"My Ruyi! You're still so young. How could you be deceived by a man like this! Since your elder brother and sister-in-law aren't here, I must discipline you on their behalf!"
Meng Ruyi came back to her senses. Hearing this, her face turned cold. Her gaze towards Auntie Meng was as cold as a knife, scraping against the woman's body.
Meng Chengli, who was supporting his mother beside him, accidentally caught a glimpse of Meng Ruyi's gaze and couldn't help but shiver. When he looked again, he saw the girl with her head down, looking helpless and panicked.
It must be an illusion. She was just a worthless little girl. How could she have such a look in her eyes? Meng Chengli thought he must be seeing things. He rubbed his eyes and shouted, "Cousin! Mother and I were worried that you'd been deceived by a man. How could you bring a strange man home? This..."
Meng Chengli stopped halfway through his sentence, pretending to be concerned. In fact, he and his mother were trying to push Meng Ruyi into a corner.
If they could frame Meng Ruyi for having an affair and use her young age as an excuse, they could take her back home reasonably. After drugging her, even if Meng Ruyi died, they could just say it was due to typhoid fever and shift the blame onto this young man.
The onlookers all thought it was Meng Ruyi's fault and immediately started pointing fingers. Some gossips were even eager to help Auntie Meng tie her up and teach her a lesson right away.
Should I test if Song Huaizhi will step in?
Meng Ruyi threw a tentative look at Song Huaizhi, pointed at her sleeve, and then looked at Auntie Meng.
Seeing this, Song Huaizhi nodded slightly at Meng Ruyi.
"Ruyi..."
This time, before Auntie Meng could finish speaking, Meng Ruyi interrupted with a sob, "Auntie, just now, why did you rush into my courtyard and knock over the medicine that my parents had worked so hard to get for me?"
"This young man was just a beggar saved by my mother before she passed away. That's why he was left in the Meng Mansion to recover from his injuries. When he saw you knock over my medicine, he rushed over to help me. I..."
As Meng Ruyi spoke, tears welled up in her eyes and fell like beads. Her eyes were as red as a rabbit's, and the tip of her nose was also red, making people feel pity for her.
The onlookers were intrigued by this unexpected turn of events and started discussing among themselves.
The Meng family was a well - known wealthy family in the city, always known for their kindness. What Meng Ruyi said seemed reasonable. On the contrary, Auntie Meng, who had come in crying and wailing at her niece from the start, seemed rather suspicious.
Hearing that the public opinion was gradually turning in Meng Ruyi's favor, Auntie Meng suddenly let out a shrill scream and slumped to the ground. But before she fell, she quietly pinched her son's hand. Meng Chengli quickly reacted and shouted at the top of his lungs.
"Mother! Mother, what's wrong with you!"
Hearing this exclamation, the onlookers immediately looked down at the ground. They saw Auntie Meng lying on the ground, covering her foot, seemingly in so much pain that she couldn't stand up.
Meng Chengli imitated his mother and wiped the corners of his eyes. Since he couldn't squeeze out any tears, he just sniffed and said, "Mother was afraid that you'd be deceived by a wild man and do something immoral!! Even if she knocked over the medicine bowl, it was just because she was disappointed in your behavior and made a mistake for a moment. You could just boil another bowl. How could you instruct this outsider to hurt her!"
In coordination with her son's tearful accusation, Auntie Meng started moaning again.
There were whispers among the onlookers.
"Her auntie wants to discipline the child. We outsiders shouldn't interfere."
"Yes, yes. This is a family matter."
"But..."
Meng Ruyi continued to put on a show with Auntie Meng. Thinking about how close she had come to death just now, her nose couldn't help but feel sour. She cried in a very soft voice, like a whimpering little animal.
"Aun... Auntie." The grievance in Meng Ruyi's tone was almost overflowing. Her words made Song Huaizhi raise his eyebrows slightly, and a hint of interest flashed in his usually gloomy eyes.
"You sprained your foot when you rushed over yourself and left in a huff. I was so worried that I sent someone to invite the most famous doctor in the town. I was just about to ask him to go to your courtyard to take a look. How could you, without any evidence, say that I instructed someone to hurt you?"
As she spoke, Meng Ruyi pointed at the doctor that she had sent Baizhi to invite before dinner. She became even more choked up.
This little girl!
Auntie Meng exchanged a panicked look with her son. Auntie Meng let out a scream and said, "You little girl. Who knows what your intentions are! What if you collude with the doctor for this man and try to harm my life... No! You must come home with me now and let your uncle discipline you properly!"
Saying this, Auntie Meng motioned for the servants to step forward and try to tie Meng Ruyi up by force. Realizing that pretending was no longer useful, Auntie Meng pretended to limp as she stood up. She glanced at Song Huaizhi proudly.
She didn't believe that with two maids, two servants, and her precious son, they couldn't handle this brat.
But they really couldn't. Song Huaizhi picked up a pebble and threw it at Auntie Meng's leg. The next moment, the woman who had "broken her leg" on the ground let out a shrill scream. Then, her leg was really broken, and she fell to the ground wailing. The servants and maids looked at each other in dismay and were too scared to take a step forward.
Meng Ruyi looked at Song Huaizhi in shock. Seeing this, Song Huaizhi picked up another small stone.
[I saw it! Just now, Song Huaizhi was about to stop! But unexpectedly, after being looked at by the little girl, he picked up another stone.]
[The anti - hero Song who is reluctant but still acts.]
[I couldn't resist either! This little girl is so beautiful, like a doll. I wish I could have a daughter like her!]
The onlookers were shocked and realized that they had been deceived by this vicious woman. Their faces darkened.
Auntie Meng also realized that she had been exposed. She quickly grabbed her sleeve, trying to squeeze out a few tears to gain sympathy.
Unexpectedly, her finger suddenly went numb, and the brocade bag she had secretly held in her hand flew out. A bag of garlic scattered into the air.
"Hey, what's this?"
Some of the onlookers who were standing close got splashed on their heads. They wiped some off and smelled it, then immediately shouted, "Garlic! This woman actually rubbed garlic juice into her eyes to pretend to cry!"
"This vicious woman! It seems that everything she said just now was a lie. Maybe she took advantage of the fact that Miss Meng's parents were away and bullied her. Who would have thought she'd be exposed!"
The crowd became even more excited. All the looks of disdain that had been directed at Meng Ruyi were now aimed at Auntie Meng.
It's over! All the good reputation she had built up over the years was gone! Her son was going to take the imperial examination next spring. If her reputation was ruined, it would all be over!
Auntie Meng and Meng Chengli panicked and didn't know what to do. They resisted and took a step back, trying to sneak away in the crowd.
Some of the onlookers realized that something was wrong and tightened the circle, preventing Auntie Meng and her son from squeezing out. All they could hear were the scolding sounds around them.
Meng Ruyi rubbed her eyes hard, her voice choking. She covered her face with her long sleeve, and her shoulders trembled as if she was crying.
Only those standing close to her knew that Meng Ruyi was actually holding back her laughter, and a hint of cunning flashed in her eyes.
Lianqiao was smart. Seeing this, she rubbed her eyes red with her sleeve and said to Auntie Meng, "Madam Meng has really gone too far this time! Taking advantage of the fact that the master and mistress are not at home, she bullied the young lady. Not only did she knock over the young lady's medicine, but now she's trying to frame the young lady for having an affair with an outsider."
"The young lady is only ten years old. If this rumor is confirmed, it will be a stain on her for life. How can our young lady live?"
Seeing this, some smart onlookers had already run off to report to the official. Seeing this, Auntie Meng was no longer in a hurry to take Meng Ruyi away. She had to send the servants to stop those people first.
Auntie Meng could no longer maintain her false kindness. The once - respected wife of a scholar was now being scolded as something worse than a pig or a dog.
Thinking that her son was going to take the exam next spring and his reputation had been ruined by this little girl, Auntie Meng was so angry that her whole body trembled.
[Interesting. This perspective could be called "The Counter - attack of the Cannon Fodder".]
[Ah! Look! Master Song has picked up another stone!]
[Peashooter Song Huaizhi is online! Biu! Biu! Biu!]
Meng Ruyi knew when to stop. She didn't want to push the defeated enemy too hard. She gently tugged at her skirt and signaled Lianqiao to cooperate with her with her eyes.
"Auntie, I..."
The next second, as if she couldn't catch her breath, Meng Ruyi fell into Lianqiao's arms. The people around let out an exclamation.