Chapter 24

Unfortunately, Qin Xiaorou had a fiery temper. She responded with a hard slap that nearly knocked the shopkeeper out cold, and from that day onward, she never set foot in the store again.

“A filthy old woman and a little bastard—keep your hands to yourself! I have security cameras here, and if you dare steal anything, don’t blame me for what happens next!”

“Who are you calling names?”

Filthy old woman, little bastard!

Yang Huijuan’s anger flared in an instant. All these years living with the Qin family, not even they had ever insulted her like this. She prided herself on being a respectable woman, someone who cared deeply about her dignity—how could she possibly swallow such vile language?

“Today, you’d better explain yourself. How am I filthy? And how is my granddaughter a bastard?”

Unable to contain her rage, Yang Huijuan put Yaoyao down and strode forward, seizing the shopkeeper by the collar.

She was determined to have it out with him, unwilling to let anyone hurl such slander at her family.

“Let go of me!” The shopkeeper’s expression changed at once as Yang Huijuan grabbed his collar. His voice dropped to a threatening tone. “Take your filthy hands off me, or you’ll regret it!”

As he spoke, he snatched up a beer bottle, brandishing it threateningly as if to smash it over Yang Huijuan’s head.

“Grandma, please stop fighting. I don’t want any candy anymore. It’s all my fault. I am a little bastard. Grandma, please don’t fight,” Yaoyao cried out, her voice trembling.

Seeing the shopkeeper about to strike and her grandmother about to suffer, Yaoyao spoke up quickly. Perhaps it was years of enduring such malice that made the child so heartbreakingly mature.

“Did you hear that?”

“Even your little granddaughter admits she’s a bastard!” The shopkeeper, encouraged, raised his voice. “Your daughter is so pretty—she must have slept with all sorts of men, what a whore. And you, old woman, you’re no better, just as filthy as her!”

“Let go of me right now!”

“If you don’t let go, I’ll bash your head in!” he shouted, raising the beer bottle high in the air to threaten Yang Huijuan.

By now, a crowd had gathered, pointing and gossiping about Yang Huijuan and Yaoyao. None of the onlookers said a kind word; their disdain for residents of Fengshun Community was plain on their faces.

“I won’t let go. Not until you explain yourself!”

Instead of releasing him, Yang Huijuan gripped his collar even tighter. People lived for dignity, she thought, and she would not allow anyone to belittle her family this way.

“Fine! You stubborn old hag—won’t let go, huh?”

In a fit of rage, the shopkeeper brought the beer bottle crashing down on Yang Huijuan’s head.

In an instant, the bottle shattered. Blood streamed from Yang Huijuan’s scalp as dizziness washed over her and she collapsed heavily to the ground.

“Stupid old woman, you just wouldn’t take a warning! Forced me to do this!” The shopkeeper straightened his collar, then kicked Yang Huijuan viciously in the face, sending blood gushing from her nose.

“You all saw it, didn’t you?” he called out to the crowd. “This old woman and her granddaughter tried to seduce me, kept pestering me to come inside and have a little chat. I had no choice but to defend myself!”

“No… it’s not like that!” Yang Huijuan struggled to sit up, trying to explain, but before she could finish, the shopkeeper raised his foot and kicked her again.

“Don’t hit my grandma! You’re a bad man!” Yaoyao cried, rushing to shield her grandmother. The shopkeeper’s next kick landed squarely on Yaoyao, sending her tumbling several meters away.

“Yaoyao!!”

At that very moment, Chu Tianhe happened to be returning home. He arrived just in time to witness the scene, and with a swift stride, he rushed forward and gathered Yaoyao into his arms.

“Daddy… sob… the bad man… he hit me, and he hit Grandma too…”