Wei-shi deliberately sneered, glancing at Li Xiangli from the corner of her eye. These days, she didn't dare underestimate this woman and tread carefully when dealing with her.
Li Xiangli, however, maintained a composed expression, her lips curling into a cold smile. "Not only did we buy ten pounds of fatty pork," she began, "but we also bought ten pounds of lean meat, rice, cornmeal, white flour, and three rolls of cotton fabric. By your logic, Second Sister-in-law, are all these stolen from the Guo family as well?"
Wei-shi's heart skipped a beat. So much good stuff! She barely had time to process the shock before nodding furiously. "Yes, yes! Exactly! Those were things our Guo family recently purchased, and you stole them! I must take them back. Almost fell for your lies, you little wretch!"
With that, Wei-shi rolled up her sleeves and made for Li Xiangli's house. Xiaozhu looked at his mother in a panic, unsure of what to do. "Mother…"
Before Xiaozhu could finish, Li Xiangli deftly picked up a sickle lying nearby and hurled it. With a loud "clang," the blade embedded itself into the wooden doorframe right in front of Wei-shi.
Wei-shi let out a terrifying scream, stumbling backward until she fell to the ground. Her entire body shook as though she had already died once. Gasping, she frantically touched her neck, muttering, "Am I dead? Am I still alive? Bao'er, check if my head is still on my shoulders!"
Guo Bao, clearly embarrassed by his mother's display, grumbled, "Mother, you're fine! Stop shouting!"
But Wei-shi's face remained ghostly pale. Trembling uncontrollably, she sat frozen on the ground, her body refusing to cooperate. Then a strong smell filled the air—she had wet herself.
The crowd covered their noses in disgust. Even Xiaozhu and Le'er recoiled a few steps.
Li Xiangli took measured steps toward Wei-shi, her calm demeanor more intimidating than an outburst. Wei-shi, paralyzed with fear, scooted backward on her bottom until she bumped into the wooden door behind her. Cornered, she had nowhere left to go, while Li Xiangli loomed closer.
Her youthful face contrasted sharply with the chilling coldness in her eyes. Even a single glance from her felt like a death sentence.
Wei-shi screamed, "Help! She's insane! She's trying to kill me!"
Li Xiangli calmly reached over Wei-shi's head, grasped the sickle's handle, and pulled it free from the doorframe with ease. She smirked disdainfully at Wei-shi before stepping back, saying sarcastically, "Second Sister-in-law, if you're going to wet yourself, at least do it somewhere other than in front of my door. Are you trying to disgust me on purpose?"
The tension in the air immediately lifted, and the neighbor woman, Shuanzi's wife, burst into laughter. "Wei-shi, what are you doing? A grown woman, wetting herself like a child! Hilarious!"
Wei-shi glared daggers at Shuanzi's wife before turning her anger toward Li Xiangli. "You wretched little thing! You scared me on purpose! You wanted to humiliate me!"
Li Xiangli's expression turned icy. "Scare you? You're giving yourself too much credit. Everything I did today was a warning. If you have the guts, go ahead, step into my house and take whatever you want. Just know that next time, this sickle won't miss."
Wei-shi's face drained of color, and the earlier wave of fear swept over her again, sending shivers down her spine. "You…you wouldn't dare! Killing someone means you'll have to pay with your life!"
"What do I have to be afraid of?" Li Xiangli's voice was calm yet piercing. "Your Guo family has already made my life a living hell. If you're going to drive me to my death, why not take someone down with me? I've already died once—what else is there to fear?"
Her words sent a chill through Wei-shi's heart. This wasn't the old Li Xiangli. The woman standing before her was like a vengeful ghost, come to exact retribution on the Guo family.
Li Xiangli's lips curved into a faint smile. "Go ahead, Second Sister-in-law. Step into my house. Take everything. If you manage to walk out alive, it's all yours." She deliberately waved the sickle for emphasis.
Wei-shi didn't dare linger another moment. Scrambling to her feet, she stumbled away, muttering incoherently, "Madwoman! You're a madwoman!"
Li Xiangli scoffed. "Call me crazy if you like. You only have yourselves to blame for driving me to this."
She knew that if she didn't intimidate Wei-shi today, the woman's greedy nature would drive her to keep targeting them. This way, she'd think twice before daring to mess with them again.
Shuanzi's wife, ever eager to stir the pot, said mockingly, "So, is that it? All this fuss over someone else stealing from your Guo family?" Her tone was sharp, aimed to provoke. After all, who wouldn't covet such valuable goods?
Li Xiangli retorted coldly, "Do you have any proof that my family stole from the Guo family? Keep slandering me, and I'll file a lawsuit against you for defamation."
Shuanzi's wife was caught off guard, stammering, "Proof? Who needs proof? Didn't Wei-shi just say it herself? Your family is so poor—how could you afford such things unless you stole them? If not, then where did the money come from?"
"And where I got my money is any of your business because…?" Li Xiangli's voice was firm. "What, should your family start reporting all your purchases to me too? If you have evidence, take it to the village chief or the authorities. If not, stop spouting nonsense. Or should I start accusing your family of stealing everything they own?"
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.