By the time Wei Qingshan went up the mountain the next day, the sun had already risen. Lin Yu’s freshly washed clothes from yesterday had dried, and he sat in the courtyard mending Wei Qingshan’s clothes. He had undone all the crooked stitches from before and re-stitched them neatly, making them look much better.

For the clothes that were too small for Wei Qingshan, he altered them into short jackets for himself. Those that were completely unusable, he kept for patching cloth layers.

Lin Yu spent the entire day working on these things. In the afternoon, Xia Hehua strolled over. She had seen Wei Qingshan go into the mountains that morning. Having lived with him for several years, she knew he rarely returned empty-handed.

Ever since Wei Qingshan had split from their family, all the farmwork had fallen on her husband. Even she had to work in the fields, which she found utterly exhausting.

Back when Wei Qingshan was still part of their household, there had never been a shortage of meat—chicken, rabbit, you name it. She even sent some wild game to her maternal family from time to time, making her look quite prestigious whenever she visited home.

But now? Ever since the family split, not only did Wei Qingshan refuse to help them with work, but even their supply of meat had dried up. They hadn’t had a single bite of meat in over a month.

All the household money was controlled by that stingy old woman, and Xia Hehua didn’t even have money to buy meat. So now that Wei Qingshan wasn’t home and only Lin Yu was there, she figured this new husband of his looked easy to bully. She was confident she could handle him.

She had come to see if there was anything worth taking from Wei Qingshan’s house. If there was, she would take it home for a nice meal.

“Yu-ger, you’re home. Is it just you alone?”

Lin Yu put down his sewing and stood up. He wasn’t sure how to address Xia Hehua, who had suddenly shown up. By seniority, she was his younger sister-in-law, but Wei Qingshan had specifically told him that he had severed ties with the Wei family. If anyone from that side came, he should grab a broom and chase them out.

Lin Yu was soft-hearted and couldn’t quite bring himself to chase someone out with a broom, but he quietly thought to himself that maybe, if he were a bit braver, he could do it.

He didn’t dare to actually do it, though. He only dared to think about it. Instead, he simply asked, “Do you need something?”

“Not really, I just thought, since you and Qingshan have been married for a while now, we’re all family, so I came to visit.”

In Lin Yu’s mind, he thought: What family?

Xia Hehua felt a bit awkward when Lin Yu didn’t respond to her comment. “You go ahead with what you’re doing. I’ll take a look around and see if there’s anything I can help with.”

She knew that Wei Qingshan liked to keep the animals he caught in the backyard. Without waiting for Lin Yu’s permission, she started heading there. Lin Yu quickly followed after her. “N-No need for help.”

Although he stammered a bit while refusing, Lin Yu knew that Xia Hehua wasn’t here for anything good and just wanted her to leave.

Xia Hehua shoved him aside. “Why are you being so distant? We’re all family.”

Lin Yu shook his head firmly. “Not family. Qingshan said so.”

Their voices startled the caged wild chickens, which flapped their wings and squawked. When Xia Hehua heard the noise, her eyes lit up. She immediately pushed past Lin Yu toward the backyard.

Lin Yu hurried after her and blocked her way again. “Y-You… leave my house.”

When Xia Hehua saw what was in the backyard—two wild chickens and a rabbit—she swallowed hungrily. The smile from earlier disappeared from her face.

“Yu-ger, Qingshan’s mother wants to eat a chicken. She sent me to get one. You, as the daughter-in-law, wouldn’t refuse your own mother-in-law a chicken, would you?”

Lin Yu shook his head. “No.”

“Hey, you little brat!” Xia Hehua had assumed Lin Yu would be easy to push around, but she hadn’t expected him to be so stubborn. She could tell he lacked confidence but was still putting on a front.

“Get out of my way! Listen, if I take a chicken to Qingshan’s mother, no one in the village will say a word. If you refuse, it just proves that Wei Qingshan is an unfilial son who won’t even spare a single chicken for his own mother!”

She had a strong grip and shoved Lin Yu aside. He stumbled, nearly falling, while she eagerly reached for the chickens.

Wei Qingshan had gone into the mountains. What could he do even if he found out? And by the time he returned, the chicken would already be in her stomach. Let that old hag make a fuss—everyone in the village would see, and Wei Qingshan wouldn’t dare to do anything.

Lin Yu saw that he couldn’t stop her, so he quickly ran to the front yard. Xia Hehua picked the biggest chicken, grabbed the cage, and started walking out, thrilled that she would finally get to eat some meat tonight.

The moment she stepped out of the backyard, a broom smacked her square in the face.

Lin Yu remembered Wei Qingshan’s words: If someone from the Wei family comes, chase them out with a broom.

Afraid that a small broom wouldn’t be effective, he deliberately grabbed the big one used for sweeping the courtyard. It was made of bundled bamboo sticks—large and sturdy. That way, even if Xia Hehua tried to fight back, he wouldn’t lose.

His hands trembled slightly after that first strike, but he held the broom high, unwavering. Those animals in the backyard—chickens, rabbits—had all been brought back by Wei Qingshan at the risk of his life in the mountains. He couldn’t let Xia Hehua take them.

Xia Hehua was stunned for a moment after being hit. Then, she exploded in rage. “Lin Yu, you little wretch! You dare to hit me?!”

“Put it down.” Lin Yu, though scared, stood his ground and spoke firmly.

He gripped the broom tightly, his hands still trembling.

Xia Hehua wasn’t willing to give up so easily. She clutched the chicken cage and tried to leave.

Lin Yu’s voice shook slightly, but he still warned, “If-If you don’t put it down, I-I won’t be polite.”

“You come, come at me! I want to see how you’re going to be rude to me!”

The arrogant and domineering Xia Hehua grabbed the chicken cage and was about to leave when Lin Yu raised the broom and struck her, “Put it down, put it down!”

Lin Yu was furious, focusing only on protecting the prey that Wei Qingshan had caught. His attacks on Xia Hehua were completely uncoordinated, leaving her hair messy and two scratches on her face from the bamboo strips.

Xia Hehua covered her head, wailing in pain, and the chicken cage in her hand fell to the ground. “Lin Yu, you little wretch, I’m going to fight you!”

She reached out to grab Lin Yu, but he stayed far away, only using the large broom to hit her, making it impossible for her to get close.

Xia Hehua screamed as she was beaten, while Lin Yu kept striking her as if swatting a rat. Unable to endure it any longer, she covered her head and ran away. “Lin Yu, just you wait!”

After Xia Hehua fled, Lin Yu’s legs were weak. He leaned on the broom, breathing heavily, his mind blank. Only when he saw the wild chicken fluttering on the ground did he snap out of it.

He hurriedly checked the chicken cage to make sure it wasn’t broken. If the chickens escaped, it would be a big problem. Seeing that everything was intact and the wild chickens hadn’t run away, he finally relaxed and carried the cage back to the backyard.

For the past few days, he had been carefully taking care of the two chickens and the rabbit, fearing they would lose weight and fetch a lower price.

When Lin Yu came back out, his face was pale, and his hands were still trembling slightly as he picked up the needle and thread to continue his work. His palms were sweaty. He had been bullied so much in the Zhao family that he had grown timid. The fact that he had hit someone with a broom today was purely out of desperation—after all, even a rabbit will bite when cornered.

Lin Yu wiped his hands on his clothes. “Lin Yu, don’t be afraid. Wei Qingshan is here. Don’t be afraid, don’t be afraid.”

He softly reassured himself, and only after remembering that Wei Qingshan was there did he feel less scared.

Meanwhile, Xia Hehua, looking disheveled, had just emerged from Wei Qingshan’s house when she was spotted by some villagers. “Oh my, Hehua, what happened to you?”

This person had always been at odds with Xia Hehua, and she glared at them. “None of your business!”

Her hair was a mess, scratches marked her face, and her clothes were all in disarray—she looked just like someone who had been caught stealing chickens.

The person laughed, “What happened? Did Wei Qingshan’s husband beat you up?”

Xia Hehua hurried away, and before long, word spread through the village that Lin Yu had beaten Xia Hehua.

He Daniang also heard about it and rushed home. “Dong-ger, come with me to your Qingshan-ge’s house! That Xia Hehua probably went over there—let’s check if Yu-ger got bullied!”

“What?!” He Dongdong jumped up. “That Xia Hehua actually bullied Yu-ger while Qingshan-ge wasn’t home?!”

“Exactly! And now she’s claiming Lin Yu hit her. Yu-er is smaller than her and has such a soft personality—how could he possibly hit her? She’s obviously making it up!”

He Daniang, convinced that Xia Hehua was framing Lin Yu, hurried over with He Dongdong. Even Shi Niang, who had heard the news, went along.

Both groups arrived at almost the same time, only to find Lin Yu sitting blankly in the courtyard, sewing clothes. His face was pale, his eyes dull, and his body trembling slightly—it was clear he had been bullied badly!

He Daniang quickly comforted him, “Child, are you alright?”

Lin Yu shook his head. He Daniang immediately sent He Dongdong to fetch a bowl of hot water. He Dongdong rushed off.

Shi Niang also came over. Seeing Lin Yu in this state, she knew he had been bullied and offered a few comforting words. Finally, they left He Dongdong to stay with him before heading off.

As He Daniang walked out the door, she spat, “That Xia Hehua is despicable! She bullied Yu-er just because he’s soft-tempered, and now she’s even falsely accusing him of hitting her. How shameless!”

Shi Niang agreed, “Exactly!”

In the courtyard, He Dongdong didn’t stay quiet either, angrily ranting about Xia Hehua.

Lin Yu, after drinking a bowl of hot water, had finally stopped shaking. He had wanted to explain earlier, but with all three of them talking nonstop, he hadn’t had a chance to say a word.

“I… I did hit Xia Hehua.”

“That Xia Hehua is truly awful! She even dared to—wait, what? Yu-ger, what did you just say?”

“I hit Xia Hehua,” Lin Yu pointed to the broom on the ground. “With the broom.”

“Impossible! You? You hit Xia Hehua? That shrew who even Qian Laotai can’t handle?!”

Lin Yu nodded. “She tried to steal my chickens, so I hit her with the broom.”

“Well, she deserved it!”

He Dongdong sided with Lin Yu without hesitation. In his mind, Xia Hehua had definitely bullied Lin Yu first. Yu-ger was soft-hearted and timid—what was wrong with using a broom to swat her a couple of times? Nothing at all!