Chapter 21: Offering Apologies and Making Amends

Su Jinyu could not be bothered to keep up the pretense any longer. She rolled her eyes at Wu Cuihua and deliberately took a vigorous bite of her vegetable pancake, exclaiming, "So delicious!"

She had never encountered someone so shameless, demanding a handout while acting as if she were in the right.

Seeing that Su Jinyu was ignoring her completely and focusing on her pancake, Wu Cuihua felt the gazes of the surrounding villagers, who were watching her as if she were a fool. She felt like a clown standing there.

Her eyes turned as venomous as poisoned daggers, wishing she could gouge Su Jinyu out. She pointed a finger at her and shrieked, "You little vixen! Your elder is speaking to you, and you have the gall to roll your eyes at me? What kind of attitude is that?"

Seeing her mother’s arrogance, Su Daya stepped back, her legs trembling. Her mother clearly failed to realize they were on someone else’s turf, yet she still dared to act so wildly.

Wu Cuihua, naturally bold and brainless, had long forgotten how Su Jinyu had dealt with her previously.

Li Tianhe swallowed the bite of pancake in his mouth, leaned forward, and stood in front of his niece. "Wife of the Su family, if you want to beg for food, go elsewhere. This isn’t a charity house, and we don't feed beggars like you!"

"Exactly! If you want to cause trouble, check where you are first. You two beggars get out of here, we aren’t handing out porridge!" Li Chuxiu, unable to bear his sister being scolded, grabbed his carrying pole and pointed it at them, roaring.

Seeing that the Li family was not to be trifled with, Su Daya tugged at Wu Cuihua’s sleeve and whispered fearfully, "Mother, let’s go back. The two of us can’t beat them."

Other villagers eating their own rations heard the exchange and laughed even louder.

"That foolish woman Wu Cuihua—it seems she wasn’t taught a lesson by Jinyu last time. To dare to bring her daughter here to stir up trouble, she really is a fool!"

"Indeed. Jinyu alone could beat her into submission; now that she has her uncle and brother backing her, I truly don't know where she finds the courage to provoke them."

The villagers could not understand it, but in reality, Wu Cuihua was simply desperate to save face. The more the surrounding people looked down on her, the more she felt the need to prove her status as an elder. She refused to believe that if she used the concept of filial piety to pressure Su Jinyu, she would lose to this little vixen!

"Everyone, look! Su Jinyu has no upbringing, disrespecting her elders and having no sense of hierarchy! And you Li family members are all heartless wretches—you insult us mother and daughter without a second thought. You should be expelled from our village’s caravan and left to fend for yourselves!"

"It would be better if you were decapitated by enemy soldiers on the road after being driven out, or have your hands and feet chopped off to become human swine!"

The Li family knew Wu Cuihua was a fool and had hoped she would leave once she realized she wouldn't get any food. They never imagined she would become increasingly vicious. This was simply too much to bear!

When Su Jinxiao heard his aunt cursing him for having no parents, his eyes turned bloodshot.

Seeing her younger brother about to rush forward, Su Jinyu pulled him back. Her eyes flashed with killing intent. She quickly produced two silver needles from her hand, aimed, and flicked them into Wu Cuihua’s legs.

"Ahhh!"

The crowd only heard Wu Cuihua let out a shrill, ghostly wail. Before they could grasp what had happened, they saw her knees buckle suddenly, forcing her to the ground with her hands splayed out, effectively performing a deep kowtow to Su Jinyu and the Li family.

Su Daya was terrified, not knowing what had happened to her mother. She tried to help her up, but Wu Cuihua shrieked in pain the moment she moved.

"Mother, Mother, what’s wrong? Get up!"

Wu Cuihua desperately wanted to stand, but the intense pain in her knees felt as if it had penetrated her marrow. Every time she tried to move her legs, she felt as if her knee bones were splitting.

"I can't get up! Daya, go call your father to save me! Go!"

Su Daya scrambled to her feet, stumbled once, and then ran off to fetch her father.

Since they were not currently on the move, many villagers gathered to watch the spectacle. Wu Cuihua couldn't fathom why her perfectly fine legs suddenly refused to stand. She struggled to crawl on the ground, but her legs were limp, devoid of any strength.

Suddenly, she remembered how her mother-in-law and husband had both complained of itching all over their bodies, to the point where the three of them had wanted to claw their own skin off.

She looked up and glared at Su Jinyu.

"You little vixen, was this your doing again?"

Su Jinyu did not bother to hide it once she was discovered. She openly admitted it, crossing her arms over her chest with a contemptuous smirk.

"That's right. I just stuck two silver needles into your legs. Since you can't control your mouth, Wu Cuihua, you can kneel here for an hour, and then your great-aunt here might cool off!"

"You vicious little vixen! Pull those needles out of me!"

Su Jinyu stepped forward and leisurely circled around Wu Cuihua.

"If you want me to let you off, that’s fine too. You must kowtow three times to me, my uncle, my aunt, and my grandfather, and apologize sincerely. Only then will I pull the needles out. Otherwise, you can just keep kneeling there for an hour."

Su Daya had brought the elder Su over, but just as he tried to lift Wu Cuihua up, Su Jinyu sneered and gave them a patient reminder: "The spots where I placed my needles are vital. If you force her up, her legs will be crippled for life. You can forget about her ever walking again!"

Li Tianhe heard this and wanted to clap in approval. "Well done, Jinyu! This foul woman is black-hearted and rotten to the core. She’s insulted our whole family; if we don’t teach her a lesson, she won’t realize that we aren’t to be bullied!"

Just then, Luo, the eldest daughter-in-law of Village Head Yang, happened by and added, "Wu Cuihua, you’d better believe her. When my son fell into the river before and barely made it back from the gates of hell, it was Jinyu who saved his life. Her medical skills are exceptional. If you don't listen to reason, you'll have no one to blame but yourself when you end up paralyzed!"

The other villagers didn't try to mediate; they all felt Wu Cuihua deserved it. Originally, some had doubted Su Jinyu’s words, but with the village head’s daughter-in-law testifying, they believed her even more.

"Ha! You reap what you sow! Wu Cuihua, you’d better kowtow and apologize to Jinyu quickly. Otherwise, our group will be heading out soon. If you’re left here alone for an hour, it’ll be dark, and you might even get dragged off by wolves!"

"She's only asking you to apologize; Jinyu is being quite merciful. Considering you insulted her whole family, she didn't even rip off your arms or legs—just made you kowtow three times!"

Only Village Doctor Liu stroked his beard, observing the silver needles in Wu Cuihua’s legs, wondering to himself if Su Jinyu’s aim was truly as precise as she claimed.

In the end, Wu Cuihua had no choice but to kowtow three times. She spat out the apology through gritted teeth, full of resentment.

"I, Wu Cuihua, apologize to you!"

Su Jinyu deftly pulled the silver needles from Wu Cuihua and tucked them back into her storage box.

Seeing the farce end, Village Head Yang called for everyone to prepare to move out. In truth, he had deliberately pretended not to see what was happening, hiding in the back to watch the show. He felt Wu Cuihua needed a lesson, and it was good that Su Jinyu had warned her, lest she cause more trouble down the road.

Everyone shouldered their luggage and lined up in the original order.

As Su Jinyu watched everyone packing their bags, she suddenly remembered something she had yet to do and was about to head over to discuss it with Village Head Yang when—

Suddenly, the sound of rapid, intense hoofbeats echoed in the distance.