Chapter 79: A Brawl Breaks Out

Before Liu Cuicui could even open her mouth, a local auntie from Zhang Family Village who’d had enough tossed her rag aside and said, “Exactly! She’s still Embroider Maiden’s family at the end of the day. Even if it’s just for her own girl’s sake, she ought to show some restraint. This house belongs to Miss Wu and Embroider Maiden—how can the hosts not even settle in yet, while her family hauls some strange man inside first?”

Old Lady Liu’s weathered face flushed red at those words. Her lips trembled for a moment before she cried out, “Cuicui!”

Liu Cuicui dragging Li Tieniu into the east room had been a spur-of-the-moment decision. It wasn’t part of the Liu family’s original plan at all, which had simply been to finish the banquet, gauge Embroider Maiden’s feelings, and express that the family wouldn’t split up. If things went well, everyone would be happy. If not… there were still the Village Head and village chief from Little Locust Village to deal with. Worst case, they could throw a proper tantrum—after all, Embroider Maiden’s household registration hadn’t been moved yet, so there was always room to negotiate.

Perhaps it was Wu Wei’s deliberate or unintentional provocations that had struck a nerve, or maybe Liu Cuicui had simply gotten hot-headed. Either way, she couldn’t bear to wait another second. She wanted to cart off every single thing in the courtyard that caught her eye.

In Liu Cuicui’s memory, Third Sister was just a meek pushover, a quiet gourd much like her own mother—tongue-tied and poor with words. A little raised voice from Liu Cuicui, and she’d forget everything in fright. So what if they took the east room? They could stay whenever they wanted.

Liu Cuicui, with Li Tieniu propped against her, found herself in a bind. She no longer tried to push into the east room, but she didn’t back off right away either.

Wu Wei spoke in a measured tone. “I’m not from around here. Thanks to the kindness of the villagers, I’ve finally scraped together a home. If this lady from the Liu family insists on staying, the west room is for guests anyway—feel free to take it.”

Hearing Wu Wei’s words only fueled the disapproval toward Liu Cuicui. Someone chimed in right away, “The west room won’t do either! Even married couples have to sleep separately when staying as guests. What kind of custom is it for a husband and wife to share a bed in someone else’s new bridal chamber? That ruins the feng shui!”

“Exactly! Little Locust Village isn’t far. We’ll even lend you an ox cart— we’ll get you home before dark!”

Liu Cuicui’s face turned beet red, her glare at Wu Wei growing ever more venomous. But this wasn’t Little Locust Village; with all these Zhang Family Village folks watching, she didn’t dare make a rash move. In her ear came Li Tieniu’s tiny whisper: “A real hero doesn’t suffer immediate losses. We’ll settle this another day.”

Liu Cuicui’s resolve hardened. Supporting Li Tieniu, she turned to head back.

Just then, Liu Dahu—who’d been listening the whole time—finally snapped to attention. He suddenly shouted, “We’re not outsiders! This is our house!”

Everyone turned toward the voice. Seeing it was just a child, they initially paid him no mind. But Liu Dahu kept yelling louder and louder, shrill enough to crack, and Old Lady Liu couldn’t pull him back even if she tried.

A young man from Zhang Family Village sneered. “How’s it your house now?”

Straining his nearly breaking voice, Liu Dahu hollered, “It is ours! That traitor of a little harlot stole our family’s money pouch. All this should’ve been ours to begin with!”

A dead silence fell over the courtyard. No one, Wu Wei included, had expected such crude, vicious words from a child that young.

With a clang, Old Lady Liu’s cane hit the ground. She yanked Liu Dahu into her arms and clamped her free hand—the one that had held the cane—over his mouth.

“My little ancestor, where’d you pick up that nonsense? Shut your mouth!”

“Mmph! Mmph!”

Wu Wei’s expression darkened. Second Lady Liu, hand on her waist, came to Wu Wei’s side with an apologetic smile. “Weiwei, kids say silly things—they don’t know any better. Today’s your big happy day. Don’t stoop to their level.”

Wu Wei laughed in fury. “Right, a child this small naturally has no clue what he’s saying. But the question is, who taught him those words? Were they born knowing them from the womb? Second Sister, you know best how much the villagers have helped out for this home, and how much running around Embroider Maiden and I have done. She’s shown pure filial piety from the heart, even writing personal invitations for Second Brother-in-law to deliver by hand, inviting these four to the seats of honor. But look at them—they show up late and try to steal the show. They say a mirror straightens your robes; a child is no different from a parent’s mirror. They learn whatever their parents teach. If no one had been filling this kid’s ears with that rot day in and day out, how could he spit out words like that? Such poisonous talk—do they treat Embroider Maiden like blood kin, or like an enemy?”

With that, Wu Wei shot Embroider Maiden a look. Understanding instantly, the latter helped Second Lady Liu toward a safer spot in the back. “Second Sister, you’ve been bustling all day. Sit down and rest.”

Zhang Shuisheng, watching from nearby, saw the scene and finally relaxed completely.

He couldn’t help giving Wu Wei a mental thumbs-up. He’d witnessed the whole saga of Embroider Maiden’s family split from start to finish. He’d seen the methods Wu Wei used against different people, marveling at how someone so young could zero in on the crux of the issue—striking a snake right at its vital spot.

The Liu family probably had no idea Wu Wei had already dismantled their leverage and escape routes step by step, sealing them off. If they were smart… well, even retreating now, with Embroider Maiden’s soft heart, they might still visit later. But if they kept pushing… a full defeat at the county office was their inevitable end.

Not to mention the unfathomable backing Wu Wei had—nothing ordinary folk could afford to provoke.

Seeing the crowd ganging up on her son and her family, Liu Cuicui lost it completely. She flung off Li Tieniu’s arm from around her neck and charged at Wu Wei with murderous intent, cursing as she went, “I’ll rip that lying stinking mouth right off your face!”

“What are you doing?”

“Grab her! Quick!”

“Miss Wu, over here with us!”

Liu Cuicui was already close to Wu Wei, and her sudden lunge caught most people off guard. The Zhang Family Village villagers watched in horror as the burly, broad-shouldered woman barreled toward Wu Wei, her fan-like hand swinging straight for Wu Wei’s face…

Wu Wei sneered inwardly. Planting her feet, she’d been waiting for this moment a long time. The more time she spent with Embroider Maiden, the tighter her fists clenched thinking of the woman’s past suffering in the Liu household—especially at the hands of this so-called eldest sister who’d once beaten her. Wu Wei itched with hatred for Liu Cuicui.

It happened in a flash. Liu Cuicui’s hand was nearly upon her, true to her word, aimed right at Wu Wei’s mouth.

Wu Wei took a slight step back to create space, then seized Liu Cuicui’s wrist with precise, ruthless force—pinning the pressure point to sap her strength. Pivoting on her heel, Wu Wei spun 180 degrees, yanking Liu Cuicui’s arm and using the power of her back to hurl her. Liu Cuicui flew through the air like a sandbag, tracing a half-circle before hitting the ground with a resounding thwack.

Wu Wei had grown up hanging around the police station with her father, where the big brothers and sisters adored her and taught her plenty of self-defense moves. Handling Liu Cuicui off guard was child’s play.

Liu Cuicui’s vision went black. She lay dazed for a moment before the pain hit. By then, Wu Wei still gripped her wrist and gave it a secret twist. A sharp crack echoed, and Liu Cuicui howled in agony.

Wu Wei exhaled, feeling some of the pent-up anger in her chest dissipate. Backing away, she scanned the crowd for Embroider Maiden. Seeing the woman’s stunned expression, Wu Wei smiled.

Seeing his wife take a hit sobered Li Tieniu right up. With a roar, he lunged at Wu Wei. Embroider Maiden’s face went pale in an instant, her eyes shifting from shock to terror as she cried, “Weiwei!”

At the critical moment, Zhang Shuisheng arrived just in time. Using the momentum of his sprint, he slammed into Li Tieniu, knocking him aside. A split second later, and Li Tieniu’s ham-sized fist would’ve smashed into Wu Wei’s head.

Zhang Shuisheng clung to Li Tieniu like a vice, feet planted wide and unyielding against the ground. “Big Brother-in-law, you won’t get the upper hand if fists start flying!”

By now, Zhang Family Village villagers had shielded Wu Wei—rag-wielding aunties, cleaver-brandishing young wives, and tipsy, glaring men.

“How dare you hit people?”

“This is Zhang Family Village—you don’t get to run wild here!”

“They invited you to the feast out of kindness, and you attack?”

“We all saw it—the Liu eldest lady struck first. Let’s get the Village Head!”

“Right, see if they have any shame left!”

…

Embroider Maiden pushed through the crowd to Wu Wei’s side, grabbing her arms and scanning her up and down with trembling lips.

“I’m fine. Second Brother-in-law got here in time—he didn’t touch me.”

Embroider Maiden’s eyes suddenly welled up red. It had been way too close. If Li Tieniu’s pot-sized fist had landed on Wu Wei’s head… Embroider Maiden didn’t dare imagine the consequences.

“Do you have any idea how strong he is!? You…” Her pearly teeth bit into her lower lip, her voice quivering at the end.

Wu Wei gazed at the Embroider Maiden, feeling as though the softest corner of her heart had been gently prodded. She understood this seemingly brusque concern all too well.

“No more of that from now on!” the Embroider Maiden added, still shaken.

But Wu Wei shot back, “Who asked for her to hit you?”

…

It had to be said that Li Tieniu was no pushover. Even alone, Zhang Shuisheng couldn’t get the upper hand on him. In the end, it took several men who had come down from the mountain to see off the guests—friends of Zhang Shuisheng’s—to return and pin Li Tieniu down together.

Amid Old Lady Liu’s and Liu Dahu’s wails, amid Liu Cuicui’s curses and cries of pain, Wu Wei and the Embroider Maiden’s housewarming banquet finally drew to a close.

As they parted, Wu Wei laid down some harsh words: if Liu Cuicui was unhappy about it, she was welcome to go straight to the authorities!

No one blamed Wu Wei for being rash. The folks from Zhang Family Village all sympathized deeply with what Wu Wei and the Embroider Maiden had been through.

Everyone pitched in to tidy up the courtyard, return the borrowed items, dismantle the temporary stove that had been set up inside, and sweep everything clean. They even left a few aunts and young wives behind to comfort the Embroider Maiden and Wu Wei before taking their leave.

The west room wasn’t left empty either. Old Lady Zhang and Second Lady Liu stayed on. After all the day’s chaos, Second Lady Liu was worn out and had taken a bit of a fright, so they decided she’d rest there overnight before heading out. Old Lady Zhang stayed to look after her daughter-in-law and, at the same time, help liven up the new place for Wu Wei and the Embroider Maiden.

Zhang Shuisheng and Li Tieniu’s brawl had drained them both. Zhang Shuisheng could barely carry Old Man Zhang on his back as they left, but they agreed to come back first thing the next morning to build a woodshed in the courtyard for Wu Wei and the Embroider Maiden.