Dewdrop grabbed the child in a fit of rage and said, "I'm going to ask your mother right now why she's gossiping behind people's backs!"
The child struggled and screamed, "Dirty wretch, she is a dirty wretch!"
An Xin's eyes turned slightly cold. There were differences in conditions between the countryside and the city, but the level of mischief among children was no different!
Her lips twitched, but she finally said calmly, "Dewdrop, ignore them, let's go." She was already thirty years old in both her past and present lives, and she couldn't possibly beat up these kids to vent her anger.
Seeing An Xin back down, the children became even more smug and started spreading all sorts of bizarre rumors. An Xin paused, turned slightly to the side. When she was young, she was obsessed with mystery and used to being alone, which made her the target of a lot of ridicule. Back then, she was young and impetuous and would argue with others. Now she felt that being young and impetuous wasn't necessarily a bad thing. At least there were some things that she still found unpleasant to hear, even though she was no longer young and impetuous.
"Da Shun, shut up!" A sharp shout came, and the child's face stiffened, and he immediately shut his mouth.
An Xin slightly raised her eyelashes and looked ahead. Not far away, several young men and women were walking towards her. The girl had her hair styled in a bun, with beautiful eyebrows and eyes and fair skin. Although her clothes were not fancy, they were considered good in the village. The man beside her had a handsome appearance and was dressed neatly, standing out like a crane among chickens in the crowd.
"Sister Xiaoyue!" The child called Dashun wiped his nose, cautiously glanced at the man next to Xiaoyue, and then timidly said, "Brother..."
Dewdrop paused for a moment, then gently tugged at An Xin's sleeve and said, "Miss, this is Miss An Xiaoyue from my uncle's family, and that man is Wang Yihe, the young master of the wealthy Wang family in our village, Miss..."
An Xin glanced at the dewdrop and, seeing that she seemed hesitant to speak, said calmly, "Just say what you have to say."
Dewdrop said embarrassedly, "Miss used to have a very good relationship with Wang Yihe, but after Miss got married, they became estranged..."
An Xiaoyue pulled Da Shun over and said, "Da Shun, when did your mother ever say such a thing? Be careful she doesn't beat you up if she finds out!"
Da Shun pouted and said, "I'm just stating the facts! Besides, she's old and ugly. If she were even half as pretty as Sister Xiao Yue, I wouldn't have said anything!"
Upon hearing this, a strange emotion flickered in An Xiaoyue's eyes, which gradually turned into a smile. After all, being praised for being prettier than other women always satisfied her vanity.
"Shut up," Wang Yihe said, his gaze lingering only briefly on An Xin before shifting to An Xiaoyue. An Xiaoyue was, after all, the most beautiful girl in the village. Even though he and An Xin had a good relationship back then, she was now a discarded woman, her status plummeting. Moreover, An Youwei had been demoted to a commoner and could never hold office again; he had no need to waste his energy on An Xin. As for him, he had just passed the imperial examination and was destined for a bright future, a world apart from her.
An Xiaoyue then looked at An Xin, her smile still lingering. In fact, seeing An Xin now brought her a unique kind of joy. They were both village girls who grew up together, yet An Xin had risen to become the wife of the Grand Chamberlain and entered high society. This was a fact that probably no one could accept, and yet An Youwei had also become an official.
A villager suddenly got rid of the land and became an official, which completely changed An Xin's identity. How could anyone not be jealous?
"Sister Xin'er, Da Shun is just being immature, please don't hold it against him." An Xiaoyue stepped forward, cheerfully reaching out to take An Xin's hand.
An Xin, however, seemed nonchalant, with her hands behind her head and a weary expression, she said, "This child is a bit immature."
An Xiaoyue missed her target and was slightly annoyed. An Xin's status was now lowly and there was a huge gap between her and An Xiaoyue, yet An Xin still had to put on an arrogant and condescending attitude!
"What's with the airs! You've fallen on hard times and are still so arrogant!" Someone spoke up, saying exactly what An Xiaoyue wanted to say. She felt a slight relief in her chest, and a smile suddenly appeared on her lips.
"Exactly! Even if a salted fish flips over, it's still a salted fish. Now that it's fallen on hard times and become a rotten fish, it still thinks it's a hot commodity!"
An Xiaoyue said, "Everyone, please stop talking. Sister Xin didn't want things to turn out this way either."
An Xin was too lazy to talk to these people. The rumors were unstoppable. If she really argued with them, wouldn't she become just as boring as them?
Dewdrop hurriedly followed, feeling indignant. "Young Master Yihe is really something. He's usually the closest to Miss, but at this critical moment, he doesn't say a word for her and lets others gossip."
Wang Yihe's gaze fell on An Xin. For some reason, he sensed something was wrong. An Xin and he had a good relationship. She would always pester him and call him "Brother Yihe". He originally thought she would come up and call him affectionately as always, and he was prepared to deflect her with ease. He didn't expect her to leave like this!
Did she also feel that she had lost face and was ashamed to face him?
Chapter 8: Violence Against Violence
"Heh..." Wang Yihe chuckled self-deprecatingly, but ultimately decided not to speak. After all, getting involved with An Xin would cause a lot of trouble. She would be forever abandoned and trampled underfoot, while he still had a bright future.
An Xin glanced at the sky, then turned and walked home. At this hour, An Yousheng should have everything ready.
As she walked past, the villagers all nodded to An Xin with fake smiles. After she passed, they began to whisper among themselves. It seemed that the villagers were still full of hostility towards her family. From what Da Shun had just said, it was clear that the news of her and Ling Xiyao's downfall had also reached the village.
The fastest thing to spread in the world is probably rumors and gossip.
Humans are truly strange creatures. When they hear a rumor, they would rather believe the facts they have imagined than the real ones. Just like they would never believe that it was An Xin who divorced Ling Xiyao, but would rather believe that it was Ling Xiyao who divorced her.
Dewdrop remained indignant the whole way, while Anxin seemed not to have heard anything, her expression indifferent, lost in thought.
When they got home, there were already quite a few people in the yard. When they saw An Xin, they all looked a little embarrassed. Xu Ruolan sat to one side forcing a smile, while An Youwei was busy, but it was unclear what he was busy with.
An Xin silently watched An Youwei and his wife. Even though she herself didn't care about other people's gossip, An Youwei and Xu Ruolan, who were born and raised in ancient times, must be extremely upset.
With two daughters, one missing and the other abandoned, and himself demoted and disgraced, he lost all face under the pressure of feudal society.
An Xin, who was usually calm, suddenly felt a little irritated. Although she had been lonely since childhood and her parents were busy, she had played alone most of the time. However, her parents' love had never diminished in the slightest!
She solved a bizarre locked-room murder case when she was six years old, and has been called a genius ever since.
When have you ever tasted such sarcasm and trampling?
She viewed this humiliation from a detached perspective, perhaps because she had never truly felt a sense of belonging to this body.
However, right now, all those people's eyes are on her, and their mockery is like sharp thorns piercing her parents. She suddenly realized with astonishment that she is herself now, and even with the shame of this body, she must not look at it as an outsider.
However, Ling Xiyao's status and position are something that An Xin can never reach.
This kind of humiliation is not something she can easily wash away!
“Miss, those are the village elders.” Dewdrop’s voice pulled An Xin back from her reverie. An Xin looked up and saw three old men sitting upright in the main seat, with An Youwei carefully pouring tea for them.
One of the elders said, "Since ancient times, it has been an extremely despicable thing for a woman to be abandoned. An Youwei, you have completely ruined the reputation of the village!"
An Youwei trembled and whispered, "Village Chief, this is not as the rumor says. It was Xin'er who proposed the divorce..."
"She proposed it? The Ling family is a prominent family in the capital, why would she propose it?" Another old man sneered. In his opinion, An Xin being divorced was a foregone conclusion!
"Why wouldn't I bring it up?!" A cool voice interrupted An Youwei's rebuttal. An Xin stepped in, and everyone's eyes were focused on her face, their expressions complicated.
"You insolent fool! Who gave you the right to speak here!" an elder shouted coldly.
"My affairs are my business, and you have no right to speak on them!" An Xin glanced coldly at the elder, whose face instantly turned ashen. He roared, "You, how dare you!"
"I don't care about Ling Xiyao's identity at all. Besides, my family doesn't welcome you all. Dewdrop, see them out!" An Xin's disdainful expression caused everyone's faces to change completely!
The village chief and several elders were undoubtedly the most respected figures in the village, yet An Xin completely disregarded them. When did this girl become so arrogant and unruly?!
Dewdrop dared not see the guests off. These elders were all autocratic and stern, and she had been afraid of them since childhood. This kind of fear formed since childhood was really hard to change in a short time!
An Youwei's face turned pale, but the way these people spoke of Xin'er so badly filled him with anger, and he couldn't bring himself to say anything to stop them.
"Tie up this stubborn wild girl!" The village chief shouted angrily, and several young villagers rushed out. These men made their living by hunting, and were strong and muscular. Not to mention that An Xin was only fifteen years old, even if she were a few years older, she would definitely not be a match for them and would only be tied up.
An Youwei's expression suddenly changed, and almost instinctively he rushed forward to block An Xin, but was pulled away by the people who rushed up.
He was injured and thin, and with that pull, he stumbled and fell down in a sorry state.
An Xin's eyes turned cold, and she suddenly raised her foot, her angry kick carrying a sharp gust of wind. With a "smack," she kicked the man, sending the burly man staggering away.
Everyone stared in shock.
An Xin hurriedly stepped forward to support An Youwei, asking, "Father, are you alright?"
She learned karate, and the moves were not complicated, including kicking, punching, throwing, grappling, throwing, locking, strangling, reverse techniques, pressure point strikes, and many other techniques. It was an excellent self-defense skill for close combat, but her body lacked training, and she was weak in both arms and ankles. All she could use were the techniques, but they were enough to deal with these men who had no martial arts skills.
The village chief was furious. He never expected An Xin to pull such a move. He shouted, "Seize her now!"
An Youwei struggled to get up, but An Xin held his arm down. An Xin looked at An Youwei and said, "Father, don't worry, leave it to me."
An Youwei's eyes suddenly welled up with tears. He had watched his daughter grow up and knew her better than anyone else. However, for some reason, at this moment, she seemed both strange and dear to him. Had his daughter grown up and changed her personality?
However, at this moment, An Xin inexplicably inspired him to trust her.
Xu Ruolan trembled with fear. Out of love for her daughter, she struggled to take the blame for her, but Lu Zhu pulled her back forcefully. Just now, the young lady had given her a look that was icy and had an inexplicable pressure, which made her subconsciously obey.
The men rushed forward again, and An Xin slowly stood up. Sometimes, violence is the only way to solve problems; besides, she had a twisted feeling that violence made her blood boil!
---Aside---
Thank you to 18952456788 for the 3 flowers, Nuanxi2013 for the 2 flowers, Huakaijinnianmoshangfengliu for the 2 flowers, erica2 for the 1 flower, and **Baoer for the 3 review votes. By the way, **this name isn't showing up in the backend yet, so sadly, I have to write it based on the backend. Thank you all for your support, I'm so happy! Seeing your comments touched me deeply. Love you all! Also, this book will be signed, so Moyinxiao doesn't need to worry, O(∩_∩)O. The initial recommendation results aren't great, but I'm still very happy. The following chapters will be even more exciting! Hugs!
Chapter Nine: Deterrence
The courtyard was completely silent.
An Xin slowly clenched her fist, and a bright flame gradually lit up in the girl's dark eyes.
In this situation, shouldn't most girls be scared? Why does the person in front of me look so excited?!
Thinking of this, the men felt a chill run down their spines and instinctively took a step back.
The village chief also sensed something was wrong. It was unbelievable that several burly men were so frightened by a little girl that they had to back away!
"What are you all standing there for! Tie her up!" the village chief roared.
The men snapped back to reality and looked at An Xin's eyes again. They were as indifferent as an abyss, staring at them blankly.
Strangely enough, she was only fifteen years old and clearly inexperienced in the ways of the world, yet they felt as if they had nowhere to hide under those eyes. But in the end, she was just a girl, so what was there to be afraid of?
With this thought in mind, the group gradually became ferocious and lunged at An Xin.
An Xin took two steps back, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that this girl was finally scared. Daring to disobey the village chief and hurt the villagers, this kind of person should be severely punished!
An Youwei felt his heart leap into his throat. He knew best that An Xin had never practiced martial arts since childhood, so how could she be a match for these people?
No, he absolutely cannot let his daughter get hurt!
At that moment, Xu Ruolan rushed out, but before she even reached him, she heard An Xin's cold shout: "Dewdrop!"
While everyone was still in shock, An Xin moved. She took a running start and then suddenly leaped up, her long legs sweeping out with a powerful gust of wind. With a "bang," she side-kicked a man in the neck, who staggered and then collapsed to the ground.
Everyone finally came to their senses, but it was too late; the girl was already right in front of them.
All I could see was her front kick, back kick, hook kick, and finally, a back kick!
With a series of muffled thuds, the men who had been hit staggered a few steps, then froze and collapsed.
The entire room was completely silent.
An Xiaoyue and Wang Yihe, who had also rushed over, were both stunned and stood frozen in place.
How is that possible...? How could a fifteen-year-old girl so cleanly and efficiently take down five villagers, all of whom were strong and healthy men?!
An Xin moved her wrists. This body's flexibility was really too poor. If it were the original her, these few moves would have been no problem to kick these people away. The headache was that all of this still needed to be trained bit by bit!