Chapter 53: Chapter 53: Xu Huaian Loses It Again, Liu Guifang Gets Beaten

God only knows what Xu Huaian was feeling when he saw this scene.

His dear mother, at the time when he needed care the most, had tossed him out like garbage, leaving him to fend for himself.

He had already lost the will to live.

Fortunately, he met Gu Qinghuan. She was like a goddess sent from above to save him, suddenly appearing and lighting up his whole world.

And now, that so-called mother wanted to ruin this rare happiness. He would never allow it!

Xu Huaian clenched his jaw, veins bulging on his forehead, his eyes bloodshot. A surge of intense hatred welled up inside him, and violent emotions threatened to take over. In that moment, he saw Liu Guifang as his enemy.

In the blink of an eye, Liu Guifang was scared out of her wits.

Damn it, how did this troublemaker get let out again? Judging by the look on his face, he was about to go crazy and start hitting people again.

“I-I-I was just joking with them,” Liu Guifang stammered, seeing Xu Huaian clench his fists. Terrified, she tried to explain herself.

Gu Qinghuan could tell Xu Huaian was about to lose control, so she quickly ushered the two children inside and shut the door, keeping them out of harm’s way.

Xu Huaian grabbed a hoe and charged forward with a momentum that seemed ready to shake the earth, heading straight for Liu Guifang.

Liu Guifang was so scared she nearly peed herself, trembling where she stood.

If that hoe came down on her, it could really kill her.

“Run! What are you standing there for?” Gu Qinghuan shouted.

“I don’t have the strength…” Liu Guifang’s voice was barely a whisper, completely cowed.

Gu Qinghuan was speechless. She’s always so arrogant, but the moment something happens, she chickens out.

If she wasn’t worried Xu Huaian might actually kill someone—his own mother, no less—she wouldn’t even bother saving her.

Timing it just right, Gu Qinghuan mustered all her strength and shoved Liu Guifang aside before Xu Huaian’s hoe could strike.

The food and wild vegetable cakes in Liu Guifang’s hands fell all over the ground.

Gu Qinghuan looked at the potato and egg cakes on the dirt with a pang of regret—she hadn’t even had a bite yet.

But Xu Huaian was determined to go after Liu Guifang today. Seeing that the hoe missed, and that it was getting in his way, he tossed it aside and charged at her barehanded.

He landed a punch right on Liu Guifang’s face, knocking out a molar and filling her mouth with blood.

Of course, that molar was already rotten, so it didn’t take much to break.

Suddenly, there were gasps from the doorway.

Villagers had come to watch the commotion.

That morning, Xu Huaian had borrowed a hoe from the village to work the land. Word spread quickly—everyone heard that the “madman” wasn’t mad anymore and could even borrow tools and do chores.

So people came in groups to watch, some even bringing their breakfast to eat while they watched the show.

The little courtyard at the foot of the mountain had never been so lively.

“What did Liu Guifang do to set off the madman? He greeted me so properly this morning!”

“He’s gone crazy again? Oh my god.”

“Should we go break it up? Liu Guifang’s just skin and bones, she might get beaten to death.”

“If you want to, go ahead. I’m not going. Last time I tried, I got beaten so bad it took half a month to recover.”

“Exactly. When he goes crazy, even ten people can’t hold him down. I’m not getting beaten for nothing.”

“Maybe we should just go tell the Party Secretary. Let their family sort it out themselves.”

...

A crowd watched from a safe distance, but not a single person stepped forward to help.

Zhong Zijun peeked through the crack in the door, too scared to make a sound, afraid she’d get her daughter in trouble if she was discovered.

This was the first time she’d seen Xu Huaian go crazy—it was scary, but honestly, it was about time. That old woman bullied Huanhuan so much, she deserved a beating.

Gu Qinghuan circled behind Xu Huaian, grabbed the hoe, and hid it in the kitchen.

As long as he wasn’t wielding a weapon, it wouldn’t be too serious. Let Liu Guifang take a bit more of his anger—she deserved it.

Faced with a beating, Liu Guifang suddenly found some strength and darted around the courtyard, yelling, “Damn you, Gu Qinghuan! Where the hell are you? Come save me!”

Gu Qinghuan stayed hidden in the kitchen, refusing to come out.

Xu Huaian, his leg still not fully healed, moved slowly and wasn’t as strong as before. Otherwise, Liu Guifang would have been beaten even worse.

From time to time, Liu Guifang’s miserable screams echoed through the yard.

Inside the house, everyone was secretly delighted.

Before long, Xu Mingshan arrived, escorted by a group of people. Seeing Xu Huaian chasing Liu Guifang around like a hawk after a chick, his face turned as black as the bottom of a pot.

Now the whole village knew about this, and had come to watch the spectacle. The Xu family’s reputation was in tatters.

Seeing this, Gu Qinghuan put on a look of panic and walked out of the kitchen.

“Dad, you’re finally here! What should we do?”

Xu Mingshan immediately started blaming her: “You’ve got some nerve to talk! Why did you untie him? Are you happy now that things have turned out like this?”

“It’s not my fault. Huaian hasn’t been crazy these past few days. He hasn’t hit anyone, and even started helping around the house.

Who knew Mom would come over this morning, take all the food in the house without asking, saying it was for Mid-Autumn Festival gifts, push me to the ground, and even threaten to kill the two kids? Huaian heard it, and that’s what set him off.”

Gu Qinghuan deliberately spoke loudly so everyone could hear.

Xu Mingshan’s face darkened even more. Honestly, this was exactly the kind of thing that old woman would do. The bags of food on the ground, the wild vegetables, and the scattered potato cakes all told the story.

What a disgrace! The family never let her go hungry, yet she still coveted her son’s food. Short-sighted, frog at the bottom of a well!

But in front of outsiders, he still had to keep up appearances.

“Don’t talk nonsense, Second Daughter-in-law. I sent your mother to invite you over for dinner tomorrow. Why would she take your things?”

“Really? Then I must have misunderstood. I saw her rush into the kitchen and start eating and taking things, so I thought she wanted to take them away. Guess I was wrong.” Gu Qinghuan replied with a fake innocent smile, her words dripping with sarcasm. It felt great.

Anyway, everyone could see what was really going on.

“Since you’re the one who let him loose, you’d better figure out how to calm him down,” Xu Mingshan said, still wary—getting beaten by this son really hurt, and last time it took him over half a month to recover.

“I’ll try, but if it doesn’t work, don’t blame me.”

Gu Qinghuan saw that things had gone far enough. Liu Guifang was exhausted from running, her face swollen like a pig’s head. It was satisfying.

She went into the kitchen, took out a big basin of spiritual spring water from her space, though she wasn’t sure if it would work. Might as well try.

As Xu Huaian ran up, Gu Qinghuan splashed the whole basin of spring water right in his face. Caught off guard, he swallowed a big mouthful.

Liu Guifang took the opportunity to hide behind Xu Mingshan, mumbling incoherently, “Save me…”

Xu Mingshan looked at her disheveled state in disgust. “What a disgrace!”

Xu Huaian stood there in a daze for about a minute.

Then suddenly said, “What just happened to me?”"