A dark-skinned, thin, tall man in his fifties with a powerful, authoritative presence entered, “What’s going on?”
This man was Xia Mian’s father’s cousin, the eldest in their generation, hence Xia Mian also referred to him as eldest uncle. He was one of the closest relatives to their family.
Eldest Uncle Xia, a man of integrity and responsibility, was regarded as a patriarchal figure in the Xia family. Relatives often turned to him to mediate major disputes, and he had also looked after Xia Mian and her mother for many years.
“I came back from Ming City today, exhausted, and went straight to sleep. Then I felt someone sneaking around the house, rummaging my luggage. I was terrified, so when he came by my bed, I covered him with the sheet. Thankfully, Uncle, you arrived quickly.” Xia Mian explained.
“What bastard does this, daring to sneak into a house to steal in broad daylight?” a young man remarked. He kicked the figure under the sheet again, “Really fearless! Does he think our Xia family is easy to bully?!”
Muffled cries of pain came from under the sheets.
Eldest Uncle Xia looked over Xia Mian’s new look and nodded approvingly, “Hmm, seems the city does have its benefits; this is much better.”
Xia Mian, slightly embarrassed, touched her head, “Um, I will keep studying hard.”
Eldest Uncle Xia nodded in relief, then, turning his attention back to the figure on the ground, his smile turned into a frown and he declared angrily, “See whose kid this is. Either send him to the police station or the ancestral hall for discipline!”
The young men gave another round of kicks and punches before grudgingly beginning to untie the ropes.
Suddenly, two people rushed in from outside, “Xia Bao?!”
The man in front was in his forties, thin, not very tall with dark, wrinkled skin, which made Xia Mian almost think he was seeing Song Xiaobao1. The woman following him was quite plump and fair in contrast—the moment she rushed in, she immediately started to lift the sheet. However, due to the tight binding of the hemp rope by Xia Mian, she couldn’t lift it right away.
Yet they were indeed biological parents, who recognized their youngest and most beloved son at a glance, even just by his figure. Second Aunt-in-law Xia immediately began wailing, “Oh, heavens! Xia Mian, you actually hit your little brother, your heart is so dark!”
The crowd immediately understood: if it was Xia Bao, it all made sense. The second branch of the Xia family was a top-notch troublemaker notorious for giving the entire clan a headache. Second Uncle Xia liked to take advantage wherever he could, ready to defraud others of the smallest cent.
His wife, meanwhile, had a penchant for taking things that weren’t hers; regardless of whose house she visited, if items weren’t closely watched, something invariably went missing by the time she left — even something as small as a needle.
Their three children were naturally influenced. The worst of them all was Xia Bao, who perfectly took after his parents’ worst traits. What made it especially infuriating was that Xia Bao, though not bold enough to commit a serious crime, was utterly shameless. He specifically targeted relatives and family friends because even if caught, his father’s pitiful pleas and his mother’s aggressive denials would always let him off the hook.
After Xia Mian’s father passed away, her mother, known for her gentle nature and good temper, suffered the most from this family — especially because their two families were separated by only a short wall. However, the current Xia Mian was not one to be daunted; when confronting thugs, she simply became tougher, and when dealing with the shameless, she outdid them in their own game.
Anyway, she could be a gentle little angel or a violent savage — with enough tricks, what should she be afraid of?
“Auntie, what are you talking about?” Xia Mian said, “I just came back at noon, locked the door when I went to sleep, and a thief suddenly broke in!” As she spoke, she kicked the squirming lump of flesh again, “Dare to steal from my house, I’ll beat you to death!”
Second Aunt-in-law Xia’s eyes widened, and she raised her hand to strike Xia Mian, “You did it on purpose! I knew you were up to no good, you returned and didn’t even say inform us. We’re just separated by a courtyard wall, couldn’t you spare a few seconds to say hello?”
Inform you to invite more troubles? No, thank you! Xia Mian dodged behind her eldest uncle, who frowned and scolded, “Chengyao’s wife, stop it!”
Second Aunt-in-law Xia collapsed onto the ground, crying while dragging out her words, “Xia Mian, that evil girl, she holds grudges against us~ Having a brother-in-law from the city backing her, she looks down on us Xias, she’s bullying his second uncle’s family~ The Xia family has raised a white-eyed wolf~ Denying all kin~”
According to ‘Xia Mian’ memory, this was the most-used tactic employed by Second Aunt-in-law, and she had witnessed it many times. Still, experiencing it firsthand left Xia Mian astonished. Moreover, the loud and incessant voice made it impossible to interject.
“Chengyao, aren’t you going to stop your wife?!” Eldest Uncle Xia’s face turned livid.
Second Uncle Xia certainly wasn’t; he was busy trying to untie Xia Bao. Xia Mian had used an unknown method to tie the ropes: the more he pulled, the more it tightened, making him sweat profusely.
The noise gave Xia Mian a headache, especially seeing the frightened look on Xiao Feng’s face. She immediately grabbed a feather duster and rushed over, giving Xia Bao a sudden smack. She then turned to Second Aunt-in-law Xia, “Shut up! Sing another line and I’ll hit him again! Try it if you don’t believe me!”
Second Aunt-in-law Xia had never been challenged in years and thus didn’t believe Xia Mian’s threat. Furious, she moved forward to snatch the feather duster from Xia Mian’s hand, no longer ‘singing’ her grievance, “You stinky girl, have you turned the heavens upside down? Do you still respect your elders, huh?!”
“Three lines,” Xia Mian waited for her to finish cursing. As she nimbly dodged, she swiftly delivered three sharp strikes to Xia Bao.
The moment his mouth was freed, Xia Bao screamed out in pain, “Mom, Mom, stop talking!”
“You…” Just as Second Aunt-in-law Xia was about to speak again, Xia Mian raised the feather duster.
Second Aunt-in-law Xia, her face flushed red, shut her mouth, but she was unwilling to leave it at that. She glanced around, clearly looking for some kind of weapon.
However, Xia Chuan and a few others kept her at a distance. They couldn’t physically confront her, an elder, but they were more than happy to watch Xia Mian handling her.
In the end, the couple had no choice but to leave, taking the bruised and howling Xia Bao with them,
“Wait!” Xia Mian stepped forward and grabbed the sheet draped over Xia Bao and the hemp rope held by Second Aunt-in-law Xia, “Leave my things!”
Infuriated, Second Aunt-in-law Xia yelled, “What are you doing? You don’t even use these! You beat Xia Bao like this and won’t even let him cover up?”
“He came to steal; why does he only feel shame now?” Xia Mian forcefully pulled the items back, “I might not use them, but I’d rather throw them away than give them to you, so what?”
“Outrageous!” Second Aunt-in-law Xia was about to scream, but Xia Mian casually lifted the feather duster again…
So, the parents and child of the second branch left cursing and swearing, while Xia Chuan gave Xia Mian a thumbs up, “Mianmian, your trip to the city really paid off!”
Eldest Uncle Xia looked at the corner where Xiao Feng was and asked, “Whose child is this?”
< Previous | TOC | Advanced TOC | Next >
Wants more chapters?
Click this page for the status of sponsored chapters.
Click this page for advanced chapters TOC.
So satisfying~ 🤣
Thank you!
Please update more!