Fu Xin Ci flicked the willow branch in her hand, and it seemed to come alive, lashing out towards the shrew's plump face.
With a "snap," a red gash appeared on the woman's left cheek.
"Ow, it hurts! You little slut, how dare you hit me."
"Granddaughter is hitting your old hag face."
"I'll fight you to the death!"
"Bring it on, granddaughter is ready anytime."
"You little whore."
"You old whore, you shameless thing."
Neither the old nor the young would back down, their shouting escalating until it attracted villagers and members of the Meng clan.
Meng Yu Tang, seeing the significant difference in their weights, moved to intervene, but was stopped by Meng Qi Shan. "Wait."
"Wait for what? Didn't you see that rough woman about to hit Little Sister?"
"Wait a moment, Xin Ci won't be at a disadvantage."
"...?"
"Can't you see the brute's face is covered in blood?"
Meng Yu Tang scratched his head awkwardly, having only focused on their physiques earlier.
Indeed, years of hardship weren't for nothing.
Seeing the woman's incessant foul-mouthed abuse, Fu Xin Ci once again channeled her wood elemental ability. The willow branch in her hand coiled around the woman's thick calf like a green snake.
Before the woman could cry out, Fu Xin Ci gave a flick of the branch. The woman, unable to stop herself, stumbled forward several steps before falling face-first into the mud with a "plop."
"Mmph~" The woman's mouth filled with dirt, temporarily silencing her.
Fu Xin Ci: Finally, some peace for my ears.
Everyone watched as the little girl, willow branch in hand, glared at the shrew, ready to pounce should she speak again.
The villagers and the Meng clan members alike looked on with admiration.
Villagers: This little girl is amazing! She actually took down the shrew who's been a headache for everyone here. It's truly satisfying.
Meng Clan members: This little girl is truly a hidden master. She fights without hesitation and her attacks are ruthless.
Meng Qing Ping: Today, he realized his granddaughter could curse too. She even managed to gain the upper hand against that shrew.
Although her language was crude and even uncivilized, he had to admit, if his granddaughter wasn't so fierce, that shrew would have robbed them of everything.
Therefore, in the end, it was better for his granddaughter to be a bit more formidable.
The shrew finally managed to get up from the ground, her face still streaked with blood. She opened her mouth, intending to curse again.
Just then, a thin man rushed out from behind the crowd and stopped her. He whispered a few words in her ear, and the shrew, though reluctant, shot Fu Xin Ci a few more hateful glances before leaving with the man.
"My heavens, is the sun rising from the west today? This woman actually suffered a loss."
The villagers, most of whom had been bullied by this shrew, now looked at Fu Xin Ci with boundless admiration.
Fu Xin Ci: Facing so many fervent gazes for the first time made her a little overwhelmed. Fighting was much more enjoyable.
When Qi Yuan Shan arrived with Qi He and six guards, they saw the formidable little girl holding a willow branch, ready for action, and the shrew's dejected retreating back.
Qi He became anxious and shouted from a distance, "Little Sister Fu, did someone bully you?"
Everyone: Who would dare bully her? That's simply asking for a slap to the face.
Fu Xin Ci turned around and saw the Qi father and son. She quickly greeted Qi Yuan Shan, "Uncle Qi, hello." Then she explained to Qi He, "Brother Qi, no one bullied me."
The villagers, seeing how familiar the little girl was with Captain Qi and even more so with Captain Qi's son, broke out in a cold sweat. Fortunately, they hadn't tried to snatch anything from her like that shrew, otherwise Captain Qi would never have let them off.
The thought of Captain Qi's swift and decisive methods made the villagers' behinds clench.
Qi He was young and didn't see the subtleties. Qi Yuan Shan, however, had already grasped the situation. Without a word, he gave a signal to one of his guards, who then went to speak with the villagers.
Shortly after, the guard returned and quietly recounted the events of the day to him.
Qi Yuan Shan chuckled upon hearing the story, his gaze towards the dark-skinned girl brightened. He murmured, "If only she were my daughter, but alas, I'm not that fortunate."
As Qi Yuan Shan sighed, he saw his son leading a young boy towards the river, calling back to Fu Xin Ci, "Little Sister Fu, come quickly! I heard my dad say yesterday that your family's land is across the river. See, all that land across the river belongs to your family."
Qi Yuan Shan looked at his son, then at Fu Xin Ci, and a phrase suddenly came to mind: childhood sweethearts.
It was like...
He dared not think further.
"Dad, aren't we supposed to be taking Grandpa Meng and the others to see the land today? And discuss where to build houses?"
"Yes. After I brief your uncles, we'll head over there."
"Okay, we'll wait for you."
Qi Yuan Shan smiled at his son, then handed a roster and account book to two guards. "As usual, the five of you pick your people. The rest go to Old Jin. Land and grain will be handled as usual."
"Yes, sir."
"And regarding the woman from earlier, since she's not on our roster, have her leave later."
"Yes. Your subordinate will attend to it immediately."
Fu Yu had been watching Qi Yuan Shan's every move. Given the incident with the shrew trying to snatch things earlier, Fu Yu was now guarding the donkey cart closely, not daring to leave its side.
He thought about how even with him watching, that shrew had still tried to snatch things, and his wife had been pushed down when she tried to intervene.
Alas, for people like them, dealing with such an unreasonable shrew was truly difficult.
But then he thought of his daughter's fierceness. While sighing, a complex emotion surfaced. He felt that their family had reached this point, and it wasn't necessarily bad for his daughter to be a bit more formidable. At least when others bullied them, she could fight back.
He even recalled his daughter's fighting demeanor, finding it quite satisfying. Even Yu'er had extended his little fists and shouted, "Sister, beat her!"
Fu Xin Ci was unaware that her fight with the shrew had altered her grandfather's and her father's attitudes towards life.
After Qi Yuan Shan had made arrangements on this side, he went to the other side of the river with Meng Qing Ping's family.
Meng Qing Huai wanted to follow, but was stopped by his eldest son. "Dad, Captain Qi is talking to Second Uncle. You shouldn't intrude."
"But what if Second Uncle and the others leave?"
"Second Uncle won't abandon us."
"Yes, Second Uncle won't abandon us." Even Qi Ren could understand this.
Meng Qing Huai: It seemed he was the only one afraid of being left behind by his second brother.