"Waaa... don't hit little aunt!"
"Little aunt, I'm here to save you!"
The young twins, though small, knew their little aunt was always good to them. They wanted to help, but the older kids pushed them down and started hitting them too.
Madam Hua rushed forward to stop them, but was knocked over by Zheni, who charged like a little calf. She fell to the ground and had to shield the three kids with her body, taking the kicks from the chubby boy and Daya herself.
"Stop! That's your grandma, your little aunt!"
An Wenrun's handsome face turned red and pale with anger. He scolded Daya and Zheni and tried to stand up to pull the kids apart, but his legs were weak and he almost fell.
Luckily, Freya, who had been watching the scene with interest, quickly caught him.
"Oh oh oh, the useless cripple wants to fight, but he can't! He can't!"
"Peh! If you've got the guts, come here and hit me!"
Daya ran close to Brian, then jumped out of his reach. She even spat at him.
"Hmph! Useless cripple! You'll have to rely on me when you're old!
If you're still mean to me like before, I'll make you beg for food. When you die, I won't even break the firepot at your funeral!"
The chubby boy said viciously.
His mother had told him that their little uncle was now disabled. He couldn't walk or work, and his wife was leaving him. He wouldn't be able to bring money home anymore, so no one needed to please him now.
Freya, who had been sitting and casually snacking on sunflower seeds, suddenly got angry. How dare they insult her man!
"You little brats, who are you calling names?
You must be like wild dogs with full bellies, eating too much crap!
You want a beating? I'll give you one!"
As she spoke, she pulled out the long whip at her waist. Snap snap snap, a few lashes and the two little troublemakers were on the ground, crying in pain.
"Be careful, don't hurt them too badly," Brian didn't stop her, just gently reminded her. These two kids really needed a lesson.
"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing. I won't kill them!" Freya gave him a sweet smile and eased her strength. She whipped them like she was teasing dogs, actually kind of fun.
She secretly felt lucky: if Brian hadn't reminded her, she might have crippled the two little brats right there.
She was used to the post-apocalyptic world, where anyone who challenged her would end up dead or seriously hurt. She almost didn't hold back.
In the apocalypse, human children rarely survived and birthrates were low. So people really cherished and protected children. But she definitely didn't like ungrateful little wolves like these.
Now it wasn't the end of the world anymore. It was a law-abiding society. Even if she wanted to do bad things, she had to be sneaky about it.
Brian had no idea what she was thinking. But his bad mood was greatly eased by her sweet smile.
Cali, feeling like she had someone to rely on, quickly got up, picked up the candy she dropped, and stood behind them.
"Ow ow, Comrade Freya, Fourth Sister-in-law, stop hitting them, stop. Don't hurt them, they're just little kids who don't know any better.
Besides, kids fight and mess around all the time. We adults shouldn't get involved, right, Fourth Brother?"
Sister Fang had ignored it when her kids were bullying others. But as soon as they were the ones being beaten, she immediately ran out.
However, the fear Freya had left in her earlier was still fresh in her mind, so she changed targets and tried to get help from Brian.
Brian's usually gentle eyes were now cold. He said seriously:
"Second Sister-in-law, the two kids were beating their own grandma, their little aunt, and their cousins.
That's my mother, my sister, my nieces.
And they insulted me, their own uncle."
"Not respecting elders or caring for the younger ones? That needs to be taught properly!"
"Oh come on, Fourth Brother, you're making it sound too serious. How much can it hurt when a kid hits someone?" Sister Fang said indifferently.
"You..." Brian was furious. He always believed that if someone didn't listen, a fight would settle it until they obeyed.
But the woman in front of him was his sister-in-law. He couldn't hit her or scold her.
Freya looked at how frustrated he was and felt like laughing, but held it in. She patted his hand gently to comfort him.
"Calm down, don't get angry. If you hurt your body from anger, no one else can fix it!"
Brian... He wasn't a kid, but his face turned red!
Freya reminded herself silently: This is a civilized world. I can't use apocalypse methods. I need to stay calm and solve things peacefully. Then she glanced coldly at Sister Fang and said in a flat tone:
"Since it's just kids playing around, then we adults shouldn't interfere. But since your kid hit first and tried to steal, then Cali and the others should be allowed to fight back. That's fair and just.
Sister Fang, don't you think so?"
Sister Fang shivered under her cold stare and remembered that suffocating feeling again.
"That… that doesn't sound... Alright, Sister-in-law, you make a good point!" Sister Fang originally wanted to object, but seeing Freya's chilling gaze, she shrunk her neck and agreed quickly.
"Alright, the food's ready. Go get my money now!
I don't like my things being kept by others!" Freya looked at her greasy face with disgust and turned her head away impatiently, looking instead at Brian's handsome side profile.
Yes, that was more pleasing to the eye!
Huh? His face turned red again. So cute!
"Okay, I'll go get it right away!" Sister Fang said pitifully as she reluctantly parted from her two confused kids, acting like it was a tragic farewell.
"Hurry up! If you don't move, I'll beat those two until they can't walk!" Freya urged, annoyed.
"Old lady?" Brian raised an eyebrow and chuckled, teasing her. She really surprised him today!
"Ahem, I said the wrong word! I meant to say young lady!
It's all Sister Fang's fault, always swearing and making me accidentally pick up her bad habits. I'm a proper, civilized person." Freya coughed awkwardly to cover up, shamelessly making excuses.
"You're always right!" Brian gently touched her long hair, smiling more deeply at her stubborn little act—it was oddly adorable.
Sister Xiao touched her stomach in confusion. She wasn't hungry anymore. What was going on?
Sister Fang, feeling wronged, looked at the two people in front of her, acting sweet like no one else was around.
Pfft, shameless couple. Flirting in broad daylight. Disgusting.
But she only dared to think that. She didn't dare to say a word or do anything.
"It's all my fault. I'll go. I'll go get it right now!" Sister Fang quickly stood up and ignored her two crying kids, rushing into the house.
Freya held Brian's much bigger hand, her small fingers playing in his palm.
Because of years of training, Brian had a thin layer of calluses on his hands. His long fingers felt really good to the touch.
Her own hands were soft and tender. After all, the original Freya had grown up spoiled, never having suffered. Even in the apocalypse, she had used spirit spring water to keep her hands soft and smooth.
Brian lowered his head and looked at their hands, their different skin tones clear to see. Her soft touch tickled his palm, so he gripped her restless hand tightly.
Her fun was cut short, so Freya had to look for other amusement. She leaned limply against Brian's shoulder.
She looked over at Sister Lan and Brother Sheng, who were silently checking on the twins, then spoke calmly.