Carefree Farmwife: Training the Husband, Raising the Bun - Chapter 48

Ying Su’s way of fighting was nothing like that of ordinary farmwives. When they fought, at most they scratched, pulled hair, or bit with their teeth. But Ying Su used real moves, every strike was sharp and ruthless, aimed at the most painful spots. Of course, she kept her strength measured. She wouldn’t take a life, but she would make sure the pain was remembered for a long time.

Sensing things going badly, Wang Lanhua hurried forward to pull them apart, but Ying Su flung her aside with a single move.

The crowd of onlookers had originally just come for some entertainment, but seeing Ying Su’s vicious, desperate fighting style that left Li Dazhi completely unable to fight back, they grew alarmed. It looked like someone could die, so they rushed in to break it up.

Dragged off to the side, Li Dazhi let out a wail and spat out a mouthful of bloody foam, along with two dark, broken teeth.

Wang Lanhua, still dazed from being thrown, scrambled to her feet. Seeing her man in such a pitiful state, her whole body went cold. When her gaze fell on Ying Su, it was as if she were staring at a ghost.

Some of the men in the crowd couldn’t bear to watch and turned their heads. All of them thought the same, Li Dazhi was utterly useless. He couldn’t even beat a little woman and ended up being pummeled into such a miserable sight. Truly shameful. What they didn’t know was that Ying Su was no longer the same Shen Cuihua, but the embodiment of a killer.

With methods as ruthless as hers, ordinary men could never win against her.

“You cursed wretch, how could you hit so hard!” Wang Lanhua sobbed, hugging Li Dazhi as she turned to the villagers. “You all saw it! This little slut tried to kill him! Look what she’s done to my Dazhi! Village Head, you must stand up for us!”

She slapped her thighs and wept, snot and tears streaming everywhere. Ying Su only crossed her arms and looked down on the couple like they were clowns.

“Does it hurt?”

Wang Lanhua froze mid-cry, staring at Ying Su in confusion. Ying Su continued coldly, “Good. Let it hurt. Next time you think of insulting my son, remember this pain. I don’t care if you go complain to the Village Head. My son is my life, I treasure him more than my own eyes. Don’t think you can bully him just because his father’s gone. I’ll say it here today, we’re not easy prey. Even a rabbit will bite when cornered!”

Someone in the crowd, who enjoyed stirring trouble, had already run to fetch Village Head Zhang.

When he arrived and saw the miserable state Li Dazhi was in, he grew even more cautious. Shen Cuihua really wasn’t someone to be trifled with. And since she had given him a generous gift when buying land, naturally he was inclined to favor her.

Clearing his throat, he said to the wailing Wang Lanhua, “Enough crying. Go fetch a doctor for Dazhi. And let’s be clear, the cause of this mess was your mouth. If you hadn’t insulted her child, would Cuihua have raised her hand at all?”

Wang Lanhua, bewildered, protested through tears, “Village Head, it was Shen Cuihua who struck first! Just look at what she’s done to my Dazhi!”

“What nonsense. Can’t even withstand the fists of one woman, what kind of man is that?” Village Head Zhang frowned.

At that moment, a child in the crowd suddenly shouted, “Shen Cuihua knows martial arts!”

Everyone was stunned into realization. No wonder she was so fierce, she practiced martial arts! Wasn’t Li Ergou’s near-death beating also her doing?

Quickly, the way people looked at Ying Su changed. The Great Qing Dynasty honored both civil and martial skill. To know martial arts was impressive; every year, the imperial exams chose not only a scholar champion but also a martial champion. 

For a mere village woman to possess such skills, this was extraordinary. And when they remembered she had been brought into the village by the Li family, who knew what kind of background she had? Just the fact she knew martial arts meant she wasn’t ordinary.

Ying Su didn’t deny it. Instead, her lips curved into a faint, mocking smile.

That trace of a smile only made her appear even more mysterious in everyone’s eyes. Quietly, they all warned themselves not to offend her so easily in the future.

Even Village Head Zhang eyed her suspiciously, but in front of the villagers he put on a proper act. “Still, you were a bit heavy-handed. We’re all from the same village. You should show a little consideration.”

Ying Su replied sweetly, “Yes, village head. Next time, I’ll be gentler.”

Village Head Zhang’s beard twitched slightly. Then he turned to Wang Lanhua and Li Dazhi. “You two went to her door to cause trouble. You were the ones picking a fight. Don’t say I’m being unfair, let’s leave it at that. If you’re not satisfied, take it out on me.”

It was clear he was siding with the young widow! Wang Lanhua seethed inside. To think even the village head stood with this little slut. She couldn’t swallow this humiliation, but what could she do? Li Dazhi was already terrified, afraid his wife would spout off more words and invite another beating. He dragged her away, both of them beaten down and humiliated.

Another victory for Ying Su. She felt deeply satisfied. Surely now, if anyone else in the village wanted to trample over her and her son, they would think twice. It seemed yesterday’s generous offering of silver to the Village Head had paid off after all.

Although trouble had marred the first day of house construction, everything afterward went smoothly. With plenty of silver on hand, the foundation was laid in just one day, and the building went up quickly.

Those hired to work grew to like Ying Su’s manner. She was generous, straightforward, and cheerful, so they put in their best effort.

Meanwhile, the women, Madam Li, Liu Chuncao, and Li Jinfeng, continued picking hawthorn from the mountain. Ying Su went back and forth, teaching them how to make candied hawthorn skewers, hawthorn cakes, sugar-coated hawthorn, jam, fruit leather, and even canned hawthorn.

On the day of raising the beams, Ying Su went into town to buy good wine and dishes, treating all the workers generously. She even slaughtered twenty catties of pork. Everyone ate until their lips were shiny with grease, and they all praised her for being capable.

In just seven or eight days, the house was completely built. The interior design was all of Ying Su’s own ideas, directly carried out by Uncle Zhang and the others.

Since the new house was still damp, she didn’t move in right away, waiting a couple of days to let it air out before taking Huzi to live there.

Huzi had already started school with Dazhuang. The tuition was two taels of silver per year, not too much. But with the costs of building the house and furnishing it, Ying Su’s purse felt tight for the moment.

Fortunately, most of the hawthorn from the mountain had already been gathered. They had prepared all the goods in advance, hawthorn cakes, sugar-coated hawthorn, fruit leather, and canned hawthorn. In two days, it will be the temple fair at Yuntai Temple on Mount Yunwu.

On the day of the fair, before dawn, Ying Su, Madam Li, and Liu Chuncao were already up. Even Li Jinfeng set aside her embroidery to help. By the dim light of oil lamps, the women busily prepared batches of candied hawthorn skewers.