Chapter 15: Establishing Authority

Madam Zhou was used to throwing tantrums in the village; no one had ever dared to provoke her like this. She never expected Chen Ningya to treat her this way. Once she realized what was happening, she was so enraged she nearly lost her mind. "I'll kill you!"

Chen Ningya wasn't about to give her the chance. She nimbly climbed onto Madam Zhou's body, and the two became entangled in a scuffle. Chen Ningya slapped Madam Zhou's face viciously, cursing as she struck, "You deserved this for your foul mouth! Keep cursing! You dead woman, let's see whose mouth gets torn apart first!"

The villagers watching the spectacle were completely stunned, staring at one another in wide-eyed silence. Seeing that things were taking a turn for the worse, someone shouted anxiously, "Something's wrong, something's wrong! Hurry, go find the Village Chief!"

At this time, the men were all in the fields. Those left at home were either children who couldn't work or women and the elderly who couldn't work the land. Seeing Chen Ningya's predatory stance and the way her palms struck left and right with such formidable power, even those who wanted to step in to break up the fight didn't dare. They could only stand on the sidelines shouting aimlessly.

The first to arrive were not the Village Chief or the men of the Zhou family, but the brothers Huang Dazhuang and Huang Erzhuang. The two had never imagined their fierce old mother would actually be pinned to the ground and rubbed against the earth by the frail Chen Ningya. First came shock, followed by a murderous glint in their eyes; they spat on the ground and prepared to rush forward.

Wen Yuanliang had already been standing guard to the side. Seeing Dazhuang rushing over, he didn't say a word and swung his stick to strike back. The two were only about a year apart in age, but Dazhuang was much larger. In previous fights, Wen Yuanliang had always been at a disadvantage, but this time he had come prepared. Huang Dazhuang couldn't gain the upper hand at all, let alone the fact that Wen Yuanliang was there to settle a score; his strikes were heavy and merciless. In just a few blows, he had Huang Dazhuang wailing and begging for mercy, and Huang Erzhuang followed suit with loud cries, though he was crying out of pure terror.

By the time Sun Laifu and Little Li arrived, the courtyard of the Huang family had already turned into a scene from a battlefield. Hearing the crying, the couple's hearts sank, and they rushed inside, only to be stunned by the sight of the three members of the Huang family being beaten.

It was Little Li who regained her senses first. She hurried forward to pull Chen Ningya away. "Sister-in-law, stop! Stop hitting her! If you keep going, someone's going to die!"

Only when the lost Chen Ningya snapped back to her senses did she realize that Madam Zhou was nearly knocked unconscious by her slaps; her face was swollen like a pig's head, her original features unrecognizable.

Little Li hadn't expected Chen Ningya to be so ruthless. Shaken by Madam Zhou's wretched state, her body trembled as she shakily helped Chen Ningya up.

Seeing Madam Zhou lying motionless on the ground, the villagers turned pale with fear. "Could someone have actually died?"

Someone muttered something like that, and the crowd erupted like a boiling pot, everyone retreating step by step.

The calmest person was Chen Ningya. She looked down from her height at the "playing dead" Madam Zhou and barked angrily, "If you ever dare to bully my child again, I will definitely come to your door with a kitchen knife. If I don't draw blood, I'll take your surname!"

Madam Zhou was indeed pretending to be unconscious to stage a "scam," but seeing the ferocious Chen Ningya through the slits of her squinted eyes, she knew this woman wasn't just making empty threats—she truly dared to bring a kitchen knife to kill. Terrified, she no longer dared to pretend to be unconscious. She scrambled up from the ground in a panic, clutching her face and retreating repeatedly, running into the house as if fleeing for her life, even forgetting her two sons.

The onlookers thought the matter was over, but Chen Ningya remained standing outside the Huang courtyard, staring intently at the room where Madam Zhou was hiding. Her eyes didn't blink once, making those around her feel a chill in their bones, causing the crowd to scatter like startled birds.

After today's commotion, the villagers of Fushan Village all knew that Wen Youshan's wife was a fierce person who couldn't be trifled with. Those who used to enjoy gossiping about her family had quieted down significantly; at least on the surface, they no longer dared to make jokes about the Wen family lightly.

Chen Ningya stood outside the Zhou house for quite a while. Only when she heard voices coming from the distance did she calmly lead Wen Yuanzhen and Wen Yuanliang away. As she left, she gave a slight nod to Little Li. "Thank you."

"Thank you for what?" Little Li hadn't expected Chen Ningya to be so polite. She was like a completely different person from the fierce woman just moments ago. Not understanding where this gratitude came from, she was momentarily bewildered.

Chen Ningya smiled faintly. "Thank you for pulling me away in time. You saved that woman's life."

It wasn't until Chen Ningya had walked far away that Little Li processed the words. Her face turned even paler, and she asked Sun Laifu in a trembling voice, "Deng... Mrs. Deng... she didn't actually want to kill Madam Zhou just now, did she?"

Sun Laifu's expression was solemn as he stared thoughtfully in the direction where the mother and son had disappeared.

The Village Chief and Huang Meng, Huang Dazhuang's father, arrived almost simultaneously. Seeing that only Sun Laifu and his wife were at the Huang entrance and that nothing was wrong, the Village Chief's mustache twitched with irritation. "Are there so few old women fighting in this village? I told you nothing was happening, yet you all acted like the house was on fire. My old bones were nearly broken by you lot pulling me along."

The Village Chief grumbled at the villagers beside him.

"Chief... please give me justice!"

The chattering Village Chief turned around at the sound and recoiled in fright. He pointed a trembling finger and shouted, "Mother of mine! A pig's head!"

Madam Zhou: "..."

It took Huang Meng a long time to recognize the person before him as his wife. He backed away in lingering fear and stammered, "Wife... my wife?"

"Husband..." Madam Zhou's eyes welled with tears. Combined with her pig-like face, she didn't look pitiable at all; instead, she looked terrifying.

"You... you... go back inside first!" Huang Meng urged with a frown. He was afraid that if he kept looking at Madam Zhou's face, he would have nightmares tonight.

Feeling both aggrieved and resentful, Madam Zhou stomped her foot, grimacing in pain, and reluctantly twisted her waist to head back into the house.

Huang Meng's sanity finally returned, and he said to the Village Chief with righteous indignation, "Chief, you saw it yourself. Look at what Wen Youshan's woman did to my wife! This matter cannot be let go just like this. You must provide justice for us!"

The Village Chief massaged his forehead in a headache. He hadn't quite accepted this reality yet. Wen Youshan's wife had been married into Fushan Village for quite some time; everyone knew what kind of character she had. How could she have beaten someone like this?

Before the Village Chief could figure it out, Sun Laifu spoke up first. "Huang Meng, you haven't even asked what caused this, and you're already asking the Chief for justice? Don't be surprised if the Wen family comes looking for the Chief to demand justice for them later."

"What do you mean by that?" Huang Meng questioned indignantly, though his aggressive tone betrayed his inner guilt.

Sun Laifu sneered and said disdainfully, "Exactly what it sounds like. The pair of fine sons you raised actually resorted to banditry, stealing Yuanliang and Yuanzhen's snacks and even beating them. You should be glad Youshan isn't home right now; if he brought the children over to argue, it wouldn't be this simple."

At the mention of Wen Youshan, Huang Meng's eyelids twitched. Although he was unwilling to admit it, he had to acknowledge that Wen Youshan's combat prowess was unmatched; at least in Fushan Village, no one was his match. Furthermore, he wouldn't question Sun Laifu's words. He knew exactly what kind of boys his sons were; they were indeed capable of stealing things. If he questioned it and was proven wrong, he wouldn't be able to show his face again.

(End of Chapter)