Chapter 67: This Is a One-Sided Beatdown
The one who grabbed Tan Qingjuan’s hair from behind was none other than Aunt Tao.
Aunt Tao had been digging potatoes in another field today. Hearing that Tan Qingjuan was causing trouble for Su Qing, she quickly dropped what she was doing and hurried over. Just as she arrived, she saw Tan Qingjuan spewing profanities and about to hit Su Qing.
Aunt Tao was extremely protective of Su Qing these days. Seeing Tan Qingjuan about to strike Su Qing, how could she let that happen?
Without a moment’s hesitation, Aunt Tao strode forward, yanked Tan Qingjuan’s hair, and delivered two sharp slaps to her face.
Earlier, when Su Qing had slapped Tan Qingjuan, she hadn’t held back, leaving two large, red handprints on her face. But Aunt Tao had done farm work her entire life; not only was she strong, but her palms were also thick with calluses. These two slaps not only made Tan Qingjuan’s face throb with even more pain, but Aunt Tao’s calluses also scraped several red streaks across her skin.
"AHHH—" Tan Qingjuan’s scalp and face screamed with pain. Forgetting everything else, she scrambled to shield her head and face.
Aunt Tao continued to strike her as she scolded, "What did Su Qing ever do to you? How dare you curse at her so filthily! You think there’s no one in Lihua Village? Daring to bully one of our own."
As she spoke, she landed two more slaps across Tan Qingjuan’s face.
Tan Qingjuan’s head was ringing. Furious, she shrieked, "You people from Lihua Village are the bullies! Su Qing is the one seducing men. Why can’t I say anything about it?"
Aunt Cuihua also started forward to hit Tan Qingjuan. "Pah! What’s all this nonsense you’re spouting?"
Su Qing stopped Aunt Cuihua, then stepped forward and gently pulled Aunt Tao back. "Aunt Tao, let me handle this. She came looking for trouble today, so I’m going to settle this with her once and for all."
"Alright." Aunt Tao nodded. "Su Qing, you go on and don’t hold back. If you can’t handle her, you still have me and your Aunt Cuihua."
"Okay." With that, Su Qing kicked Tan Qingjuan to the ground, straddled her stomach, and rained a flurry of blows down on her face. ’She dared to ruin my reputation in front of all these people and use such filthy language,’ Su Qing thought, ’I’ll smash her face in.’
"AHH!" Tan Qingjuan realized she was no match for Su Qing at all. Su Qing’s assault left her completely powerless to fight back. All she could do was try her best to cover her face with her hands, but even then, her face throbbed with searing pain, and the backs of her hands felt like they were swelling from the blows. "You... let go of me!"
Tan Qingjuan struggled to get free, but she couldn’t break Su Qing’s hold.
Seeing Su Qing’s ferocious assault, the villagers who had rushed over to watch stared with wide-eyed astonishment. One of them remarked, "Good heavens, that Su Qing girl has really changed since she left her family. The way she fights is really something else."
"It’s good she’s tougher," another person said. "You have to be tough to avoid being bullied. If she were still her old self, this Tan Qingjuan would have definitely walked all over her."
"Hey, she’s got us, doesn’t she? You think we’d just stand by and watch her get bullied?"
"Pfft. When Su Qing was being bullied at the Old Su Family’s home, I don’t recall anyone helping her then."
"That’s different. That was with her own grandparents. If Su Qing didn’t stand up for herself, there was nothing an outsider could do."
The crowd of villagers whispered amongst themselves, all watching as Su Qing gave Tan Qingjuan a brutal beating.
"What are you all standing around for? Did you forget you have work to do?" Just then, Zhao Youcai arrived and barked, "Get back to work, all of you! If we’re late on the public grain quota, we’ll see who’s crying then."
At Zhao Youcai’s words, the crowd scattered in all directions. The drama was entertaining, but their food rations were more important.
Seeing Zhao Youcai arrive, Su Qing gave Tan Qingjuan one last slap before getting to her feet and calling out, "Team Leader."
"What’s going on here?" Zhao Youcai asked with a frown. Someone had just come to tell him that Su Qing and Tan Qingjuan were fighting. He came over to take a look, and, well... ’You call this a fight?’ he thought. ’This is a one-sided slaughter!’
’Tsk, tsk,’ he added internally, ’that Tan Zhiqing got beaten up something fierce.’
"Team Leader, it’s like this." Aunt Cuihua was a fast talker and explained the whole incident in a few quick sentences. "Team Leader, you tell me, wasn’t that Tan Zhiqing asking for a beating? Su Qing was just minding her own business, working in the fields, and this one comes over looking for trouble, spouting all kinds of filth."
"What did I say that was wrong?" Tan Qingjuan’s face was so swollen that her words came out in a lisp. Enduring the pain, she said angrily, "Su Qing is a homewrecker. I wasn’t wrong to curse her. She’s a shameless bitch!"
Zhao Youcai’s face hardened as he looked at Tan Qingjuan. "Tan Zhiqing, if you want to solve this, then talk properly. If you don’t, then I’m washing my hands of it. You started a fight you couldn’t win, so you can just deal with the consequences."
"You... you’re all ganging up on me!" Tan Qingjuan choked out.
Zhao Youcai shot Tan Qingjuan a glare, and the words she was about to say died in her throat. ’I can’t leave Lihua Village yet,’ she realized. ’I still have to make a living here. I absolutely cannot afford to offend the team leader.’
Earlier, hearing Tan Qingjuan’s accusations, Su Qing had been too focused on the beating to think. But hearing them again now, she couldn’t help but narrow her eyes. ’The only man Tan Qingjuan and I could possibly have in common is Liang Fushan. This morning, the Liang Family sent a matchmaker to my house to propose a marriage, and some villagers saw it. Now Tan Qingjuan shows up to cause a scene...’
’Can it be? Does she think I’m trying to come between her and Liang Fushan?’
With this thought, Su Qing looked at Tan Qingjuan and said, "You can’t possibly think there’s something going on between me and Liang Fushan, can you? You and Liang Fushan..."
"That’s right, Liang Fushan and I are a couple." Things had already come to this; Tan Qingjuan decided not to hide their relationship any longer. ’I’ve already given myself to him, I have to secure my future,’ she thought. ’If I don’t make our relationship public, what if he marries someone else one day? Then it’ll be too late for tears.’
"Su Qing, I was right to curse you! You’re not the victim here!" Tan Qingjuan said furiously. "Liang Fushan and I are a couple, and you tried to get between us! You’re shameless! How dare you hit me like this!"
"Pah! Have you no shame?" Aunt Cuihua spat in Tan Qingjuan’s direction. "Who knew you were dating that Liang-whatever-his-name-is? Our Su Qing is the one who’s been wronged! She had a matchmaker show up at her door first thing in the morning out of the blue. Su Qing has absolutely no connection with that man! Besides, she rejected the proposal outright. If you ask me, you’re the one who’s sick in the head, running over here and throwing a tantrum for no reason. Who else would get a beating if not you?"
"What!" Tan Qingjuan was stunned. She only knew that a matchmaker had gone to the Su Family home to propose a marriage. Because of Liang Fushan’s recent behavior, she had been convinced that Su Qing had seduced him, and she took it for granted that Su Qing must have agreed to the proposal.
’But now they’re saying Su Qing rejected the proposal?’
’How is that possible?’
’If Su Qing hadn’t actively seduced Liang Fushan, hadn’t hooked him so thoroughly that he sent a matchmaker to her door, how could a man like him possibly be interested in someone who looks like her?’