In her previous life, Guiying had caused trouble several times, but at that time, Chiang Xiao was so delirious with fever that she hadn't paid any attention to it. By the time she had recovered, her grandparents had already been hounded into submission. They had compensated the Ding Family with a piece of fine cloth and had also given away a basket of saved-up chicken eggs.
At the same time, a rumor about her was spreading like wildfire.
Just thinking about that gossip and what followed, Chiang Xiao felt a rage boiling inside her. She propped herself up, got out of bed, and walked towards the door.
At this moment, another person entered the Chiang Family's main hall—it was Song Xiyun, the daughter-in-law of Chiang Songhai's nephew, from the neighboring Old Chiang Family.
As soon as she stepped in, she glanced around and then her eyes narrowed slightly.
"Oh, I was wondering, Sister Guiying, what brings you here? Shouldn't you be cooking by now? Da Qiang might be getting impatient for his meal when he comes back from the fields."
Village meal times are early, with dinner preparations typically starting around five o'clock.
Song Xiyun had a habit of being lazy and often came by around this time to visit, meanwhile checking out what her second uncle and aunt were having. If there was something tasty, she'd find a way to scrounge some for herself.
Her mother-in-law knew about her habit and chose to turn a blind eye.
"None of your damned business!" Guiying, already fuming, rolled her eyes and retaliated mercilessly. What did it matter to Song Xiyun whether her man had his dinner or not?
Song Xiyun pursed her lips but didn't get angry. Instead, her eyes roamed around before she headed to the stove area.
"Auntie, let me check on the fire for you."
Ge Liutao was too busy to pay attention to her, seeing that Guiying was about to barge into Chiang Xiao's inner room, she quickly blocked her path again.
"Guiying, whatever the issue is, let's wait until Little is better, shall we?"
"No way!" Guiying's eyes bulged with anger. She pushed with her hand. "It's been two days already, who knows how long that damned girl will lie there? I am telling you, don't think you can escape compensation by feigning illness! My Da Ni has to go to town the day after tomorrow, and she needs that new dress!"
She was robust with considerable strength, and with that push, Ge Liutao stumbled backward.
Chiang Songhai was quick to catch her, breaking into a cold sweat. A fall like that could lead to a nasty injury—it wasn't a joking matter.
He lashed out at Guiying, "Hey, Da Qiang's wife, talk things out. Why resort to pushing around?"
"What's stopping her?" Guiying, who was feeling a bit guilty, realized that the woman had been caught and hadn't actually fallen, and her confidence surged again. She puffed out her chest and challenged Chiang Songhai, "Why don't you try pushing back?"
She began wailing, "I want everyone to see just how heartless the Chiang Family is! My Da Ni kindly went to save someone, her clothes got torn to shreds, and the Chiang Family's Young Lady refuses to compensate while pretending to be sick! Had I known, I would have told my Da Ni not to bother and let her get dragged away by the Water Ghost in the stream..."
These last words struck a nerve in Chiang Songhai, and he immediately raised his hand, teeth clenched, ready to slap her.
That was cursing his daughter to drown!
As Guiying saw him raise his hand, she immediately pushed her chest forward aggressively, still berating, "What, you want to hit me now? I've laid down the gauntlet today; we're far from done if you don't compensate for my family's clothing! You want to get physical, do you? Come on then, come on! Hit me!"
Given her natural endowment, particularly her ample bosom, with such a posture it seemed almost as though she was offering herself up to Chiang Songhai's hands.
Song Xiyun, who had just lifted the lid off the pot, turned her head at the commotion and said, "Second uncle, you can't hit her. A man who hits a woman will be spat upon and drowned by the villagers!"
Chiang Xiao caught sight of Guiying, chin lifted in brazen defiance, approaching her grandfather, whose face was flushed with anger, as he was tightly held back by her grandmother, just as she was lifting the door curtain.
Chiang Xiao felt a surge of emotion, and with a burst of energy, she charged at Guiying, ramming her shoulder hard against Guiying's bulging chest.