Lu Gu, just stepping into the Liu family’s yard, froze at these words. His gaze snapped toward Lu Fulang, who was speaking directly to little Lingjun.
His mind buzzed as if exploding into blankness, a surge of fury suddenly rising from the depths of his heart. He didn’t even know how he walked in—grabbing the crying little Lingjun and pulling him behind his back in one motion, then pointing at Lu Fulang’s nose and cursing, “You blind, black-hearted bastard, with rotten guts! How dare you say such things in front of a child? Aren’t you afraid of being struck by lightning?”
Caught gossiping behind someone’s back, Lu Fulang immediately shrank back, stammering and not daring to respond.
“Tell me, who died? Speak!”
Lu Gu’s hands trembled. Seeing Lu Fulang remain silent, he stopped pointing at him. The more he thought about it, the angrier he became, his whole body shaking uncontrollably. Tears streamed down his face unbidden as he took a step forward, gripping Lu Fulang’s collar with all his strength.
“He’s hitting me! He’s hitting me!”
Lu Fulang immediately began shouting, putting on his usual act of making a scene. As they struggled, he realized Lu Gu wasn’t the type to brawl, so he reached out, aiming to claw at Lu Gu’s face.
Though he had never fought anyone before, Lu Gu instinctively dodged backward, nearly tripping over little Lingjun, who was still crying behind him.
The child’s wails grew louder, and Granny Liu quickly carried him aside.
Lu Gu had never been this furious in his life. His mind was in a daze, his tears now dried, his eyes red with rage. Without thinking, he avoided Lu Fulang’s hand and swung a slap with all his might.
Caught off guard, Lu Fulang had been reaching for Lu Gu’s hair. They were too close, and though he tried to block, he was half a second too late—his cheek took the full force of the blow, instantly burning as if on fire.
Unlike the town’s fulang, Lu Gu had done hard labor back in his hometown—carrying water, farming, none of it easy. He still had some strength.
But he had never been in a fight before, and Lu Fulang managed to grab his hair, making his scalp sting sharply.
“Someone, come quick!” Granny Liu set the child down and hurried over to break them apart.
Shen Yan, who had been serving food when she heard little Lingjun crying, now rushed in. Not knowing what had happened, she and Granny Liu pulled Lu Gu and Lu Fulang apart.
Seeing Lu Fulang still gripping Lu Gu’s hair, despite her own tears Shen Yan acted swiftly, seizing Lu Fulang’s hair and yanking him sideways with force.
“Damn you, you little whore! I’ll teach you to act wild!”
Lu Fulang, his scalp being pulled, howled like a slaughtered pig. Neighbors came running in from all sides.
The moment Lu Fulang loosened his grip, Lu Gu slapped him again. Where the strength came from, he didn’t know—but when Lu Fulang tried to hit Shen Yan, Lu Gu grabbed his wrist with both hands, preventing him from scratching, and bit down hard.
Before the fight could escalate, eight women and fulang swarmed in, chattering loudly as they quickly separated the three, stopping the brawl.
Little Lingjun and Shen Yan were both crying. Lu Gu wiped his tears, unable to swallow his anger. In front of everyone, he demanded of Lu Fulang, “I’ll ask you this, did you open the heavens’ eyes, or did you see my Erqing’s corpse with your own?”
“You told our child he's dead, do you have proof? A corpse? If you’re so sure he’s dead, show me his corpse! If not, how dare you curse someone to death with empty words? Where’s your conscience?”
“The whole neighborhood is here. You’d better explain yourself today, did you see him die?”
His teeth clenched, voice sharp with accusation, yet tears kept falling uncontrollably.
At these words, Granny Liu and the others glared at Lu Fulang. Even if Shen Xuanqing might have died out there, the Shen family was still searching. How could anyone say such things to their face? This went beyond mere humiliation, it was utterly despicable.
Seeing the tide turn against him, Lu Fulang panicked. “I didn’t say it! I didn’t!”
“You didn’t? Then was I the one cursing my own Erqing to die?” Lu Gu’s voice rose sharply in anger.
“Lu Dongsheng, we all know you love to gossip, but cursing someone to death? That’s too low.”
“Exactly. Aren’t you afraid your mouth and guts will rot?”
“People say disaster comes from the mouth. With all that wagging, aren’t you afraid the wind will cut your tongue?”
Everyone knew what kind of person Lu Dongsheng was. Unable to stand it, they took turns mocking him, leaving him humiliated. Just as he tried to defend himself, he was cut off again.
“You should keep some decency. Saying such things in front of a child, how dare you? From now on, we won’t associate with you.”
“That’s right. Little Lingjun is only two years old. How could you gossip to a toddler? Have you no shame? Aren’t you afraid of divine punishment?”
Outnumbered, Lu Fulang could only swallow his anger, his face swollen, and slink away in disgrace. Only after leaving did he spit toward the Liu family’s gate—though he made sure no one saw.
“Aunties, Grannies, I’ll head back first.” Lu Gu picked up little Lingjun, wiping the tear tracks from the child’s face, then nodded to the eight elders before leaving with Shen Yan.
The neighbors, knowing their family’s troubles, urged them to go rest and not dwell on that black-hearted Lu Dongsheng—just pretend he didn’t exist from now on.
Granny Liu was the angriest. After Lu Gu left, she cursed Lu Dongsheng to the bone.
She had actually overheard what Lu Dongsheng said to little Lingjun but hadn’t had time to stop him before Lu Gu stormed in, leaving her embarrassed too. Wondering why she had been so foolish today, inviting Lu Dongsheng over to chat and sew.
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