“You beat my son like this, you must pay for his medical expenses!” The Man’s Mother swayed her body dramatically as she spoke, her voice full of grievance.
Xu’s mother sneered coldly. “Since you refuse to admit that your son schemed against my niece, then fine — let’s go to the police and let them handle this.”
She folded her arms and continued without flinching, “Of course the police will find out the truth. And I don’t believe for a second that the people around you don’t already know what kind of character your son has. Once the investigation is complete, we’ll make this public and your son will face a charge of attempted rape.”
The Man’s Mother’s face turned pale. She hadn’t expected this village woman to be so fierce, so sharp-tongued.
Weren’t country folks supposed to care deeply about their reputation?
If this really went to the police, it wouldn’t just ruin her son — wouldn’t that young girl also lose her good name? And once her reputation was gone, how could she face the world or get married?
The Man’s Mother was sure this family wouldn’t dare push things that far. But just as she opened her mouth to argue, Xu’s mother turned on her heel, grabbing Xu Jing by the hand. “Come on, let’s go report this to the police.”
Watching the two walk away without looking back, the Man’s Mother suddenly panicked. She rushed after them, flustered, shouting, “Sister, sister, we admit it! We’ll do whatever you say!”
Xu’s mother let out a snort of disdain before leading Xu Jing back into the house.
“Your son had evil intentions toward my niece — he wanted to assault her! If it hadn’t been for my daughter stepping in, who knows what would’ve happened. And on top of that, you scared my niece half to death. Of course you need to compensate her!”
“That’s right!” Xu Ying chimed in firmly. “You caused my cousin both physical and emotional harm. You have to compensate her!”
The Man’s Mother, just an ordinary factory worker, didn’t really understand what “emotional damage” or “psychological trauma” meant. But after that scolding, all her earlier arrogance deflated. She lowered her head like a quail, her shoulders hunched, and nodded repeatedly. “You’re right, you’re right… How much do you want?”
Xu’s mother turned to Aunt Xu. “Sister-in-law, you decide.”
Aunt Xu hesitated, but before she could speak, Xu Ying decisively said, “Eighty yuan.”
The Man’s Mother gasped, nearly choking on her own breath. Eighty yuan — that was more than a month’s wages for her and her husband combined!
She opened her mouth to haggle, but Xu Ying cut in coldly. “You have two choices: pay eighty yuan, or let your son go to jail.”
Before the Man’s Mother could even stammer a reply, Wang Liqing, his face swollen from the beating, burst into tears. “Mom, I don’t want to go to jail… just give them the money!”
The Man’s Mother sagged in defeat and could only nod.
But Xu Ying wasn’t finished. She knew people like them — they’d promise anything now, only to turn around and go back on their word.
She calmly pulled out a pen and a sheet of paper. With a practiced hand, she wrote out a statement, detailing exactly what the Wang family had done today.
“Sign it,” Xu Ying ordered, her voice crisp. “If I hear even one rumor or whisper about my cousin after this, I’ll take this straight to the police.”
Wang Liqing’s hand trembled as he picked up the pen. He thought about running, but realized if he didn’t sign now, they’d drag him to the station on the spot. Gritting his teeth, he finally accepted his fate and scrawled his name on the paper.
Xu Ying handed the signed statement to Aunt Xu for safekeeping.
Wang Liqing peeked at Xu Ying, his eyes full of fear. “C-Can I leave now?”
But Xu Ying narrowed her eyes. “One last question, Wang Liqing — why did you target Gu Fuying in the first place? Weren’t you two supposed to be friends?”
Wang Liqing’s face twisted, as if struggling inside. But under Xu Ying’s sharp gaze, he crumbled.
“Wu Yu found a new girl… someone more useful than Gu Fuying,” Wang Liqing mumbled, voice thick with resentment. “He wanted to dump Gu Fuying but didn’t have the guts to do it himself. So he asked me to ruin her, to make her blame herself and break up with him on her own.”
How vicious!
Xu Ying waved her hand dismissively, letting the mother and son leave. She figured she’d give them another warning when they came over to help at Brother Fuying’s wedding banquet.
Once the Wang family had gone, Aunt Xu’s gaze turned sharp as a blade, landing on Matchmaker Sun. She hissed through clenched teeth, “Matchmaker Sun, you’ve really got a clever mouth, huh? You dared to speak nonsense about marrying off my daughter?”
She lunged forward, grabbing at Matchmaker Sun’s hair, scratching at her face. Matchmaker Sun yelped and tried to escape, but Xu’s mother quickly blocked her path. A few moments later, Matchmaker Sun ran out of the Xu household, shrieking, “Fine! If you’ve got the guts, don’t come begging me to find your daughter a husband! Just wait — your girl will be left to rot at home unmarried!”
Aunt Xu was so furious her whole body trembled. She snatched up a stone from the courtyard and hurled it after her. “Screw you! My daughter is decent, capable, hardworking — even if you don’t help, she’ll get married just fine!”
Xu’s mother quickly soothed her. “Ignore her, don’t let her nonsense get to you. Everyone knows what kind of girl our Xu Jing is. If someone’s scared away by a few rumors, it just means they’ve got a rotten heart to begin with.”
Second Aunt Xu nodded, her heart warming at those words. “Sister-in-law, I never expected things to go this far. I was just worried it might hurt Yingying’s reputation in the future…”
Xu’s mother waved a hand, her voice calm and firm. “I’ll say it again — as long as someone is capable and upright, they don’t have to fear finding a good partner. We’re family. What matters is that we stick together. Go comfort Jingjing, she’s just a young girl — she must be shaken.”
Hearing this, Aunt Xu hurried off to check on her daughter.
Xu’s mother headed home with her own daughter. She had originally meant to bring her daughter along just to give her some life experience — she hadn’t expected such a storm. She wondered if Xu Jing had been frightened by what had happened.
When they got home, Xu’s mother’s heart ached as she looked at her girl. “Sweetheart, not everyone in the world is like them. There are still many good people out there. When the time comes for you to marry, I’ll watch over you carefully. And if we can’t find someone right for you — then you don’t have to marry at all. I’ll raise you myself, and when I’m old, you’ll still have nephews around.”
Xu Ying’s eyes sparkled like stars as she nodded.
When they arrived, Sister-in-law Xu was already back from work, bustling in the kitchen. The air was thick with the rich aroma of stewed pig’s trotters and braised pork. It might not have looked the most elegant, but the smell was enough to make one’s mouth water.
“Sister-in-law, what are you making that smells so heavenly?” Xu Ying called from the doorway, her nose twitching eagerly.
Sister-in-law Xu smiled warmly. Under Xu Ying’s gentle guidance these past days, even her cooking had improved by leaps and bounds.
“Mom, little sister, you’re just in time. The food’s ready!” she said cheerfully. “I even made some chicken soup with mushrooms for little sister — she should drink some to nourish herself after all the stress today.”
Mother Xu’s expression softened, her eyes filled with rare approval. “It’s not easy to find someone as thoughtful as you. You should eat more yourself — you’re skin and bones. Looks like we’ve been treating you poorly.”
Sister-in-law Xu blushed at the unexpected praise. Though Mother Xu’s words carried a hint of teasing, she could feel the care behind them.
“Thank you, Mom,” she said quickly.
Mother Xu gave a little awkward snort and turned away. Her heart was big, but she had to prioritize. First came her daughter, then her daughter-in-law, then her sons.
“Ahh, it smells so good!” Brother Xu came home from work just then, catching a whiff of the fragrant meal and practically drooling. The food at his school post couldn’t even compare.
“I’m back! Time to wash up and eat!” Father Xu called.
Brother Xu darted off to wash his hands, his steps light with anticipation.
The little courtyard, moments ago filled with tension and strife, was now filled with the warmth of family, the clatter of dishes, and the aroma of home-cooked food.