Liu Mei’s face turned ugly after being rebuked by two respected figures in the village.
Realizing she wouldn’t gain the upper hand in this situation, she turned and slapped Xiu Cheng across the face, "You dimwit! Did our family short you on food or what? Why the hell did you go and steal other people’s food?"
"Can’t you open your eyes and see? Are they someone you can afford to bully?" Her words dripped with acid, mocking the Ruan Family for having powerful backers.
All adults understood what she meant, and the expressions of Doctor Lu and the Captain changed, as they fully grasped her unreasonable and relentless pestering.
Xiu Cheng was also aggrieved. Having been beaten up, he received neither comfort from his mother nor a slap. He covered his face where he was hit and cried to Liu Mei, "Mom, wasn’t it you who told me to just go and snatch it? Why are you hitting me! I was just following your instructions."
That was something Liu Mei had offhandedly said when she and the Ruanlin Family failed to get popsicles, and Xiu Cheng whined about wanting one. She had casually remarked, "If you want it that badly, why don’t you go and snatch it?" What use was it to keep crying to her?
It was in this same manner that she had previously encouraged him to steal Xiu Xi’s belongings, so Xiu Cheng did not doubt her words and immediately took action.
What he didn’t know was that Ruan Jiaojiao was no pitiful child without anyone to cherish her. Daring to target her meant inevitable beating by the Ruan boys until even his own father wouldn’t recognize him.
Liu Mei was so furious with her foolish son that she almost spit out a mouthful of blood.
She had just said something casually that day, and he took it seriously. And even if he was to steal, he should have waited until there was no one around, not brazenly in front of all the Ruan family members; wasn’t that just asking for a beating?
Liu Mei was so infuriated that her chest heaved up and down, and it took her quite a while to say anything.
"Now it’s your family’s turn to compensate mine, isn’t it? Let’s hear it, how much are you planning to pay?" The Ruanlin Family matriarch asked sarcastically.
Liu Mei’s eyes flickered, and as quickly as a spin, she smiled at the Ruanlin matriarch, "Auntie Ruan, what are you saying? Kids roughhousing is an everyday occurrence, isn’t it? We adults can’t take it seriously, right?"
Upon hearing this, the Ruanlin matriarch almost spit in her face, wondering who was barking like a mad dog at her doorstep just a moment ago. Now, caught in the wrong, she was claiming it was just children’s rough play.
The Ruanlin matriarch was utterly sick and tired of having her as a neighbor; thankfully, she wouldn’t have to endure it much longer, as they would be moving away soon.
At these words, a glint passed through Ruan Chi’s eyes. He eyed his younger brothers, Ruan Qun, Ruan Wei, and Ruan Lei, clenched his fist, and pointed at Xiu Cheng, who was still crying nearby.
That was when the brothers’ unspoken understanding shone through.
Ruan Qun, Ruan Wei, and Ruan Lei immediately got the hint. Balling their fists, before anyone could react, Ruan Lei jumped up and punched Xiu Cheng’s unhurt eye, while Ruan Qun landed a punch on his mouth and Ruan Wei punched his stomach.
"Ah! What are you doing!" Liu Mei screamed, shielding her son, but two hands couldn’t fend off four fists, and Xiu Cheng still received several blows.
At this point, Ruan Chi, Ruan Jie, and Ruan Feng stepped forward, pretending to restrain the younger ones but with very loose force, allowing them to kick Xiu Cheng several more times. Feeling it was enough, they finally pulled them back with force.
Meanwhile, they feigned righteous persuasion, "All right, that’s enough, no fighting, you can’t fight."
"..." The Ruanlin matriarch, discerning everything, frowned but said nothing.