Chapter 62: Xiao Heshuo Fiercely Defends His Wife

Many neighbors spat in Gao Zhaodi's direction, their words filled with deep contempt and disgust.

Gao Zhaodi tried to shield herself with her hands, but it was useless. "What are you people doing?"

"Get lost!"

Her words only provoked two women to step forward and kick her several times.

"If you're so desperate for a man, go sell yourself in town! Stop ruining the reputation of our village."

The two women did not hold back, kicking Gao Zhaodi until she collapsed on the ground, wailing miserably.

"My Zhaodi!" Mother Gao arrived in a panic with the rest of the family.

She carefully helped Gao Zhaodi up, then glared viciously at Xiao Heshuo and Yan Ziyue. "You brought my daughter to this state, and I will make you pay for it!"

Father Gao and the others rolled up their sleeves, looking ready to pounce and beat someone up at any moment.

"Make the two of us pay?" Yan Ziyue whipped out a sickle with a sharp, metallic swish and smiled with a sinister glint in her eyes. "Wonderful, I was just wishing I had a chance to practice my moves."

"Now that you're all here, I'll have a proper opportunity to warm up."

She waved the sickle through the air a few times. "I hope none of you run away later, and don't leave Gao Zhaodi behind by herself."

Xiao Heshuo retrieved his hunting rifle and aimed it squarely at the Gao family. "Whoever dares to lay a finger on Yan Ziyue, I'll blow his head off!"

As soon as the hunting rifle appeared, the Gao family retreated in terror, entirely stripped of their previous arrogance and ferocity.

"Xiao Heshuo, put that down! Put that down right now!"

"Xiao Heshuo, we entrusted you with a fine daughter, yet you treat her like this. You've gone too far!"

Instead of lowering the gun, Xiao Heshuo aimed the barrel directly at Father Gao. "Since you Gao family members are so good at spouting nonsense, I might as well blow the head off your family patriarch first."

Father Gao scrambled to hide behind his two sons, his heart pounding in his throat. "No, no, no!"

"Xiao Heshuo, we won't spout nonsense anymore. Put the gun away!"

He hadn't lived long enough and had no desire to die.

To save their own skins, the two Gao sons ruthlessly shoved Father Gao forward and ducked behind Mother Gao and Gao Zhaodi.

"Xiao Heshuo, don't shoot us. This was all my parents' idea. They had their eyes on your money and forced Gao Zhaodi to be a mistress to scam you."

"Yes, yes, yes! Shoot them if you have to, it was entirely their scheme."

The surrounding neighbors pointed and whispered among themselves.

"The Gao family is utterly disgusting. Not only did they want their daughter to be a mistress, but they also plotted to steal people's money."

"I'll have to stay far away from the Gao family from now on, lest I get plotted against without even knowing it."

Xiao Heshuo did not lower his rifle. His dark, deep-set eyes were brimming with fierce, chilling fury. "You dared to come and harass Yan Ziyue time and time again, and you even schemed against me. I won't let you off easily."

Seeing the situation, the Gao family's two sons turned and fled in a blind panic.

Compared to money, their lives were far more important.

Mother Gao's legs turned to jelly; she wanted to run, but she couldn't move. "Zhaodi..."

Gao Zhaodi violently pushed her away and ran off by herself.

Not a single child bothered to look back at the Gao parents.

The neighbors mocked, "None of the three Gao children care about their own parents, they just ran away themselves. How pathetic!"

"Get lost!" Xiao Heshuo barked at Father and Mother Gao.

The couple scrambled away in utter terror, looking as though vicious ghosts were chasing close behind them, terrified that running too slowly would seal their doom.

Xiao Heshuo lowered the hunting rifle, bolted the courtyard gate, and with a grim expression, pulled Yan Ziyue back into the main room.

"Stop being angry," Yan Ziyue comforted him gently. "You know how human nature is; the Gao family isn't an isolated case."

"I think after what happened today, no one will ever dare to harbor malicious thoughts toward you again."

Xiao Heshuo's expression softened slightly. "I'm not angry about that. I'm furious at the way those people treated you."

"They had no right to treat you like that."

Hearing this, a bright smile bloomed on Yan Ziyue's face. "I don't mind at all, as long as you treat me well."

"Don't be angry anymore. Let's eat first, I'm starving."

Hearing that she was hungry, Xiao Heshuo immediately put all other thoughts aside.

He put the hunting rifle away, carried the food out from the kitchen to the main room, and the two sat down to eat.

The incident involving the Gao family caused a massive sensation in the village, completely overshadowing the matters of the Yan family and making the Gao family an object of universal revulsion.

Even Village Chief Luo made a special trip to the Gao household.

No one knew what Chief Luo said to them, but from that day onward, the Gao family rarely stepped outside. Especially Gao Zhaodi, who vanished from sight entirely.

However, the neighbors claimed they heard Gao Zhaodi's blood-curdling screams that day, as if she were being brutally beaten by her family.

Yan Ziyue learned all of this from Miao Lanlan.

Miao Lanlan had brought some food and daily necessities to Yan Ziyue while she was selling eggs.

"I made this myself, please don't look down on it." Miao Lanlan shoved a bamboo basket into her hands, leaving no room for refusal. "I never properly thanked you for setting me up with such a wonderful business."

Although this batch of eggs didn't yield as much as the last one, it was still far better than scratching a living out of the fields.

Yan Ziyue did not stand on ceremony. She smiled and said, "Sister Miao, I'll accept this time, but please don't bring anything in the future."

Miao Lanlan nodded repeatedly in agreement.

She glanced toward the junior high school grounds and lowered her voice. "I heard that the Gao family wants to marry Gao Zhaodi off to someone in town."

"To exchange her for money!"

Yan Ziyue was not surprised. In her past life, Gao Zhaodi had indeed been married off to the town by her family. Word had it that her life there was quite miserable, and she constantly had to send money back home to help her brothers secure brides.

"Good for her."

Miao Lanlan wore an expression that clearly read, *Are you out of your mind?* "You, why aren't you seeing the bigger picture?"

"If Gao Zhaodi really marries into the town, given her and her family's temperament, do you think they'll let you off?"

"They might just find a way to make trouble at your school or ambush you."

She warned, "You need to be very careful."

Yan Ziyue thanked her sincerely. "I will be careful."

She really ought to carry something on her person for self-defense.

After seeing Miao Lanlan off, Yan Ziyue carried the bamboo basket back to her classroom.

The moment she sat down, Xu Yuanjie scurried over.

"Yan Ziyue..." He started to speak, but was interrupted by Nie Cai'er's disdainful voice.

"Birds of a feather flock together, completely devoid of real talent."

Hearing this, Xu Yuanjie immediately moved to settle the score with Nie Cai'er.

Yan Ziyue held him back and persuaded, "It's not worth it."

"Besides, if you pick a fight with her, Teacher Zhang will punish you."

Although Teacher Zhang wasn't the kind of teacher who favored only top students, Xu Yuanjie would definitely face repercussions if he acted out.

Xu Yuanjie dropped the matter, wrinkled his nose, and let out a huff. "I'm telling you, Nie Cai'er is just ticked off because Old Zhu has been hanging out with us."

"In her mind, Old Zhu is the top student and should only associate with her, the runner-up."

Yan Ziyue cast a calm, indifferent glance at Nie Cai'er, who was still muttering something under her breath, and said to Xu Yuanjie, "There's no need to get angry."

"If a dog bites you, are you going to bite it back?"

Through her observations over the past few days, this Nie Cai'er was somewhat arrogant and smug, possessing the temperament of a spoiled child, but her fundamental nature wasn't malicious.

"Who are you calling a dog?" Nie Cai'er slammed her hand down hard on the desk, stood up with a furious expression, and glared at Yan Ziyue with intense hatred.