Then something dark and gourd-like was hurled in her direction.
Ruan Jiaojiao wanted to dodge, but there was a wall behind and Little Fatty in front, leaving her nowhere to hide; she could only watch helplessly as the gourd came flying towards her head.
"Sister!" Little Fatty cried out in alarm, bravely stepping forward to shield Ruan Jiaojiao behind him.
"Smack!" The gourd hit his forehead, and the meat soup he had not yet finished drinking also fell to the ground.
Little Fatty's forehead turned red instantly, but he cared not for his own injury. He immediately turned back to check on Ruan Jiaojiao behind him. Only after seeing she was unhurt, did he relax. Then he looked at the spoiled supper on the ground, craned his neck, and started wailing, "Nanny, nanny! Auntie Liu hit sister, sister's almost killed!"
The moment his words ended, the Ruanlin Family matriarch, still holding her cooking spatula, rushed out furiously.
Just like Little Fatty, she first dashed to Ruan Jiaojiao's side, carefully looking her over, asking a series of concerned questions. Once she confirmed there was no injury, she then turned to look at Little Fatty, especially noticing the broken bowl at his feet and the gourd nearby, her face immediately darkened as she thought of Ruan Jiaojiao's near-death state days before.
Seeing the look in his nanny's eyes, Little Fatty shuddered in fear, quickly shifting all the blame onto the woman across from them, "Nanny, it's all Auntie Liu's fault! She wanted to hit sister and that's why the food spilled."
Life for rural households was not easy back then; being able to fill one's stomach was already quite an achievement. Having meat was a luxury and some families couldn't even afford it during the New Year, let alone on ordinary days.
Liu Mei, upon looking at the spilled meat soup and the eggshells not far away, and thinking about the salty pickles her son had just eaten, felt indignant. She thought the Ruan Family was wasting food, and her mind was troubled by the thought that such a 'losing investment' was being pampered, which was a total waste of meat and eggs that could have been better given to her son.
However, regardless of what she thought internally, she dared not show it on her face. Facing the stern Ruanlin, she apologized with obvious regret, "Sister Ruan, I didn't mean to do this deliberately. It's just that my good-for-nothing child was running around everywhere, and I lost my temper. I am really sorry."
If it had been someone else, Liu's apology might have been enough to soothe the sting of the lost soup, but unfortunately, the Ruanlin Family matriarch had never been an easy person to talk to.
The husband of the Ruanlin Family matriarch, Ruan Manchuang, had died early. Although she was known as the widow of a martyr, bringing up four sons alone was very difficult, especially since she came from a landlord's family. Without her fierce nature, she could not have managed.
She immediately glared at Liu, scolding, "Xiu Family, you heartless creature, isn't it enough that you beat and scold your own Daxi all the time? Now you've come to attack my family as well? I think you no longer wish to live!"
"Auntie Ruan, what are you talking about? I said it was not..." Liu Mei's face turned a mess as she tried to argue, but before she could finish her sentence, she was cut off by Ruanlin again.
"Not deliberate, you say? Do you think a casual 'it wasn't deliberate' can erase everything? If my sweet girl gets frightened into a fever, I will tear you apart, you venomous woman!"
Ruanlin wouldn't have been so enraged under normal circumstances, but Ruan Jiaojiao had just returned from the hospital a few days ago. Worried about her incomplete recovery, she hadn't dared to nourish her with anything substantial, allowing only a bit of white rice porridge and a single egg each day. Today, having finally brought some meat from town to properly nourish her, she couldn't believe it had been ruined by this spiteful woman.