Chapter Seven: Uncle Is So Fierce

Yun Shuang’s lips twitched ever so slightly. This Madam Wu truly had a way about her—her words cut like knives, but never a single vulgarity passed her lips.

Xu Changyong glanced uneasily at Yun Shuang, as if worried she might be upset by the words of the Liu mother and daughter.

Not far off, Liu Peier kept turning her head to look at Xu Changyong. Seeing him fussing over Yun Shuang, she bit her lip in anger until she nearly broke the skin, unable to resist raising her voice, “Changyong, I saw your mother over at the Wu family’s house just now. Aren’t you going to find her?”

Xu Changyong’s expression changed. His mother disliked Yun Shuang, and if she saw him with her...

He quickly turned, casting an apologetic glance at Yun Shuang, murmured, “I’ll go ahead,” and hurried away.

Yun Shuang was speechless. Who cared whether he left or not?

This senseless farce finally came to an end. Yun Shuang was just about to leave when a delighted voice called out from nearby, “Oh, Shuang-daughter, I heard someone call your name just now and thought my ears were deceiving me! You’ve come to watch the commotion at the Wu family too?”

A woman dressed in a russet cotton skirt, small and gentle-faced, emerged briskly from the crowd gathered at the Wu family’s door. She was Sister Hua, their neighbor, who had looked after Yun Shuang’s family for years. Whenever Yun Shuang fell ill, it was Sister Hua who helped care for the children.

Sister Hua reached Yun Shuang, grabbed her hand, and looked her up and down. “You’re feeling much better today? That’s wonderful! Listen, Wu Chengqi has finally been struck by retribution! Years ago, seeing you young and pretty and all alone, he had those wicked intentions towards you! Look now—he’s become a deserter. His reputation is ruined, and the soldiers from the garrison have come for him! Come on, Sister Hua will take you to see the show. Maybe it’s fate that you’re well today, so you can witness his downfall with your own eyes!”

Wu Chengqi had indeed harassed Yun Shuang in the past.

The Wu family had two sons; the eldest had died heroically in battle five years ago. According to the rules of Great Qi, men sent to war had to be sixteen or older, so Wu Chengqi managed to linger several more years before reluctantly joining the army three years ago. Only then was Yun Shuang freed from his harassment.

Yun Shuang realized there was no escaping this spectacle. Hearing Sister Hua’s words, she thought that if the original Yun Shuang were here, she’d likely also wish to see her enemy’s ruin.

She let Sister Hua pull her along.

Sister Hua was a master at getting into the thick of things. She squeezed left and right, and soon they were at the very front.

The villagers were surprised to see Yun Shuang, for in their memory, she’d been frail and sickly for years, rarely seen in public. But with greater excitement unfolding, they set aside their curiosity for now.

Not far away, Liu Peier saw Yun Shuang had really come and glared at her, biting her lip. Yun Shuang pretended not to notice.

Once at the front, Yun Shuang immediately saw over a dozen soldiers in armor standing rigidly before the Wu family’s door. Their faces were stone-cold, betraying no emotion, and their whole bearing exuded the fierce aura of veterans.

Er Ya clung to Yun Shuang’s leg, her face pale, whispering, “Mama, those uncles look so scary.”

Dog Egg said nothing, but stood protectively in front of his sister, alert.

At the head of the soldiers stood two men, clearly in command.

One was upright and grim, his eyes cold as he stared at the terrified Wu family clustered together.

The other was tall and brawny, with a finger-length scar on his brow and a fierce countenance. He stepped even further forward and suddenly shoved Wu Youjin—Wu Chengqi’s father—who was desperately trying to explain himself. “Enough nonsense! Speak! Where is that wretch?”

“Sir soldier…” Wu Youjin, knocked down, dared not protest, trembling as he replied, “I really don’t know where that rascal’s run off to! Our Wu family may be mere commoners, but we’ve never produced a deserter! This right leg of mine was wounded on the battlefield when I was young. I still need a crutch to walk! My poor eldest son died on the field, too! If that wretch came back, I’d never harbor him—before you came, I’d have reported him myself…”

“Yes, sir! Our family would never dare shelter a deserter!” cried the woman behind Wu Youjin—Madam Fan—as she rushed forward, sobbing. “All soldiers’ households know desertion’s a crime, and hiding a deserter is an even worse offense! Look at our household—just old folks, women, and children. Chengqi may be my son, but I have two grandsons; even if I’ve never been schooled, I know what’s more important!”

“Your words mean nothing. Men!” the officer barked, waving his hand. “Search every inch of this house! Not even a mouse hole is to be missed!”

Heavens, so strict!

The crowd murmured in hushed tones. Today’s affair was surely more than a simple hunt for a deserter.

The soldiers moved out at once, entering the house in orderly fashion and searching thoroughly. They were anything but gentle, as if intent on tearing the place apart. Items big and small were tossed outside as they searched.

Inside the Wu family’s hall, a table with legs of uneven heights, four old wooden chairs, shoes belonging to the whole family—the two grandsons, Wu Youjin and Madam Fan, still muddy from yesterday’s rain—were thrown out.

There were several bamboo baskets piled in the rear kitchen, one of which held a stack of greasy, unwashed bowls and plates.

Yun Shuang’s eyes narrowed slightly.

Tsk, the Wu family wasn’t as honest as they seemed.

Just then, a furious shout drew everyone’s attention. “Dog Egg Yun, what are you doing here? I know you’re angry that I always call you a bastard with no father, so you came to laugh at us, didn’t you?”

The speaker was a small boy of six or seven, held by Madam Fan at the Wu family’s door. He trembled, his eyes red, glaring at Dog Egg as if he wanted to devour him.

Yun Shuang remembered—this was the Wu family’s grandson, who had a feud with Dog Egg. Once, Dog Egg had fought him, injuring his forehead, and the old shrew of the Wu family had come after them with a stick, only for Sister Hua and other kind villagers to intervene. Yun Shuang and Dog Egg had escaped trouble.

Afterward, Dog Egg refused to explain why he’d fought the boy.

Now she realized—the boy often bullied Dog Egg.

And all these years, Dog Egg had only fought him once… the rest of the bullying, Dog Egg must have endured in silence.

Others glanced at the Wu family’s grandson and Dog Egg; even the two officers at the door turned to look. They, too, came from humble backgrounds and were no strangers to bullying in village life.

Dog Egg shot the boy a cold look and turned away, clearly unwilling to respond.

The Wu family’s grandson was instantly enraged by that attitude. He growled, “How dare you look down on me! You bastard, how dare you!” He wrenched free of Madam Fan and charged straight at Dog Egg.