NOVEL NEXT Chapter 9: Chapter 9: Never Back Down
Jiang Huaiyu finally understood how naïve her earlier dreams of being a carefree landowner had been. Something as simple as a tofu business had already drawn wolves to her door, and now even her personal safety was in question.
Taking a deep breath, she looked at Wang Dazhuang and Zheng Xiaoyue apologetically. "I'm sorry it's come to this. I underestimated Xu Chunhua's treachery, and I never imagined a wealthy heir could be so easily manipulated by her."
"This isn't your fault," Zheng Xiaoyue reassured her, though she was visibly worried. "You've given us more than we could've hoped for. With the money we've earned these past weeks, my husband's months of back-breaking labor pale in comparison. How could we blame you?"
Trying to lighten the mood, Zheng Xiaoyue added, "And I doubt the Yan family would outright seize someone else's business. Their name is too big for that. Just be careful, stay out of the county for a while, and we'll manage."
Jiang Huaiyu nodded hesitantly. "And the tofu business?"
Wang Dazhuang grunted firmly. "We keep selling, but I'll stick to the nearby villages for now."
Relieved but still uneasy, Jiang Huaiyu agreed. Yet, no amount of reassurance could banish Yan Er's predatory gaze or his thinly veiled threats from her mind. Her skin crawled at the memory of it.
That night, Jiang Huaiyu struggled to sleep. A growing resolve stirred within her, replacing her earlier desire for a peaceful, simple life. Her home, her child, and her dignity were under threat, and she would not stand idly by.
If only I had more power, she thought bitterly. If only I could truly protect myself.
The next day, a gnawing sense of foreboding greeted her at dawn. The wilted flowers on her table, the silence of the chickens in their pen—something was wrong.
Grabbing a bucket of water from the well, she splashed her face, the icy chill jolting her fully awake. Then she walked to the chicken coop, scattering crushed soybeans as she approached.
What she saw made her heart plummet.
Every chick lay limp on the ground, their tiny bodies marred with brutal, deliberate footprints. The earth in the vegetable patch was trampled, the sprouting greens reduced to a mangled mess.
Jiang Huaiyu's breath caught, the air suddenly feeling thick and cold. Someone had come into her home, wreaking destruction under the cover of darkness.
Who would do something so vile?
Her thoughts immediately turned to two suspects: Yan Er and Xu Chunhua. Quickly, she ruled out Yan Er. A man of his wealth and status wouldn't stoop to such crude intimidation tactics, especially since it could easily backfire and force her to sell the tofu recipe to someone else.
That left Xu Chunhua.
A chilling realization settled over her: if Xu Chunhua was bold enough to kill her chicks and destroy her crops, what would stop her from trying something worse? What if she had stolen Tangbao?
Jiang Huaiyu's blood ran cold. She rushed back inside to check on her son. Tangbao slept soundly, his small chest rising and falling in rhythmic peace. Jiang Huaiyu sighed in relief, but her resolve hardened.
Changing into a simple, practical outfit, she strode to Xu Chunhua's house and banged on the door.
"Who is it?" Xu Chunhua's annoyed voice drifted out. A moment later, she opened the door, her expression shifting awkwardly when she saw Jiang Huaiyu's stormy face. She quickly plastered on a saccharine smile. "Oh, it's you, my dear neighbor. What brings you here so early?"
Jiang Huaiyu's gaze turned icy. "You really have no shame, do you?"
Xu Chunhua feigned innocence, her voice tinged with irritation. "I have no idea what you're talking about."
Jiang Huaiyu's eyes narrowed. "You climbed over my wall last night, trampled my vegetable patch, and crushed my chickens to death. Do you have any idea how low that is?"
A small crowd began to gather, drawn by the rising voices. Jiang Huaiyu's accusations made several villagers gasp. To them, destroying someone's livelihood—killing their livestock and ruining their crops—was one of the most despicable acts imaginable.
Xu Chunhua's eyes darted around nervously, but she quickly straightened her back, her voice growing louder and shriller. "What nonsense! You're accusing me without proof! Go ahead—report me to the authorities. If the constable finds any evidence, they can throw me in jail!"
Jiang Huaiyu laughed coldly. "That's exactly what I plan to do. When they find bloody feathers or soil from my garden on your shoes, what will you say then?"
Xu Chunhua's confidence wavered. She instinctively glanced at her feet, suddenly remembering her carelessness the night before. A flicker of panic crossed her face, but she quickly tried to mask it with bravado.
"I stepped in my own chicken coop, that's all!" she snapped.
"Oh?" Jiang Huaiyu tilted her head, her tone almost amused. "So, you admit you weren't in my yard last night? That you didn't kill my chicks or destroy my vegetables?"
"That's right!" Xu Chunhua said stubbornly, though her voice cracked slightly.
Jiang Huaiyu's lips curved into a cold smile. Slowly, she opened her hand, revealing two small silver coins. "If that's true, then these coins I found in my chicken coop this morning have nothing to do with you."
Xu Chunhua froze, her eyes widening. Those coins looked familiar—too familiar. She stared at them, greed overtaking reason.
"I must've dropped them!" she blurted out. "Yes, I went into your yard. I killed your chicks, but those coins are mine!"
The crowd erupted into murmurs of disapproval.
Jiang Huaiyu's expression darkened as she raised her voice. "So, you admit to killing my chicks and ruining my crops?"
Xu Chunhua nodded, too fixated on the silver coins to notice the venom in Jiang Huaiyu's tone. "Yes! I'll buy you new chicks, but give me back my money!"
The crowd's disapproving murmurs turned into outright ridicule.
Jiang Huaiyu snapped her fingers closed around the coins. "This silver isn't yours. It's from the money I exchanged at the bank yesterday, and I have the receipt to prove it."
She leaned in, her eyes flashing. "I wanted to see how low you'd stoop. Turns out, you don't just admit to your crimes—you lie to claim what isn't yours."
The crowd broke into laughter and applause, jeering at Xu Chunhua's humiliation.
"Looks like the little widow isn't so easy to bully after all!"
"Serves her right! That Xu Chunhua always gets what's coming to her."
Xu Chunhua's face turned red with fury and shame. She stomped her foot, muttering curses as she pushed past the crowd and fled back into her house.
As the villagers praised Jiang Huaiyu's sharp wit, she stood tall, her heart filled with a quiet determination. From now on, she would show no weakness—not to Xu Chunhua, not to Yan Er, and not to anyone who dared threaten her family.