Carefree Farmwife: Training the Husband, Raising the Bun - Chapter 73

Ying Su received Dazhuang’s message and stepped out of the kitchen briskly, only to see a quarrel going on in the courtyard. She quickly walked forward.

When Hu Zi saw Ying Su coming, he withdrew his hand and said, “Mommy, she wants to secretly take her jade pendant!”

Bai Lefu’s almond-shaped eyes brimmed with tears. Seeing Ying Su was like finding support. She burst into sobs and cried, “She wants to snatch away the jade pendant that Father gave me…”

Ying Su raised an eyebrow and looked at Li Yunyao, who was stubbornly clutching the pendant at Bai Lefu’s neck. Her brows furrowed slightly.

“Who’s stealing from you? Two wild children of unknown origin dare to slander our Yunyao like this!” said Feng Qiufang, who had followed Ying Su out, her voice shrill and her face flushed with agitation.

Li Yunyao bit her lip. With her mother present, she felt emboldened. Inwardly, she thought, ‘There’s no way this pendant belongs to this random girl. And besides, it looks extremely valuable. I must have it!’

She put on a pitiful expression and said, “This pendant is clearly mine. After this little girl picked it up, she hung it around her neck. When I asked for it back, she refused!”

Feng Qiufang immediately understood what was happening, but knowing her daughter was always clever and had her reasons, she stood firmly by her side. She indignantly said:

“Whose little girl is this? How can she just pick up someone else’s belongings and keep it as her own? Cuihua, you brought her here, didn’t you? You’d better give Yunyao an explanation!”

Ying Su caught a flash of greed on Li Yunyao’s face. Suddenly, she reached out and grabbed Li Yunyao’s hand.

Her voice was crisp, her dark phoenix eyes cold as she said, “Let go.”

Li Yunyao’s face was full of grievance, “This is clearly my pendant! If you don’t believe me, call Grandfather to judge. You can’t just take her side like this—”

Ying Su’s brows arched impatiently, “I said let go!”

As her words fell, Li Yunyao let out a cry of pain.

“My hand! My hand… it’s going to break!” she sobbed. She couldn’t help but release the pendant. Ying Su’s grip on her wrist was so strong it felt like a heavy weight pressing down. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t pull away, tears streaming down her face. How could this woman have such strength?

Feng Qiufang shrieked, “You crazy widow, what are you doing! If you hurt my daughter, I’ll beat you to death!”

She lunged at Ying Su, flailing to pry her daughter free.

But Ying Su suddenly released her hand. The momentum sent Feng Qiufang and her daughter tumbling backward onto the ground.

“Ow! My goodness, I almost broke my back! Shen Cuihua, what madness is this? If our Yunyao is hurt, I’ll never let you off!” Feng Qiufang cursed even as she lay sprawled on the ground.

Ying Su ignored them. Turning, she gently wiped the tears off Bai Lefu’s face. When she saw the red marks on her neck from Li Yunyao’s pulling, she frowned with displeasure. She pulled out a small jar of ointment she had prepared earlier and carefully dabbed it on Bai Lefu’s neck.

Terrified, Bai Lefu buried herself in Ying Su’s arms, sobbing bitterly. Between sobs she cried, “I want to find Father… hic… Daddy, why don’t you come for Lefu? Without you, the bad people all bully me…”

The little girl wept and hiccupped as she repeated her words.

Ying Su gently patted her back and comforted, “Don’t cry. When your father comes, he’ll take care of them for you.”

“Yes… when Daddy comes… hic… Daddy will stand up for me…” Bai Lefu whimpered.

Feng Qiufang had already helped Li Yunyao to her feet. Hearing this, she spat on the ground viciously and mocked, “So it’s just a wild brat after all. No wonder, another bastard child with no parents to teach her manners!”

“Feng Qiufang, who are you calling that?”

It was Madam Li, who had just come from the kitchen after hearing the commotion. She happened to catch Feng Qiufang’s words and was furious.

Seeing Madam Li approach, Qiufang bit back her tongue. She remembered how fierce Madam Li had been in her youth, even her sharp-tongued mother-in-law never dared provoke her for long.

“What’s the little girl crying about?” Madam Li asked with concern, stepping up when she saw Bai Lefu sobbing miserably.

Ying Su raised her eyebrows and glanced at Qiufang and her daughter. Her phoenix eyes narrowed, lips curling into a faint smile, “Why don’t you ask your younger sister-in-law and niece?”

“You crazy widow! I’ve held my tongue but you still spout nonsense. You nearly broke Yunyao’s wrist! Looks like your madness hasn’t healed. Better get a doctor to check you out! And really, Sister-in-law, why bring home such people? Not only do they eat up our rice, they bring shame to the family in front of the whole village!”

Qiufang’s temper flared again, her voice rising.

Madam Li’s expression grew darker. She glared at Qiufang and scolded, “Third brother’s wife, stop stirring trouble. Cuihua was properly married into our family. Even though my son is gone, she is still one of us Lis.”

Qiufang bristled with resentment, but Li Yunyao tugged at her sleeve and whispered, “Mother, Eldest Brother will be here soon…”

That reminder cooled Qiufang’s temper instantly. Remembering they had other matters to ask Madam Li about later, she swallowed her words.

The commotion had already drawn others from inside. Li Zhi came out and lowered his voice to Qiufang, “What are you yelling for? We could hear you inside. It’s Father’s birthday today, can’t you hold back a little? Besides, we still need Sister-in-law’s help with Eldest Son’s matter!”

“How can she, a mere woman, make such decisions? Better talk to Dalang, that might work,” Qiufang said, regaining her composure.

Li Zhi covered his mouth with his sleeve and whispered, “I just tested Dalang, turns out the shop really is theirs.”

Qiufang’s face lit up with joy. “As long as it’s true, then good! If Sister-in-law won’t help, we’ll have Father step in.”

Clearing his throat, Li Zhi turned to Madam Li with a smile, “Sister-in-law, I heard from Dalang that he and his wife have opened a furniture shop in town?”

Madam Li’s heart skipped, though she had been mentally prepared. Many villagers already knew about the shop, and she hadn’t expected to keep it secret for long. But the old man was always meddlesome, and she feared trouble might arise…