Sure enough, this misleading statement instantly buried any semblance of rationality the crowd had managed to muster. Tao Biao rushed in front of Li Xiaoxiao first, saying, "Li Xiaoxiao, I'm giving you two choices now. Give your husband two taels of silver to this old woman, or don't blame me for being ruthless. Women like you only learn how to be tough when you're taught a lesson. Li family, watch how I teach your wife a lesson. Learn from me and don't act like a woman. I made you a live-in son-in-law, not a woman."
The two shouts of "women" caused a burst of laughter from the people present. Qi Yu's eyes turned cold, and a fierce aura burst forth from them, but no one noticed.
Li Xiaoxiao was furious. This kind of male chauvinism was the thing she hated the most. Tao Biao's words were like banging drums and gongs on her grave, forcing her to rise from her coffin.
"Get out of my way! How can an outsider like you interfere in my family's affairs? Husband, hand over all the money you have on you. From today onwards, you are not allowed to give the family a single penny. If you give any to this woman, I will make you go and do laundry for someone else to pay back all the money you've spent." Li Xiaoxiao shouted sternly. Qi Yu rummaged through his sleeves for a long time before finally finding one hundred coins. He took out the coins and handed them to Li Xiaoxiao cleanly and neatly.
"My wife, all the money I have is here." Qi Yu lowered his head, making it impossible to read his expression.
The crowd gasped in astonishment, their expressions one of utter disbelief. What a shrew she was!
"Is that all? Look again. I, Li Xiaoxiao, never allow my husband to keep anything. If you can't find it, you'll be given a beating when we get home." Li Xiaoxiao's eyes bulged, and she stood with her hands on her hips, looking even more fierce. This fierce temperament only made her stunningly beautiful face shine even brighter.
Qi Yu searched several times, then shook his head in response, "Wife, there really isn't any left."
"Tsk, look at this shrewish young lady. She's so domineering at home, how can I not control her? This is doing a good deed, accumulating good karma for our ancestors. I'll have to teach you a lesson on behalf of your husband." Tao Biao shook his head from the side, revealing a lewd look. Upon closer inspection, he noticed that Li Xiaoxiao was fair-skinned and delicate, standing out among the sallow-faced women of the village. In particular, her small face was increasingly endearing, even more beautiful than the county magistrate's daughter.
She had thick, beautiful hair, styled in a high bun held up by a single wooden hairpin, with stray hairs falling beside her ears. Her almond-shaped eyes were both angry and lively. She wore a dark blue cotton coat, and the more you looked at her, the more you liked her. If the man from the Li family couldn't be controlled, so be it; it would be better if he took over.
“This young lady is naturally feisty. If I discipline her, no matter how feisty she is, she’ll still have to obediently call me Master Tao.”
The crowd burst into laughter again. Tao Biao approached Li Xiaoxiao step by step, his expression becoming increasingly unrestrained. "I suppose your spineless husband doesn't know how to make you feel good either." Tao Biao had his eye on Li Xiaoxiao. He had heard that she owned a mountain and those blue-brick and white-tiled houses. Wouldn't it be a waste to use them to support this man? Why not take them all for himself?
Qi Yu's face was terribly gloomy, and the air pressure was extremely low.
Li Xiaoxiao smiled instead of getting angry. This person was probably possessed by Zhao Moutian. The old woman kneeling on the ground continued to kowtow, saying, "Living Buddha, thank you for your mercy, please have pity on me and save this miserable old woman."
The way people looked at Li Xiaoxiao began to change. They wondered what kind of dirty secrets lay behind a woman who could acquire so much land and a house overnight.
Li Xiaoxiao clutched her stomach and burst into laughter, "That's hilarious! Come at me if you dare!" With a provocative look, Tao Biao, as if provoked, charged forward with bloodshot eyes, assuming a fighting stance, ready to punch Li Xiaoxiao in the chest.
As soon as she rushed over, Li Xiaoxiao kicked Tao Biao in the stomach. Tao Biao was kicked twenty steps away and hit a stone pillar by the roadside with a loud thud. Coughing sounds followed. Tao Biao looked at Li Xiaoxiao in disbelief. She was only a little over six feet tall, so how could she be so strong? Even Jiang Dagen, the leader of the mountain stronghold, might not be able to kick him more than ten steps away.
"Honestly, there are always people who dare to face my thunderous wrath. I have to admire your courage." Li Xiaoxiao pulled Qi Yu over, looking at him with disdain. Then she let go of his other hands, grabbed his collar, lifted him up and slammed him against a pillar. With her other hand, she slapped him a few times. Several loud noises were heard, and Tao Biao's face became red and swollen.
Li Xiaoxiao grabbed him and threw him to another spot. Tao Biao rolled on the ground several times, and the onlookers quickly made way, not daring to breathe. The scene was eerily quiet.
The woman laughed even more radiantly, like a peony in full bloom. "You still dare to say such things? You think you can lecture me? Go back to your mother and suckle."
Tao Biao's eyes were bloodshot, filled with shame and indignation; he now looked like a monkey being watched.
Li Xiaoxiao waved her hand, seemingly disgusted that she had just grabbed the man. "As for the one kneeling on the ground, let me tell you again, I earned my own money. If you want money so badly, you can keep kowtowing here and see who is willing to give you two taels of silver, especially that living Buddha lying on the ground."
After Li Xiaoxiao finished speaking, she forcibly pulled Qi Yu away. Cai Shi finally stopped crying and looked in the direction Li Xiaoxiao left with a sinister look. The crowd stood there for a long time before they dispersed. Cai Shi got up and left the place of trouble.
The two arrived at the oxcart and got on. Qi Yu finally breathed a sigh of relief and looked at Li Xiaoxiao earnestly, saying, "Thank you." Li Xiaoxiao was quite surprised. Why was this man thanking her instead of complaining about her wickedness?
"How will you thank me, Qi Yu?" Li Xiaoxiao's hand brushed across the man's face, making his complexion slightly flushed, which pleased the woman. Qi Yu grabbed Li Xiaoxiao's hand with his large hand, "My wife, we'll talk about it when we get home. It's not very convenient to be out here right now."
Uncle Luo chuckled, "Madam Li, you're in high spirits. I've heard that the Cai family has a son who's only fifteen and is a gambling addict. I'm afraid he won't give up easily. Madam Li, be careful, after all, gossip can be a powerful thing." Uncle Luo originally disliked Li Xiaoxiao, but last time his son worked as a farmhand at her house and brought back some wild boar meat and snacks, his grandson was very happy. After all, he hadn't eaten so well even during the New Year. That's why he changed his opinion of Li Xiaoxiao. At his age, having traveled all over the country, such things were nothing new to him.
Li Xiaoxiao smiled. She knew the plot all too well. She had inherited the body from the original owner of this body, but the original owner's soul was nowhere to be found.
After arriving home, Li Xiaoxiao took out two taels of silver and eight hundred coins from her bosom, took Qi Yu's hand, and stuffed the silver into Qi Yu's palm. "Husband, she is still your stepmother, so you still have to give her money. However, you can't compromise on the street, otherwise she will use this as leverage to blackmail you, becoming more and more greedy each time. You can't give too much at once. The first time, you can only give fifty coins, the second time thirty coins, the third time twenty coins, and the fourth time five coins. After that, you should either not give any at all or only give five coins and never give more."
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