Chapter 64 It's like an old man eating poison.
"Shut up!"
Xu Zhili's voice wasn't loud, but it was like it was carrying ice thorns, instantly piercing through Wang Pozi's dry wailing.
She slowly stood up, looking down at the old hag throwing a tantrum on the ground, her eyes filled with undisguised disgust and murderous intent: "If you howl one more time, I'll knock all your teeth out and stuff them down your throat."
Granny Wang's wailing caught in her throat. She stared in horror at Xu Zhili's cold eyes, a chill running from the soles of her feet to the top of her head. She had no doubt that this wicked woman was capable of such a thing.
Just then, in Wang Pozi's dazed mind, that crazy thought from before resurfaced, even more intensely than before.
Seeing that Xu Zhili didn't immediately react, Granny Wang went a step further, her eyes darting around as she feigned concern: "Oh dear... Xu Zhiqing, this old woman... feels sorry for you! Look at you, so young, so handsome, so capable, but your life is so hard, having to drag along such a small child..." She pointed to An'an, who was cowering fearfully behind her sister.
“With a burden like this, how will he find a good husband in the future? My wife is kind-hearted and doesn’t mind! My son, Wang Qiang, you know him, right? He’s handsome, strong, and good-looking. He’s one of the best young men in our village.”
She became more and more enthusiastic as she spoke, as if she were selling a precious treasure. "Take my advice and marry into the Wang family with your child. I promise to treat you like my own daughter, and raise the child as the Wang family's grandson. From now on, the game you hunt will be enjoyed by our whole family. Wouldn't that be great? It would save you and your brother from being bullied as an orphan."
The surrounding air froze instantly.
The villagers were stunned, looking at Wang Pozi as if she were a madwoman.
"Oh--"
Xu Zhili's expression changed from cold disgust to a strange sense of absurdity, and she gave a short, emotionless sneer.
She suddenly stood up, and the shadow fell over Granny Wang.
She casually pulled out the pig-slaughtering knife, which she always kept by her side and stained with wild boar blood, and plunged it deep into the low wooden stump in front of her with a "thud," the blade humming incessantly.
She leaned slightly closer to that old face, her voice extremely low, yet each word was like an ice pick, clearly piercing everyone's eardrums:
“Old hag, listen up.”
"First of all, your son is a good-for-nothing who can't even be plastered on a wall. He's not even worthy of carrying my shoes."
"Secondly, I, Xu Zhili, would rather marry a pig or a dog than step into your Wang family's stinking ditch."
“Third,” her voice suddenly turned sharp, chillingly cold, “dare to say again that my brother is a burden, dare to mention the word 'marry' again, dare to glance at my prey with your filthy eyes again…”
Her icy gaze swept over the still-trembling butcher knife, then fixed on Granny Wang's deathly pale face:
"I'll strip you and your good-for-nothing son naked and hang them on the old locust tree at the village entrance, so the whole brigade can see what a 'handsome man' really looks like. Do you understand?"
"roll!"
Granny Wang trembled violently, her face turned ashen, and she couldn't utter a single word.
That chilling killing intent left her with no doubt that this ruthless star meant what he said.
She scrambled to her feet, not bothering to brush off the dirt, and fled like a frightened mouse without looking back, disappearing from sight and leaving only a suspicious puddle of water in her wake.
His back looked disheveled, and there was no trace of the kind demeanor he had when he was arranging the marriage.
The surroundings were deathly silent.
The villagers watched as Xu Zhili sat back down on the rock and continued wiping An'an's hands as if nothing had happened. Then they looked in the direction where Granny Wang had disappeared. They fell silent, their eyes filled with even deeper awe.
This educated youth Xu... not only is he incredibly strong, killing wild boars without batting an eye, but his mouth... his methods... are so ruthless they make your heart tremble. You can't afford to mess with him, you absolutely can't afford to mess with him.
Xu Zhili felt those complicated gazes, but didn't care at all.
She simply patted An'an's head gently, a cold, deep meaning flashing in her eyes.
It seems there are quite a few fools in this Xiangyang brigade who want to take advantage of her.
Very good, this old hag is a perfect example to make an example of her.
The construction site was deathly silent for a few seconds, then erupted in laughter:
"Pfft!"
"Hahaha--!"
"Oh my god! Wang Laizi's mother, she's really asking for trouble—she's tired of living!" A burly man slapped his thigh and laughed.
"Take a piss and look at yourself in the mirror? I think she's swallowed her own piss into her brain!" another man said disdainfully. "With Wang Laizi's character, idle and petty thieves, who in the surrounding villages doesn't know him? A toad trying to eat a swan with thorns!"
"that is!"
A person nearby chimed in, glancing with awe at Xu Zhili, who was casually pulling out a knife and wiping off the grease with a blade of grass. "Who is Xu Zhiqing? She's a ruthless woman who can take down a wild boar with her bare hands! So what if she has a younger brother? Having this 'older sister' is more impressive than having ten fathers! The Wang family wants to take advantage? Aren't they afraid of choking or getting pricked to death!"
"Well, that's true,"
An older woman lowered her voice worriedly, "But the Wang family is notoriously ruthless and shameless! Back in the day, Wang Laizi's father would lie at someone's door and howl for three days straight just to get half a plot of land. Wang Laizi is even worse; when he was caught peeping at a female educated youth bathing, he turned around and accused her of seducing him! No matter how capable Xu is, she can't withstand their shameless harassment, their spreading rumors, and their attempts to disgust her! It's easy to dodge a spear in the open, but hard to guard against a hidden arrow, especially since she has a child with her..."
These words extinguished the laughter like cold water, and worry appeared on everyone's faces.
"We can't just stand by and watch!"
The burly man, laughing loudly, slammed his hand on a pile of timber beside him, sending dust flying. His face tightened with tension. "We have to tell the brigade leader to have Captain Xie use the loudspeaker to yell at them. If they dare to come within a hundred meters of Xu Zhiqing's house again, their entire family's work points will be deducted, and they'll starve when the grain is distributed at the end of the year. Let's see if they dare to act up again."
"Yes! Let's do it that way." Everyone responded in unison.
The power of the collective and the deterrent effect of work points are the most effective weapons against scoundrels.
Amidst the uproar and outrage, Xie Yunze, who had been quietly standing in the shadows on the outskirts of the crowd, slowly raised his head.
He was originally looking down, with stray hairs covering his eyebrows and eyes.
Sunlight streamed in from the side, casting a few stray strands of hair behind his ears with a shimmering golden glow.
However, the moment he looked up—
It felt as if a tangible shadow was looming over us.
Those eyes, which were always clear and bright, radiating youthful energy, were now as dark and murky as the sea before a storm.
The sunlight fell on his face, but it couldn't dispel the sudden chill that had settled there.
His gaze, like an arrow chilled to ice, was fixed on the direction in which Wang Laizi's family had fled, as if trying to pierce the air and nail it to the vest of that sleazy figure.
His previously sunny and harmless aura had completely vanished.
Instead, there is a chilling silence and tension, almost like a wild beast locking onto its prey.
His jawline was clenched tightly, and his cheeks were slightly puffed out.
With his hands hanging at his sides, his knuckles were bluish-white from exertion, and the veins on the back of his hands were bulging.
The surrounding noise instantly faded away from him.
In his world, all that remained was Wang Laizi's repulsive face and his mother's words that blasphemed the untouchable person in his heart.
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