That vile woman was clearly the one who abandoned his third son in the first place, and now she dares to turn the tables on them!
The more Old Lady Yu thought about it, the angrier she became. She twisted her neck and said, "Haiyang, go call your father and grandfather back. We're going to the Zhang Family to demand an explanation! Do they think our family has no one left? This is murder! If we don't make their family pay dearly for this today, none of you should bother living anymore. It's embarrassing!"
It wasn't about the steamed bun, but about pride. This matter wasn't over yet!
Sun Hongying's face darkened. How could they let others bully them like this? It's not like their family had no one left. Being bullied by outsiders for no good reason would make them the laughing stock of the village, seen as spineless!
"Run quickly, tell your grandfather and the others to come back right away!"
Yu Haiyang left without a word to call the others. Gao Fang sat dazed on the edge of the bed, lost in thought.
Seeing Gao Fang in a daze, Yu Yue quickly went to comfort her. "Mom, don't overthink it. That's all ancient history from years ago. It's over now! That woman is just saying bitter things because she sees our family living well. Dad never pays any attention to her."
Gao Fang nodded silently, gritting her teeth.
She never imagined that Yue Yue had been pushed down, and that girl was so vicious she was planning to leave her for dead!
If she hadn't encountered that educated youth... The consequences made her shudder.
Thinking of this, she felt an intense hatred for the Zhang mother and daughter. Even knowing about the slight history between Li Feng'e and Yu Guangming hadn't made her this angry!
The Yu family men returned quickly. They had heard about what happened on their way back. Upon arriving home, without a word, they grabbed their tools and headed for the Zhang Family's house.
It was now the midday rest period. Sun Hongying was left at home to cook, while the rest of the family went to confront the Zhangs.
On the way, when they encountered villagers from Datang Village, Yu Mingkang didn't need his grandparents' instructions to explain what had happened.
The villagers, lacking entertainment, all flocked behind the Yu family as they marched towards the Zhang house.
The Yu surname was prominent in Datang Village. Everyone with the Yu surname was related in some way or another, however distant.
Old Man Yu's cousins, seeing the situation, also grabbed their tools and followed behind, preventing the Yu family from appearing understaffed.
The eldest son and three grandsons were away and couldn't help. The second son, Yu Heping, had two more sons, both present now. The third son, Yu Guangming, only had one daughter, Yu Yue. Yu Guangming was currently in the county town and not here. If it weren't for the cousins helping out, they would have seemed rather few in number.
"Zhang Cimao! Get your ass out here!" Old Man Yu shouted at the Zhang family's gate, pounding on it loudly.
The Zhang family hadn't yet figured out what was happening. Hearing the shouts outside, Old Lady Zhang went to open the door, irritably replying, "Who is it? Stop banging! If you break my gate, you'll have to pay for it!"
Old Lady Zhang opened the door and froze. A crowd of people stood at the entrance, led by the Yu Dahai family, all carrying makeshift weapons and looking hostile.
"Well, Yu Dahai, what do you think you're doing, coming here in force like this?" Old Lady Zhang scanned the crowd, fixing her gaze on Old Man Yu's face at the doorway.
"What are we doing? Don't you know in your hearts? Move aside!" Old Lady Yu rushed forward, shoving aside the old Zhang woman blocking the doorway. The villagers at the door swarmed into the Zhang family's courtyard, with those who couldn't fit in standing at the gate, peering inside.
"Smash everything!" Old Lady Yu commanded, standing in the Zhang family's courtyard without further ado.
A group of people rushed out of the Zhang family's main hall, looking bewildered. "What's going on here?" they asked, trying to stop the intruders, but no one listened to them. More than a dozen cousins, along with several members of the Yu family, stood in the Zhang family's courtyard, smashing whatever they could get their hands on.
The Zhang family members, confused, tried to stop them half-heartedly, not daring to use too much force. The Yu family was not to be trifled with.
Some, seeing nothing left to smash, ran to the corner of the courtyard and kicked the Zhang family's dog a couple of times. The dog whimpered, tucking its tail between its legs and retreating to a corner, dragging its leash.
Yu Yue looked around but didn't see the girl who had pushed her. Taking advantage of the chaos, she ran into the house and immediately spotted Zhang Xiuqin, who was pacing back and forth with a pale face, looking lost and helpless.
"You coward, what are you hiding in here for? Weren't you so tough when you pushed me earlier?" Yu Yue lunged forward, grabbing a fistful of Zhang Xiuqin's hair, and started slamming her head against the wall.
Zhang Xiuqin hadn't expected Yu Yue to attack without warning.
"Ahhh! What's wrong with you? Get off me!" she screamed.
Yu Yue ignored her, pressing Zhang Xiuqin's head against the wall and slamming it hard once more. There was a dull thud, and Zhang Xiuqin slumped to the ground, dizzy and disoriented.
Yu Yue quickly messed up her own hair, then sat in the corner looking pale and exhausted.
People outside heard the commotion and rushed into the room. They found Yu Yue and Zhang Xiuqin with disheveled hair, looking battered as if they had just fought.
"What are you doing?! What's all this about?!" The Zhang family members glared angrily at Yu Yue and the other Yu family members.
Old Lady Zhang sat on the ground, slapping her legs and wailing, "This is a travesty! The Yu family is bullying us because we're outsiders! They're attacking us for no reason at all! There's no justice! I'm going to report you to the commune! I'll have you all arrested!"
Old Lady Yu put her hands on her hips. "Report us? Fine! Come on, I'll drag you there myself!"
"No!!" In the short time that had passed, a lump had formed on Zhang Xiuqin's forehead. Though dizzy, she could still hear what was being said and instinctively cried out in panic.
Gao Fang, who had been standing at the back, caught a glimpse of Yu Yue sitting pale-faced on the ground through the crowd. She suddenly went berserk, pushing aside the people in front of her and rushing to embrace Yu Yue. "Yue Yue, what's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"
Then she turned to Zhang Xiuqin with a fierce look. "Did you bully my Yue Yue?!"
Zhang Xiuqin looked incredulous, her voice shrill as she said, "She burst in here and slammed my head against the wall without saying a word!"
"You're lying! You're built like an ox, and my Yue Yue's thigh isn't even as thick as your arm. She's not in good health right now, how could she slam you anywhere!"
Gao Fang stood protectively in front of Yu Yue, glaring at Zhang Xiuqin with clear articulation. The Yu family members all looked at her with curiosity.
"Enough. It's obvious this is just a fight between two kids. Let's put that aside for now. Let's talk about what happened before. How does your Zhang family raise children? You've raised a murderer! This time my granddaughter was lucky to escape with her life, but what about next time? Do you think the Yu family has no one left to stand up for them?"
By the end of her speech, Old Lady Yu was looking at Old Man Zhang with fury in her eyes.
The onlookers outside the door erupted in shock. How could there be a murderer in the village? It was terrifying!
Old Man Zhang didn't dare to respond directly: "Sister-in-law, we're all from Red Star Brigade, from the same village. You can't just throw around accusations like that!"
"Grandma, I told you we should have taken them straight to the commune and handed them over to the police. But you insisted on saying we're all from the same village, that we should leave some leeway for future relations. See? They won't admit to anything!"
"When Zhang Xiuqin called me to the riverside, I said I wouldn't go, but she insisted. There were several aunties by the road who saw it. I have evidence of Zhang Xiuqin's murder. Why are we wasting our breath with them? Trust that the police comrades will surely reveal the truth to us. No murderer can escape!"