ARC 2: Stepmother in the Seventies ✦ c71~116 (46)
✦ 28
Translator: InkyDragon (https://inkydragontranslation.wordpress.com)
“Go back to sleep, it’s just me needing the…” Gu Shi Chu paused, straining to hear the muffled sounds beyond the window. “…needing the chamber pot.”
Ji Ming Tao, still half-submerged in slumber, mumbled something incoherent and rolled over.
He wouldn’t be much help anyway. Besides, the last thing Gu Shi Chu wanted was for anyone to discover him here. This was her fight, at least for now.
With a practised ease, she grabbed a sturdy pole leaning against the wall and she crept towards the courtyard. The whispers from outside grew louder, confirming her suspicions. Thieves.
The lock on her gate was unique – a special one-way lock that only opened from the inside. A simple flick of a latch from her side was all it took.
Second Dog Li and Fatty Cui, nerves already frayed, jumped at the sound. They whirled around, eyes wide with terror, just as Gu Shi Chu stepped out. Her hair, dark and loose, cascaded down her back, and her white cotton nightgown billowed in the night breeze.
For a heart-stopping moment, they could only stare, convinced they were face-to-face with a vengeful spirit.
“Ghost!” Fatty Cui shrieked, the word ripped from his throat. He scrambled back, dragging a whimpering Second Dog Li with him.
But Gu Shi Chu was no ghost. She was flesh and blood, and righteous anger coursed through her veins. She raised the pole, a swift and decisive arc, and brought it down on their fleeing legs.
The thugs yelped in unison, collapsing into a tangle of limbs and curses. They clutched their shins, pain momentarily eclipsing their fear. Gu Shi Chu loomed over them, silhouetted against the moonlit sky, the very image of a wrathful deity.
Fury contorted Gu Shi Chu’s face. She planted a foot on Fatty Cui’s neck, pressing down hard. “Speak! Two of you in the dead of night? Explain yourselves, or I’ll beat you senseless!”
Disrupted from a peaceful sleep, her anger flared like a firecracker. When riled, Gu Shi Chu wasn’t one to mess with.
Fatty Cui’s predicament was dire. His hands were already shredded from the wall’s defences, and Gu Shi Chu’s blow to the leg had likely fractured it. The pain was making him whimper.
“We… we just wanted to borrow some food!” he choked out, surrendering, colouring his voice. “Nothing more!”
Gu Shi Chu scoffed. “Do I look like a gullible child? ‘Borrow’ food at this hour? Let’s be honest – you came to steal, rob me of my supplies, didn’t you?” She tightened her grip on his neck, cutting off his air.
Fatty Cui gasped, his struggle weakening.
Meanwhile, Second Dog Li, fueled by desperation, attempted a getaway. He dragged his injured leg in a pitiful crawl.
Gu Shi Chu’s eyes narrowed. A swift swing of the pole sent him sprawling back to the ground with a yelp.
“You too! Confess! Spill the truth or I’ll turn you both into human toothpicks!” Her gaze burned into Second Dog Li, leaving no room for argument.
Second Dog Li, a bully who preyed on the weak but cowered before the strong, was a quivering mess after two beatings. Honesty was his only option.
Tears streamed down his face as he whimpered, “We… saw you had a lot of food and money. Evil thoughts took hold, and we… we came to steal. Please forgive us! I swear I’ll never do it again!”
Gu Shi Chu felt a surge of frustration. Her meagre possessions had attracted this trouble. Was it because she was seen as an easy target? Her mind raced, searching for a solution. Should she report them to the militia captain?
But local crimes typically went undisciplined to avoid embarrassing the village leadership. The captain would likely downplay it as a misunderstanding and insist she let it go.
Second Dog Li and Fatty Cui might have been planning a robbery, but they hadn’t gone through with it yet. If Gu Shi Chu handled this privately with village leadership, a little punishment, maybe some money or food, a few days of hard labour, would all she’ll get.
But if she went public, involved the city’s public security, they’d get what they deserved. The problem was, they had families. Fatty Cui’s family, especially. They might have been exploited by him, but that didn’t make them saints. If Gu Shi Chu sent Fatty Cui to prison, they’d be after her, for sure.
In those days, a family member going to prison meant shame for the whole lot of them. They’d become outcasts, doing the worst jobs, getting the fewest work points. Cui’s family would blame Gu Shi Chu, ignoring Fatty Cui’s own guilt.
Gu Shi Chu’s head was pounding. She didn’t want to let them go, but she also didn’t want their families breathing down her neck. It was a real dilemma.
In the end, she decided to release them. But not before giving them a taste of her own medicine. A good beating, a few threats, and something to make them regret their life choices…
She knocked them both to the ground, then turned and walked back into the courtyard, pretending to pluck a leaf from the wall. In reality, she retrieved it from her spatial storage.
The leaf was from a “stinging bush,” heart-shaped and covered in tiny thorns. One touch would bring excruciating pain, enough to make anyone wish they were dead.
- (金皮树: Dendrocnide moroides, commonly known in Australia as the stinging tree, stinging bush, or gympie-gympie, is a plant in the nettle family Urticaceae found in rainforest areas of Malesia and Australia. It is notorious for its extremely painful and long-lasting sting. Indeed, it is sometimes referred to as the suicide plant because its sting is so misery-inducing that it has been said to cause suicides.)
Despite her tough exterior, Gu Shi Chu wasn’t about excessive violence. Even with these scoundrels at her mercy, she wasn’t one for gratuitous cruelty. However, a little deterrence wouldn’t “hurt”.
Wearing gloves, she held a single, innocuous-looking leaf. It was heart-shaped and smooth, nothing out of the ordinary. But Gu Shi Chu knew better. It was a leaf from a “stinging bush” she’d brought with her from her previous life. A single touch sent shivers down her spine just thinking about it.
Walking over to Second Dog Li and Fatty Cui, she held out the leaf. “This,” she said, her voice a low growl, “is a small taste of what could have happened tonight. Now, you’ll both touch this leaf. It will trigger an intense allergic reaction, agonising but not life-threatening. Endure this pain, and our grudge will be settled.”
Her eyes were steely. “Refuse, and I’ll beat you senseless every time our paths cross.”
Second Dog Li and Fatty Cui exchanged nervous glances. The leaf looked harmless enough. How bad could it be? A momentary sting, easily borne.
“Alright, alright! Let’s do it,” they mumbled, extending their hands.
Their naivety was shattered the instant the leaf made contact. Their eyes bulged. A searing fire erupted on their palms, a pain so intense it felt like a swarm of angry wasps had taken up residence. They shrieked and writhed on the ground, as if doused in boiling oil.
Gu Shi Chu’s house was thankfully located at the village’s edge, otherwise the entire neighbourhood would have been awakened by their bloodcurdling screams.
“This little itch,” she said, her voice laced with icy calm, “could last for days, weeks, or even years. Depends on your constitution, really. Consider it a reminder to keep your sticky fingers to yourselves.”
Leaving the wailing duo to their misery, Gu Shi Chu walked towards a secluded corner of her courtyard. She dug a deep hole, nearly a metre down, and carefully buried the remaining stinging bush leaf. This wasn’t a plant to be handled lightly. One accidental brush with its foliage could leave even her in agony. Back in her previous world, it had been a last resort, a weapon of self-defence. Here, it served as a potent deterrent.
There was only one such tree in her entire pocket dimension, tucked away in the farthest corner. The mere thought of accidentally brushing against it sent shivers down her spine. This little “gift” from her past life, while fearsome, was a far better option than causing permanent harm.
It was a reminder – sometimes, the most potent weapons are the ones that leave no lasting scars, only a healthy dose of regret.
─── ❖ ── ☆ ── ❖ ───
( )………( )
(๑✪ᆺ✪๑)
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