"You stubborn little brat, still refusing to give it up?" Old Mrs. Wei spoke, reaching out, but an adult nearby stopped her.
"Sister-in-law, this child seems to be from Commander Gu's family across the way. Children bickering is common. Let's talk this out calmly."
Hearing it was from the Gu family, Old Mrs. Wei knew it was the adopted one. If it weren't for Chen Li Shu, she wouldn't have been sent back to her hometown. She held onto that grudge, never expecting this little brat would dare bully her granddaughter.
Could their entire Wei family be bullied by them?
"I was wondering whose ill-mannered child it was, turns out to be some little bastard who popped out from who knows where..."
"Sister Gui Ying, it's not good! Your two boys and Gu's child are fighting with people. You should go quickly!" Ać« (sister-in-law) shouted through the window.
Zhao Gui Ying heard the commotion and quickly picked up her younger son, turning to rush out of the room. While anxious, she was also furious. Her two boys were usually mischievous, and she constantly warned them to avoid trouble. Now they'd actually gotten into a fight.
Chen Li Shu was washing clothes at home when she heard Rui Rui's name involved. She quickly stood up, casually wiped her hands, and hurried outside. As she opened the door, she ran into Zhao Gui Ying, who was also rushing out in a panic.
"It must be my two brats who started it. You Rui Rui is such an honest child, you've corrupted him." Zhao Gui Ying took the blame first, her tone apologetic.
"Children will inevitably bicker and fight. We don't know the details yet. Let's go and see what's happening."
"Right, right, let's see what's happening." The two walked out together.
"Do you know your biological parents abandoned you? Look where you are. Truly, what kind of person raises what kind of child. You glare at me again, and I'll pluck your eyeballs out!"
Old Mrs. Wei, still incensed, snatched the marbles from Rui Rui's hand and gave them to Wei Xiao Ya.
The onlookers listening to Old Mrs. Wei's scolding and witnessing her actions felt a sense of contempt. Rui Rui was only five years old, and for an adult to act like this was utterly excessive.
"Try touching our Rui Rui!" Hearing Old Mrs. Wei's shrill curses, Chen Li Shu was filled with rage. She quickened her steps and arrived at the scene. Seeing Rui Rui standing there, covered in dirt, his small hands scraped and bleeding, yet still stubbornly biting his lip, Chen Li Shu felt as though something had sharply pierced her heart.
Her precious child, whom she held dear, was being bullied, especially by an adult. Chen Li Shu trembled with fury.
"Does it hurt?" Chen Li Shu asked softly, forcing back the stinging tears in her eyes.
Rui Rui blinked his dark, grape-like eyes and said in a soft voice, "Mommy, if you blow on it, it won't hurt anymore."
"Okay, Mommy will blow on it."
"Those are my marbles! Why did you take them!" Wang Yan Chao, seeing the marbles land in Wei Xiao Ya's hand, couldn't contain his anger. He charged forward like a cannonball, shoving Wei Xiao Ya, who tumbled to the ground. Wei Xiao Ya, hurt, let out a wail and started crying again.
"You unlucky little brat, pushing our Xiao Ya for a mere glass bead! Now you learn to hit people, what will you be like when you grow up? You'll end up in jail sooner or later." Old Mrs. Wei pointed at Wang Yan Chao and launched into a tirade.
What mother could tolerate such words? Li Gui Ying pulled her second son behind her and looked up to argue with Old Mrs. Wei. "I say, Auntie Wei, you should speak with a conscience. It's wrong for my Yan Chao to push your Xiao Ya, but your words are too harsh. Everyone has children; bumps and bruises are inevitable. You curse my son the moment you open your mouth; don't you feel any guilt? Have you lived all these years in vain!"
"Hmph." Old Mrs. Wei snorted through her nostrils and pouted. "A glimpse at three years old tells the fortune of old age. Already bullying others at this age, they won't be any better when they grow up."
"You!" Zhao Gui Ying was astonished that this Old Mrs. Wei, alive for fifty or sixty years, was such a unreasonable person. She was fuming.
"You pushed my Rui Rui, didn't you? His hands are scraped, and your insulting words just now must have caused him emotional harm. I expect you to apologize to my son." Chen Li Shu straightened up, her face stern as she looked at Old Mrs. Wei.
"I apologize? Apologize for what? Is your child precious? Just some bastard found from who knows where..."
"Shut up!" Chen Li Shu's jaw muscles twitched. She clenched her hands tightly at her sides, barely suppressing the urge to hit her. "My son has a name. You'd best watch your words. If you continue to spew venom from your dog's mouth, don't blame me for being impolite."
Old Mrs. Wei said dismissively, "You'll be impolite to me? Can you hit me or what? Believe it or not, the moment you touch me, I'll let everyone in the entire military family district know what a college student you are, hitting an elder!"
"This Old Mrs. Wei is too much. This is clearly bullying. At her age, she really is..."
"Disrespectful of elders. This is the first time I've encountered such a shameless old lady. If it were me, I would have slapped her across the face long ago."
"You can't hit her. The husbands of both families work together, they see each other all the time. Alas, to be burdened with someone like Old Mrs. Wei, one can only count it as bad luck."
Zhao Gui Ying saw that Chen Li Shu was trying hard to control herself. Although she was also furious, arguing with an old lady would surely lead to gossip. It was best to treat her like a mad dog.
"Forget it, Li Shu. Whoever is right or wrong will be judged by themselves. People like her can't raise good children. It's not worth getting angry with her."
Chen Li Shu took a deep breath and said as calmly as she could, "Sister-in-law, it's not for myself, but for my son. I absolutely cannot let this matter go easily today."
Ever since Rui Rui came to their home, he had been exceptionally well-behaved, almost overly so. He would habitually read others' expressions and even cater to them without considering his own feelings. Chen Li Shu knew that although he was young, he understood everything, which made her heart ache with helplessness.
Old Mrs. Wei's words had severely hurt Rui Rui. As his mother, she had to seek justice for her son.
"You're half buried in the earth, yet you can still attack a child. I don't know whether to praise you for being formidable or shameless. You constantly talk about other people's children, but you are the most useless of all."
"You, who are you calling useless!" Old Mrs. Wei was furious and pointed at Chen Li Shu, wanting to scratch her seductive face.
Chen Li Shu unceremoniously slapped her hand away with such force that Old Mrs. Wei staggered back a step.
"Not only are you shameless, but your hearing is also bad. I'm talking about you. A person of fifty or sixty years, more than half your life is already over, and in the end, you can only rely on your sharp tongue to bully children?"