Chapter 283: It must be because you beat Youcai so badly that he suffered internal injuries!

Chapter 283: It must be because you beat Youcai so badly that he suffered internal injuries!

Not only were Wei Pozi and Yu Laotou stunned, but even Xingxing, who was enjoying her ice bowl in the inner room, paused in surprise.

In a flash, a memory crossed Xingxing's mind.

It was the faint bluish tint on his nails she had glimpsed by chance on the night of Zhao Youcai's wake.

As Xingxing frowned in thought, she heard Zhao Youde, Zhao Youcai's elder brother, speak smugly: "...Although Youcai had survived an avalanche back then, as the saying goes, 'Those who survive great calamities are destined for great fortune.' How could Youcai, who was in good health, suddenly die?"

"We inquired around, and several villagers mentioned that a few days before Youcai's death, he was severely beaten by your Yujia family, so severely that he was bedridden!"

"It must be because your beating caused internal injuries that led to his death!"

Zhao Youde spoke with forceful conviction.

Backed by a chorus of agreement from his entourage, it seemed as if he had uttered some eternal truth.

Wei Pozi and Yu Laotou were visibly stunned, momentarily at a loss for words.

Zhao Youde grew even more smug, and a woman next to him chimed in, "However, after so many years, we're not the type to drive people to despair. Since you're responsible for Zhao Youcai's death, you owe us, his family, compensation. Your house here seems quite impressive..."

"Father, Mother, I adore their vase!"

"And this stove, it's so finely crafted! Is this what the wealthy refer to as an incense burner?"

"Are you all stupid? Once they hand over this house as compensation, won't everything here belong to us?"

"That's right!"

This prompted a round of hearty laughter.

Xingxing had heard enough. She set her ice bowl down on the small table beside her, stood up, walked around the screen, and stepped out of the inner room.

"The reason Zhao Youcai was beaten back then was because he broke my fifth brother's head and then bragged about it. Though my uncles did beat him, they showed restraint." The rosy-cheeked girl, clad in simple home attire, stood there with a soft voice but met their gaze without flinching. "Shortly thereafter, Zhao Youcai was out and about, even drinking in the next village. If you're determined to pin his avalanche death on my family, why not also blame that drunken fall he had five years ago?"

Xingxing spoke clearly and calmly, her words measured and logical.

Zhao Youde was irked. He was taken aback by being challenged by a mere child: "...Where did this little brat come from? When adults are talking, there's no place for you to interrupt!"

Wei Pozi swiftly moved to protect Xingxing, sneering, "What's the matter? Can't counter my granddaughter, so now you're attacking her youth? If that's the case, then I, being of this age, shouldn't speak either. You should shut up!"

Zhao Youde's crew attempted to advance, but the maids outside, having sensed something was wrong, rushed in.

These days, the Yujia household was fully staffed. Apart from maids, there were also maidservants for heavy labor, and the doorkeeper who guarded the premises. It was no less equipped than some wealthy households in the city.

Wei Pozi pointed at Zhao Youde and his group: "Drive them out!"

Under Shuangxi's lead, the maids and maidservants, wielding brooms and dusters, drove Zhao Youde and his gang out, scattering them in chaos.

Wei Pozi spat fiercely at the retreating backs of Zhao Youde and his group.

Xingxing frowned slightly: "Grandma, I'm afraid this isn't over yet."

Wei Pozi hugged Xingxing affectionately: "My dear, don't worry about this messy business. They're just here to cause trouble because they see our family has prospered... I think they're all out of their minds! Grandma is just worried they might go crazy and hurt you."

Wei Pozi's concern was not unfounded.

Zhao Youde and his group indeed went crazy, but their target wasn't Xingxing—it was Zhao Youcai's widow, Pan Shi.

In the past few years without Zhao Youcai's abuse, Pan Shi has been able to support Ah Wu by earning her own keep through labor, and she stands taller now.

Upon hearing that Zhao Youde had caused a scene at the Yujia family and was driven out, she was extremely anxious. She was originally in the kitchen, preparing to boil water for Zhao Youde and his group, but now, in anger, she threw her apron to the ground: "Have you all lost your minds?! Zhao Youcai has been dead for five years, and you go to the Yujia family to make trouble?!... Get out! I don't want anything to do with you!"

Still cooking for them!?

They don't deserve it!

Zhao Youde's wife, along with her children, rushed to attack Pan Shi: "You traitorous little whore! Have you been fooling around with those Yujia men?!"

Pan Shi, who has been eating and sleeping well these years and has a promising life, is in excellent health. She immediately fought back against Zhao Youde's wife, even overpowering her!

Soon, Zhao Youkang's wife from Zhao Youde's side also joined the fight.

Pan Shi just managed to hold her ground against the two, and the three of them brawled their way from the courtyard out into the open. The villagers, bored and looking for entertainment, quickly gathered to watch the show. Some troublemakers, hearing Pan Shi and her two sisters-in-law cursing and involving the Yujia family, hurried to inform them.

As soon as Wei Pozi heard that Pan Shi was fighting with Zhao Youcai's relatives, she knew exactly what was going on!

She quickly brought two sturdy maidservants, with Xingxing trailing behind like a little shadow.

Seeing the Yujia family arrive, the villagers quickly stepped aside.

Wei Pozi saw that Pan Shi's hair was disheveled, and there was a scratch on her face, looking somewhat disheveled. But the others didn't come out unscathed either—Pan Shi had yanked out a clump of their hair and left scratches on both their faces!

Wei Pozi shouted, and the two maidservants, pretending to break up the fight, each grabbed one of Zhao Youde and Zhao Youkang's wives, yelling "Stop it, stop it!" while actually pinning them down. Pan Shi seized the chance to claw at them and elbow each one!

Only then did Pan Shi vent her anger, stepping aside to catch her breath.

The two wives, red-eyed with rage, struggled wildly: "Let me go! I'll scratch that little whore to death! That slut!"

The maidservants were incredibly strong, and only when Zhao Youde and Zhao Youkang couldn't resist joining the 'women's brawl' did the two sturdy maidservants release their grip and position themselves in front of Pan Shi like a pair of walls.

Their one-sided intervention was a total success!

Zhao Youde, scowling, couldn't bring himself to join the women's catfight—it would be too humiliating for a man to get involved in such a mess.

He had assumed his wife and sister-in-law would come out on top, but who could have guessed that Pan Shi would be so tough, and that the Yujia family would even send reinforcements!

Zhao Youde's face darkened, and he suddenly shouted: "Listen up, everyone! The Yujia family killed my cousin Zhao Youcai five years ago, and now we're here to demand justice. But this traitorous whore Pan Shi is siding with the killers and attacking her own sisters-in-law!"