FID – Chapter 1030

Chapter 1030: Try Laying a Finger on My Grandmother and See What Happens?

Her facial features were fairly regular, but those eyes were extremely aggravating—aloof, full of disdain, as if she were inherently superior to everyone else.

  Grandma Liu looked down at her own clothes and immediately understood where the maid’s sense of superiority came from.

  Since she had been staying in the village, she dressed for practicality, wearing coarse cloth garments to make working easier. 

  Normally, she avoided flashy attire to not stand out awkwardly among the villagers. Today she was wearing a simple gray coarse cloth outfit, one she seldom wore the finer clothes her grandchildren bought for her.

  She hadn’t expected to become the object of someone’s contempt.

  Fuming with anger, Grandma Liu’s gaze swept from the maid to the well-dressed, plump, proud-faced middle-aged noblewoman standing behind her. “Useless fool? What, only those wearing silk and brocade can be called human, and those of us dressed humbly are ‘fools’? Just because you’ve got a little money, you think you can look down on the poor? You people are the real kind that bully others because you can!”

  “You lowly commoner! How dare you talk back?!”

  “And why shouldn’t I talk back? You call me a useless fool, and now a lowly commoner. With a foul mouth like yours, just being scolded by me is a light treatment!” Grandma Liu’s temper flared, eyes wide with anger.

  Luckily, these two so-called ‘well-mannered’ women were less cultured than a three-year-old in the village. If she didn’t show some authority, they would really think themselves important!

The commotion immediately drew the attention of everyone nearby.

  The surrounding villagers stopped to watch, pointing and whispering among themselves.

  Their words and gestures hinted that the treatment of the mistress and her servant was unjust, yet they felt sympathy for Grandma Liu.

  The pair of mistress and servant clearly came from a wealthy family, while this elderly woman was just up from the countryside. It seemed she was destined to suffer a loss. 

To them, Grandma Liu’s rough gray homespun attire marked her as a commoner. How could a commoner stand against someone from a wealthy household? They assumed the old woman’s fate would be grim.

  Perhaps annoyed by the onlookers, the noblewoman sneered, “Slap her.”

  Such wanton arrogance made Grandma Liu so furious she nearly fell backward.

  If anyone embodied true nobility, it was the Empress Dowager, who had never looked down on this rural woman. So who was this noblewoman to act so high and mighty? Relying on her family background to bully commoners, her face twisted with contempt!

The elderly maid, following her mistress’s orders, raised her hand to strike Grandma Liu.

  As the villagers gasped in shock, a small stone suddenly flew out of nowhere, cutting straight through the maid’s palm. Half a beat too late, the maid clutched her hand, wailing in pain, and glared with fury at the young man who had pushed through the crowd and stepped forward.

  “Useless fool, dare touch a single hair on my grandmother’s head and see what happens!” The young man’s eyes were ice-cold, his presence radiating lethal intent, sharp and piercing.

  From the window of the restaurant, seeing the scene, his aura had already flared with murderous energy.

  Seeing her grandson step forward and hurl back the words ‘useless fool’ at them, Grandma Liu’s expression softened slightly, and she stepped beside her little grandson.

  “Who are you? How dare you harm my maid? You’re asking for death!” the noblewoman shouted coldly at Liu Zhiqiu.

  Liu Zhiqiu sneered. “It doesn’t matter who I am. I’m standing right here. Do you want to see what it means to court death?”

  Such brazen defiance made the surrounding onlookers gasp in fear.

  Seeing that both Liu Zhiqiu and the old woman were dressed as ordinary villagers, no one would think they had any powerful backing. Even if the young man seemed somewhat skilled, the wealthy family could summon dozens of guards at a wave of the hand—how could he possibly compete?

Two fists could never match four hands. The young man, full of youthful vigor and hot blood, did not know restraint, nor had he considered whether he could bear the consequences.

  Such is the recklessness of youth.

  Filial piety is commendable, but acting this way in the situation could bring disaster upon the entire family.

  The onlooking villagers’ sympathy deepened, and some began shaking their heads in quiet disapproval.

  “Madam, these two lowly people don’t even take you seriously! They say when you beat a dog, you need to watch the owner. Look what they did to my hand! I beg you, Madam, act for your servant’s sake!” Covering her hand, which was still bleeding, the maid staggered to the noblewoman’s side, glaring at Liu Zhiqiu with venomous eyes. “Mark my words: if you anger my lady, don’t expect a good life! She, the matriarch of the Ding family, is close to the wife of the Yunzhou Prefect. Her older brother holds the Vice-Minister post in the Ministry of Revenue. How dare you lowly people humiliate us!”

  Hearing this, Grandma Liu’s face darkened. Close to the Prefect’s wife? That must be Yuzheng! 

Who were these people, to parade around in public using the names of her granddaughter-in-law to show off? They were blatantly tarnishing Zhixia and Yuzheng’s reputations!

  Infuriating!

“You—” Grandma Liu raised her finger to curse, but Liu Zhiqiu stopped her.

  Raising his chin, he coldly curved his lips at the noblewoman across from him. “With a background like yours, I really want to see something. Over a mere argument, what exactly do you plan to do to me here in broad daylight? Summon me back for torture, or execute me on the spot? Come on, I’m waiting.”

  The more he provoked, the less he held back.

  At the very start, when Liu Zhiqiu had shot a stone through the maid’s hand, the noblewoman had felt a momentary hesitation. 

  If they were truly ordinary villagers, there would be no way one of them could have such skill. But looking at their simple clothes and the demeanor of the old woman, it was clear they had no connection to wealth or status. That brief flicker of doubt vanished immediately.

  Hearing Liu Zhiqiu provoke her again, the noblewoman could no longer restrain herself. Her gaze toward the two turned dark and vicious. “Insulting the family of a court official and threatening them is a grave offense! Men, seize these two lowborn wretches. If they resist, kill them on the spot!”

  A crowd of people rushed forward from behind the noblewoman, surrounding Liu Zhiqiu and Grandma Liu in a tight circle. Their movements were sharp and disciplined. They were clearly trained, not as ordinary household servants, but seasoned guards.

  A quick glance showed there were at least twenty of them.

  Seeing such a formation, the nearby townsfolk, afraid of getting dragged into trouble, hurriedly backed away.

  Although they sympathized with the young man and the elderly woman, they could not risk their own lives. They were commoners. How could they afford to offend someone of high status?

  Yet while the townspeople stepped aside, they did not leave. They stood at a distance, continuing to watch the commotion, waiting to see whether the noblewoman truly meant to use some arbitrary excuse to have the pair beaten to death.

  In the eyes of the wealthy and powerful, the lives of the lower classes were as cheap as weeds—worthless and easily taken.

   Even when suffering such injustice, commoners had nowhere to voice their grievances. The upper circles always protected one another, leaving no path of survival for the ordinary folk.