Chapter 170: Chapter 77: Leading Lady of the 1960s Cultural Troupe (16)

Xia Zhaoyun didn’t dodge. A cold sneer played on her lips as the woman lunged, swinging her hand. Xia Zhaoyun bent backward to evade the blow, then forcefully kicked up her leg, striking the woman in the groin just as she would a man.

The woman clutched the injured spot, wailing her lungs out as snot and tears streamed down her face. "OWWW, I can’t go on living like this! I’m a martyr’s relative, getting bullied by a little hu—" Before she could finish, another mouthful of coal cinders was shoved into her mouth.

"Can we have a civil conversation now?" Xia Zhaoyun asked lightly, dusting off her sleeves.

The woman glared at her fiercely, then twisted her head to see the man behind the crowd. "You good-for-nothing, get over here! Are you just going to stand there and watch your own wife get bullied like this?"

The man flinched slightly, his face a mask of simple honesty, but his eyes held a trace of greed as he looked at Xia Zhaoyun.

"Go on, take one more step and I’ll scream sexual assault," Xia Zhaoyun said with a cold smirk. "Don’t think I didn’t see that disgusting, greedy look in your eyes!"

"I didn’t," the man said, immediately lowering his head and waving his hands in denial.

"Didn’t what?" Xia Zhaoyun crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow. "You, a grown man, claim to be afraid of your wife, but the truth is you just let her charge into battle for you while you sit back and reap the rewards!"

"You hide behind the guise of an honest man, but you’re the one handing the knife to the killer. You can’t even tolerate the children your own brother left behind. It was your brother who got you this job at the factory. Don’t you feel any guilt when you collect your salary and eat your meals?"

"If you had even a shred of conscience, you wouldn’t let your own niece and nephew become skin and bones!"

"Since you clearly don’t want these children, I’ll take them. From now on, don’t you dare use your status as a martyr’s family to lord it over everyone in this factory! The way you bully the *actual* family of a martyr is reason enough to have you thrown out."

These words made the man flush with shame, and the crowd’s expressions began to change.

They had initially pitied him, thinking he was a good man saddled with a shrew of a wife. But it turned out the old saying was right: birds of a feather flock together!

No matter how ferocious a woman was, could she really overpower a man?

Just as the woman recovered and was about to charge forward with a glare, she saw Xia Zhaoyun holding another basin of coal cinders. Clenching her jaw, she covered her mouth with one hand and roared, "Who the hell do you think you are, sticking your nose in our family’s business?"

"We’re these kids’ biological aunt and uncle! It makes no sense to bypass us and give the children to an outsider. Who knows if you’re not just putting on a sweet face to hide a bitter heart!"

Xia Zhaoyun knew she had intimidated them. Her expression softened as she looked at the two timid children peering from the doorway. She smiled gently and asked, "Little Ruyi, Ruyuan, would you like to come live with me from now on?"

Director Huo quickly added, "Children, this lady wants to be your mother, to love you and care for you. No matter what, it’s better than staying here."

The children were only three years old. Their bright, clear eyes should have been filled with innocence and joy, but instead, they were deeply etched with timidity and fear.

"Mama?" the little boy whispered hesitantly.

Their parents had been gone for half a year, and the children’s memories were already fading. They only knew that those two words represented the only warmth in the world.

Papa was tall and strong, the safety and power that could hold up the world. Mama was tall and beautiful, able to weave the warmest sky!

"Yes, it’s Mama," Xia Zhaoyun said, pressing her lips together in a small nod as she smiled and held out her arms.

The two children looked at each other, their lips trembling. They shuffled forward, step by hesitant step, before crying out "Mama" like wounded little animals and throwing themselves into her arms. They sobbed, crying over and over, "Mama, I missed you so much..."

"Mama, why did it take you so long to come get us?"

"Mama, I’m hurt and I’m so hungry... I miss your dumplings..."

The children were so terribly thin. The moment they were in her arms, Xia Zhaoyun’s eyes grew moist. She sighed to herself, gently stroking their shoulders. "Mama missed you, too. Come on, let’s go with Mama to the state-run restaurant and get some dumplings!"

She stood up, taking one child by each hand. She shot the couple a cold look and said flatly, "You can’t act tough in front of me. You think you’re the only martyr’s family here?"

"The difference is, everyone here will stand with me and the children. You two are just burning through the last of the goodwill owed to their father. Believe me, with the way you’ve treated these kids, all I have to do is say the word, and in less than an hour, your whole family will be thrown out of this factory like trash."

Director Huo nodded and added grimly, "That’s right. In the past, the leadership turned a blind eye because they were worried no one would look after the children. But if you don’t stop this shameless behavior now, we’ll see how long you last in this factory!"

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