it would be a slap in the face.
Abandoning the village head, Song the Second shuffled his feet, crossed the crowd in two strides, rushed into the house to grab a hoe, and charged back toward the siblings in the courtyard like a whirlwind: "You ungrateful wolves, you little sluts! If you dare to step out of this door, I’ll break your legs today, take your lives, and send you to join your short-lived parents!"
The courtyard was small, and his approach was ferocious. The surrounding people were stunned, and seeing his murderous look, no one stepped forward to stop him.
No one doubted that the hoe could kill someone.
"Song the Second, what are you doing? Stop!"
Village Head Song, who had been standing opposite Song the Second, was the first to notice his intent to commit violence. Regardless of his age, he reached out to grab the hoe.
The surrounding people finally reacted. Some screamed and ran, others dodged; some moved toward the gate, while others rushed in to intervene. Seven or eight people became tangled in a chaotic mess.
In the middle of the crowd, Song the Second’s eyes gleamed with malice: "Get out of the way if you don't want to die! I want the lives of these two wolf cubs!"
With that, he shoved Village Head Song, who was directly in his path, and swung the hoe at the siblings, who were only two steps away...
Song Zhangping was still pushing his sister toward the exit. Seeing his second uncle, Song Defu, charging like a wild beast, he reflexively pulled Song Liyun behind him, hunched over to protect his head, just as he did when he was beaten in the past.
But this time, the pain didn't come.
In the chaos, Song Liyun used Song Zhangping’s body as leverage, spun around, and a leg appeared in front of Song the Second in a strange arc, followed by a powerful kick to the groin...
"Thwack!"
"Ugh!"
Song the Second, who had been roaring like thunder, looked as if he had been struck by lightning. The hoe fell to the ground, his hands clutched his crotch, his legs clamped together, his backside stuck out, and like a leaf blown by an autumn wind, he trembled a few times before collapsing stiffly to the ground.
The frail youth was also dazed by Song Liyun’s maneuver. He stumbled back a few steps and collided head-on with the rushing village head.
Both let out a cry and tumbled into a heap.
"Village Head!"
"Save the Village Head!"
Seeing the village head fall, the dozens of people in the courtyard panicked.
The village head was over fifty; if something happened to him in front of the villagers, their Xiaoshi Village would lose all face.
"Quick, take the village head home and find a doctor!"
Two men lifted the village head and ran out of the courtyard. The village’s only doctor lived next to the village head, making it convenient for treatment.
Taking advantage of the chaos, someone grabbed Song Zhangping and Song Zhang’an, dragging them out of the gate.
Just as they had entered as a group, in the blink of an eye, the entire courtyard emptied out.
The courtyard, which had been as noisy as a vegetable market, fell silent. Only Song the Second remained, legs clamped, twisting on the ground and groaning, while Old Lady Gu and the younger Mrs. Gu wailed at the top of their lungs.
If something happened to Song the Second, their pillar of support would collapse.
I don't know how much time passed before the sound of the courtyard gate closing startled the two women.
Old Lady Gu looked up at Song Liyun, who was standing in the middle of the courtyard, and lunged at her with a hoarse voice: "You little hussy, I’ll kill you! You are the jinx; the moment you returned, you turned my house upside down."
Song Liyun didn't dodge or move. Before Old Lady Gu could even touch her clothes, she was grabbed by the arm and tossed aside.
The younger Mrs. Gu was busy hugging her husband and crying, not daring to come forward.
Song Liyun walked a few steps and stood before Song the Second, saying indifferently: "Second Uncle, everyone is gone, you can stop pretending now!"
She was the one who had kicked him; she knew exactly how long the pain would last. The first few minutes would indeed cause a total loss of ability to resist, but it would subside afterward. He wouldn't be lying there forever; he was just too embarrassed to get up.
Her words seemed to have magic. Song the Second, who had been in agony on the ground, stopped groaning. He pushed the younger Mrs. Gu away and slowly sat up. The flesh on his face twitched as he glared viciously at Song Liyun: "You still dare to stay?"
Song Liyun chuckled: "This is my home, and you are my dear Second Uncle, why wouldn't I stay? You wouldn't really want to cut off your own lineage, would you?"
As soon as she finished speaking, Song the Second understood what she meant.
His legs clamped together involuntarily, and that indescribable pain returned.
"You little slut, you are so vicious!" Song the Second gritted his teeth.
He hadn't known who kicked him earlier and had intended to go door-to-door tomorrow to find out. Now, hearing Song Liyun’s words, he understood perfectly—it was this girl who had played the dirty trick.
Song Liyun waved her hand nonchalantly: "Viciousness is the family tradition of the Song family. Why else would you be my dear Second Uncle?
However you treat your nephew and niece, I will treat you the same. It’s a skill passed down in our bones; we are all the same.
Second Uncle, we are two of a kind, so let’s stop talking about who is more vicious and get down to business."