Ma-shi wailed loudly, "Village chief, can't you see what's happening? This little wench openly attacked me! Look at the state she's left me in—I can't even get up! You must do me justice! She must compensate me. My old bones are practically falling apart!"
Xiaozhu angrily retorted, "Shameless! You clearly lunged at my mother intending to hit her, but you ended up falling on your own. How can you blame my mother for that?"
"Bah! How could I fall on my own? She tripped me, that little wench!" Ma-shi cursed.
Li Xiangli looked innocent as she replied, "Everyone saw it clearly just now. Did I trip you, or did you fall on your own? You charged at me intending to hit me. Am I not allowed to dodge? If I dodge and you lose your balance, is that my fault?"
Uncle Liu couldn't hold back anymore. "Ma-shi, this is outrageous! Everyone saw it—you fell on your own. How can you pin this on Xiangli? She and her kids already have it tough. Why do you insist on making trouble for them?"
The village chief frowned. Of course! He'd suspected as much—how could someone as slender as Li Xiangli manage to knock down a person like Ma-shi?
"Ma-shi, this behavior is truly disgraceful. How could you stoop to this level?" the chief said sternly.
Ma-shi felt genuinely wronged. In the chaos earlier, she distinctly felt a foot trip her, causing her to fall. And there were several pinching marks on her body that hurt like hell. Given how close Li Xiangli had been, who else could it have been?
But Ma-shi refused to back down. She decided to double down and began wailing again, "You call me a liar, but this little wench did trip me! I even have marks on me from her pinching!"
Li Xiangli blinked innocently. "This is slander. Everyone saw what happened. You came charging at me so fast I barely had time to dodge. Where would I find the time to trip or pinch you?"
Some villagers stepped in to defend Li Xiangli. "Exactly! We're not blind. It was clearly your own fault, Ma-shi. Stop blaming her. Why must you always act so shamelessly?"
The villagers' firm stance had two reasons. First, Li Xiangli's actions had been too swift and subtle for anyone to notice. Second, Ma-shi had a long history of stirring up trouble. She was notorious in the village for being a loudmouth and a bully. No one was surprised she'd try to frame someone like this.
Ma-shi's fury boiled over. She threw herself to the ground, wailing and pounding the dirt. "This is unbearable! You're all taking her side! That little vixen ruined me, and you still defend her? I can't live like this!"
Li Xiangli's voice turned icy. "If you insist, I harmed you, then show us the evidence. You claim I pinched you? Show us the marks. If they're there, I won't say another word. But if you can't prove it, you owe me an apology."
Ma-shi snapped back, "The marks are on my body! How am I supposed to show them?"
"Oh, clever move. No one can see your body, so you can say whatever you want. Ma-shi, even if you're set on framing me, you could at least use a less shameless tactic."
Ma-shi was enraged. She couldn't let this humiliation stand. Gritting her teeth, she shouted, "Fine! I'll show you! I'll prove it, and I'll ruin that shameless wench!"
As she began to undo her clothing in front of everyone, the villagers collectively gasped in shock. Everyone had always known Ma-shi was brazen, but this? This was beyond shameless. She was about to strip in public!
The village chief exploded with anger. "Ma-shi, what are you doing? Have you no shame?"
The men quickly turned their backs, and even the women covered their faces in embarrassment.
Li Xiangli's lips curled into a subtle smile. This was exactly what she wanted. Ma-shi was impulsive and brainless, easy to provoke into doing something outrageous. After what Ma-shi had done to her son, she wasn't going to let her off lightly.
Before Ma-shi could finish undressing, her husband, Zhang San, rushed over and slapped her across the face. "You shameless woman! What filthy nonsense are you trying to pull in broad daylight? Even if you have no shame, the Zhang family still does! Get home this instant!"
Zhang San was furious. Ma-shi might not have much to show, but publicly undressing like this? She was humiliating him in front of the entire village.
Ma-shi, stunned by the slap, retaliated immediately. "How dare you hit me? I was humiliated by that little wench, and now you're hitting me too? I'll kill you!"
Despite her size and strength, Zhang San wasn't about to back down. The two of them started brawling right then and there, completely ignoring everyone around them. The villagers tried to intervene, but the couple was too worked up to stop.
The village chief's face darkened with anger. Slamming his cane on the ground, he roared, "Enough! If you don't stop this instant, I'll drive your entire family out of the village!"
At this, both Zhang San and Ma-shi froze in fear. Scrambling to their feet, they pleaded, "Village chief, it's just a small quarrel between husband and wife. Please don't be angry. Don't drive us out."
The villagers burst into mocking laughter, treating the scene as nothing more than entertainment. Even Li Xiangli watched with a cold, mocking gaze, as if Ma-shi were nothing more than a pathetic clown.
Ma-shi gritted her teeth in fury. Today's humiliation burned in her heart. She wouldn't rest until she got her revenge.
"This matter ends here!" the chief declared. "No more arguing. Everyone, go home!"
Ma-shi, however, screeched, "What? I was beaten, and now it's just over? You're letting her off scot-free?"
A villager jeered, "What's the matter, Ma-shi? Do you still want to undress to prove you were beaten?"
Zhang San glared at her. "You wouldn't dare!"
Ma-shi puffed out her chest. "Even if we drop that, Li Xiangli kicked me several meters in front of everyone. Are we just going to forget about that?"
Le'er piped up indignantly, "That's because you hit my brother first!"
Ma-shi snorted. "That brat of yours might not even be legitimate. Who knows if he's some bastard? Beating him is a blessing!"
The chief's face turned stormy. "Ma-shi, stop spreading lies! Xiaozhu and Le'er were conceived before their father left for war. Do you have any idea how serious it is to slander someone's reputation like this?"
Li Xiangli's eyes went cold, her expression dark as ice. Ma-shi was asking for trouble.
Tears welled up in Li Xiangli's eyes as she glared at Ma-shi. "So, just because my reputation is less than perfect, my children deserve to be beaten?"
Disclaimer:
I am not the original author of this work. This is a translated version of the original text, shared for reading and reference purposes only. All rights to the original content belong to the original author. I do not claim ownership of the original work or its characters. This translation is intended solely for informational and entertainment purposes.