Chapter 45: The Biggest Winner
As soon as Li Cuihua finished speaking, Ning Xiyue had already picked up the carrying pole. She pretended to struggle, forcing her face to turn red with effort, and then, trembling slightly, managed to hoist the heavy load of baskets filled with wheat.
On her face was an expression of strain, and she said with a bitter smile, stammering as if it were nearly impossible:
“This time… I think I’ve used up all the strength I’ve gathered in more than ten years since I was a kid… Once I finish carrying this load, I might never be able to carry anything again.”
In truth, after running Taichi internally with her consciousness, Ning Xiyue hadn’t even used half of her actual strength.
“Your turn, Auntie,” she said gently. “I can grit my teeth and wait for you, and we can go out together.”
Li Cuihua tried stepping over to the big baskets and tested the weight. But she didn’t even get halfway before feeling her spine scream in protest. There was a sharp crack, and she immediately put down the carrying pole, rubbing her lower back. Turning her head away, she muttered in a muffled voice,
“I can’t carry it.”
“Speak up, Cuihua! Didn’t you eat breakfast?” Auntie Yangliu’s loud, commanding voice boomed through the room, full of pressure.
Ning Xiyue also set down her load and tilted her ear toward Li Cuihua, making an exaggeratedly puzzled sound.
Li Cuihua’s face twisted with frustration. She didn’t want to say it out loud, but that cracking sound had really scared her. If she kept pushing recklessly, her back would be done for.
Finally, she shouted angrily, “I can’t carry this load, alright?”
“Sigh, that’s a little disappointing,” Ning Xiyue shook her head with a regretful expression. “I thought Auntie could do so much more. How come you’re already done before we’ve even really started? I, a weak little city girl who knows nothing about hard labor, was hoping to learn from how capable you were — but I guess I was expecting too much.”
After saying this, Ning Xiyue’s expression went cold. Her eyes flashed sharply as she suddenly changed her tone, her words now icy and cutting:
“From now on, Auntie, you’d better think carefully before you speak or act. I’ve never been someone easy to bully — and those who’ve tried never ended up well. Like the people currently lying in the public security bureau, for example. If you want to know more, I’d be happy to tell you.”
Every single insult Li Cuihua had thrown at her before was now being returned with interest. And compared to the reality of the work they were doing now, it was obvious who was capable — and who was not.
Li Cuihua’s face burned hot from Ning Xiyue’s words. She’d completely embarrassed herself today. And the latter part — that half-spoken, half-threatening warning — genuinely scared her.
How could someone who had lived most of her life feel so intimidated by a newcomer?
But Li Cuihua was stubborn. Since she had already embarrassed herself, said what she said, and made things difficult, she figured she might as well keep going. She certainly wasn’t going to lower herself to apologize to a young city girl.
So she stiffened her neck, silently went back to work alongside Ning Xiyue, and shamelessly dumped part of the heavy load from the big basket into smaller ones before carrying them out in batches.
But her whole demeanor had changed — the mysterious confidence and arrogance she had when trying to make things difficult for Ning Xiyue were completely gone.
With the situation handled, her authority established, and her “not-to-be-bullied” image firmly set, Ning Xiyue no longer cared what Li Cuihua did. As long as the woman stopped bothering her, they could stay out of each other’s way. She had no need for any insincere apologies.
Ning Xiyue went back to bringing over baskets from the other room and continued filling them with wheat.
Auntie Yangliu, still working without pause, glanced at Li Cuihua from the corner of her eye and sneered coldly:
“Li Cuihua, you’ve truly embarrassed our Daliu Brigade. An old woman like you still has to pick a fight with a newcomer? And even worse, you lost. And after losing, you can’t even bring yourself to apologize? What a joke.”
“Yeah, what a huge joke,” Auntie Wang echoed sarcastically, nodding.
As Yangliu spoke, Li Cuihua worked in silence, not daring to make a single peep.
But the moment Wang added her comment, Li Cuihua bared her teeth and snapped:
“Wang Big Mouth, what’s it to you? You stupid busybody, always sticking your nose where it doesn’t belong! Go do your work. You can’t even control your son, who’s always eager to help the young female educated youths, but you want to meddle in my affairs? Wow, how capable you are!”
Her cowardice toward the strong and bullying of the weak couldn’t be more obvious.
“Ha! You nasty old hag of a daughter-in-law, what are you yelling about? How about you deal with your own lazy, shameless daughter? And you dare insult my son? Are you looking for a fight?”
Auntie Wang slammed down the winnowing basket, rolled up her sleeves, and planted her hands on her hips, refusing to back down. Sparks flew immediately.
Ning Xiyue blinked. What’s going on here? Is there some major gossip between these two families?
She crouched quietly in the corner, eavesdropping.
Li Cuihua put one hand on her hip and stretched out the other provocatively.
“Come on, fight me! Whoever doesn’t fight is a coward!”
Auntie Wang wasn’t the type to back down either — in fact, none of the women in the team were. She lunged forward, grabbed Li Cuihua by the hair, and started yanking, hurling curses as she did. From time to time, her words stabbed right at Li Cuihua’s heart.
Li Cuihua wasn’t losing either. She scratched and clawed back viciously, venting all the humiliation she’d suffered from Ning Xiyue onto Wang Big Mouth.
The two of them ended up with messy hair and scratches on their faces — neither gaining the upper hand.
The situation spiraled completely out of control. The target of the quarrel had changed, and it escalated into a full-on fight. People from nearby storerooms stopped what they were doing to watch.
Ning Xiyue had now fully transitioned from participant to spectator. She crouched in the warehouse, occasionally sifting through the wheat and then looking up to watch the brawl, immensely entertained.
Ah, nothing beats quietly eating melon seeds and watching the drama unfold. I should do this more often.
If it weren’t for the setting, she would’ve already grabbed a handful of sunflower seeds and a small stool to sit and enjoy the show — after all, the melon seeds and peanuts in her system inventory had never been used.
“You two, stop right now! Are you planning to work or not? Do you want your work points docked?”
Auntie Yangliu unleashed the full authority of a team leader’s wife, shouting with a powerful, commanding voice that immediately silenced the chaos.
Just like that, the two women who had been fighting like roosters froze. They didn’t dare curse anymore, let alone throw punches.
“Li Cuihua, let go of my hair!” Wang wailed. Li Cuihua had her hair clutched tightly, pulling her head back painfully. Her scalp felt like it was on fire.
“Let go of my neck and ear first!” Li Cuihua retorted. Wang had one hand clamped around her neck, leaving angry red marks, while the other had twisted her left ear almost ninety degrees — so red it looked like it might bleed.
The two stopped fighting but refused to release their grips.
“Listen to me,” Yangliu shouted angrily. “I’m going to count to three. You both let go at the same time. If anyone causes more trouble, I’ll deduct an entire day’s work points from yesterday.”
Although Auntie Yangliu had no official position, she was the default deputy leader of the drying team, as well as the team leader’s wife. With Accountant Zhao Anguo — the leader — not around, her word carried the most weight.
They knew that if they didn’t listen, their points would be deducted.
So, when she reached the count of three, they released each other simultaneously and quickly separated, each standing in a corner and glaring daggers at the other.
Yangliu scanned the gawking crowd coldly. “Everyone, get back to work! Show’s over!”
The crowd dispersed, and the scene returned to its original busy, bustling rhythm.
Li Cuihua and Auntie Wang were sent to work in different areas, and two other diligent, low-drama aunties were brought in to help with the drying.
Only then did the farce finally end.
Ning Xiyue, however, still felt unsatisfied — it was her first time watching a fight up close.
And boy, did these older women fight hard. They didn’t hold back at all. Their faces alone looked painful, and they had plenty more injuries on their bodies.
She had seen them both land some nasty blows, targeting places that weren’t immediately visible. Both were in rough shape — there was no real winner.
But if anyone had to be called the biggest winner of this whole farce, it was undoubtedly Ning Xiyue: she established her authority, remained completely unharmed, and got to sit back and enjoy the show.
Ning Xiyue quietly snickered to herself three times.
