Chapter 15: Mothers and Sons Hold No Grudges Overnight

"You beast, you beast! I can still move and speak, and you treat me like this. Once I’m bedridden and useless, can I even count on you?

I was wrong. I shouldn't have spoiled you in the first place, spoiled you until you’re now worse than a pig or a dog.

Retribution, this is truly retribution.

I have no money. I don’t have a single cent. If you have the guts, take my life; otherwise, get lost. I don’t need you to support me in my old age. I’ll just pretend I never gave birth to a beast like you."

Don’t let Auntie Wang’s usual fiery, arrogant demeanor—where she looks down on everyone—fool you; she is, in fact, an elderly woman with a heart full of scars.

*Cause and effect,* Tu Shan thought, clicking her tongue twice as she calmly walked past the center of the mother and son’s battle.

Everyone else: "..."

Wang Fugui was furious. He grabbed Auntie Wang and shoved her toward Tu Shan.

"Damn it, you’re all cheap trash! Do you think I’m dead?"

Both mother and son were big and sturdy; this shove carried at least two hundred pounds of force.

Logically, someone with Tu Shan’s small frame should have been sent flying ten meters away.

Yet, she didn't budge an inch.

"Hiss..."

Someone let out a sharp intake of breath. In the eerily quiet atmosphere, it sounded particularly jarring.

Wang Fugui was in the heat of his rage and didn't notice anything strange.

When the first shove failed to move her, he grabbed Auntie Wang and slammed her into Tu Shan again and again.

"You old hag, every time I ask you for money, you pull this stunt. Can’t you just be straightforward? You just spout useless crap. I’m truly sick of you."

His expression was ferocious, as if he wanted to swallow a person alive.

The onlookers were numb. Although they hadn't witnessed Tu Shan’s abilities and didn't think she had any, watching her stand there like a post, being rammed into, they inexplicably felt a sense of suffocation.

It was as if a storm was gathering around her, turbulent currents condensing, waiting to erupt.

Everyone retreated in unison, breaking into a cold sweat for Wang Fugui.

Although Auntie Wang was tall, she was a woman and an elderly one at that; she was no match for Wang Fugui. In his hands, she could only be molded like clay, which was why he always managed to steal her money.

In the past, Wang Fugui would only push her around and snatch the money before she could react. But this time, he carried an aura of brutality. She could feel it: if it weren't Tu Sanmei standing there, but a wall or a pillar, he would still be slamming her into it. He wanted to commit matricide.

Auntie Wang felt a profound sense of despair. *Just die,* she thought. *It’s better to be dead.*

"Smack..."

Wang Fugui went flying, plastered against the wall, unable to even peel himself off.

Whether he was dead or alive, no one knew.

Tu Shan retracted her foot and exhaled a breath of stale air. Her eyes, hidden beneath thick bangs, were chillingly cold: "I’ve really tolerated you for a long time."

Auntie Wang was stunned, unable to process what had happened. She had been praying for her own death.

She glanced at her son, whose life or death was unknown, and then looked at Tu Shan.

Tu Shan looked back gloomily: "What? Do you want revenge, or do you want to keep him company?"

At this moment, the gloomy aura around Tu Shan was at its peak; it felt as if the chill could be felt for a mile around.

Auntie Wang’s face twitched: "No need. I’m old, my bones are brittle."

Tu Shan: "...Oh. What grudge between a mother and son can’t be resolved overnight? If there’s something to say, say it properly. Don’t use your hands."

Everyone else: "..."

Tu Shan walked into her room and closed the door with a flourish.

The courtyard instantly went wild. Everyone swarmed over to look at Wang Fugui on the wall, excitedly discussing how she had kicked him up there—the person hadn't even broken a sweat, and the wall hadn't even collapsed.

Auntie Wang, wanting to see if her son was dead or alive, couldn't squeeze through and began cursing loudly in her anxiety.

She had regained her spirit.

The compound was exceptionally quiet that day. Everyone walked on tiptoe. When a child was being unruly and let out a howl, they were immediately dragged into a room, their mouth covered, and their bottom spanked.

Tu Shan heard it and agreed that unruly brats were indeed asking for a beating.

At mealtime, she took her clay pot, rice, potatoes, and greens to the well to wash them, then cooked a large pot of mixed porridge.

Even without oil or salt, it smelled divine.

The unruly brats were crying from the delicious scent, howling inside their rooms.

Their parents wouldn't let them out, so they could only cry at Tu Shan through the iron bars, snot and tears streaming down their faces.

Tu Shan inexplicably thought of the song "Tears Behind Iron Bars."

When dinner was ready, she poured out one-fifth as usual and gulped down the rest in a few mouthfuls.

She didn't know if it was her imagination, but the children’s crying seemed even more miserable.

In the dead of night, Tu Shan went out.

Just like the day before, she went to deliver food to the Tu parents.

She knocked on the dilapidated shack as usual, waiting for them to come out.

It was Father Tu who emerged.

Tu Shan observed his complexion in the moonlight. After eating the porridge, although he hadn't improved significantly, he hadn't gotten any worse.

If they kept eating food grown with her ability, the old couple’s ravaged bodies should be able to recover.

Father Tu glanced at the items on the ground, his brows furrowed.

If it were Ling Yang, he shouldn't have left so quickly; he would have said a few words. Besides, Ling Yang was very busy; how could he come every single night?

He inspected the items. The porridge was fragrant, and the grapes were bright and fresh. There was nothing wrong with them.

If someone were plotting against them, they wouldn't bring such good things.

Although Father Tu was full of doubts, the items were good, and his wife’s health was poor; they really needed these.

He suppressed his confusion, put on a smile, and took the items inside.

Mother Tu saw his expression and asked, "Ling Yang again?"

Father Tu nodded: "They’ve been cracking down hard lately. Ling Yang said he couldn't stay long, so he left the things and went."

Mother Tu sighed: "He’s a good child. It’s a pity."

She didn't say what was a pity.

Tu Shan confirmed her parents had eaten the food before leaving, feeling relieved.

Let them think it was Ling Yang. With her current identity, it was truly difficult to manage things otherwise.

After leaving the East District, Tu Shan didn't rush back.

She found some tough grass and wove a basket, planning to go to the fields to catch loaches. Selling fish every day didn't look good.

Because of the base, there were few surrounding villages and little farmland in the North District.

There was plenty in the East District, though. Since she was already here, she couldn't return empty-handed.

Tu Shan strolled toward the suburban village.

The cicadas and frogs were at their loudest, and a cool breeze blew away the heat.

As soon as Tu Shan arrived, she ran into a fellow harvester—a dark-skinned, thin, and rugged-looking middle-aged man.

The moonlight was bright, dispelling the darkness.

The man glanced at Tu Shan’s empty basket, chuckled twice, and swung his own half-full basket in front of her: "Haven't caught a single one? Don't worry, don't worry, just take your time."

He walked away with a swagger.

Tu Shan: "...Fine, you’re the best."

Driven by a cursed competitive spirit, Tu Shan dove into the fields. If she didn't catch a few dozen pounds today, she wasn't going home.

On summer nights, loaches would stay at the bottom of the still water in irrigation ditches, feeding on plankton.

If you walked quietly and used a professional clip, you could catch one every time.

Tu Shan had made a simple bamboo clip when she arrived. Her mental scan swept the area—within a mile, there wasn't a single living loach.

Tu Shan’s mouth twitched. She was late. The professional loach catchers had arrived over an hour before her. This area had been combed by who knows how many people; it would be strange if there were any left.

Tu Shan rolled her neck. It looked like she had to take a shortcut.

Loaches were omnivorous; they didn't just eat plankton, but also some plant matter.

Tu Shan casually found some wild grass by the field, used her ability to accelerate its growth, threw it into the basket, and then applied some of her energy to the surface of the grass. She began to wait for the "rabbits."

She had to admit, her ability was truly powerful.

Within minutes, the species count surged. It wasn't just loaches; frogs, grasshoppers, pheasants, snakes, fish, and all sorts of small flying insects—any living creature that smelled the scent came swarming toward her.

Tu Shan was busy and flustered, shooing away the uninvited guests.

She only wanted loaches.

She also caught a few pheasants and rabbits along the way; she didn't care about the money, just about diversifying her goods.

When the basket was full, Tu Shan finished her work and headed home. Tonight, she definitely had a bigger haul than that man.

It was a pity she had woven the basket too small; it only held about twenty pounds when full.

No matter. She was satisfied.

(End of chapter)