Reborn as a Landlord-Chapter 185 - 97: Facing Each Other_1

Chapter 185: Chapter 97: Facing Each Other_1
Lady Zhang had one hand tangled in Lady He’s hair while her other hand slapped Lady He’s face, causing Lady He to stagger to the side. Had Lady Zhang not been holding onto Lady He’s hair, Lady He would have fallen over.
Lian Manman at the side was somewhat stunned.
Lady Zhang, who was usually kind and tolerant towards others, even if she was verbally provoked, would often choose to endure. But today, she had barely exchanged a few words with Lady He before resorting to physical violence. Was this still the gentle Lady Zhang known for being a pushover?
The way Lady Zhang glared with wide, angry eyes actually carried quite a formidable presence.
Lady He, seemingly intimidated by Lady Zhang, struggled to free herself, but Lady Zhang, who had grabbed her hair first, had the upper hand. Lady He then reached out, trying to claw at Lady Zhang’s face.
Lian Manman hurried over.
"Second Aunt, stop bullying my mother," Lian Manman held on tightly to one of Lady He’s arms. Lian Zhizhi ran over and grabbed hold of Lady He’s other arm.
Already no match for Lady Zhang, Lady He now found herself even less likely to turn the tide with two more pulling her to the side.
"Ouch! Someone come quick, someone is about to get killed!" Lady He howled.
"You shut your mouth, and if you howl again, I’ll hit you," warned Lady Zhang, her face fierce.
Seeing Lady Zhang suddenly transform into someone unrecognizable, with a dark and threatening look in her eyes, Lady He felt a sense of guilt.
"Old Fourth’s wife, aren’t I still your sister-in-law? Did you take gunpowder or something? You just hit me without saying anything," said Lady He, her tone softer now that she was restrained by Lady Zhang and her daughters.
"Don’t you know what you’ve said yourself?" Lady Zhang’s voice changed with anger, "I must tell you, I don’t care what you usually do. But if you dare to tarnish my daughter’s reputation again, I’ll tear your mouth apart."
Obviously, it was the rascal who was bullying others. Lian Zhizhi was unharmed, but according to Lady He just now, it seemed as if Lian Zhizhi was the one luring men. How could Lady Zhang not be angry? For a young woman from a good family, nothing is more important than a chaste reputation.
Growing up, Lady Zhang’s family was relatively well-to-do among the villagers. Thus, she didn’t care much for material things; instead, she valued reputation and other spiritual matters more. This was also why she could remain the pushover she had been for all these years and still somewhat enjoy it.
Willing to work harder and live with fewer amenities, to yield in all things for the sake of her family’s harmony—Lady Zhang was willing to do this. However, she could not tolerate her character being slandered. She was deeply hurt by Lady Zhou accusing her of stealing eggs last time precisely because of this. Comparatively, the questioning of her own virtue was something Lady Zhang could not bear, but even less tolerable was someone slandering her children.
This was her bottom line, her reverse scale.
Lady Zhang, when her reverse scale was touched, unleashed the fierce and bloodthirsty spirit that belonged to her husband, Zhang Qingshan—a man of the mountains capable of facing down tigers and wolves—and she retaliated against Lady He in the most vehement way.
Lady He, who tended to digress and gossip, had come today hoping to glean some extra meat to eat. But having come up empty-handed, she felt a twinge of jealousy and had intentionally tried to smear Lian Zhizhi’s name. Thinking Lady Zhang would not dare to speak up, she was caught off guard when Lady Zhang immediately slapped her twice. Knowing she was in the wrong and seeing Lady Zhang’s fierceness, she grew afraid.
"I... I didn’t say anything," stammered Lady He.
"What’s this about attracting men? Are those kind words? You’re a woman too, and you also have a daughter. My children went to the market to sell peanuts, and some shameless ones tried to rob them but got chased off by my kids—that’s the truth. Did you hear that clearly?"
"I meant no harm, Zhizhi is my own niece after all, why would I ruin her reputation?" Lady He said with a forced smile, "Old Fourth’s wife, please let me go, you’ve pulled out my hair."
Seeing Lady He concede, Lady Zhang finally released her grip on her hair and carelessly threw the handful of hair she had collected onto the ground.
"Look here, Second Aunt, I won’t say much more. Just remember this, if I hear any displeasant talk again, don’t blame me if I don’t recognize who you are," Lady Zhang said with a stern face.
"I definitely won’t say anything anymore," Lady He, touching her sore scalp, meekly walked away.
"Mother," Lian Zhizhi leaned into Lady Zhang, only now understanding how much her mother really defended her.
"My Zhizhi is almost grown up, and these years, mother has wronged you," Lady Zhang said softly, stroking Lian Zhizhi’s back.
"Mother, don’t say that, I know you care about me," Lian Zhizhi replied.
"Mother," Lian Manman said, surprised at this side of Lady Zhang, "You really did look impressive just now."