Chapter 207: Coming to Blows

Ju Hua’s eyes lit up. She popped the half-eaten piece of ginger candy in her hand into her mouth and pulled Gu Fei outside with her.

In the courtyard, they saw Ms. Qian slap Shanzi on the head, cursing him out. Xing’er stood to the side, looking like she was on the verge of tears.

It turned out Shanzi hadn’t been able to get close to Xing’er for several days. He had asked her to go to the little woods, but she refused.

Today, when he drove the cart into town, he had specifically bought a velvet flower for her. When he finally saw Xing’er coming out of her room, he gave her the flower and again asked her to go to the little woods. Xing’er refused. In his anxiety, Shanzi grabbed her, trying to pull her away, which was precisely when Ms. Qian came out and caught them.

Ms. Qian spat right in Shanzi’s face. "You worthless scum! What do you think you’re doing, grabbing my daughter? Don’t you take a look at yourself? How dare you have designs on my daughter? Pah! In your wildest dreams!"

Shanzi’s face was beet red. He lowered his head, not daring to say a word.

Xing’er’s face was filled with shame and indignation. She reached for her mother, pleading, "Mother, I beg you, please stop."

Ms. Qian shook off her daughter’s hand, stomped her foot, and pointed at Shanzi. "I’ll say what I damn well please! You fatherless brat! Get the hell away from me! If I ever see you talking to Xing’er again, I’ll break your legs!"

Just as she was getting into her tirade, a figure shot out of the west wing like a whirlwind. She charged right up to Ms. Qian, her eyes glaring as if she wanted to eat her alive. "What did you say?" she snarled. "You dare insult my son for not having a father to teach him?"

Ms. Qian didn’t back down an inch. "So what if I did? He is a fatherless— "

Before she could finish, Shanzimama lunged forward, grabbed a handful of Ms. Qian’s hair, and started slapping her across the face.

Ms. Qian was no pushover, either. With a shriek, she reached out and grabbed Shanzimama’s hair in return.

The two women grappled, ramming their heads together like fighting bulls, while their free hands clawed and slapped at each other’s faces and bodies.

"You dare curse my son?" Shanzimama yelled as she fought. "Your shameless daughter spends all day seducing my Shanzi! I’ve lived half a century and never seen such a brazen hussy!"

Ms. Qian didn’t miss a beat. "You shameless old hag! It was clearly your son who seduced my Xing’er, and you have the nerve to blame us!"

Nearby, Xing’er cried with her face in her hands, while Shanzi wanted to intervene but was too scared.

Gu Fei and Ju Hua exchanged a look, both of them wide-eyed with shock. ’What a juicy piece of gossip!’

Shanzi and Xing’er were secretly a couple!

Gu Zhong rushed out of his room when he heard the commotion. Seeing Shanzimama and Ms. Qian tangled up in a brawl, he stomped his foot in frustration. "Stop fighting! Let go! Let go right now!" But as a man, it wasn’t proper for him to physically intervene.

Gu Zhang also came out of the old madam’s room and stood by the door, the corners of his mouth twitching.

The Aunt walked over, her face grim. ’Ms. Qian is such an idiot,’ she thought. ’Is this something to be aired out in public? She’s only bringing shame upon her own daughter!’

Aunt Liu also hurried over, saying, "Whatever it is, can’t you talk it out? We’re all neighbors here. Please, stop fighting."

The Aunt and Aunt Liu each grabbed one of the women, finally managing to pull Ms. Qian and Shanzimama apart.

Shanzimama threw down the lock of Ms. Qian’s hair she’d torn out, spat viciously, and grabbed Shanzi to leave.

Ms. Qian lunged forward. "You stop right there! Don’t you even think about leaving until this is settled!"

Shanzimama sneered, smoothing down her messy hair. "Fine. Even if you hadn’t stopped me, I was just about to have a word with you."

"From now on, you’d better keep a close eye on your daughter! Tell her to stop trying to seduce my son!"