Volume 1, Chapter 18: Is It Useful?

Damn it!
Granddaughter!

Ye Ling, who had been staggering nearby in a daze, suddenly didn’t immediately understand the meaning of those words. Yet, instinctively, she burst into tears.

Unexpectedly, as Liu Qiaohui was enduring countless slaps and on the verge of fainting, those very hands suddenly reached out and grabbed Ye Ling fiercely into her arms, as if intent on throwing her to the ground.

“You troublemaker, it’s all your fault my granddaughter is dead!”

Her face twisted into a terrifying grimace, mouth wide open with bloodied teeth, eyes blazing with fury.

Ye Ling was absolutely certain this person would go to any extreme.

If Liu Qiaohui hadn’t been dragging her barely upright body to clutch the woman’s leg with both hands and then bit down hard, Ye Ling was almost sure this day would be the end of her.

“Ah!!!”

Even through thick cotton pants, the old woman’s scream pierced the air, revealing how fiercely Liu Qiaohui bit down, blood trickling from her teeth.

In that moment, Liu Qiaohui pulled Ye Ling tightly back into her embrace.

Panting heavily, her voice filled with fierce determination, she said, “Aunt Ma, I have no grudge against you, but if you treat me like this today and try to kill my daughter, if you don’t give me a proper explanation, I, Liu Qiaohui, will never let this go for the rest of my life!”

Fortunately, Ye Ling was unharmed.

Every cell in Liu Qiaohui’s body was flooded with lingering fear.

Aunt Ma wore a face that clearly declared she was not to be trifled with. Just standing there, her fierce aura was palpable. If the fiercest woman in this village was Mrs. Jia Zhang, then Aunt Ma was undoubtedly second. Her lips curled slightly into a sneer as she coldly snorted and began to spew filthy insults, calling Liu Qiaohui a vile wretch repeatedly.

“You shameless woman, how dare you question me! Hmph… Fine, I’ll tell you why I beat you. It’s because of that little troublemaker you took in—she’s the reason my granddaughter died!”

“Died because of her!”

Ha!

Not to say Ye Ling had such power, but if anyone were to bring misfortune, it would be Aunt Ma herself first, let alone her granddaughter—such nonsense was ridiculous.

“What do you mean ‘died because of her’? How is my daughter supposed to have killed your granddaughter?”

“Hmph, how she killed my granddaughter? Everyone in this village knows your daughter brought bad luck as soon as she set foot here. Since the first day your daughter arrived, my granddaughter hasn’t had a single good day. One day she fell ill, the next day she broke out in sores. In less than five months, that poor baby caught every disease imaginable. When you left with your child, my granddaughter got better, but when you and that little wretch came back, her condition worsened again. Now she’s gone. You tell me—if my granddaughter wasn’t killed by your daughter’s bad luck, then how did she die?”

Aunt Ma spat every word like nails hammered into a wall, firmly pinning Liu Qiaohui down.

Liu Qiaohui wanted to argue, but what use was it now?

Before she could say anything, a group of village women and young wives filed in one after another, each spitting as if they could drown Liu Qiaohui with their disdain.

A mother’s feelings—Liu Qiaohui understood them well.

She knew that even if she believed the accusations were false, no mother would ever harm her own child over some vague threat.

These women were just as fierce about their grandchildren, and those young wives just as protective of their children.

When they went wild, their ferocity easily surpassed that of men.

“Throw that child down! Kill that child! I don’t want my son to be killed by that kid!”

“Yes! Kill her, kill her! They shouldn’t have been allowed to live in the first place!”

“Kill her! Kill her! Kill her!”

The shouts rose in relentless waves, each face twisted with savage hatred.

Liu Qiaohui took step after step backward, clutching Ye Ling tightly. Her body weakened, and dread spread through her entire being. She knew—today, she couldn’t protect Ye Ling.

Men might reason with you, but when a crowd of women goes berserk, reason holds no weight.

“What are you doing? What are you doing?”

“Hmph! What are we doing? Widow Liu, if you don’t avenge my granddaughter today, Aunt Ma will never be on your side!”

“Aunt Ma, kill her! Avenge your granddaughter!”

“Yes! Kill her, kill her!”

Liu Qiaohui’s face drained of color, turning ashen as death.

Ye Ling felt her entire body tightening so much she could hardly breathe.

Was this… the end for her?

Countless claws reached out toward Ye Ling.

Even though Liu Qiaohui clung to her desperately, Ye Ling knew two fists could never win against four hands—much less countless hands!

“Let go! Let go!”

But Liu Qiaohui’s voice had already grown hoarse from shouting.

The mob showed no sign of stopping.

The quilt was torn into a large hole by their many hands; Ye Ling’s small body felt the chilly touch of those fingers.

Despair was not only etched clearly in Ye Ling’s mind, but also in Liu Qiaohui’s…

The shouting continued, but then a voice cut through sharply:

“What’s going on here? What are you women making such a fuss about?”

Two sharp claps!

The village chief appeared calmly and without haste, standing before the crowd with his pipe in hand.

This time, there was none of the anger he had shown in recent days—only his usual commanding and courteous demeanor.

“Village chief, this child can’t stay in our village. My granddaughter… my granddaughter was killed by her child!” Aunt Ma stretched her neck and immediately pinned the blame on Ye Ling.

“Aunt Ma, don’t be so quick to condemn. Sometimes, things can be discussed!”

The village chief stepped forward slowly, his words and eyes carrying an unmistakable double meaning.

He first motioned for the women to step back several paces, then stood over Liu Qiaohui, blowing two puffs of smoke from his pipe.

“Liu Qiaohui, see, it’s not that I, as village chief, am not protecting you. It’s that you’ve stirred up public anger. No matter how your granddaughter died, you have to bear the blame—whether you want to or not. Like I said, you have only two choices: one, abandon this ‘cursed’ child in the mountains to the wolves; or two, you and your family leave Yushan Village. But I believe, because of your love for your daughter, you won’t choose the first. So, Widow Liu… if you leave now, I can still protect your daughter’s life. But if you insist on resisting as last time, you’ve seen how things stand—I won’t be able to protect her anymore!”

Every word was meant to look out for Liu Qiaohui—but every word was also a clear threat.

It seemed Ye Ling and Liu Qiaohui could no longer wait for the county magistrate to intervene on their behalf.

The village chief’s eyes locked onto Liu Qiaohui until, reluctantly, she spat out three words: “Fine! I’ll leave!”