All matters were settled. As Chen Mantun was present, Chen Lishu took him to the Qingshan Garment Factory and bought another fifty jin of fabric scraps. Then the father and daughter headed home.
A spring rain brings warmth. With another light rain, new green emerged from the ground, and the busy farming season in Qingshan Village began anew.
One day, Chen Lishu was diligently hoeing weeds in the field when Xu Ning suddenly ran over, her face flushed with sweat. "Lishu, something's wrong!"
She ran too fast and stumbled near Chen Lishu, almost falling.
Chen Lishu quickly stopped what she was doing and went to help her up. "What happened to make you run so fast?"
Xu Ning gasped for breath. "Lu Chengming and Liu Dabao are fighting."
"What does their fighting have to do with me?"
Xu Ning was anxious. Seeing that people around had stopped their work and were listening, she pulled Chen Lishu a bit further away and lowered her voice, saying, "They're fighting because of you. What they said... sigh, you should go and see!"
The words were too unpleasant for Xu Ning to repeat.
Because of her, they were fighting?
Chen Lishu's expression immediately changed.
Two grown men fighting over her; even if it wasn't her fault, it would eventually become her problem. How could she live in the village after this?
Dropping her hoe, Chen Lishu ran as fast as she could in the direction Xu Ning pointed.
By the time she arrived, a large crowd had already gathered.
Liu Dabao and Lu Chengming were wrestling each other, and quite a few young crops around them had been trampled flat.
"So what if you, you pretty boy, dated her? Did you ever see her body? I've seen her backside, and it's fair and ample."
"Clean up your mouth. Lishu wouldn't fall for a scoundrel like you!"
"Liu Dabao, did you just crawl out of a privy and come here to brag? Chen Lishu is known throughout the village as a great beauty. Would she fall for you?"
A idler who enjoyed the spectacle wanted to hear some crude jokes and deliberately prompted him to continue.
As expected, Liu Dabao fell for it. While fighting Lu Chengming, he didn't stop talking. "Everyone knows Gu Lao San hasn't returned since he got married. After a long time, which woman can hold out? She even took the initiative to hook up..."
Listening to his foul language and the ill-intentioned laughter of those around him, Chen Lishu felt a surge of anger rush to her head. She quickly grabbed a hoe left nearby by someone and swung it at Liu Dabao. Da Feng Novel Network
Liu Dabao was speaking animatedly and didn't expect a pain in his arm. He turned to see Chen Lishu holding a hoe, her dark eyes filled with chilling coldness.
"The main person concerned is here, Liu Dabao, why aren't you bragging anymore? Where's your earlier courage?" the idler from before continued to instigate.
"You woman, you discard me after using me. Are you still thinking of your old lover? Why would you even hit me, your good brother."
Liu Dabao looked at Chen Lishu with a roguish grin. "Hitting is affection, scolding is love. Oh, that hurt just now."
Seeing his scoundrelly demeanor, Chen Lishu felt like tearing him apart. Gripping the hoe handle, she attacked him without a word.
When she hit him before, she had held back a little and only struck his arm with the handle. Now, she was disregarding everything and used the hoe, which was sharpened to the sharpness of a knife, to chop towards Liu Dabao's head.
The onlookers, who had been watching the commotion, were instantly stunned.
If that blow had landed on his head, it would have taken off half his flesh, if not split his skull.
No one expected that the usually honest and quiet eldest daughter of the Chen family would be such a fierce character.
Fortunately, Liu Dabao reacted quickly. Although he dodged his head, his shoulder took a heavy blow. It was spring, and especially during fieldwork, most people had taken off their outer garments and were only wearing undershirts. The moment the tip of the hoe landed, a large patch of blood immediately stained his shoulder red.
"Didn't you say hitting is affection and scolding is love? Today I'll take your life!"
Chen Lishu said coldly and swung the hoe at him again. Seeing her berserk, god-like fury, Liu Dabao was both in pain and fear. He let out a yell and turned to run.
How could Chen Lishu let him go? He had spoken such vulgar words in front of so many people, ruining her reputation. She was almost driven mad. Carrying the hoe, she was about to chase him, but was suddenly grabbed by Li Xiulan, who had rushed over.
"Third son's wife, that's enough, it's all over. That rascal from the Liu family will be dealt with by your father and older brothers. Let's not get angry anymore."
As Li Xiulan spoke and reached for the hoe in Chen Lishu's hand, she realized that Chen Lishu's entire hand was ice-cold from anger.
"Mom, Liu Dabao said I..." As soon as Chen Lishu spoke, her eyes reddened. The injustice was too much to bear.
Lu Chengming had never seen her like this and felt immense heartache. He couldn't help but lean closer to comfort her. "Lishu, don't worry. I'll go and catch him now. I'll beat him up to vent your anger."
"Slap!"
Chen Lishu slapped him hard with her backhand.
A collective gasp erupted from the surroundings.
"Who are you to beat him up for me?"
Lu Chengming: "I..."
Chen Lishu raised her hand and slapped him again. This time, the gasps of the crowd had disappeared. They only felt the sting on Lu Chengming's face.
"What do you mean 'I'? When did I ever date you? I told you long ago that Lishu is not someone you should call. What's the meaning of you fighting with Liu Dabao today? Do you think I don't know? You think you're smart and can fool everyone."
"How can you be so ungrateful? Chengming only stood up for you. Could it be that you actually have something going on with that Liu Dabao, and that's why you..."
Zhao Hong couldn't bear to see Lu Chengming being hit and stepped forward to protect him. However, before she could finish speaking, she also received a slap.
"You slut, how dare you hit me?" Zhao Hong covered her face and looked at Chen Lishu in disbelief.
Chen Lishu met her gaze with a stern expression. "This slap is for you. It's to teach you what you should and shouldn't say."
Seeing that Zhao Hong was about to speak again, Chen Lishu preempted her. "Don't think that no one knows about you and Lu Chengming. If you want to be shameless, I can oblige you."
People of this era were very conservative. If it was known that a girl had lost her virginity before marriage, she would be scorned. Not to mention, which family would dare to marry her?
Zhao Hong, upon hearing her words, indeed quieted down considerably.
"What are you doing? Let my Dabao go!"
Just then, the Gu family patriarch and his sons arrived from a distance. Gu Xingguo and his two brothers were escorting the Liu Dabao who had just run away. Following them were Widow Liu and her younger son, Liu Xiaobao.
Gu Shoufu walked with his hands behind his back, his dark face creased in a deep frown. As he approached, his gaze fell on Chen Lishu's face.
"Dad." Chen Lishu's heart trembled. She wanted to explain, but Gu Shoufu raised his hand to stop her. Chen Lishu's face paled, and her heart sank to the bottom.