"Whose dog wasn't tied up properly and got loose to bite people?"
Yun Manman's cool voice rang out, edged with anger. She held half a snapped branch, a faint, mocking smile in her violet eyes that sent an inexplicable chill through anyone who saw her.
Panic flashed through the eyes of the villagers watching the spectacle, and they unconsciously stepped back. This girl was not someone to provoke.
At the sight of Yun Manman emerging, pain and tenderness flashed in Old Father Yun's eyes. Remembering yesterday's events, he turned toward the watching villagers and cupped his hands.
"Hunter Zhang, sorry for the trouble, but please fetch the village chief and my father."
Yun Wang was just about to lose his temper when he saw Yun Manman approaching. His eyes darted about, full of guilt.
"You, how did you..."
Realizing his slip, he hurriedly shut his mouth. This girl had truly been lucky that day.
If the Beilin soldiers hadn't come to the village and disrupted their plans,
this girl would already have been exchanged for ten taels of silver.
Now those three people were nowhere to be found, and they had lost two taels of silver for nothing.
The thought made his heart seize up again.
Yun Wang secretly exchanged a glance with Old Madam Yun, then stared at the food on the table as though nothing had happened.
Yun Manman stopped beside the stone table, shielding the meat and rice behind her.
She kicked Yun Wang straight in the stomach, sending him sprawling to the ground, her eyes dark and icy.
"I'll collect everything you owe me, one debt at a time. As for taking my food today, anyone who doesn't want to die is welcome to try."
Yun Wang had been thinking that, even with the silver lost, the food would do. Knocked to the ground, he couldn't quite react for a moment.
Old Woman Yun, however, would not let it slide. This money-losing wretch actually dared to hit her son! She unleashed a torrent of abuse at Yun Manman.
"You money-losing wretch, you're asking to die! You actually dare lay hands on your second uncle? You're turning heaven upside down! Oh, heavens, this is outrageous! This heaven-damned little bitch has committed a monstrous act of defiance!"
Blind filial obedience and moral blackmail were powerful in ancient times, but in her eyes, this filial piety wasn't worth dog shit.
She raised her foot and kicked Old Madam Yun over. Yun Wang was just trying to get up when his own mother landed on top of him in a human pile, leaving him in so much pain he couldn't breathe.
Yun Manman looked at the pair and said coldly, "As long as I'm here, from now on, you won't be able to stomach my family's things, much less get your hands on them."
An angry, authoritative voice rang out. "You Yun Family, what trouble are you stirring up here today?"
Yun Manman looked at Old Father Yun and nodded. Watching the two men approach, Old Father Yun turned his gaze to the village chief, his voice resolute.
"Village Chief, I want to sever family ties!"
As soon as Old Father Yun spoke, the villagers were stunned. The old Yun family had a scholar who had passed the preliminary examination. They might soar to wealth and distinction someday.
"Has Yun Zhen lost his mind, wanting to divide the household now?"
"No, he said sever family ties. Sever them!"
"Hiss... this..."
Old Man Yun's furious voice rang out. "Yun Zhen, you bastard! You unfilial son! I'll break your legs today!"
Yun Manman studied Old Man Yun as he feigned fury. Dressed in a long gray hemp robe, he bore some resemblance to Old Father Yun. His cloudy eyes were shrewd; one look was enough to tell he was no easy person to deal with.
Old Man Yun grabbed a firewood stick nearby and was about to charge over to beat Old Father Yun when Yun Manman picked up the axe and hurled it.
The axe hurtled forward with tremendous force, cleaving the firewood stick in half with a crack before flying over Old Man Yun's head and embedding itself in the trunk of the poplar behind him.
Clutching half the firewood stick, Old Man Yun trembled on both legs and wet himself on the spot...
Yun Manman frowned in disgust and pulled Old Father Yun back. Fuck!
He actually pissed himself from fright?
The village chief had broken into a cold sweat just now, too. Only now did he recover and realize that this girl was clever. She couldn't possibly kill her own grandfather on the spot.
The villagers had nearly died of fright, thinking Yun Manman was going to hack Old Man Yun to death, only to discover that her aim was actually that good.
Their attention was immediately drawn to Old Man Yun wetting his pants. No one knew who laughed first, but chatter rose, restoring the bustle.
"Pfft..."
"Old Man Yun throws his weight around the village because he has a scholar grandson. Who knew he was such a coward!"
"Exactly! A spineless wimp who actually pissed his pants! I'm laughing my teeth out! Hahaha..."
"Right! That coward. A girl as filial as Lass Yun couldn't possibly kill him."
Yun Manman: He will die by my hand.
Yun Wang and Yun Fa both edged back in disgust, showing no intention whatsoever of helping Old Father Yun.
Old Woman Yun was also somewhat disgusted, but cowed by Old Man Yun's long-standing authority, she still went forward and endured the reek of urine to help him up.
Old Man Yun's aged face cycled through every color. His eyes brimmed with venom and resentment as he glared fixedly at Yun Manman, wishing he could swallow her alive and strip off her skin.
Yun Manman, however, stepped forward openly, her voice cool and her tone mocking.
"I, Yun Manman, will protect my family. Anyone who thinks their life is too hard to snuff out is welcome to try."
"You, you, you beast! You little bitch!"
Old Man Yun glared and ground his teeth. The hand gripping the half-stick still trembled, and his legs were so weak that, without Old Woman Yun supporting him, he probably couldn't have stood.
Yun Manman knew that Old Man Yun's defenses had now crumbled.
Now it was time for Old Father Yun's tragic performance. If she added a well-timed threat, they should be able to sever family ties today.
She turned and helped Old Father Yun up, speaking in a steady, composed voice.
"Father, we can't back down today!"
Old Father Yun drew a deep breath. "I know. I won't let my Manman be frightened again."
Yun Manman had already turned her gaze to the village chief, a hint of grievance entering her cool voice.
"We came back from town after taking Mother to see a doctor, and these people tried to snatch away the food we'd bought. This grain was something I only got by killing people.
"A few days ago, this person even said she would sell me to the woodcutter next door. My parents fought for their lives to protect me. Village Chief, you must uphold justice for us!"
The villagers stared at the old Yun family in shock. They were actually selling their granddaughter?
The village chief glared fiercely at Old Madam Yun and Old Man Yun.
The old Yun family had driven their eldest son's family out, and frequently bullied and humiliated them besides.
Now they actually wanted to sell an unmarried young woman to a fifty-year-old woodcutter.
When the family finally managed to get a little food, they even came to snatch it away. They were utterly heartless, making a disgraceful spectacle of themselves!
Old Man Yun panted heavily, watching Yun Manman with cold, sinister eyes. Since when had this girl become so sharp-tongued?
Old Woman Yun felt that Yun Manman was merely bluffing and actually dared do nothing, yet even after hearing Yun Manman's words, she still did not dare curse her.
After all, that bluff had been far too frightening. She could only direct her anger at Old Father Yun, shrieking at the top of her lungs.
"Yun Zhen, look at the money-losing wretch you've raised! That fox-spirit wife of yours has taught her all these wicked ways! Now she won't even acknowledge her grandmother! An unfilial money-losing wretch like this should be killed at once!"
Old Father Yun's eyes filled with resolve. He dropped to his knees again, his eyes red and his voice thick with sobs.
"Boohoo..."
"Father, just take pity on your son and sever ties with me! This stepmother is too vicious. She wants to sell my daughter and constantly beats and curses us. Rather than be bullied like this, our whole family might as well die!"
Seeing a grown man weeping so bitterly, the villagers couldn't help feeling some sympathy, and their gazes toward Old Woman Yun turned hostile.