Zhou Tingting and her mother were momentarily stunned by Si Nian's blunt response. The crowd around them was also taken aback, their eyes widening at Si Nian's sharp words.

Zhou Lao coughed awkwardly, trying to break the tension. "Let's not resort to personal attacks. We're here to resolve misunderstandings, not to escalate them."

Si Nian took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. "Auntie, I apologize for my words. It's just... it's hard to believe these accusations when they don't align with the reality we know."

Wang Mama's face was still red with anger, but her earlier aggressive stance had softened. "I... I just can't believe my son would lie to me. He's been telling me it was all because of you."

Si Nian sighed, "Auntie, I understand your feelings. But please believe me when I say I had no intention of causing harm or taking advantage of your son. If there was any misunderstanding, it's truly unintentional."

The atmosphere was thick with tension, but Si Nian's calm demeanor and sincere words seemed to sway the crowd. Slowly, the murmurs died down, and the crowd began to disperse further, some leaving with a nod of understanding, while others with lingering doubts.

Zhou Tingting whispered to her mother, "Mom, let's go inside and talk."

Wang Mama hesitated but eventually nodded, "Alright."

As they moved towards the Zhou family's home, Si Nian turned to her mother, "Mom, don't worry. I'll handle this."

Her mother nodded, giving her a reassuring squeeze on the arm.

The two families entered the house, leaving behind a crowd that was still processing the events that had unfolded. The situation had taken a surprising turn, and it was clear that there was much more to the story than met the eye.

Wang Mama's face flushed with anger, her eyes blazing with indignation. "How dare you insult my son like that!"

The tension in the air was palpable, and the crowd seemed to hold its collective breath, waiting for the next explosion.

Si Nian's bold words had caught everyone off guard. Her audacity in speaking so bluntly, coupled with her undeniable beauty, left many in the crowd at a loss for words. Some looked at each other, trying to gauge the reactions of those around them.

Lin Xiao's protective stance in front of Si Nian, combined with her sharp retorts, painted a vivid picture. It was a scene of a protective brother shielding his sister from harm, and a sister who wasn't afraid to stand up for herself.

Si Nian's words had struck a chord with many. Her beauty was undeniable, and her confidence in herself and her family was contagious. It was clear to everyone that she was not the kind of woman to be trifled with.

A few of the more daring onlookers even stifled their laughter at Si Nian's dramatic display of disgust, finding her over-the-top reaction amusing.

Wang Mama, on the other hand, was left speechless. Her face turned from red to pale as she struggled to find the words to counter Si Nian's accusations.

Finally, she managed to mutter, "You... you're just a spoiled city girl! How dare you insult my son like that!"

But her words lacked the fire they had before, and everyone could tell that Wang Mama had been shaken by Si Nian's words.

The crowd began to disperse slowly, murmuring among themselves. The initial tension had eased, replaced by a mixture of amusement and curiosity.

Si Nian, still standing confidently behind her brother, gave a small smile, feeling satisfied that she had successfully defended herself and her family's honor.

Sure, here's a natural English translation:

Li Mingjun is pretty superficial himself, so he might just fit the bill.

The crowd's suspicious eyes all turned towards Wang's mother with a hint of disdain.

Wang's mother's face flushed red with anger, glaring fiercely at Sinian who belittled her beloved son. "You, shut up!"

"Ah, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to say your son is ugly. Auntie, don't take it to heart. It's not his fault he looks like that. Sometimes it's just genetics, you know?"

"..."

Wang's mother felt a lump in her chest, almost fainting from the rage.

This wicked woman kept calling her son ugly, even indirectly insulted her. Just as Zhou Tingting had described, she was indeed vicious!

She intentionally said those things to confuse everyone, making them believe she doesn't like her own son and shifting the blame onto him.

Zhou Tingting was stunned.

Having lived with her mother-in-law for so many years, she knew better than anyone how sharp-tongued and cunning her mother-in-law could be. She had never seen anyone provoke her to this extent.

Despite her shock, Zhou Tingting couldn't let Sinian get away with it.

She stepped forward, scolding, "Sinian, why do you have such a foul mouth! My mother-in-law just wants justice for my younger uncle. He's already suffered so much, and you're accusing him? You're truly heartless."

Sinian replied with a look of feigned sadness, "Zhou Tingting, you're one to talk about cruelty. What kind of daughter-in-law drags her in-laws into a family dispute? And brings so many people along? What, are you planning to rise against your own family and hit your elder brother's wife?"

The statement was sensitive, and Zhou Tingting's eyes widened in shock. Before she could respond, Sinian continued, "Even if you've raised a dog for over a decade, you'd have some emotional attachment, right? But you, eating inside and out, bringing outsiders to cause trouble in the village. Does everyone think this is reasonable?"

The surrounding people nodded in agreement.

Indeed, no matter what, Zhou Tingting is still part of the Zhou family. Coming to her parents' home with her in-laws to cause trouble was crossing the line.

It was too much!

They're even causing trouble at her parents' home.

Though villagers might have minor disagreements from time to time, they always stand together in critical moments.

With Zhou Tingting bringing a group of robust men to confront Sinian and Zhou's eldest brother not at home, they couldn't just stand by. Everyone had received kindness from Zhou Yueshen and couldn't ignore this.

Would you like to continue from here?

The hostility towards Zhou Tingting and her group grew instantly.

Zhou Tingting's face turned pale, and so did the faces of the Li family members.

They had brought several people with them, but they were clearly outnumbered by the villagers!

Zhou Tingting gritted her teeth in frustration, "You're talking nonsense! You're trying to drive a wedge between me and my brother, trying to replace my younger uncle with your own family member. I know exactly what you're up to."

Wang's mother impatiently said, "Enough of this talk. If she doesn't kneel down and apologize to my son today, and compensate us, don't blame me for being impolite."

After speaking, she turned to the big men behind her, "Take her away. I refuse to believe I can't handle her today!"

Since Zhou Yueshen wasn't home, fine, if they want his wife, they should come and apologize themselves.

After all, her son was beaten this badly, she didn't care who the other party was, whether she was the sister-in-law of her daughter-in-law or not!

With that, she led the men forward.

Tensions escalated between the two sides.

The furious barking of Big Yellow, the rattling of the iron chains, amidst all this, a small figure silently slipped by unnoticed.

As it seemed like a fight was about to break out, onlookers tried to mediate, "Tingting, can't you talk things out? Regardless, she's still your elder brother's wife. This is not right, persuade your mother-in-law, it'll be bad if something really happens."

Zhou Tingting glared at Sinian with resentment, "She deserves it. Once my elder brother knows the truth, he'll understand."

Sinian's eyes turned cold, "Alright, go ahead and try to capture me. This is considered kidnapping under the law. I've already reported to the police. None of you will get away with it."

Would you like to continue?

Upon hearing the word "police," the men hesitated for a moment and exchanged glances.

Both Wang's mother and Zhou Tingting's faces turned sour.

Sinian's eyes scanned the Li family group, "If his son is truly innocent, why didn't he go to the police? It's because he feels guilty and doesn't dare to admit his mistakes, that's why he's trying to handle this privately. I advise you, don't let yourselves be used as someone else's pawns."

The crowd fell silent.

Indeed, if Li Mingjun was innocent, why didn't he report it to the police?

"Who are you trying to scare? The police station is so far away, they won't care. Don't listen to her, my father has connections at the station, if anything happens, I'll take responsibility!"

Hearing this, the Li family members remembered Wang's mother's identity.

Emboldened, they charged towards Sinian.

"Who dares to touch our sister-in-law!"

Before they could act, a group of men wearing tank tops and looking grim rushed over.

They were from the pig farm.

The whole yard turned chaotic in an instant.

Seeing Sinian being protected at the back, Zhou Tingting gritted her teeth. She approached, intending to seize the opportunity to teach Sinian a lesson. But as she neared, a swooshing sound of wind accompanied by the clinking of a chain whooshed past her head, and she was immediately knocked flying.

"Ah—!" Zhou Tingting was knocked down by Big Yellow, letting out a scream.

Big Yellow, in a frenzied state, lunged and bit anyone in sight. No one had seen such a fierce dog before, and now everyone was panicking, fleeing and being bitten everywhere.

Seizing the opportunity, Sinian viciously kicked Zhou Tingting twice. She knew Zhou Tingting had tried to attack her earlier.

Zhou Tingting rolled her eyes back, screaming like a slaughtered pig—

Wang's mother was completely stunned. The dog stood taller than her when it stood up.

She wasn't afraid due to their numbers advantage, but seeing the dog with its sharp teeth lunging at her, her legs trembled, and she fell to the ground, fainting out of fear.

Inner thoughts: Can't see me, can't see me!

The crowd: "......"

—

Author's inner thoughts: Hang in there~~~~