Fortunate Life of the Rural Beauty

Chapter 28: Chapter 27: Fight Chapter 28: Chapter 27: Fight Gazing at the grand mansion, Chen Dabao instructed Chen Afu not to provoke the nobles.

Chen Afu nodded. She would only stir trouble when she was full.

The two started to squat down and weed. Chen Afu’s movements weren’t as smooth as Dabao’s.

Before long, a little boy who was about five years old ran from outside the vegetable field. He was black and chubby and a bit taller than Chen Dabao. He was Dabao’s good friend, Wu Shi, also known as Shitou. He stood outside, shouting loudly, “Dabao, my mom said you’re here.” He politely greeted Chen Afu, “Aunt Fu.”

Chen Afu looked up at Shitou, smiled, and then told Dabao, “Go out and play with Shitou. Mom knows the way home.”

Chen Dabao stood up straight, slapping the mud off his hand, but remained motionless. He yearned to play with Shitou but was worried about his mother. He was in a bit of a dilemma.

Chen Afu added, laughing, “Son, don’t worry. With so many people around, there won’t be any trouble.”

After looking around and seeing people coming and going frequently, and the busy farmers in the distant fields, Dabao thought his mother shouldn’t be in any danger. He said, “Mom, go home as soon as you finish weeding and don’t go anywhere else.” Seeing his mother nod, he ran off to play with Shitou at ease.

After half an hour of work, all the weeds in the field were uprooted, and Chen Afu was drenched in sweat. She straightened up and saw that the lecherous man who had once harassed her, Li Zi, was standing outside the field, drooling, and staring at her. She didn’t know how long this disgusting man had been there.

Chen Afu was furious. It was more unpleasant than swallowing a fly to be coveted by such a disgusting man. Picking up the iron shovel, she cursed fiercely, “Die, rascal! If you dare to look at me again, I’ll kill you.”

Li Zi wiped the saliva from his chin and smiled, saying “Afu sister, you are getting prettier as you grow older, just like the rumors say. Your former foolishness is now replaced by determination. With no man willing to be your son-in-law, you wouldn’t want to stay unwanted by men, right? Heh, I’ll compromise and marry you instead…”
Just then, an old man passing by scolded upon hearing Li Zi’s words, “Bah, can’t believe you would say such a thing, you are a discredit to all the adults around. Afu is just starting to recover; don’t take advantage of her.”

Li Zi meticulously insulted the old man, “Mr. Wang, what’s it to you what I talk about with her. Maybe Afu fancies me and wants to marry me? At her tender age, she can’t be expected to stay single all her life.”

Two young men and a middle-aged man joined the crowd when they heard Li Zi’s words. The middle-aged man chimed in, “Li Zi, stop daydreaming. Even if she were to seek a husband, it definitely wouldn’t be someone like you. You’re on the brink of going into the grave, yet still aiming at a young woman like her, what audacity.”

This brought bouts of laughter from the crowd.

Li Zi raised his voice, aggravated, “What’s wrong with me? If I were young and handsome, who would want to marry a fool and be a son-in-law? Besides, this fool has been burdened with a child since before marriage. Ha-ha… my marriage to her would rid our village of a termagant…”
By now, a crowd had formed. Some looked down on Li Zi, while others found the situation amusing.

Anger caused Chen Afu to tremble. She thought, if she let Li Zi bully her, more people would do the same. How could she maintain her position in the village, establish her own family, or protect her loved ones?

Today, she needed to teach Li Zi a lesson and show those who looked down on her or wanted to bully her, that she, Chen Afu, was not an easy target. Regardless of the fact that she was seen as a fool, so long as she didn’t kill him, she was willing to pay for any medical treatment he might need.

With that in mind, she walked straight towards Li Zi.

Li Zi laughed, “See, I told you she fancied me. She’s so entranced that she’s looking straight into my eyes. Sister, if you’re willing, let your father invite the matchmaker to my house…”

Li Zi heard a crack and felt a sudden severe pain in his head. Something warm was trickling down. When he touched it with his hand, he found it was blood. Chen Afu shouted after hitting Li Zi, “Dare to bully me, I’ll kill you!”

Then, she hit again. Li Zi dodged the second blow. The third and fourth followed one after another, hitting Li Zi’s shoulder and tearing his clothes to reveal a streak of blood. Then followed the fifth, sixth, seventh… she didn’t stop hitting him there.

By then, Chen Afu’s eyes had turned red and bulged out, no-one who saw her would think she was mentally sound. Not only Li Zi, but all those watching were also terrified and dispersed in all directions.

Li Zi was scared out of his wits and started running, shouting, “Stop beating me, you crazy woman, I won’t do it again.”

Some others were shouting too, “Afu, stop. You’re going to kill him.”

Yet, there were also those who agitated, “Li Zi, didn’t you want to marry her? You’re fleeing the moment she beats you. How are you going to control her later…”
But Chen Afu was thinking, she had to subdue Li Zi today. Today, she had to destroy her own image. Let them see her as a shrew or a lunatic. The image of a gentle, virtuous woman would never go hand-in-hand with that of an independent woman who ran her own household.

Still holding the little iron shovel, she chased after Li Zi, cursing loudly, “If you dare bully me, I’ll kill you.”

Due to his injuries, Li Zi didn’t get far before Chen Afu caught up with him. She raised the iron shovel and hit him again. She looked crazy, but each blow was well measured. While the shovel constantly hit him, it hit flat and echoed loudly each time, hurting him enough to make him jump.

Li Zi was a frequent brawler himself. At first, he was stunned by Chen Afu’s attack. Once he returned to his senses, he started fighting back. However, he was unarmed and could barely get close to Chen Afu. So he picked up a wooden stick and started fighting back.

Chen Afu had grown up in an orphanage where children learned to fight early to avoid being taken advantage of, or they would struggle to eat. She had been fighting since she was a little girl and even regularly exchanged fighting tips with others, earning her the title of the second master among the children. Therefore, Chen Afu knew some tricks of street fights, how to catch her opponent off guard, which areas to attack, and how to develop a superior mentality in a fight.

Chen Afu’s current goal was not only to scare Li Zi but also keep him from getting close. If she let him touch her, especially on her sensitive parts, in front of this crowd of spectators, it would make her suffer more than she gained. So, even if she took some hits, the little iron shovel in her hand was always moving up and down, guarding fervently against Li Zi getting too close.

………

Wishing you all a happy holiday! Thanks to Hera @Qianlin for the wallet, thanks to keppra for the Fortune Bottle and red envelopes, and thanks to all of you for your various supports.