kingnovel Chapter 189 The World
Chapter 189 The World
Originally, Li Xiaonuan's intention was merely to stop Chen's eldest daughter-in-law from gossiping. However, due to what Old Madam Li had experienced, Li Xiaonuan was filled with apprehension. Therefore, the look in Li Xiaonuan's eyes as she glared at the troublemakers was extremely fierce.
The Chen family members shut their mouths as they wished, and even those who were still trying to find out more information were terrified by Li Xiaonuan's almost murderous gaze and shrank back. The villagers were also seeing Li Xiaonuan with such an imposing aura for the first time, and they all found it unbelievable.
Li Xiaonuan was very satisfied with the chaos she had caused. She gave the Chen family a warning glance, stood at the gate, and said loudly to the Li family, "I, Li Xiaonuan, don't care whether you are relatives or not. Anyone who intends to harm my family will be my enemy."
These words weren't just directed at the Li family, but at most of the people present. Because, in the matter of planting chili peppers, quite a few people had been pulling strings behind the scenes, especially after the incident where illegal planting resulted in a criminal penalty; several people had secretly gone to the authorities to report them.
Seeing that Li Xiaonuan dared to say such things in front of a large group of people, Granny Li retorted with great dissatisfaction, speaking as an elder: "Xiaonuan, is that what you should say to your relatives? What's with all this talk of making enemies? Did you see who hurt someone, or who got injured?"
Li Xiaonuan's gaze was icy as she stared directly at the old woman from the Li family, speaking without any mercy: "Don't think that just because you didn't hurt anyone, you can cover up your ruthless intent to harm. If I hadn't shouted in time, would my grandmother still be alive?"
The old woman from the Li family felt a little guilty, but she couldn't let this get out; after all, she still had to protect her son's reputation. She had never known that little bitch Li Xiaonuan was so ruthless, showing absolutely no mercy.
"Xiao Nuan, what are you saying? Your grandma is perfectly fine in the house. Don't mislead people. Who would hurt someone for no reason? You're just talking nonsense because you don't know the truth. And you keep saying you're making enemies, offending all your relatives." Old Mrs. Li glared at Li Xiao Nuan with a threatening look in her eyes.
"Hmph, everyone knows what they've done. Don't say I'm offending people randomly; I'd be happy to offend you all to death. We really can't accept relatives like you. Who knows if one day we'll accidentally offend someone and you'll ruin them?" Li Xiaonuan glared back at the old woman from the Li family, not backing down at all.
"Fellow villagers, please come in and take a look. That hoe was aimed at my grandmother's head. Tell me, if I hadn't appeared and shouted, would my grandmother still be alive?" Li Xiaonuan opened the courtyard gate and invited the curious crowd into the yard.
It would be safer to have more people around at this time. It's far too dangerous for just the three of them—grandmother, grandmother, and grandchildren—in the yard alone.
Hearing Li Xiaonuan's words, quite a few people did indeed rush into the courtyard. When Li Tianchun saw Li Xiaonuan ask people to enter, he quickly pulled out the hoe and rake, glaring fiercely at Li Xiaonuan.
Those entering the courtyard saw Li Tianchun standing there menacingly, holding a hoe and rake, staring at Li Xiaonuan as if he were about to kill her. At Li Tianchun's feet were five deep dents dug by the hoe and rake.
Everyone was shocked, never expecting that Li Tianchun had actually intended to kill someone. They huddled together, looking at Li Tianchun with fear and wariness, whispering amongst themselves. Some, unable to bear it any longer, directly accused Li Tianchun verbally.
Li Tianchun was already in the wrong, and his temper had subsided considerably, so he felt a growing sense of fear. Mainly, he was terrified by the way the people from Zhoucun were looking at him, as if he were some kind of monster.
Fear easily leads to tension, and tension puts one in a defensive state. Therefore, at this moment, Li Tianchun resembled a ferocious beast surrounded by hunters, looking quite terrifying.
Old Mrs. Li watched anxiously from the sidelines. The more anxious and worried she became, the more she hated Li Xiaonuan.
Li Xiaonuan's mind wasn't on those matters at the moment. She eagerly awaited her father's return and also wanted to see the village head and others. In short, she needed outside help. She wanted to get rid of these awful relatives and sever ties with them.
Suddenly, the courtyard fell silent. Li Xiaonuan waited anxiously for the doctor's arrival, glancing frequently towards the old lady's room. Madam Su continued calling out to Old Madam Li, her calls growing more urgent and her voice trembling more violently than ever before.
After the silence subsided, Su's voice pierced through the mud wall, resounding in the ears of everyone in the courtyard. Old woman Li felt as if she were swallowing blood. She believed it was all arranged by Li Xiaonuan, that Li Xiaonuan deliberately let those people in to embarrass her and her son.
"Ahhhhhh!" Li Tianchun finally couldn't stand the strange silence and eerie atmosphere any longer. He swung his hoe and rake forcefully and shouted, "What do you mean by this? I'll fight you to the death today! If I die, I'll take a few of you down with me!"
Originally, everyone in the courtyard had come to watch the spectacle. Those who were familiar with Li Xiaonuan's family had mostly gone to the village head's house to transfer the land deed. Only Aunt Zhou briefly appeared at the door before hurrying away with a worried look on her face.
Seeing Li Tianchun's madness and the fact that he was armed, the men hurriedly retreated from the Li family's courtyard. Some of the more timid ones even began to beg for mercy.
"Hero, I'll call you hero, okay? I haven't offended you, so please don't hurt me."
"Yes, yes, you're a hero. We didn't say anything bad about you, really. Also, we're not familiar with the Li family, and we're not here to help them. Hero, you have to go easy on them."
"Hurry up, hurry up, this commotion is not good. I think the Li family must have offended someone. Otherwise, why would they hurt people randomly for no reason? That's a serious crime that can get you imprisoned or beheaded."
"That's right, it's the Li family's fault. They must have tricked them into planting chili peppers, and now they're denying it."
"..."
Li Xiaonuan watched with a chilling heart as the people quickly retreated, leaving only her, Li Tianchun, and their mother and son in the courtyard. Li Tianchun glared at Li Xiaonuan with red eyes, looking as if he wanted to tear her apart. Li Xiaonuan feigned composure, meeting his gaze with fiery eyes.
At that moment, Li Xiaonuan suddenly felt that she could no longer tolerate or avoid the situation, and thought that she might as well rush up and die together with Li Tianchun. Just then, the commotion inside the house pulled her back from the brink of rage.
Su's voice grew increasingly urgent, even bordering on a sob. Li Xiaonuan sensed something was wrong. Forgetting about dealing with the Li family mother and her two children, she ran quickly into the house. As she ran, she cried out, "Grandma, you must hold on!"
As Li Xiaonuan ran into the house, a soft voice rang out at the entrance of the Li family's courtyard: "Oh, what happened? Is this Li Xiaonuan's house? Did I come to the wrong courtyard?"
Li Tianchun, on the verge of losing his mind, was instantly drawn to the gentle and melodious voice, and quickly suppressed his hostility, afraid of offending the beauty. Although her face was covered by a veil, judging from her voice alone, the woman must be a great beauty.
The woman chuckled softly, her aloof and cold eyes sweeping over the mother and her two children in the courtyard before finally settling on Li Tianchun. In an instant, Li Tianchun was captivated by those beautiful eyes.
"Is this really Li Xiaonuan's home?" the woman asked softly.
"Yes, this is Xiaonuan's home. Sister, did you come to rescue Xiaonuan and the others?" The thin and withered Erbao asked in a childish voice from the left side of the courtyard gate.
The woman looked at Erbao with surprise, his eyes shining, then turned to talk to him in detail. Soon, only the sounds of a woman and a little child talking remained outside the courtyard. Their childish words occasionally elicited laughter from the woman.
The two sons of the Li family were captivated by the woman's elegant and graceful figure. Coupled with the woman's amusing conversation with the children, they completely forgot where they were. The old woman of the Li family watched in astonishment at her sons' transformation, inwardly cursing them several times for their lack of self-control.