Chapter 123 Lifting a rock only to drop it on one's own foot
Seeing that Xia Qianqian still dared to protect the casserole, Xia Wenwen's anger flared up. Her face contorted with rage, she screamed and lunged at Xia Qianqian, reaching out to shove her shoulder.
Ideally, she would lose her balance and fall to the ground, causing that bastard in her belly to fall out!
Hmph, this child shouldn't have been born in the first place!
Xia Qianqian was prepared. She dodged Xia Wenwen's hand by the side and grabbed the fire poker next to the stove.
The other end of the stick still carried sparks from the stove, hissing and emitting wisps of smoke. If it were to actually burn someone, it would surely leave blisters! She gritted her teeth and swung it across Xia Wenwen's arm.
"Wenwen!" Madam Xia exclaimed, her soul nearly leaving her body.
Her daughter was her precious darling. Even if she was worn out and lost her former pampered life in the countryside, she would never let her suffer like this!
Just as the fire poker was about to hit Xia Wenwen's arm, Madam Xia, with a sudden burst of strength, picked up the stone used to weigh down pickled vegetables in the corner. Holding the heavy stone in her arms, her eyes red, she staggered and hurled it at Xia Qianqian's back: "You dare hurt my daughter! I'll fight you to the death!"
Xia Qianqian felt a chill run down her spine, and her mind was flooded with warning messages, but it was too late! She didn't even have time to see Madam Xia's face clearly, and could only rely on instinct to instantly escape into the Peach Blossom Spring.
Bang--!
Madam Xia watched helplessly as Xia Qianqian disappeared from the spot. She threw the stone at empty air, and the momentum made her stagger forward. The stone slipped from her hand and hit her right on the instep!
"Agh—!" A pig-like scream shattered the tranquility of the courtyard. Madam Xia rolled on the ground clutching her feet, her clothes instantly soaked with cold sweat.
Almost at the same time she disappeared, Xia Qianqian had already flashed back to her original spot from Peach Blossom Spring, all in the blink of an eye.
"A...a monster! You're a monster!" Madam Xia's face was contorted with pain, her hand trembling as she pointed at Xia Qianqian, her eyes brimming with terror. "No wonder Wenwen said you stole everything from her! You know magic! You damned monster!"
Outside the courtyard gate, the sound of neighbors' footsteps and chatter grew louder as they approached, clearly drawn by the piercing scream.
When Mrs. Xia saw the neighbors rushing in, she immediately began to cry, "How could I have raised such a monster daughter! She just used her magic to manipulate stones and broke my leg!"
Xia Qianqian was already used to the Xia family's cold-heartedness, and now she only felt that it was absurd and ridiculous.
When Madam Xia was crying so hard she could barely breathe, she slowly spoke: "Auntie, if you have any conscience at all, explain what just happened. First, tell me why you picked up a rock and threw it at me. If you had hit me, we might have both died."
She paused, her gaze sweeping over the onlookers, a hint of sarcasm in her voice: "As for sorcery? If I truly possessed sorcery, why would I let you all come to my door and cause trouble?"
The villagers were already aware of the Xia family's behavior, and Xia Qianqian was generally well-liked for her helpfulness to her neighbors and her cheerful personality. Seeing Madam Xia crying suspiciously while Xia Qianqian remained composed, they already knew what was going on.
"Madam Xia, you can't just say things like that!" Aunt Wang from next door couldn't help but speak up. "Qianqian is such an honest and simple girl, how could she possibly know any magic?"
"Exactly! I bet you just dropped the stone yourself because you didn't hold it properly, right?"
"Last time Erzhu's child had a fever, it was Qianqian who went to fetch a barefoot doctor overnight. Could such a girl be a monster?"
Everyone chimed in, each word siding with Xia Qianqian. Madam Xia was rendered speechless, trembling with rage, and pointed at the crowd, screaming, "You...you all don't believe me! Am I crazy? Why would I shoot myself in the foot for no reason?!"
Tears streamed down her face from the pain, but the rage within her, fueled by the suspicious looks of the crowd, was more unbearable than the injury on her foot.
As Xia Qianqian listened to Madam Xia's distorted and tearful account, a cold smile curled at the corner of her lips, but her eyes remained completely calm, and a cold laugh almost overflowed from her heart.
But the next second, her eyes suddenly reddened, tears streamed down her face like a broken string of pearls, and her voice choked with sobs, carrying a hint of disbelief and grievance:
“Auntie, we are no longer mother and daughter. Even so, when you brought Wenwen to my door to steal my chicken soup, I didn’t say anything. But you shouldn’t have hurt my child. Otherwise, even if you hit me, I wouldn’t have dodged.”
As she spoke, she wiped away tears with the back of her hand, which made the surrounding villagers' hearts clench.
"Pah! What nonsense!" Aunt Wang was the first to lose her temper, pointing at Madam Xia's nose and cursing, "Qianqian is pregnant, and you elders not only don't care, but you even come to her door to steal her food? And even throw stones at her? Have you no conscience?!"
“That’s right! We all know what kind of person Qianqian is in the village,” Aunt Liu chimed in. “Everyone knows what kind of family the Xia family is!”
The villagers chimed in, their words making Madam Xia's heart clench, and her face turned pale with anger: "You...you've all been deceived by her! She knows how to cry and play the victim! My leg is broken, why don't you believe me?!"
"Who knows if you're just shooting yourself in the foot and trying to extort money from me?"
"Exactly! Qianqian is always so kind, how could she possibly harm anyone? It's you guys who caused such chaos the moment you arrived!"
Xia Qianqian lowered her head, letting her tears roll down, but at an angle unseen by anyone, a cold smile curled at the corner of her mouth.
When dealing with this kind of person, tears are always more effective than reason.
"Qianqian, don't be afraid!" Aunt Wang patted her chest and assured her, "With us here, she won't be able to bully you again! You two have no more feelings for each other now, so if she dares to lay a hand on you again, don't hold back, beat her to death! We'll be your witnesses!"
Madam Xia was shocked that Xia Qianqian would twist the truth like this. Seeing the villagers protecting Xia Qianqian, Madam Xia's heart skipped a beat—no wonder Wenwen always suffered at her hands before, this little bitch must have used some kind of seductive tricks to bewitch people!
She was about to shout out her guess when a sharp pain in her ankle reminded her that she couldn't even stand up straight.
This isn't the South City; nobody here will side with them.
If we let these peasants get any more worked up, they might tear us apart!
Madam Xia gritted her teeth, swallowed the words that were on the tip of her tongue, and was forced to lower her head, her disheveled hair obscuring her resentful eyes.
Tears streamed down her face as if they were free, she was extremely aggrieved.
"Qianqian, you're still blaming your mother, aren't you?" She suddenly raised her head, looking at Xia Qianqian with teary eyes, as if she had been wronged by a great injustice.
“You hit my foot with a stone just now, but Mom doesn’t blame you. Mom knows you’re upset.”
She sniffed, struggled to move closer to Xia Wenwen, and hugged her daughter tightly. Her voice choked with sobs even more: "But your sister Wenwen, she... she finally managed to reunite with us, how can you just watch her go hungry?"
She pointed at Xia Wenwen's withered lips, tears streaming down her face. "She hasn't eaten for two days. She came over just now, drawn by the aroma, just wanting to ask you for some porridge! How could you... how could you say she came to steal from you?"
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