Such a commotion naturally reached Ye Yun's ears inside the house.

Ye Yun knew what had happened just from the noise, but she couldn't be bothered to pay attention. Even though Li Xiuying was protecting her, she didn't feel any warmth from being protected.

Li Xiuying wasn't protecting her.

Rather, it's the benefits that the power she and Qin Zheng wield can bring her.

Xiao Chuqi was sleeping a little restlessly because of the noise outside. Every time there was a slapping sound outside, she would move uncomfortably, showing signs of being woken up.

Ye Yun reached out and closed the window, shutting out most of the noise.

Qin Xiang'e and Qin Zheng were also talking outside.

When Qin Zheng discovered that Li Xiuying was fighting with others, he wanted to go out and chase them away.

If Li Xiuying continues to fight like this, it will not only be shameful, but it will also disrupt Ye Yun and the children's rest.

However, before he could leave, Qin Xiang'e stopped him, fearing that if he showed up, Li Xiuying would cling to him again.

Qin Zheng felt extremely agitated.

He agreed to let Ye Yun come home for postpartum care in order to quell the rumors in the village, and also because he thought that according to custom they should hold a banquet in their hometown, not come back to cause trouble for him. Li Xiuying made such a scene at his front door, didn't she just make things worse?

"Zhengzi, anyone can go out, but you can't," Qin Xiang'e said, pulling him back with earnest words.

Qin Zheng glanced down the slope.

That glance stunned him.

The woman at the bottom of the slope was wrestling with someone. Her hair was torn and messy, her mouth was bleeding, and her clothes were ripped open and covered with mud and small stones. She was in a sorry state and had lost all trace of her usual domineering and glamorous appearance.

As far as I can remember, this seems to be the first time Li Xiuying fought with someone to protect him.

This was also the first time I defended him.

Qin Zheng could hardly believe his eyes; Li Xiuying, who had always been harsh on him, actually had a moment when she defended him.

To be precise, there will come a day when he can get Li Xiuying's protection.

Moreover, because she defended him, Li Xiuying was beaten black and blue, completely disregarding her image, as if the other party was not cursing him as a person, but rather digging up Li Xiuying's ancestral grave.

It has to be said that Qin Zheng's mood underwent a subtle change at this moment.

He's not a stone, after all.

Even though he had severed ties with Li Xiuying, he couldn't help but feel a little uncomfortable when he saw Li Xiuying being beaten black and blue for his sake.

"Woof..."

Coal Ball walked up to Qin Zheng and called out softly in his usual rough voice.

Qin Zheng snapped out of his daze.

Looking at Li Xiuying fighting fiercely with someone at the bottom of the slope, he had an idea. He patted Meiqiu's neck and made a gesture.

"Woof woof woof—"

As if receiving a command, the coal ball nimbly leaped over the fence gate and charged like a beast towards the two people fighting on the ground!

"ah!"

The dog's appearance immediately caused a stir.

The adults fled in panic, and the children ran away as well. Some women, carrying their children, ran and shouted, their cries mingling with the fierce and angry howls of the coal briquettes.

Li Xiuying also screamed when she saw the dog.

She was most afraid of the Qin family's dog; she had almost been bitten before.

The woman who was fighting with her was even more frightened. She screamed, pushed Li Xiuying away, and ran back to where she was in a panic!

Li Xiuying was pushed and fell, trying to get up but unable to, and saw the coal ball rushing towards her—

Startled, she quickly closed her eyes.

"Coal balls!" Just then, a voice called out from up the slope.

thump!

The coal ball came to an abrupt stop, braking sharply a meter away from Li Xiuying. The sudden braking caused its claws to scrape together, making a loud noise.

Seeing Qin Zheng waving from the slope, it immediately wagged its tail, turned around, and pounced on Qin Zheng.

The puppy jumped into Qin Zheng's arms, stood up, and clung to Qin Zheng's body, its tail wagging excitedly. It licked Qin Zheng's hand, nuzzled him with its head, and grinned at him with its tongue lolling out, its dark eyes filled with loyalty.

Qin Zheng patted its head and laughed, "Good dog."

The coal ball became even more excited.

Then Qin Zheng pulled it off his body, turned around, and went into the yard without looking back.

Only Li Xiuying remained at the bottom of the slope.

Covered in mud, her face bruised and swollen, she sat alone and bewildered on the ground, the winter wind blowing directly into her body through her torn cotton-padded coat.

She looked up at the slope.

All I could see was a tightly closed fence gate.

Her son didn't say a word more to her, probably still resenting her for fighting in front of his house.

After a long while, Li Xiuying finally got up.

Because of the fight, she was limping and was about to go back to Lao Guo's house when she suddenly remembered that her eggs and brown sugar were missing.

She immediately perked up and began searching around at the bottom of the slope.

But I can't find it!

Li Xiuying broke down.

In the cold wind, she stomped her feet in anger and shouted furiously, "Damn it! Which son of a bitch took my eggs and brown sugar?!"

...

That evening, Ye Yun drank the egg tea that Qin Zheng had just cooked for her, and felt that the eggs were different from what she usually ate.

"Qin Zheng, where did these eggs come from?"

"It was a gift from the villagers."

Qin Zheng answered quickly.

Ye Yun raised an eyebrow. "Don't try to fool me. These are wild eggs. The color of the yolks alone makes them look different. Wild eggs are hard to find in the dead of winter. Who would give us something so precious for no reason?"

Qin Zheng chuckled and scratched the back of his head, saying, "Wife, you've seen through me again."

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!