"Hmm, so you're saying my wife dug up your wild vegetables on your land?"

"That's right!"

Lu Qinshi said, holding her head high.

"Hmm, if she really did dig up your wild vegetables, then she should compensate you."

Chen Jie spoke. Upon hearing this, the people around them all had a look that seemed to say, "See? I told you he's a pushover."

Meanwhile, Su Yunjin, who was standing to the side, raised her head and glanced at Chen Jie with a numb expression. The light in her eyes completely faded. She had thought Chen Jie had changed, but now it seemed he was still the same as before. She no longer held any hope.

She lowered her head weakly, mocking herself in her heart—why was she so stupid to believe that Chen Jiusi could change?

Lu Qinshi, delighted by Chen Jie's response, immediately said, "Good, good! Brother Jiusi is indeed a reasonable person. Now, hand over the rabbit. This rabbit looks really fat!"

Lu Qinshi could barely contain her joy. This trip was truly worthwhile! She had managed to scam a fat rabbit for a meal. It had been a month since she last had anything greasy to eat—today, she had hit the jackpot.

Thinking about it, Lu Qinshi couldn't help but swallow her saliva.

As expected, this Chen Jiusi was a weakling—easy to bully!

She reached out to take the rabbit from Chen Jie, but to her surprise, he didn't hand it over. Instead, he continued, "Wait a minute, I'm not done talking."

Lu Qinshi frowned. "Then hurry up and say what you need to say."

Chen Jie said, "I said if my wife really dug up your wild vegetables, then she should compensate you. But how can you prove that the wild vegetables she picked were actually yours?"

Huh?

Upon hearing this, the surrounding onlookers were all taken aback.

Even Su Yunjin, who had been feeling hopeless, couldn't help but lift her head and glance at Chen Jie.

Lu Qinshi's face darkened. "What do you mean?"

Chen Jie said, "Exactly what I said."

"You're trying to deny it?"

Lu Qinshi's face turned even uglier. She then pointed at Su Yunjin and said, "That worthless woman already admitted it herself! She said she picked them by the East Riverbank. Are you still trying to deny it?"

"So what if she picked them by the East Riverbank?"

"The East Riverbank is my turf! Everything that grows there belongs to me!"

Lu Qinshi said aggressively. Hearing this, Chen Jie sneered, "The East Riverbank is your land? Alright then, show me the land deed."

"You—!"

Lu Qinshi was instantly at a loss for words. A land deed? Where was she supposed to get a land deed for the East Riverbank?

Seeing her struggling to answer, Chen Jie coldly said, "No land deed? Then what nonsense are you talking about? How does that make it your land? We can dig there if we want—what does it have to do with you? Coming to our house barking like a dog—get lost!"

"I…"

Lu Qinshi was fuming. She raised her hand, ready to start cursing, but before she could open her mouth, Chen Jie acted first. He swung his arm and landed a slap across her face.

Smack!

A loud slap echoed through the yard, stunning everyone.

No one had expected Chen Jie to actually hit someone.

Even Su Yunjin, who had been feeling numb and hopeless, widened her eyes in shock, unable to believe what she was seeing.

The onlookers were equally shocked.

No way—when did Chen Jiusi become this bold?

For a moment, the entire place fell silent. Inside the house, the little boy, Su Yunrui, also widened his eyes. His small hands gripped the bamboo basket tightly.

Lu Qinshi was completely stunned by the slap. It took her a while to react, and when she finally did, she lost her mind.

"Ah! You dare hit me? I'll kill you!"

She screamed like a madwoman and charged at Chen Jie with her hands clawing at him. Her long, dirty fingernails aimed straight for his face—if she scratched him, it would definitely leave bloody marks.

Seeing this, Chen Jie didn't hesitate. He lifted his foot and kicked her down.

Being a grown man, Chen Jie naturally had an advantage in strength over Lu Qinshi. Besides, in his past life, he had taken some self-defense classes for business purposes and had even fought against three or five people at once. While he wasn’t a professional fighter, dealing with a crazy woman like her was no trouble at all.

After knocking Lu Qinshi to the ground, he stepped forward, grabbed her collar, and slapped her twice more.

While doing so, he scolded, "Last time, you hit my wife, and I let it slide. But now you dare to come here and cause trouble again? Do you think I’ll keep tolerating you? Listen up—if you ever bully my wife again, I'll beat you to death!"

"Coward! Spit!"

After giving her two slaps, he kicked her hard and even spat on her face.

By now, Lu Qinshi’s face was swollen, and she was rolling on the ground, crying, "Murder! He's killing me!"

Chen Jie remained indifferent. Having grown up in the countryside, he knew how bullying worked there—people wouldn’t just push you around; they would crush you completely.

If you didn’t want to be bullied, you had to show that you weren’t easy to mess with. And how did you prove that? You had to strike back hard.

A strong first punch saves you from a hundred punches later.

To these so-called "honest villagers," being tolerant was the same as being weak.

"Shut up!"

Chen Jie glared at the wailing Lu Qinshi. She continued sobbing, but Chen Jie didn't hesitate—he kicked her twice more. This time, she finally quieted down. She slowly crawled up from the ground, looking at Chen Jie with resentment.

However, when Chen Jie shot her a cold glance, she immediately backed down.

Pointing at her, Chen Jie said, "If I ever see you bullying my wife again, I swear I’ll kill you. Now get lost!"

Hearing his words, everyone was dumbfounded. The whole incident had happened so quickly—from the slap to the kicks—it had left them all in shock.

The once cowardly Chen Jiusi—when did he become so fierce?

Even Su Yunjin was in disbelief.

Just now, she had actually heard him say something in her defense.

"If I ever see you bullying my wife again, I swear I’ll kill you!"

The words were crude and harsh, but in Su Yunjin’s ears, they sounded sweeter than the most beautiful poetry.

He had stood up for her.

How… how was this possible?

Su Yunjin stared at his back, her heart pounding. For some reason, she found herself thinking—today, he looked a little handsome.

Lu Qinshi scrambled out of the house, glaring at Chen Jie from outside the courtyard. "Chen Jiusi, you bastard! You think you're so tough, hitting a woman? Just wait! When Lu San gets back tonight, he'll break your legs! You son of a—"

Before she could finish, Chen Jie handed the rabbit to Su Yunjin, picked up a wooden stick by the door, and started chasing after her. "Say that again, I dare you."

Seeing him coming, Lu Qinshi immediately ran off, not even daring to curse anymore. In a flash, she disappeared.

Chen Jie stood at the door, gripping the wooden stick. Looking at the neighbors who had gathered to watch, he said, "Alright, folks, show's over. Time to leave."

The crowd quickly dispersed, whispering among themselves as they walked away.

But their gazes toward Chen Jie had clearly changed.