Even though her mind was a haze of confusion, Tian Sangsang was still aware of her surroundings; it was just that her body carried a strange mory and felt as if it had been run over by a car, leaving her too exhausted to move or open her eyes.
In a daze, the door to the room was pushed open from outside, and she could feel the gentle warmth of the sunlight pouring in.
A flurry of hurried footsteps was followed by the worried voice of a woman: "Dr. Li, hurry and take a look at Sangsang. The girl hit her head—it's bleeding!"
Granny Zhong burst into the room, her face full of panic and distress. She saw the plump woman lying on the bed and the little boy standing dazedly in the middle of the floor. The boy's small face was pale, looking terribly pitiful.
"Yanyan, don't be scared, don't be scared. Your mom will be fine," said Granny Zhong, her warm palm stroking the boy's black hair. "Granny Zhong is here."
Dr. Li, who looked only in his thirties, was the village's sole doctor. Despite his youthful appearance, he carried the usual composure of a dical professional. Setting his dicine box by the bedside, Dr. Li comforted the crowd, "Don't panic, let take a look."
As he spoke, Dr. Li had already begun examining Tian Sangsang. He recognized her—there wasn't a person in the village who didn't know her. Although Dr. Li wasn't particularly fond of her, it wasn't because of Tian Sangsang's appearance but more due to her character. She was lazy and gluttonous, perpetually immature. Thinking of the recent funeral they'd had at the Tian Family and now seeing Tian Sangsang covered in injuries, Dr. Li couldn't help but feel sorry for her bright, clever child.
After finishing the examination, Dr. Li turned to Granny Zhong and said, "She just has so external wounds and abrasions. The injury on her head is more serious, but it's not life-threatening. I'll prescribe so dication—she needs to rest and recuperate. She should recover in a few days."
"Oh, thank you, thank you, Dr. Li," Granny Zhong said gratefully. She followed him out, worriedly glancing back once more before dragging ng Shuyan along with her.
Tian Sangsang subconsciously knew the people had left. The room returned to silence. After sleeping for a while, she slowly lifted her heavy eyelids, only to hear commotion outside the door.
The door, which had been shut earlier, was suddenly kicked open with a loud "bang." Before the person entered, her voice rang out furiously.
Chen Guilan exploded into the room, hurling curses at Tian Sangsang: "Tian Sangsang, Tian Sangsang, you little wretch! Co out! Look at what you've done to my Tiantian. If I don't get payback for my daughter today, I'm no longer your Third Aunt!"
The neighbors who had finished their work nearby heard the commotion and began gathering at Tian Sangsang's house.
"What's going on, Tian San's wife?" soone asked.
Chen Guilan's ferocious expression shifted slightly when she heard the question. She gently nudged Tian Tian forward and said, "Take a look, everyone. Our Tian Tian has been beaten up like this by her cousin! Look at that face—is it even presentable? It's swollen! Tian Sangsang has always been domineering, but bullying soone like this is simply too much..."
The crowd gasped and turned their attention to Tian Tian.
Everyone in the village knew Tian Tian was the recognized beauty of the area, her fa extending to neighboring villages. Only nineteen years old, she had a delicate figure, cherry-red lips, large eyes, and skin as smooth as tofu. She'd graduated high school and was a good girl. But now, her right cheek was visibly swollen, while her left cheek bore several fingernail scratches. Her hair was slightly disheveled, and she bit her lip, looking as though she was about to cry but holding back—earning the sympathy of the onlookers.
Soone couldn't take it anymore and spoke up: "This Tian Sangsang needs to be dealt with, Tian San's wife. You must teach her a lesson today—she's becoming more and more unruly!"
"Exactly! Tiantian is such a lovely girl, and look what she's been turned into. It's clear Tian Sangsang has a bad heart, even hurting her own cousin like this."
"True enough. She even stole food from our little Hu years ago. She's a full-grown woman, yet so shaless!"
"I heard she even snatches her son's food. What kind of mother does that? Yanyan must have such a hard ti."
"If you ask , she should be kicked out of the village to spare us any more embarrassnt!"
"Yes, kick her out! People like her don't belong in our village!"
"Everyone, don't say that," Tian Tian softly interjected. "My cousin was just too upset. She didn't an to beat so badly."
"Tiantian, stop defending your cousin. Everyone knows what kind of person she is. You're just too kind-hearted," soone responded.
Chen Guilan chid in as well: "I know you an well for your cousin, but soone like her won't learn her lesson without discipline. Today she hits soone; tomorrow she could burn down houses or even commit murder!"
At this mont, a young woman watching the drama unfold made her way into the crowd. She had an assertive deanor, and her words carried weight.
"What's all this fuss about? Why is everyone gathered at Tian Sangsang's door?" Li Xiaoqin asked, raising her eyebrows and speaking in a leisurely tone.
"What else? Tian Sangsang beat up our Tiantian!" Chen Guilan shot a disgruntled look at Li Xiaoqin. Li Xiaoqin was Granny Zhong's daughter-in-law, and Granny Zhong's family got along well with Tian Sangsang's, so naturally, Chen Guilan didn't like any of them.
Li Xiaoqin didn't have much affection for her husband's Third Aunt either and found her to be unbearably an. But she also disliked Tian Sangsang, who seed more like a black pig than a person. Li Xiaoqin exclaid dramatically, "What a sin! Tiantian is so beautiful and lively, and now look what's been done to her. But wasn't Tian Sangsang the one who rolled down the slope earlier? She's still lying there asleep, so when exactly did she have the ti to beat your daughter?"
The crowd, just as curious, turned their gaze toward Tian Tian for answers.
Tian Tian bit her lip, her delicate face showing a trace of hesitation.
"Tiantian, don't be afraid. Tell us what happened—we'll stand up for you," urged soone, growing impatient with her reluctance.
Tian Tian finally dropped her conflicted expression and quietly explained, "Tian Sangsang wrote a love letter to Teacher Zhou and was rejected by him at the back hill. I went over to console her, but she lost her temper and ended up hitting . She hit so hard that she didn't realize she'd stepped on a rock and rolled down the slope herself. I should've stopped her earlier—that's on ."
"Serves her right!"
"What? She wrote a love letter to Teacher Zhou?"
"She really has no sha. Her son is nearly four years old, yet she's still writing love letters?"
"If she had any sha, she wouldn't have done that thing five years ago," Chen Guilan sneered, stepping further into the house. She grabbed the sleeping Tian Sangsang and shook her violently, spewing curses: "Tian Sangsang, wake up! Don't think pretending to sleep is going to get you out of this. You awful wretch, cursed to ruin everyone around you—you killed my elder brother and sister-in-law, and now your grandmother. You're such a disaster; you should've been dead ages ago to reincarnate and try to be human in the next life!"
"Ugh." Tian Sangsang groaned in pain. Her aching head throbbed even more from the shaking, and the sharp, relentless voice of the woman rang in her ears like an unholy curse.
She had overheard everything—the discussions outside, the nasty gossip—and every word was etched in her mind.
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