'He gets dizzy at the sight of blood, he didn't lose consciousness! No, he was just dizzy, he's been awake this whole time. Are they really plotting against him right in front of his face? Do they think he's dead?'
"Mom!... Mom!... Wait for me! Is Dad coming back in the next couple of days? You have to save that malted milk you promised me last time."
Hearing the familiar, boisterous shouts, Fang Jun, his eyes squeezed shut, was rather surprised. 'Why didn't that foolish woman sneak off to Aunt Bai's house this time?'
"Why are you glaring? Aren't I just looking out for Grandma's precious granddaughter? If I don't give you a heads-up now, is Dad going to give it to me? It's not like I'm his favorite son..."
"Hiss..." Fang Jun's eyes fluttered open, and he groaned, his face a mask of confusion. "Hiss... It hurts so much..." Pushing off the ground with one hand, he struggled to sit up.
"What hurts?" Bai Chenggang, who had been about to drag him inside, saw this and quickly gave him a pull. He then pressed down on Fang Jun's shoulder with one hand, grabbed his other arm, and gave it a hard shove upward. With a POP, Fang Jun's arm was back in its socket. "See? You're so soft-skinned. What's there for a grown man to cry about?"
As Bai Chenggang roughly let go, a piercing pain shot through Fang Jun's arm, making him gasp. "Gently! That's my arm!"
Glancing toward the courtyard gate, Bai Chenggang looked back and shot him an annoyed glare. He tossed aside the arm he had just set and couldn't help but click his tongue.
"Relax, it's not broken. Just rub it with some medicinal wine later and it'll be fine." As he spoke, he shot a look of admiration at Xu Changqing, who was turning to go into the outer room.
'She's the tomboy his uncle favors, alright. If someone told me she didn't apply that force on purpose, I'd change my last name.' "You should probably think about how you managed to piss her off."
Fang Jun's eyes widened. "Who pissed her off? As if I'd dare! I think there's something wrong with her head. If she didn't want me to wear the old man's worn-out shoes, she could've just said so..."
'Then have the guts to say it louder!' Bai Chenggang cut him off, speaking in an impatient whisper, "Whether you want to make a big deal or a small one out of this is up to you. But you think Changqing gives a damn about a pair of worn-out shoes?"
"Mom, it's a deal then. Oh, Sangouzi, you're here. What are you two whispering about? This is how it should be. I'm your older sister, so isn't Brother Jun your brother-in-law?"
"Don't say I never warned you. It's always a good idea to stay on your brother-in-law's good side. When Brother Jun goes back to the city, you think he won't help you out a little?"
'This child, she just blurts out whatever's on her mind...' Bai Xiulan frowned, reaching out to grab her eldest daughter, who, having said her piece, was about to run inside.
"Aah!"
Bai Xiulan jumped, startled.
"Oh my god! Brother Jun? Brother Jun! Blood, blood, blood..." Xu Baimei shrieked in panic and rushed forward. She forcefully shoved Bai Chenggang aside and threw her arms around Fang Jun.
"Hiss~"
"You bastard, I'll kill you!" Before the words were even out of her mouth, Xu Baimei let go of Fang Jun and lunged at Bai Chenggang, who had just regained his footing. "I'll teach you to hit people! To hit my man!"
"Xu Baimei!"
Bai Chenggang retreated swiftly, grabbing Xu Baimei's outstretched wrists with both hands. With a pull, a twist, and a sidestep, he pinned her arms behind her back. Only then did he shout in exasperation, "Use your brain for once!"
Seeing her hands restrained, Xu Baimei's temper flared. She shrieked for Fang Jun, who was behind her, to join in, all while starting to kick wildly and letting loose a stream of curses.
Instead of advancing, Fang Jun took two steps back. He clutched his head, looking utterly miserable, and tried to placate her. "Little Mi, darling, don't get worked up. We're all family here. Let's talk this out calmly."
Bai Chenggang snorted with angry laughter.
"You may not have had a brain to begin with, but could you please try using that pig brain of yours to think for a second? Still cursing? Is my father not your uncle? Is my grandfather not your maternal grandfather?"
Watching her daughter throw a tantrum, Bai Xiulan was so angry her body trembled. "Sangouzi just got back with me. We walked through the door one after the other. How could he have hit your man..."
'Right! It wasn't me, it was your darling son!' Dodging Xu Baimei, who was now trying to bite him, Bai Chenggang hurriedly replied, "Auntie, your stomach! Don't get worked up, your stomach!"
Xu Changqing, returning with a handful of ash, took in the chaotic scene. "Enough! I'm the one who hit him, not Brother Gangzi. If you want to fight someone, fight me."
As soon as she spoke, the air seemed to freeze. Time stretched to infinity. Some were stunned, some snickered, and some couldn't bear to watch, closing their eyes.
Xu Baimei froze, staring blankly at her younger sister. A moment later, she shook free from Bai Chenggang's grip and slowly walked toward Xu Changqing.
SLAP.
Xu Changqing froze for a second. When she came to her senses, she dropped the plant ash from her hand and touched her right cheek where she'd been hit. "You... you hit me?" After saying this, she smiled as if a great weight had been lifted. "A good hit!"
In the blink of an eye, seeing the smile on her younger daughter's face, Bai Xiulan's heart lurched. She rushed forward, shouting a reprimand while telling her nephew to pull the two sisters apart.
"What, I can't hit you? You have no respect for your elders! You even dare to lay a hand on your own brother-in-law. I've been wanting to hit you for a long time. Who do you think you are, looking down on everyone all day?"
"Yeah, I'm no one special. It was a good hit," Xu Changqing said, lowering her hand. She looked up, squinting at the glaring sun. "A good hit. A really good hit. It was long overdue. That's good."
"You're just asking for a beating!"
Bai Chenggang looked at his cousin, who had just been slapped and was now staring at the sky to keep from crying. Hearing Xu Baimei's arrogant words, he couldn't stop himself from swearing.
Xu Changqing looked down and patted Bai Chenggang, who was trying to pull her away. She then glanced at her mother, whose right hand was raised high but hesitated to fall on her eldest daughter's face. She took a deep breath.
Bai Chenggang followed her gaze, then looked back at her face and asked worriedly, "Changqing?"
Suddenly, Xu Changqing shot out a hand, grabbed Xu Baimei's collar, and yanked her away from Bai Xiulan, making her stumble back a few steps. Then, she delivered two crisp slaps in a row before flinging her aside.
Bai Chenggang covered his face and looked to the sky. 'It's over! Looks like those two damn brats have really pushed her over the edge this time. This mess is getting bigger and bigger, and there's nothing I can do to fix it.'
After stumbling back a few steps to steady herself, Xu Baimei shot Xu Changqing a murderous look and charged forward. Claws bared, she grabbed Xu Changqing's short hair and tried to smash her head against her forehead.
Xu Changqing's head dodged backward, left, and right, nimbly escaping the attack. Her hands instinctively grabbed Xu Baimei's long hair and pulled with all their might.
Watching the two sisters tangled up in a chaotic brawl, Bai Xiulan, her face contorted with anger, kept yelling, "Stop it! You... you two, stop it right now!"
Bai Chenggang was genuinely afraid she would work herself into a state. Seeing that Xu Changqing, despite fighting clumsily without any technique, was not losing, he quickly moved to block Fang Jun and support Bai Xiulan.
"Stop it! Won't you stop?! Quick, go pull them apart."
But no one listened to her. On the ground, the two sisters remained a tangled, writhing mass, trading blows. Xu Baimei, who was pinned underneath, had now started using her teeth.
"Stop it, I said!"
A sudden roar, thick with fury, echoed out. The familiar voice made Bai Xiulan's tension melt away. She turned her head, a look of surprised relief on her face. "Your father is back!"