WBSGVS Chapter 105

Qingli hadn’t expected trouble to start so soon.

Her body was still weak, and the original owner’s health had been severely depleted. Qingli had planned to stay here for at least half a month. Although the communal meals at the canteen weren’t nutritious, they were enough to stave off hunger. She intended to roam the mountains during this time, hoping to find some meat to help rebuild her strength.

But who could have guessed that Qian Guiying’s patience would run out faster than expected?

And now she was coming to pick a fight.

Qingli wasn’t the same as the original owner. She could occasionally humor unpleasant people, but she had no intention of letting herself get hurt. The moment she realized Qian Guiying’s intent, she decided to accelerate her plans.

Right now, she wasn’t strong enough to fight Qian Guiying. The woman was a seasoned farmer, and even a somewhat refined city man wouldn’t stand a chance against her. So, Qingli shifted her target instead.

It just so happened that on her first day here, the original owner had been beaten because of Tang Tiantian. Today was the perfect time to pay her back.

With that, Qingli struck and fled, clean and efficient.

Before anyone in the Tang family could react, the incident had already unfolded.

The eldest, third, and fourth sons of the Tang family stood frozen in shock. Qian Guiying glanced at her dumbfounded sons with frustration and barked orders:

“What are you standing there for? Fourth Son, go after that wretched girl and bring her back! Third Son, carry your sister to the village clinic. Eldest Son, get some money!”

Notably, the second son received no instructions.

After all, the one who had just attacked her precious daughter was none other than the second son’s daughter!

As soon as Qian Guiying gave her orders, everyone sprang into action. Li Lanhua let out a piercing scream and staggered after her daughter.

Meanwhile, the others turned to look at Tang Tiantian lying in her mother’s arms, moaning softly.

The kick had been vicious, landing squarely on her chest. She couldn’t even cry out loud anymore. The once-pampered, fair-skinned little girl looked utterly pitiful.

Even those who usually envied their aunt couldn’t help but feel sorry for her now.

But deep down, they felt a hidden sense of satisfaction. Finally, someone had taught that spoiled girl a lesson.

Tang Fourth Son obeyed his mother’s command and hurried outside. He didn’t like unnecessary trouble, but when his mother told him to do something, he had to comply. If he didn’t, she’d hold a grudge and nag him endlessly.

Still, as he ran, he couldn’t help but mutter to himself, “Man, that Third Girl is ruthless.”

Though it sounded like he was complaining, there was no trace of anger in his tone—only amusement.

He had long wanted to discipline that spoiled brat. But she was only a few years older than his eldest son and doted on by his mother as if she were a treasure. He couldn’t bring himself to act.

No other family treated a girl this indulgently.

And even if they did, it wouldn’t be as lopsided as this. His mother was stingy with everyone else’s children but overly generous with Tang Tiantian. She deserved this!

Tang Fourth Son jogged a little, but to his surprise, the girl was dead serious about running. She was already far ahead, leaving even her mother behind, and was heading straight for the mountains.

Now, he was getting worried. Quickening his pace, he shouted, “Third Girl, come back! You can’t go into the mountains!”

Qingli ignored him. After injuring Tang Tiantian like that, returning home was not an option. That biased old woman wouldn’t let her off the hook.

It was safer to stay in the mountains. With so many trees, she could climb one if a wild boar appeared. Animals were far less dangerous than people.

She kept running, though her weak body was slowing her down. Despite this, her determination was unwavering.

Tang Fourth Son followed, but he wasn’t much faster. By the time he got close, she was already deep into the woods, climbing higher and higher until she vanished from sight.

Frowning, he stopped at the edge of the forest. The deeper he went, the darker it became. Though it was noon and the sun was bright, the thick canopy ahead was shrouded in shadow as if hiding some lurking menace.

Everyone knew there weren’t any actual ghosts, but the mountains were full of real dangers. Just recently, a wild boar had wreaked havoc on the crops before being taken down with a shotgun.

If she ran into a boar…

Valuing his own life, Tang Fourth Son hesitated. Watching his niece disappear into the forest, he turned back, his expression grim.

Soon, he saw his panting second sister-in-law, Li Lanhua, crying as she stumbled toward the mountains. He quickly grabbed her arm to stop her. “Second Sister-in-law, you can’t go in there!”

“Let me go! My daughter’s still in there!” Li Lanhua wailed, struggling to break free.

But she had been exhausted from hard labor that morning and the frantic chase after. There was no way she could overpower him.

Tang Fourth Son held firm. “She’ll come back. If you go in there, we’ll end up with two people in danger!”

He suspected Third Girl had run into the mountains to kill herself after hitting Tiantian.

But if his second sister-in-law got hurt too, his second brother would be completely ruined. Their mother would never allow him to remarry.

The two wrestled briefly, but fortunately, the blazing sun meant most villagers were resting indoors. No one witnessed the scene, and Tang Fourth Son managed to pull her back home.

By the time they returned, Qian Guiying was long gone. She had rushed off with Tang Dashun and others to get her daughter medical attention.

At the Tang household, Li Lanhua collapsed to the ground, sobbing loudly.

Tang Fourth Son’s wife, worried, asked, “What’s going on?”

He replied in a low voice, “Third Girl ran into the mountains.”

“What?!” His wife gasped, her face pale. “How deep into the mountains?”

“She’s deep inside. I couldn’t see her anymore. I didn’t dare go that far,” he said, shaking his head gravely.

The fourth son’s wife stared at him in horror, seemingly unable to believe it. But knowing her husband wouldn’t lie, her shock grew even deeper. These days, unless someone was desperate for food and willing to risk their life, no one dared to venture into the mountains. This child was unbelievably bold!

Even if they wanted to hire villagers to search for her, they wouldn’t dare. If someone got attacked by a tiger or a wild boar during the search, they wouldn’t be able to afford the compensation.

So now that she’d run into the mountains, she either had to come out on her own or resign herself to dying in there.

The mountain was vast. If she got lost in there, that would be truly disastrous.

Usually, when they went to pick wild vegetables or cut grass for the pigs, they wouldn’t go farther than the base of the mountain.

Having grown up here, San Ya knew all of this. Could she be so terrified of her grandmother that she’d rather hide in the mountains?

Seeing Li Lanhua crying like that, the fourth son’s wife, who had also suffered from the grandmother’s and aunt’s bullying, felt a pang of empathy. She looked at her second sister-in-law with pity and helped her up. “Second Sister-in-law, San Ya will come back on her own. Don’t cry. If Mother sees you like this…”

Li Lanhua’s sobbing quieted slightly. Feeling both wronged and resentful, she muttered, “San Ya eating at the collective dining hall was the village’s decision. Why is Mother so upset? If she hadn’t gotten angry, would San Ya have done something like this?”

The fourth son’s wife had no response. It was obvious. Tang Tiantian often didn’t get enough to eat. The only way to make up for it was by taking food from the other children. With San Ya gone, there was one less mouth to feed, meaning Tang Tiantian could eat more. Her mother-in-law simply doted on her daughter too much.

But who could’ve guessed that the once obedient San Ya would grow so bold, even going so far as to knock Tang Tiantian flat?

Seeing her sister-in-law’s silence, Li Lanhua started crying again. She wanted to rush into the mountains to find her daughter but knew the Tang family wouldn’t let her. If anything happened to her, they’d just lose another pair of working hands.

The fourth son’s wife sighed and helped her back to her room.

That afternoon, half the Tang family skipped work. There were no secrets in the village, and news spread quickly. Within no time, everyone knew what had happened: Tang San Ya, fearing her grandmother’s retaliation after hitting Tang Tiantian, had fled deep into the mountains.

At work, the villagers began talking.

“I knew it! I just knew something like this would happen!” one person exclaimed.

The woman who’d initially spread the gossip rolled her eyes. “Oh, you knew, did you?”

“Of course!” the person retorted disdainfully. “Who else plays favorites like that family? Sons are treated like weeds, while the daughter is a treasure. Look at Tang Tiantian. She’s only two months younger than San Ya but looks so much better fed. The third son and his wife work just as hard. Are you telling me they can’t even raise one daughter properly? It’s obvious all the good stuff gets saved for her!”

“Exactly! I’ve told her before, but she doesn’t listen. Don’t her other sons feel wronged?”

“Now look at the mess they’ve caused. It’s no wonder San Ya hit her. Honestly, it’s about time someone taught that girl a lesson.”

“It won’t end well, though. That old woman won’t let this slide.”

“What can she do? The kid’s already run into the mountains to hide. If something happens, it’ll be too late.”

As the villagers gossiped, Qian Guiying and the others returned to work after taking a two-hour break. Skipping work meant no work points, and no work points meant no money.

On the way back, Qian Guiying fumed. She was determined to give San Ya a harsh lesson so the girl would understand that Tang Tiantian was off-limits.

But when she got home and saw the empty room, she frowned and turned to her eldest son. “Put Tiantian in her room and let her rest.”

Tang Tiantian, lying on Tang Dasong’s back with flushed cheeks and puffy eyes, obediently nodded. But before she went in, she called out, “Mom, you have to punish San Ya!”

“Of course!” Qian Guiying promised immediately. Once her precious daughter was settled, she turned to her second son with a scowl. “Where’s San Ya? Bring her out! You all can get back to work after.”

The family didn’t have much money. They’d already spent some on Tiantian’s checkup, which revealed nothing serious—just bruising on her chest and backside. Painful, yes, but a little ointment would take care of it.

The other sons nodded and left. Tang Ersong hesitated, though, and pleaded, “Mom, San Ya was just scared. Don’t hit her too hard…”

Qian Guiying couldn’t stand his soft-heartedness. A girl child, spoiled rotten, and not even capable of bearing a son! She smacked him on the back, her face fierce. “Just go! I’m not going to kill her!”

With a bitter expression, Tang Ersong opened the door to call for his daughter, only to find the room empty.

Relieved, he said, “Mom, San Ya must’ve gone to work. She’s not here.”

But Qian Guiying wasn’t about to let it go. If the girl wasn’t at home, then she’d deal with her at the fields. Her expression didn’t change as she coldly ordered, “Fine. We’ll go there.”

“Alright…”

Tang Ersong followed his mother, his honest face full of helplessness.

When they arrived at the worksite, Qian Guiying noticed the strange looks and whispers directed her way. Irritated, she snapped, “What are you staring at?”

“Who’s staring at you?” one villager retorted, then turned to Tang Ersong. “Your daughter ran into the deep mountains because of your mother. Aren’t you going to find her? If night falls, she could die out there!”

“What? The deep mountains?” Tang Ersong was stunned and turned to the villager in disbelief.

When the answer was confirmed, his legs nearly gave out. Panicked, he looked at his mother. “Mom, what did you do to San Ya?”

Qian Guiying was equally stunned, but she quickly recovered. She didn’t care much about this granddaughter. “What did I do? I was just going to hit her a couple of times! What, is she too precious to even take a beating?”

Tang Ersong was left speechless. His rising anger fizzled under his mother’s glare, and he muttered, “Mom, I’ll go look for San Ya…”

Without waiting for a response, he took off running.

Qian Guiying, unhappy with all the attention, muttered under her breath, “What’s the point of looking? It’d be better if she just died in there.”