Chapter 43: Chapter 27: Liu’er’s Mother vs. Juhua’s Mother (3)

Mother Yang’s anger boiled over. She had been holding back, but hearing this hag insult Juhua, she shot back without yielding an inch, “So what if my Juhua is unwanted? I’m her mother, and I’ll keep her! Your Liu’er is so wanted, why don’t you just lead her out to be sold? After you’re done, you can weigh her and see how much she goes for per pound!”

Their shouting match escalated into a blazing fury. Both women felt that words were no longer enough to vent their rage, so they started clawing at each other again. They immediately became a tangled mess, tumbling to the ground and kicking up a cloud of dust from the dry, parched earth. It was a perfect example of the old saying: “When young women fight, it’s all scratching and pinching!”

When Village Chief Li Gengtian got word, he rushed over in a panic. The scene of chaos made him so angry he stomped his foot. With one hand on his hip, he pointed at them and shouted, “What is this disgraceful behavior? Stop it this instant! You’re making a spectacle of yourselves! And you all, why haven’t you pulled them apart!”

That last command was aimed at the group of village women. It wasn’t proper for men to intervene when two wives were fighting, and to make matters worse, neither of their husbands was present!

It wasn’t that the women on the sidelines didn’t want to separate them, but the two were so entangled that there was no way to do it!

Mother Yang had a fistful of Liu’er’s mother’s hair. If anyone tried to pull them apart, they’d risk yanking the hair right out. And trying to pry Mother Yang’s fingers open? She was fighting with all her might; her grip was like a vise. You could easily break her fingers trying. Liu’er’s mother was pinned underneath Mother Yang, so trying to help her up would look like taking sides, and she’d resent you for it forever.

So, the group of women just milled around them, unable to intervene. It was like a dog trying to bite a hedgehog—there was simply no way to get a grip.

Little Shitou’s mother had been worried that Mother Yang would lose the fight, but she was surprised at how fierce she could be. Still, fearing things would escalate and someone could get killed, she could only plead from the sidelines, “Aunt Zheng, let’s talk this out properly! Please stop fighting! The village chief is getting angry!”

Gou Dan’s mother kept swinging her large hips, first moving toward Mother Yang’s side—no good way to grab her—then shuffling over to Liu’er’s mother’s side—still no opening!

She was so anxious she kept slapping her own knees. “Oh, dear! What is happening? Everything was fine this morning! Weren’t you two just talking about going to Cloud Sky Temple to offer incense? We’re all neighbors here. Is there anything that can’t be settled with words?”

The older women in the crowd just shook their heads. “Sigh! What a disgrace! This is what happens when there’s no mother-in-law around to keep them in check.”

A buzz of gossip spread through the crowd. Some murmured that Liu’er’s mother had been completely out of line. Others argued she had good intentions, and that Juhua’s mother shouldn’t have blamed her. Still others whispered conspiratorially that the real reason for the life-or-death struggle wasn’t Juhua at all, but that Qingmu and Liu’er had been meeting in secret and had done something shameful.

Someone immediately shot back, “That’s complete nonsense. I watched that boy, Qingmu, grow up. He would never do something like that! And Liu’er is a proper young lady. We can’t let rumors ruin her reputation.”

But ignoring the gossip of the onlookers, Mother Yang herself was now fighting with genuine fury, determined to make an example of this woman and intimidate anyone who constantly mocked her Juhua.

Her hair was a mess and her face was contorted with rage. She snarled through gritted teeth, “I’ll kill this hag today even if it’s the last thing I do! Let’s see if she ever dares to badmouth my Juhua again!”

As she yelled, she attacked with renewed vigor, yanking out a clump of Liu’er’s mother’s hair and leaving a red scratch across her face in the process. Liu’er’s mother, who had been losing the fight, went berserk after getting hurt. Howling like a tigress, she lowered her head and charged, ramming Mother Yang in the stomach and knocking her flat on her rear.

Qingmu rushed forward to help his mother up.

Liu’er’s mother immediately shrieked, “Two against one, is it? Bring it on! I’m not afraid! Zheng Changhe is a cripple now, what have you got to be so high and mighty about?…”

Just then, Liu’er’s father, Sun Jinshan, and her brother, Sun Tiezhu, finally arrived, panting for breath.

Seeing them as if they were saviors, Village Chief Li Gengtian boomed, “Sun Jinshan, get your wife out of here now!”

Her hair wild and her face flushed, Liu’er’s mother screeched at Li Gengtian, “Why should he? Village Chief, are you taking the Zheng family’s side? Why didn’t you say anything when it was two of them against me just now? Tie Zhu, go beat that bitch for me!”

The village chief trembled with rage. ’This woman is completely unreasonable! When did the mother and son ever gang up on her? And how am I the one taking sides?’

He knew it was pointless to argue with Liu’er’s mother, so he just shot a furious glare at Sun Jinshan.

Thankfully, Sun Jinshan wasn’t foolish enough to listen to his wife. He grabbed Tie Zhu, who was about to lunge forward, and stared grimly at the scene.

Juhua had arrived a while ago.

She had heard the commotion from her house, and when her mother went out, the noise grew even louder, punctuated by shouts of “scabby girl.” She couldn’t bear it any longer. After a quick word with her father, she had rushed to the scene.

She stood on the sidelines listening for some time until she finally understood. ’Liu’er must have come looking for Brother again and gotten caught by her mother. Liu’er’s mother is just taking her anger out on us!’

Seeing that the situation was out of control, that even the village chief’s words were being ignored, and that Liu’er’s mother was viciously slandering both her and her brother, a dark hatred welled up inside her. In a burst of fury, she rushed forward and roared at Liu’er’s mother, “Shut up!”

The childish, furious roar silenced the chaotic crowd. All eyes turned to the “scabby, ugly girl.” She stood ramrod straight in the center of the circle, her small, frail body tense, her eyes locked on Liu’er’s mother in a death stare.

When Qingmu saw Juhua, he rushed to pull her back. ’My sister has always been terrified of being in front of crowds. What’s gotten into her today?’

Juhua calmly pushed her brother away, her furious gaze never leaving Liu’er’s mother.

Watching from the sidelines, a worried Little Shitou cried out, “Sister Juhua!”

Little Shitou’s mother quickly pulled him back, stopping him from shouting. ’With so many people watching,’ she thought, ’surely Liu’er’s mother wouldn’t dare hit Juhua.’ So she wasn’t worried.

Zhang Huai grew anxious. ’Qingmu is here, so why did Juhua have to run out?’ He resolved that if things took a turn for the worse, he would charge in to help Qingmu’s family, even if it meant making enemies.

Liu’er’s mother was taken aback for a moment, but why would she be afraid of a little girl? She shot her a sideways glance. “What do you want, you little scabby…”

Before she could finish, Juhua stepped forward, leaned in close, and whispered a few words in her ear. Then she pulled back and stared at her coldly.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep