Zhang Fangcao's rhetorical question prompted Mother Li to storm out.
"Why? You're a woman recovering from a miscarriage, how can you just barge into someone's house? Didn't your mother teach you, or your mother-in-law?"
"Or do you think our Li family is easy to bully, and you've come deliberately to bring us bad luck?"
"Cousin-in-law, I..."
"Don't call me cousin-in-law. We've already said we're even, and it's best if we don't associate anymore. You clearly haven't taken the elders' words to heart."
Ever since Tian Jing entered the house, Mother Li had been imitating Tian Jing's behavior and way of speaking. She felt that when Tian Jing stood on the moral high ground and accused others, it was the most satisfying.
She couldn't embarrass her daughter-in-law. Sweetie had said she didn't like her submissive demeanor from before. She had to change, and with a role model to imitate, how could she fail?
"Cousin... uh, Aunt Li, I just heard Li Min fell and got hurt, so I came to see how she was."
"Oh? You really just came to 'see'? Coming empty-handed, is that how you 'see'?"
Sister-in-law Niu's booming voice rang out, "I recall you're still recuperating from your miscarriage, aren't you? How is it that you're visiting others' homes like this? If I said you were stupid and didn't understand these things, but your mother and mother-in-law aren't stupid people either? How did they let you out?"
Tian Jing pressed Li Min, who was trying to get up, back down. "Stay put. If you can't pretend, just think of your mother lying on the kang, unable to get up. I'll handle things outside."
Her sister-in-law's words made Li Min want to get up even more. She loved watching her sister-in-law bully others, especially the woman outside who had treated her like a fool for three years.
Tian Jing paid no mind to her. She pulled the quilt over Li Min and walked out.
"I remember telling Accountant Li that if he couldn't control her, he should tie her up. Don't let her loose to bark randomly, and don't let her run into my hands, or I'll cripple her without hesitation."
"Accountant Li agreed. He said if I crippled her, he would be grateful, because if she was crippled, she'd stay home honestly."
"Zhang Fangcao, tell me, should I make him grateful to me, or grateful to me, or grateful to me?"
Tian Jing walked towards Zhang Fangcao, clenching her fists as she went, making them crackle.
Startled, Zhang Fangcao backed away repeatedly. "Don't come any closer, don't come near me! I... I'm leaving now. Li Min, you take care of your injuries. I'll come see you again in a few days."
"Hmph, did I say you could leave?"
Tian Jing wasn't about to let her go. This "white lotus" – she didn't even remember her, yet she was jumping around in front of her.
"You're standing right in my yard. Even though my house doesn't have a fence, the spot you're standing on is mine. You've brought bad luck, and you think you can leave without compensation? Dream on."
Zhang Fangcao turned and ran.
How could Tian Jing let her escape? She was looking for someone to demonstrate her strength to, to make those envious people behave.
She took off quickly, catching up to the woman in a few steps. She kicked her into the private plot, making her land prone. Then, she straddled her and began to punch down with her small fists, the force whistling through the air.
Her punches made Zhang Fangcao howl like a ghost, Sister-in-law Niu cheer, and Mother Li smile discreetly.
Li Zhengguo coughed lightly and turned to help his mother into the house. "It's not appropriate for us to watch. Let's go inside and take care of Minmin."
Mother Li, unable to see the scene, felt a pang of regret but followed her son into the east room.
Zhang Fangcao's wails attracted a crowd of onlookers.
Among them were several women who were learning to make vermicelli from Tian Jing. They were carrying small baskets, each containing six eggs, and had come to see Li Min.
By the time Hu Hongju arrived, Tian Jing had almost finished beating Zhang Fangcao. Just as she was about to get up, she heard Hu Hongju's furious roar, "Tian Jing, you've gone too far!"
No matter how bad Zhang Fangcao was, she was still a daughter-in-law of the Li family. Tian Jing beating her in front of so many people was practically slapping her in the face.
Upon hearing this, Tian Jing, who had already started to get up, sat back down. "Come, come, Mrs. Accountant Li. Please explain carefully, how have I gone too far?"
"She's still recovering from her miscarriage, how could you pin her to the ground and beat her like this? You, your heart is too cruel and venomous."
Hu Hongju believed she had found a valid reason. She couldn't possibly say that Tian Jing didn't respect the Li family's authority, could she?
"Oh? Mrs. Accountant Li also knows she's recovering from a miscarriage?" Tian Jing's tone was filled with disdain and contempt.
"Let everyone see. I chased her for a few steps, and only then did she run into my private plot. If she hadn't been stopped, she would have entered my main hall."
"At that time, I was applying medicine to my sister-in-law. What was she trying to do by barging in without a word or question?"
"I'm telling you, Mrs. Accountant Li, if your Li family doesn't give us an explanation for what this recovering woman did today, I will not rest until it's resolved."
"That's right," Sister-in-law Niu chimed in. "I came to see Li Min, and Zhang Fangcao came empty-handed, claiming to see Li Min. I told her she was recovering from her miscarriage, but she still wanted to go in."
"If Tian Jing hadn't come out and said that Accountant Li had agreed to the 'cripple her without hesitation' proposal, she would have still tried to barge in."
"She's already come to someone's doorstep, how can she leave without saying or doing anything? Was she deliberately trying to provoke us?"
Someone nearby immediately chimed in.
"Exactly! Not only is a woman recovering from a miscarriage running around, but she also wanted to barge into someone else's room. Didn't her mother and mother-in-law teach her anything?"
"Tch! Do you believe that? This isn't her first child, so she must have been taught when she gave birth to her daughter."
"So she did it on purpose? Does she think Li Min hasn't suffered enough from her fall and wanted to bring more bad luck?"
"Who knows? When a person's heart turns bad, they can come up with any wicked idea."
"Pah! Some people still treasure someone like this, and they even demand an explanation? Do they think she did the right thing?"
"Who knows? Maybe they really think she did the right thing. After all, Zhengguo took away over a hundred yuan from her family. Perhaps, some people are secretly happy, happy that Li Min had this accident just after getting the money, thinking Li Min deserved it."
"Hmm, makes sense."
"You, you're slandering!" Hu Hongju's face turned from dark to red when the topic shifted to her.
"Tch, where are we slandering as much as you are? You open your mouth and say Zhengguo bullied someone, bullied a woman recovering from a miscarriage. If you hadn't let her out, where would Zhengguo have gone to bully her? To your house? You're crying 'thief' while holding a stolen item. Clearly, it was that Zhang Fangcao who came to bully the Li family at the end of the village."
"Exactly. As the saying goes, birds of a feather flock together."
"You..." Hu Hongju, unable to argue with the crowd, turned to find trouble with Tian Jing. "Let Fangcao go quickly."
"What if I don't?" Tian Jing hadn't had enough entertainment, and Hu Hongju was already changing the script.
"You won't? Fine then." Hu Hongju turned to leave.
The crowd burst into laughter. "Oh, didn't we just say birds of a feather flock together? Their temperaments are indeed similar."
Tian Jing stood up, grabbed Zhang Fangcao with one hand, and followed behind Hu Hongju. "Come, I'll escort you home."
As Hu Hongju's lips curled up, she heard Tian Jing continue from behind.
"I'll go ask Accountant Li if the 'cripple her without hesitation' clause is still valid. If it is, I'll continue, so as not to be extorted."