Chapter 17: Confrontation with Aunt Li

“Children are so young; how can we trust what they say? They’ve always had grudges against me, so of course they’ll say bad things!” Aunt Li hurriedly interjected, hoping to bias everyone against the two children.

Fu Xiaoxiao glanced at Aunt Li, who was anxiously cutting in. She didn’t realize that the more Aunt Li acted this way, the more suspicious she seemed. The children hadn’t even spoken yet, so why was Aunt Li so sure they were telling lies?

“It’s alright, let’s hear what the children have to say first,” Liu Hongjun shot Aunt Li a glance. He tended to believe the kids—after all, no matter their age, children can only tell small lies.

Aunt Li’s attitude had already cast doubt among those present; she was too eager to dismiss the children’s words.

Fu Xiaoxiao patted Lu Lin encouragingly. “Go ahead and speak honestly. Let everyone judge.”

Lu Lin nodded, stepped forward, and straightened his chest. “In the first few days, Aunt Li did cook meals for me and my little brother. But after Dad left on his mission for a long time, she noticed no one was watching her, so she gradually went from cooking two meals a day to just one. When we got hungry, my brother and I had to go to the back mountain to find something to eat. We wanted to tell Dad, but when he was about to come back, she would start cooking again and then complain to Dad that we were naughty, always running off, and that we bullied her…”

Lu Lin spoke calmly, as if recounting someone else’s experience.

Beside him, Lu Chen’s face was filled with anger, glaring at Aunt Li as if ready to pounce on her.

“If she hadn’t stopped cooking for us, my brother wouldn’t have fallen from the tree trying to catch bird eggs for me. Although he grabbed a branch and didn’t fall all the way down,…” Lu Chen’s eyes reddened. He had been terrified at the time—if he had fallen from such a height, he would have lost his brother.

Liu Hongjun inhaled sharply and stepped forward to grab Lu Lin, inspecting him closely. Seeing the bruises and scratches on Lu Lin’s body, he immediately understood where they came from. His gaze toward Aunt Li darkened with fury.

“Aunt Li, is this what you call taking good care of the children?” Chen Hong, looking at the children’s injuries, also grew angry and pointed at the guilty Aunt Li.

“On the very day I arrived at the Lu family, the pots and stove were cold. May I ask, what did you cook for the two children that day?” Fu Xiaoxiao challenged Aunt Li.

“I…I…” Aunt Li stammered under the pressure of so many questions but couldn’t answer.

The little ones could tell Liu Hongjun was the highest authority here, someone who would report wrongdoing immediately.

“Aunt Li didn’t feed us and secretly took our family’s belongings home!” Lu Chen stepped forward, grabbing Liu Hongjun’s leg and complaining.

“She also kicked over the herbs my brother and I worked hard to gather, called us brats, said we were unwanted children, said we lived off others, and claimed that Dad had married a new wife who would kick us out and leave us homeless!” Lu Chen’s small mouth never paused, pouring out accusations.

Liu Hongjun’s face flushed with anger. Lu Chen’s words stabbed deeply at his heart. Aunt Li had been the person he had arranged to find, yet under his watch, she treated the two children so harshly.

“Aunt Li! How do you explain this?” Liu Hongjun’s expression darkened, his anger barely contained.

“She’s just a brat. How can you believe what he says? From the moment I arrived at the Lu family, they’ve been disrespectful to me. They’re no good, always running around and never at home. Ask around the compound—everyone knows!” Aunt Li shamelessly refused to admit anything.

The situation reached a stalemate. Aunt Li denied everything, and they had no solid proof—both sides stuck to their stories.

“That’s simple. Let’s go to Aunt Li’s house and see for ourselves. She’s taken so many things; surely, there are still plenty left unused,” Fu Xiaoxiao said, looking at the smug Aunt Li who thought she had already won.

“Exactly. Let’s go now!” Liu Hongjun, frustrated and unable to deal with Aunt Li’s tricks, instantly brightened at Fu Xiaoxiao’s suggestion.

Expose her lies.

How had he not thought of that?

“No, no, I won’t go!” Aunt Li’s face changed drastically. She refused to go and immediately threw herself to the ground, rolling around.

“Help! The army is bullying an old lady! This is too much!”

Everyone watched her tantrum on the ground with disdain and contempt.

“I know where she lives! I’ll lead the way!” Lu Chen smiled mischievously and eagerly raised his little hand. Seeing no one paying attention, he hopped excitedly.

“Let’s go! Lift her up and head to her house now!” Liu Hongjun waved his hand, ordering the soldiers to carry Aunt Li and bring her along.

Fu Xiaoxiao quickly grabbed Lu Lin’s hand and followed closely. The military truck, prepared by Liu Hongjun, carried Lu Chen up front. Seeing Fu Xiaoxiao join, he said nothing, tacitly accepting her presence.

Lu Chen enthusiastically pointed out the way all along. Aunt Li struggled fiercely, but the two soldiers held her tightly, making her thrashing futile.

As Lu Chen accurately led them to her home, Aunt Li cursed him fiercely.

“You little bastard, no father or mother…” Aunt Li’s words darkened everyone’s expressions, but given their positions, no one could retaliate. This only made Aunt Li more brazen, her curses growing worse.

“Slap!” Fu Xiaoxiao didn’t care and struck Aunt Li hard across the face.

“They can’t hit them, but I can! How dare you call my sons fatherless and motherless in front of me? Do you really think I have no temper? They are my stepsons, but they are still my children! Who dares say they have no mother? You?”

“Your brain’s empty—fill it with some water so your intestines don’t take up all the space!”

Fu Xiaoxiao’s eyes gleamed with a fierce coldness. If Aunt Li dared say another word, she would tear her apart.

Startled by Fu Xiaoxiao’s sudden fierceness, everyone was taken aback. The delicate sister-in-law had suddenly transformed into a fierce warrior.

But… damn, it was incredibly impressive.

Lu Lin stared blankly at Fu Xiaoxiao, while Lu Chen pressed his face against the small window, his eyes sparkling with admiration. If he weren’t sitting up front, he would have rushed over to hug her.

Aunt Li, always a bully who feared the strong, now lowered her head in fear, unable to meet Fu Xiaoxiao’s piercing gaze after the slap. She dared not speak for the rest of the journey.

Liu Hongjun snorted coldly. How could he tolerate such a shameless woman?

The military truck’s arrival stirred curiosity in the village. Many villagers came out to see why soldiers had come to their home.

When Aunt Li was dragged off the truck, the village’s gossipmongers immediately smelled scandal and crowded around.

“Oh my, officer, what’s going on? What crime has Aunt Li committed?” some bold villagers eagerly asked.