Chapter 21: Brawl
Just as things were about to descend into chaos again, Granny Luo bellowed, “All of you, stop right there! You, continue talking.”
Wen Yao instantly slipped into drama queen mode. Her expression was the perfect blend of grievance, shame, and despair.
“She even called me a little slut, said I’m just like my mother. Grandma, my mother leaving was her business, what does it have to do with me? I’m a child of the Wen family!”
Wen Di, who had witnessed the whole thing, immediately backed her up. “Grandma, it’s true, what Wen Yao said. Auntie Li’s words were awful.”
Second Tiger’s mother stood with one hand on her hip, pointing disdainfully at Wen Yao with the other. “Like mother, like daughter. Look at her, look at her! Everyone, take a good look! Isn’t she just like that mother of hers? Putting on airs, who’s she trying to seduce?”
Wen Yao’s face immediately darkened.
The word “seduce,” that kind of malicious filth, thrown at a ten-year-old girl—what if today it hadn’t been her standing here, but the original Wen Yao, that timid girl who didn’t dare speak a word?
Would she have been able to bear it? Would she have thrown herself into a wall? Or carried the trauma with her for life?
Just as Wen Yao was wondering how to give this foul-mouthed pig of a woman the punishment she deserved, the little Datou suddenly charged forward—straight at Second Tiger’s mother.
“Ahhhhhhh—!”
Datou let out a furious cry like a wild cub and pummeled her with his tiny fists, red-eyed and flailing with all his might.
No words, just screams, but every swing radiated fury.
When fists weren’t enough, his mouth joined in.
Second Tiger’s mother shrieked when Datou bit her arm, and in her pain she flung him off violently. The little boy hit the ground hard.
“Datou!”
If everything before this had been an act, now Wen Yao was genuinely enraged.
“You hit my little brother? You fat pig!” She charged at the woman and grabbed her hair without hesitation.
Granny Luo could no longer stand by. “What are you all standing around for? Can’t you see they’re bullying us in our own home now?”
Li-shi quickly tried to restrain the old woman. “Mother, you—” What she meant was that this was the eldest son’s family business, and since the families had split, maybe they shouldn’t get involved.
Granny Luo paused in her stride and coldly snorted, “Don’t forget—they carry the Wen name.”
Li-shi was stunned. Her expression shifted. Yes, no matter how separated they were, they were still Wens. What that fat sow said about Wen Yao was no different from cursing their own girls. She had daughters herself!
With that thought, Li-shi’s fury ignited. “You fat cow—fat sow—you try saying one more word, and I’ll rip your damn mouth apart!” Without another word, she jumped in and joined Wen Yao in yanking on Second Tiger’s mother’s hair.
Cai-shi was too shocked to react. She wanted to help but didn’t know how, so she hovered at the edge, shouting, “Stop fighting! Stop!”
Even amid the chaos, Wen Yao noticed her third aunt shouting to stop the fight while pulling only at Second Tiger’s mother. That kind of one-sided intervention—she had to give her a thumbs-up.
With their mother being beaten, Li Dahu and Li Erhu could no longer sit still. But Wen Nong and his two younger cousins blocked them, and even with their size, with Wen Ying scratching away like a madcat, it was anyone’s guess who’d win.
As for Li San, Wen Xiuzhu and Wen Xiuqing weren’t pushovers either. Two against one—what was there to fear?
In the mess, Granny Luo scooped up Datou. Even though his face was now covered in dirt from the fall, he still clenched his teeth in fury, struggling to get back in the fight. Granny Luo nearly threw out her back trying to hold him.
Villagers watching the whole thing started to worry—this was escalating fast. Time to get the village head before someone got killed.
By the time the village head arrived, it wasn’t chaos anymore—it was a war zone.
What had started as two families fighting had somehow snowballed. Some of the Li family’s relatives joined the fray when they saw Li San getting beaten. Not to be outdone, the Wen clan’s kin joined in too.
“STOP! Everyone, STOP!” the village head roared.
Someone shouted, “The village head is here! Stop fighting!”
At his arrival, everyone finally began to calm down. When Wen Yao had been knocked aside during the scuffle, she ended up near the edge. Now, on the battlefield, only Li-shi still had a death grip on Second Tiger’s mother’s hair, while the latter clung to Li-shi’s clothes.
Li Dahu and Li Erhu were tangled up with the Wen brothers and sisters. Li San held his own against two men thanks to his size, but the fight was brutal on both sides.
“What in heaven’s name is going on?! You all live in the same village—why are you fighting like this?” the village head shouted, practically choking on his own anger. And of course, when he saw it involved the Li family again, his anger only grew.
But what shocked him even more was seeing the Wen family involved.
He had once placed high hopes on Wen Xiuyi as the village’s only scholar, always treating the Wens with respect. But after Wen Xiuyi’s fall from grace, that changed. Still, the Wens never caused any public trouble.
So what the hell was happening today?
“You—what are you doing? Huh?” he demanded of Old Man Wen and Granny Luo, his tone thick with frustration.
Granny Luo had originally planned to settle the matter peacefully, perhaps let it slide if the Lis apologized. But that tone—she didn’t like it one bit.
“Village head, you come here yelling at us. Why don’t you ask what the Li family did first?” she fired back, not a hint of fear in her voice.
The village head was taken aback. Granny Luo had always been tough—when Wen Xiuyi was still a scholar. But after his disgrace, she’d toned it down. Now it seemed the fire was back.
“What did they do?” he asked sharply, then stomped his foot. “Let go! All of you, let go! Someone go separate them!”
The villagers quickly stepped in and pulled Li-shi and Second Tiger’s mother apart.
Newly freed, Second Tiger’s mother sat on the ground and wailed. “Oh heavens, I’ve been wronged! The Wen family bullied me—old and young, the whole bunch! They all came to beat us!”
Wen Yao snapped, “Keep howling, keep it up—I’ll sew that mouth of yours shut!”
Second Tiger’s mother choked mid-sob. Her whole body still ached. What the hell did that little brat hit her with? How could it hurt this bad?
Regaining her breath, she started wailing again. “Village head! You see it, right? They’re bullying us too much! You’ve got to get justice for us!”
Wen Yao sneered. Want to compare crying? Want to play dirty? One cry, two tantrums, three suicide attempts? Fine, she’d take it straight to step three.
“Ahhh! I don’t want to live anymore! I don’t want to live! Auntie Li humiliated me so badly—what’s the point of living now?! I might as well smash my head here and die!” she screamed, then actually turned and bolted toward the Li family’s gate.
The village head panicked. Bickering and fighting were one thing, but someone dying? That would be a disaster.
“Stop her! Stop her! QUICKLY!”
