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Listening to her mother-in-law and husband hurl insults, Li Xiu gradually tightened her hold around Nannan.

Looking at her harsh mother-in-law and indifferent husband, the grievance in her heart surged up in an instant. Her eyes reddened, tears welling in them.

All these years, she had worked tirelessly, running herself ragged for them, yet all she had received was endless beatings and scoldings.

When trouble had struck her maiden family and her little sister had nearly been taken away to pay a debt, she had begged her husband again and again to lend them silver. Not only had she failed to borrow any money, she had instead earned a beating and a torrent of abuse.

She had just survived a calamity at her maiden home, her heart full of joy over her younger brother's success. Yet the moment she returned to her husband's family, she still faced endless harsh treatment and humiliation.

Why?

Her younger brother was now an officially registered Battle Soldier of the Imperial Court, a hero who guarded the borderlands. As a Battle Soldier's elder sister, she was no longer some weak woman anyone could bully at will.

Before, she had thought her brother had died on the battlefield. With no one to rely on, she could only swallow her anger and endure.

Now, not only was her brother alive, but news had arrived that he had become a Battle Soldier. She had someone to rely on, and the courage to fight back.

Li Xiu took a deep breath and straightened her slightly hunched back. The timidity in her eyes turned utterly resolute.

She raised her head to meet the cold gazes of her mother-in-law and husband, speaking each word clearly.

"You will not mistreat me like this again! My younger brother, Li Xuancang, enlisted to guard the border two years ago. Now he has slain Barbarians and fought Demons at the frontier. The Imperial Court has entered him into the official military rolls, making him a Battle Soldier of Great Yan."

Afraid that her mother-in-law and husband would not believe her, she told them everything that had happened in Azure Creek Village.

"The county yamen constables personally went to Azure Creek Village to deliver the good news. From this day onward, my Li Family is exempt from all taxes and corvée labor and receives the full protection of the authorities."

"When Qian the Tycoon came to demand payment, he heard that my brother was a Battle Soldier and was so frightened that he fell to his knees and begged for mercy. The debt was wiped clean, and he fled in panic."

Boom!

Those words were like thunderclaps, instantly blasting Yang Cuihua and Zhang Erzhu senseless.

The harshness and indifference on their faces froze at once. Their eyes brimmed with disbelief, as though they had heard some earth-shattering marvel.

"Y-you said what? That younger brother of yours who was dragged off to be cannon fodder became... became a Battle Soldier of the Imperial Court?"

Yang Cuihua's voice trembled, all sharpness gone from her tone, her face filled with shock.

Zhang Erzhu's eyes widened as well. He stepped forward, his voice urgent.

"What you said is true? You're not lying to us?"

Holding Nannan, Li Xiu spoke firmly, full of confidence.

"Every word is true. The county yamen constables said it themselves, and the entire village can testify."

Everyone in Azure Creek Village knew about this. Before long, it would spread throughout the surrounding villages, so there was no way it could be faked.

The very next moment, the Zhang Family mother and son underwent a heaven-shaking reversal in attitude.

The ferocious look on Yang Cuihua's face vanished, replaced by fawning smiles. She hurried forward and reached out to help Li Xiu hold the child.

Not a trace remained of her earlier harshness. Her tone could not have been more polite.

"Oh my! Xiu'er, such wonderful news—why didn't you tell us sooner? Your mother was just speaking carelessly earlier. Don't take it to heart."

"Come inside, come inside! The wind is strong outside; don't let my precious granddaughter Nannan catch cold. You must be exhausted after rushing back all this way. I'll boil you some eggs and make you a meal right away."

Zhang Erzhu cast aside his usual indifference as well. He hurried over, carefully supporting Li Xiu with a smile plastered across his face, his voice brimming with ingratiation.

"Xiu'er, I was wrong before. Don't be angry."

"From now on, you don't need to do any of the household work. I'll do it all. You just rest well and take good care of Nannan."

"Your younger brother is a Battle Soldier of the Imperial Court. That is the glory of our whole family!"

"From now on, we're relatives—we're one family. With your brother around, our family will finally be able to hold our heads high."

The two of them crowded around Li Xiu, asking after her health and tending to her with utmost attentiveness.

They were afraid of slighting her, afraid of making her unhappy. Compared to how they had just cursed her and looked at her coldly, they seemed like entirely different people.

Looking at those two fawning faces, Li Xiu felt a complicated swirl of emotions—grievance, vindication, and above all, pride in her younger brother.

The status her brother had fought for with his life had not only protected her maiden family, but also given her the backbone to stand tall. She would no longer have to swallow her anger and suffer bullying in her husband's home.

Li Xiu's heart ached, and tears welled in her eyes. Having someone to rely on felt so good.

"Xiu'er! What's wrong? You mustn't blame your mother!"

Seeing tears spill from Li Xiu's eyes, Yang Cuihua and Zhang Erzhu turned pale with fright.

If Li Xiu went to report them to the authorities for bullying a Battle Soldier's family, even if they did not die, they would be stripped of a layer of skin.

Just as the Zhang Family mother and son were surrounding Li Xiu and currying favor with her, a domineering shout came from outside the courtyard gate.

"Mother, Brother, I'm back! I'm starving to death. Hurry up and make Li Xiu cook for me."

Before the words had even faded, a young woman in coarse floral clothes, her hair twisted into a bun and a grass basket hooked over her arm, swaggered in. It was Zhang Chunhua, the unmarried younger sister of the Zhang Family.

Spoiled into arrogance and willfulness by her mother and brother, she had always looked down on the timid, weak Li Xiu.

At home, she gave orders with a raised finger and a wagging chin, shoving all the dirty and exhausting work onto Li Xiu. At the slightest displeasure, she would hit, curse, and berate her, never once giving Li Xiu a kind look.

Usually, the instant she entered the house, Li Xiu had to drop whatever she was doing and obediently go to the kitchen to light the fire and cook, not daring to delay in the slightest.

Zhang Chunhua did not notice the strange atmosphere in the courtyard at all. As usual, she cast a sidelong glance at Li Xiu and impatiently waved her hand.

"Li Xiu, what are you standing there for? Didn't you hear me? Hurry and cook. I want white flour flatbread, and boil an egg too. Hurry up."

The moment those words landed, Yang Cuihua's expression changed drastically, and she exploded on the spot.

"Shut up! You dead girl, what nonsense are you spouting? Get on your knees!"

Zhang Erzhu's face darkened as well. He stepped forward, glared fiercely at Zhang Chunhua, and raised his hand as if to slap her.

"Impudent! How dare you speak to your sister-in-law like that? You're becoming more and more unruly."

The two shouted sharply, their voices urgent and severe, frightening Zhang Chunhua into freezing where she stood.

Clatter!

Zhang Chunhua was completely dumbfounded. The grass basket fell from her hand to the ground as she stared at her mother and brother in disbelief.

Ever since she was little, her mother and brother had indulged her every whim. Let alone scolding or beating her, they had never even spoken a harsh word to her.

Yet today, for the sake of Li Xiu, a sister-in-law who could not even bear a son, they wanted to hit and curse her.

"Mother, Brother, have you gone mad? You're scolding me because of her?"

Zhang Chunhua was both aggrieved and furious, and her eyes reddened at once.

Yang Cuihua ignored her grievance completely. She hurried forward and clapped a hand over her mouth, afraid she might say something else to offend Li Xiu. Then she turned to Li Xiu with a smile piled high on her face and apologized.

"Xiu'er, don't lower yourself to the level of that ignorant dead girl. I spoiled her too much normally. I'll discipline her properly right now!"

After saying that, she pulled Zhang Chunhua aside, lowered her voice, and quickly told her every detail: Li Xuancang had become an official Battle Soldier of the Imperial Court, the Li Family was protected by the authorities, and Qian the Tycoon had knelt to beg for mercy.

"Your sister-in-law's younger brother is a border Battle Soldier officially registered with the Imperial Court."

"He is a hero who kills Barbarians and slays Demons."

"Our whole family has to hold her up and treat her with respect. Whoever dares offend your sister-in-law offends a Battle Soldier of the Imperial Court. When the authorities come, our entire Zhang Family will be finished."

Zhang Erzhu added coldly from the side, "From now on, you are not allowed to order your sister-in-law around at home. All the washing, cooking, feeding pigs, and sweeping will be done by you alone."

"From this day onward, your sister-in-law will not have to do a single chore. She only needs to enjoy a good life. If you dare let her suffer the slightest grievance, I'll be the first not to spare you."

Every word carried an unquestionable severity.

Zhang Chunhua stood there, utterly stunned.

The arrogance and brazenness on her face vanished without a trace, replaced by overwhelming fear and lingering dread.

A Battle Soldier... Li Xiu's younger brother had actually become a lofty Battle Soldier of the Imperial Court?

Remembering all the ways she had made things difficult for Li Xiu, how she had freely beaten and cursed her, Zhang Chunhua began trembling all over. Her face went deathly pale, and her legs gave way so badly that she nearly collapsed to the ground.

If she offended a great Battle Soldier and implicated the whole family because of it, she would become the sinner of the Zhang Family.

Zhang Chunhua no longer dared show even a trace of arrogance. Lowering her head, she looked cautiously at Li Xiu, her voice trembling, stripped of all its former haughtiness.

"S-sister-in-law, I was wrong. I'll never dare do it again. I'll take care of all the household work. You rest well—please, don't be angry with me."

This was the first time Zhang Chunhua had ever called her sister-in-law. Holding Nannan in her arms, Li Xiu looked at her formerly arrogant and overbearing sister-in-law now trembling with fear. The grievance and stifled frustration she had accumulated over so many years finally vanished in one sweep.

She nodded gently and said nothing more.

From this moment on, she had truly gained a firm footing in this household.

With her younger brother as her support, everything from now on would be different.