Chapter 7 The Mother-in-Law Is Fierce

The man's scorching breath burned the sensitive skin behind Hua Qinci's ears, making her itch. Her thoughts whirled, and her eyes brimmed with murderous intent.

Hmph! How could she not yearn for it? Of course she did. It was a stain that would never be erased in her lifetime.

A silver needle flashed between her slender fingers, brimming with lethal intent as she warned unceremoniously, "If you dare touch me, I’ll make sure your line ends here."

Qin Youtian sensed the danger to his lower body and lowered his gaze, lips curling into a wry smile. In this seemingly intimate moment, this woman before him actually...

"Heh! Hua Qinci, you’re quite intriguing."

She matched his tone, her eyes flashing, "I think you’re even more interesting." The silver needle in her hand pressed in deeper, making it clear that if he so much as moved, she would put an end to things without a shred of mercy.

A wicked glint flashed in Qin Youtian’s eyes as his jaw tightened. Now that he was at her mercy, his initial intention had only been to test her. But her reaction left him somewhat baffled.

Was she playing some clever game? Retreating in order to advance?

No matter what, whether she was human or a ghost, one day her true nature would be exposed.

"One day, you’ll beg me for mercy."

"Hmph! I look forward to that day," Hua Qinci retorted, raising her brows, unafraid.

With that, Qin Youtian stood abruptly, slamming the door behind him in anger as he left.

Hua Qinci smiled haughtily, raising a hand to caress her own face. Although Liu Bingbing always called her ugly, she thought her skin was still fairly smooth and tender. Even if her features weren’t the most refined, she couldn’t be that unattractive; it must have been Liu Bingbing venting her anger.

She stretched lazily, deciding to get a good sleep and wait for dawn before making any decisions.

Tonight felt endless, as if it spanned two worlds.

The sorrows of her past kept flashing through her mind, slicing her heart like a knife.

She didn’t even remember when she finally drifted off.

At dawn, before the sun had risen, Hua Qinci slept soundly.

A thunderous crash shattered her dreams and startled her awake. She opened her eyes abruptly, instinctively looking toward the door.

A plump woman in her forties stormed in, face flushed with anger. Hua Qinci squinted, then simply closed her eyes to go back to sleep.

Qin Mingyue saw her unmoved and her eyes grew cold. In a few strides, she was at the bedside, yanking the quilt away. "The sun’s already up and you’re still sleeping? Tian’er has gone hunting in the mountains. You’re a new bride and you’re still lazing in bed? Have you no shame?"

New bride? Is she talking about me?

Hua Qinci was annoyed—such a fine morning, ruined by this rude awakening.

"What are you spacing out for? Get up and work! So you won’t serve me tea, but you’ll still do your chores. The Qin family won’t feed a slacker."

Seeing Hua Qinci unmoved, Qin Mingyue snatched the quilt away, and upon seeing her still dressed in her wedding garments and no trace of blood on the sheets, her disdain grew. Old Hua had tricked her, foisting off an unclean daughter.

Her son had just married, and at dawn he was already off to the mountains—clearly bullied by this lazy daughter-in-law. In this village, what woman doesn’t rise before dawn to cook and then head to the fields?

"Get up!" Qin Mingyue scowled, eyes blazing, and reached out to yank her again.

"Stop it! Let me sleep a little longer," Hua Qinci mumbled, still half-asleep, overwhelmed by exhaustion.

"Stop it? Who's playing with you?" Qin Mingyue smacked and pinched her forcefully.

At last, Hua Qinci woke fully. She rubbed the sore spot where she’d been pinched and looked up, irritated. "What do you want?"

When she finally saw Qin Mingyue clearly, she realized she had indeed married into an impoverished farming family.

Rubbing her aching spot, Hua Qinci rose reluctantly, knowing she had no choice but to bow her head under someone else’s roof. She forced herself to sound agreeable, "I—I'll get up and work right away."

Qin Mingyue barked impatiently, "Hurry up!"