This old man always sneaks into the cowshed trying to harass her mom. He's like a toad wanting to eat swan meat, ugly and old, yet still full of himself.
Freya heard what they said and paused her hitting. She glanced at calm and kind Grandpa Lu, then at the few people fighting to take the blame, and felt strangely touched.
In her past life, she never experienced any kind of family love. But in this life, unexpectedly, she did. Even if it was meant for this body, she couldn't stop the warm feeling spreading in her heart.
"You don't need to fight over who takes the blame. Since I dared to hit him, I'm confident nothing bad will happen," Freya said cheerfully.
"Hmph! You think you're safe just because you say so? Who do you think you are?
Maybe you just sit at home all day praising yourself with your thumbs up, so full of yourself!
Pfft! Look at you acting so great, why don't you just fly to the sky!
If something bad happens, don't drag us down with you!"
A sharp female voice came from the next cowshed.
"Also a relocated one?" Freya looked toward Father Lu, puzzled.
"Yeah, that couple looks human, but acts like beasts. Be careful!" Father Lu warned her in a low voice. Though he had a refined face, he couldn't hide his disgust.
The woman's name was Madam Zi. She often threw herself at him shamelessly. He had rejected her many times, but she never stopped. Her husband, Mr. Qin, always stared at his wife with a lecherous look.
Even when they bathed, they had to take turns guarding. It was disgusting. But in this environment, all they could do was try to avoid trouble.
Once, when he left late because he wasn't feeling well, he accidentally saw Madam Zi sneaking into the cowshed with Mr. Lao while her husband waited outside. Later, he took fifty cents as payment.
Since then, men kept coming over. Though they tried to hide it, the cowshed walls were thin. You could hear everything.
That woman wasn't ashamed, she even offered him a free turn as long as he kept quiet. It made him sick.
One time, she secretly tried to put something in their water barrel. Luckily, his youngest son caught her. Though they didn't know what kind of drug it was, it was clearly something harmful. She probably wanted to drag them down with her.
Father Lu regretted forgetting about that couple. He should have been more careful.
Freya had already heard sounds from their side earlier but didn't care. If they were decent people, they could coexist peacefully. But if they tried anything funny under her watch, she had plenty of ways to deal with them.
"Hmph. I'm telling you now, if you don't give me some benefits, I'll report you to the Village Captain Shan for hitting another worker and hiding your daughter in the village.
Hey! How dare you glare at me? With a foxy face like yours, always flirting with men.
Pfft! Shameless hussy! You old wench!"
Madam Zi shouted, directing her abuse at Madam Wan.
Madam Zi wasn't ugly. She had a pointed chin and willow-shaped eyebrows, but her eyes were full of scheming and greed. They say the eyes are windows to the soul, and hers proved it.
"Madam Zi, it's your husband who's shameless, always coming near my wife. What does that have to do with us?
Can't we all just mind our own business? Why must you stir up trouble?"
Father Lu glared at the woman, his voice full of blame and disgust.
He held the frail Madam Wan tightly in his arms, gently patting her back to comfort her.
Madam Wan leaned against him, trembling slightly, tears in her eyes.
"If she wasn't such a flirt pretending to be weak, always smiling seductively at my husband, he wouldn't even look at her!" Madam Zi snapped back, her voice sharp and grating.
She widened her eyes and glared at Madam Wan like she wanted to eat her alive.
Father Lu was so angry his eyes looked like they were about to shoot sparks.
However, as a scholar, he had never argued with anyone. Faced with such an unreasonable and loud woman, he didn't know how to respond for a moment.
"Hmph, you have nothing to say now, huh? I'm going to report you right now.
Mr. Qin, come here, there's something good!"
Madam Zi smiled smugly, then turned and shouted toward the cowshed.
Her eyes looked through the gap in the cowshed and landed on a big, broad-shouldered man next door.
"Come right now!"
The man called Mr. Qin shouted back loudly.
His voice sounded excited. He rubbed his hands together, clearly eager about what was going to happen.
A few seconds later, a burly middle-aged man, Mr. Qin, walked over from the next cowshed, acting arrogant and full of himself.
Freya's lips twitched when she saw him. What was this guy so excited about? He was acting like he was walking the red carpet!
As soon as he arrived, his eyes locked onto Madam Wan and stared at her with a disgusting, lustful gaze.
He only snapped out of it after his wife Madam Zi pinched the soft flesh on his arm.
"We all heard what happened tonight. I didn't expect you had a daughter who came with you to the countryside, and she even beat up a commune member.
Hmph, if Village Captain Shan finds out, your daughter will be thrown into the cowshed too. Maybe even sent to the farm for reform labor!
Tsk tsk tsk, that kind of life is tough. Your daughter looks so delicate. Are you really willing to let her suffer like that?"
He gave Freya, who was standing by the door, a sleazy glance. But the night was dark, and the oil lamp too dim, so he couldn't clearly see her face.
"If you agree to be my woman from now on, I promise not to report you. I'll even make sure you live a good life, eating well and living comfortably."
Mr. Qin completely ignored Father Lu and spoke straight to Madam Wan.
From the first time he saw the petite, elegant Madam Wan, he had been interested in her.
Her looks and presence were far better than his rude, vulgar wife.
Leaning against the doorframe, Freya was munching sunflower seeds and thinking...
Her hands itched. They seemed to have a mind of their own, wanting to dig out Mr. Qin's nasty eyes and cut off his filthy tongue.
But she had to admit, this cheap mother of hers really had strong charm.
Too bad it only attracted maggots from the toilet, not something to be proud of.
"Mr. Qin, you're disgusting and shameless! Absolutely sickening!
You let your own wife sleep with other men to make money and now you want to target me?
Keep dreaming!"
Madam Wan had never been humiliated like this in her life. She was so angry she almost fainted.
Thinking about the filthy things that couple had done made her want to vomit her dinner from the night before.
"Madam Wan, you stinking little tramp! How dare you insult my man? My man liking you is the best thing that ever happened to you.
Hmph! You just don't know what's good for you!
Besides, if my man told me to sell my body, it was so I could eat a full meal. You people don't understand the pain in his heart!"