Chapter 19: Gifts Bestowed for Mother!

Bai Ruyu’s eyes twitched. Does one really need to be taught whether to believe in the sincerity of human nature? Belief is a personal matter—it is not something that can be taught by others. She simply wanted to tell the viewers in her livestream that, when necessary, one should just act like a decent human being. Do not be a naive pushover, or you will end up like her grandparents: once they were gone, the tea went cold. In a village of twenty households, only a handful had spoken up for her family.

"Thank you to those who were willing to speak for my family. Ruyu will keep it in her heart." Bai Ruyu smiled and nodded slightly to those few people, but when she turned to face the others, her expression turned as cold as frost. "Since Old Lady Zhang left yesterday at noon, we have not seen her once. If you don't believe me, you are welcome to report this to the authorities!"

Supported by Bai Feijing, Bai Ruzhu slowly stood up, covering her face and weeping like a shattered flower bud. "E-Eldest Sister, please don't be angry. We were just worried because we haven't seen Grandma return for so long." As she spoke, she pulled away from Bai Feijing’s arms. Hatred flickered in the depths of her eyes as she stepped forward, reaching out to grab Bai Ruyu’s sleeve. "Please, Eldest Sister... don't, don't be angry with Zhuer or everyone else, okay?"

Seeing her approach, Bai Ruyu quickly stepped back to keep her distance. Having struggled and crawled her way up from the bottom since childhood, what kind of tricks hadn't she seen? Trying to scheme against her? What a delusional fantasy!

"E-Eldest Sister..." Finding herself grasping at empty air, Bai Ruzhu gritted her teeth and looked up at the person who suddenly seemed like a stranger.

Bai Ruyu raised a hand to stop her. "Stop that nonsense. I only have one younger sister, and she is not as old as you. Besides, which eye of yours saw me getting angry?" She then let her gaze fall upon those who had been spouting nonsense on Bai Ruzhu’s behalf earlier. Seeing the flicker of anger on their faces, Bai Ruyu gave a light smile. "Am I really that petty? To waste my time getting worked up over people who are being used as pawns without even realizing it? What a waste!"

Getting angry only hurts one's own body. She would never do such a thing; she would simply blacklist every one of them.

"Sha Ya! What are you saying? Do you want to die?"

*Smack!*

The moment the man with the sharp chin finished speaking, a crisp slap landed on his face.

"Ah—my face! You old hag, how dare you hit me!" The man clutched his cheek, staring at the middle-aged woman before him with wide, furious eyes, looking as if he wanted to strangle her.

"I hit you because you deserved it! If you dare to insult Yuer again, I’ll make sure you’re carried out of here today!" Jiang Shi rolled up her sleeves, glaring viciously at the crowd like a wild beast protecting its young.

The long-faced woman nearby roared and charged at Jiang Shi, and the two began to wrestle. "You bitch! How dare you hit my son? I’ll fight you to the death!"

[Heavenly King Covers the Earth: Mom is as reliable as ever!]
[Rice Paste Isn't Pastry: Please give me ten moms just like her!]
[Little New Selling Crayons: You're too greedy, upstairs. Unlike me, I only need one.]

A flurry of gifts and a synchronized stream of comments flooded the chat.

[Gifts sent for Mom]

Bai Ruyu: ... The love of netizens is, after all, fickle.

"Truly a bitch with no manners! Daring to lay a hand on my precious grandson? You're asking for death!" The sharp-chinned man's grandmother followed suit and rushed into the fray.

Seeing his wife surrounded and beaten by two people, Bai Xiuming stepped forward in anxiety, only to be encircled by the sharp-chinned man’s father and grandfather.

"Hey! This is truly shameless—ganging up on us just because you have more people?" Seeing this, Auntie Ma rolled up her sleeves, let out a roar, and charged in, grabbing the sharp-chinned man’s mother by the hair and pulling backward.

"Ah—my hair! Ma Erfang, what business is this of yours? Let go! Let go!"

"Xiang Chunhua, I’ve had enough of you for a long time! So what if I hit you!"

[Unfinished Plan: Please give me a pile of neighbors like this! I'm about to have a breakdown because of my own neighbor who bullies others by flaunting their seniority!]
[Evening Wind: To the person above, the livestream isn't a wishing well. If you have problems, go find the police.]

...

Half a quarter of an hour later, it wasn't just the sharp-chinned man’s family; everyone had become entangled in the brawl due to their various connections. Er Gou and San Wa surrounded Bai Feijing, while Bai Ruyu faced the pitiful-looking Bai Ruzhu. Just as Bai Ruyu’s palm was about to land on Bai Ruzhu’s face:

"Heavens—stop! All of you, stop right now!"

A stern shout from an elder rang out. When the Village Chief arrived and saw the chaotic scene, he nearly lost his breath and collapsed. Supported by his son, the Village Chief steadied himself. Whether it was from anger or his health, his frame shook violently, and his eyes were bloodshot.

Bai Ruyu paused at the sound.

*Smack!*

Just as Bai Ruzhu was secretly breathing a sigh of relief, a bright red handprint appeared on her smugly upturned face.

"What are you thinking? You won't be spared the beating you deserve." Seeing the face swelling rapidly, Bai Ruyu calmly withdrew her hand.

"You—you dare hit me?" Bai Ruzhu’s eyes widened, tears swirling as she touched her burning cheek. From childhood to now, no one had ever laid a finger on her. Because of her grandmother's doting, even her own parents had never raised a hand against her. How could she be slapped by someone today?

Bai Ruyu sneered, "Don't you deserve it? Don't think I don't know about your little schemes. I advise you to behave yourself from now on." Otherwise, don't blame her for being ruthless. Whether one lives or dies, how to choose... that is not something she can decide.

"Heh! Bai Ruyu, do you think you can beat me?" Bai Ruzhu’s face darkened, and she let out an eerie laugh. So what if her brain is back to normal? It was just dumb luck!

"You can try and see..." Bai Ruyu glanced at her, left that sentence behind, and walked away.

The Village Chief let out a thunderous roar! Everyone stopped, standing in place, grimacing as they tidied their clothes and hair.

"Tell me, all of you, what is the meaning of this!" The Village Chief leaned on his cane, sighing repeatedly as he walked through the crowd.

"Village Chief, it was Jiang Shi who struck first, and Ma Erfang and the others helped her!" The sharp-chinned man’s mother, clutching her head where a large patch of hair had been pulled out, glared at Jiang Shi and the others through gritted teeth.

The Village Chief frowned and looked at the mother and daughter standing to the side. Jiang Shi tightened her grip on Bai Ruyu’s hand and spoke slowly, "Village Chief, it was Tu Wa who first tried to lay a hand on our Yuer. I—I acted out of panic. Sister Ma saw me being bullied by their whole family and couldn't stand it, so she came to help."

The Village Chief was even more confused. Why would Tu Wa try to attack Ruyu for no reason? "What is actually going on? Can’t you people give me some peace of mind?"

Glancing to the side, he saw Bai Ruzhu walking over, touching her face, lips pursed, eyes red, looking utterly pitiful. Bai Ruyu walked quickly to the Village Chief and bowed slightly. "Grandpa Village Chief, the situation is this: Zhang is missing."

Isn't she fond of playing the weak victim? Today, she would see who could play the part better!