When Aunt Cuihua and Aunt Tao saw Zhao Caimei and Su Qing, they smiled and called out, "Hurry and get in line! The food will be ready soon, and we can start serving."

Su Qing beamed. "Aunt Cuihua, Aunt Tao, you’re working so hard."

"Oh, it’s nothing," Aunt Cuihua replied with a laugh. Just as she was about to say more, an argument suddenly broke out nearby. Su Qing turned at the sound and saw, to her surprise, that it was Tan Qingjuan and Tian Aixiang.

"You, Tan! Are you crazy? Why did you bump into me?" A bowl lay shattered in two on the ground beside Tian Aixiang. She was absolutely furious. ’Things are already awful for me in the Old Su Family because of Su Tao,’ she thought. ’Not only do my in-laws despise me, but even Su Shunli takes his anger out on me. My life here is suffocating. And now this bowl is broken. That damned old hag will surely tear me to shreds when I get back.’

Tan Qingjuan was preoccupied and hadn’t noticed Tian Aixiang at all.

Tan Qingjuan had accidentally bumped into someone and didn’t think it was a big deal. But when Tian Aixiang immediately started cursing, a flame of anger ignited within her. The moment she saw her accuser was Tian Aixiang—a member of the Old Su Family—her fury intensified, and she immediately shot back, "You’re the crazy one! Standing there like a roadblock and blaming someone else? Serves you right for getting bumped."

"Pah! You bump into me and you think you’re in the right?" Tian Aixiang fumed.

"So what? Are you some precious snowflake who can’t be touched? Is a little bump really such a big deal? Is it worth screaming at someone over? I think you’re the one who’s truly lost her mind. Yeah, I bumped you! So what? I haven’t even complained that *you* hurt *me*," Tan Qingjuan retorted, refusing to back down.

Their voices were so loud they immediately drew the attention of everyone nearby. The food wasn’t ready yet anyway, and the crowd waiting for the pork feast had nothing better to do, so they all turned to gossip and watch the drama unfold.

This made Tian Aixiang even more furious. She pointed right at Tan Qingjuan’s nose and let loose a torrent of abuse. "Pah! You bumped into me, and you’re claiming *you’re* the one who’s hurt? I’m no precious snowflake, and you can stop acting like one! Don’t think I don’t know you look down on all of us villagers. Pah! You think you’re some big shot from the city? Well, if you’re a city girl, why don’t you go back to the city? What are you doing suffering out here in the countryside with us?"

"Whether I go back to the city is none of your damn business! You should worry about your own daughter first," Tan Qingjuan said sarcastically. "Oh, that’s right—you can’t. Your precious daughter killed someone and is now wanted by the police. Who knows where she’s hiding? Hmph. Once the police find her, she’s destined for a bullet to the head. And you? For the rest of your life, you’ll be known as a murderer’s mother. You can’t even manage your own daughter, yet you have the nerve to stick your nose in my business. Pah!"

After letting out that tirade, Tan Qingjuan felt some of her pent-up frustration ease. ’The last time I went to the Liang Family’s home,’ she thought, ’Liang Fushan told me he wanted to marry Su Qing to get a job, saying it was for our future together.’ For the sake of the future he had promised, she had gritted her teeth and accepted it. She planned to wait for him to secure the job, divorce Su Qing, and then marry her. ’Even though I knew his mother wasn’t easy to get along with, I figured we’d be working in the county seat and wouldn’t have to see the Tao family members often, so problems with my mother-in-law wouldn’t be a major concern.’

But days passed with no news about Liang Fushan and Su Qing. Su Qing simply went to work and came home every day as if nothing was wrong. Then, just two days ago, Liang Fushan had suddenly shown up to break up with her, his decision absolute and unyielding.

Naturally, Tan Qingjuan refused. She had lost hope of returning to the city and was counting on marrying Liang Fushan to have a good life. How could she possibly agree to a breakup?

But Liang Fushan had been adamant, leaving no room for discussion. After discreetly asking around for the past two days, she finally learned the truth: Liang Fushan had a successful match-making session with a girl from the county seat, and their families were already preparing for the wedding.

The news left Tan Qingjuan completely stunned; she had no idea what to do. When they broke up, Liang Fushan had threatened her: if she continued to cling to him, he would spread the word that she was no longer a virgin. The threat struck her right where she was most vulnerable. She couldn’t risk it, terrified he would actually follow through. In this day and age, a woman’s reputation was everything. She couldn’t imagine having the courage to live on if she were branded a slut.

But her only hope had been shattered.

And the cause of this devastation, she felt, was Su Qing. ’If Su Qing hadn’t been there to offer Liang Fushan a shortcut, he would never have abandoned me to marry some girl from the city.’ She was sure of it. He had done it for the job. She knew better than anyone how obsessed he was with securing a position in the county seat.

Afraid that her secret would be exposed, Tan Qingjuan naturally redirected all her resentment for Liang Fushan onto Su Qing. But Su Qing was so formidable these days that she didn’t dare provoke her directly.

So today, when Tian Aixiang started trouble, all her pent-up fury erupted. Seeing Tian Aixiang thoroughly incensed by her words brought Tan Qingjuan a sense of relief. ’I don’t dare pick a fight with Su Qing right now,’ she thought. ’I’m no match for her—the memory of how she utterly humiliated me is still fresh. But if I can’t get to Su Qing, cursing out someone from the Old Su Family feels almost as good.’

Tian Aixiang was truly pushed past her limit. The situation with Su Tao was a raw nerve, a thorn in her heart that caused excruciating pain at the slightest touch. And here was Tan Qingjuan, twisting a knife in the wound. It would have been a miracle if she’d held back. She lunged forward and slapped Tan Qingjuan hard across the face.

Tan Qingjuan wasn’t about to take that. After a brief moment of stunned silence, she viciously retaliated. In an instant, the two were a tangled, brawling mess.

Zhao Caimei’s eyes went wide. "Su Qing, your aunt and Tan Zhiqing are fighting!"

Su Qing looked completely unbothered. "Let them. We’ll watch the show."

"Okay." Zhao Caimei, who felt a great deal of sympathy for what Su Qing had endured with the Old Su Family, nodded in agreement. "Right. Let’s watch the show."

Watching Tan Qingjuan and Tian Aixiang brawl, Su Qing found the sight refreshing. ’So this is what a real catfight looks like,’ she thought. It was all pinching—chests and arms—hair-pulling, eye-gouging, and a flurry of scratches to the face. Su Qing watched with fascination. The last time she’d seen a proper brawl was the morning she first transmigrated here. Tian Aixiang had fought with Shi’s mother that day, too. It was a shame she’d had to play the pitiful victim back then and couldn’t get a good look. Today was a real education.

And so, while Tan Qingjuan and Tian Aixiang fought with spectacular ferocity, Su Qing watched from the sidelines with great relish.

Just as she was enjoying the spectacle, Zhao Youcai rushed over. He bellowed at the gawking crowd, "What are you all staring at? Hurry up and pull them apart!"