Dare to shirk responsibility? This adorable little one will tear down your military district!

"You...you..." The third grandfather pointed at Meng Yaya with trembling fingers, unable to utter a complete sentence for a long time.

The burly man who had initially intended to attack Meng Jianjun looked at him, who was lying on the ground foaming at the mouth in pain, and then at the little girl who was only knee-high to him. His Adam's apple bobbed, and he silently retreated back into the crowd.

Who would dare to step on him? One stomp of his foot could crush bones. This isn't a child; he's a little devil!

The courtyard was deathly silent, save for Meng Jianjun's intermittent wails.

Just when everyone thought this little devil was about to make another move, the murderous aura emanating from Meng Yaya suddenly dissipated.

Her lips trembled, and her eyes instantly welled up with tears.

"Wow--!"

A piercing wail suddenly erupted without warning.

Meng Yaya turned around and buried her head in the arms of Lin Wanrou, who was already terrified. Her small body convulsed violently, making a sound loud enough to lift the roof off.

"Mom! I'm scared! Uncle's going to kill someone! Waaah... Dad! Where are you?! Come back and see! They're going to beat Yaya to death and strip your wife naked and parade her through the streets!"

This sudden change of attitude left the hundreds of people present completely bewildered.

Who was that little tyrant who just broke the leg bone of a strong adult man? And who is this poor little thing crying with snot and tears streaming down his face?

Although Lin Wanrou didn't understand what was going on, out of maternal instinct, she immediately knelt down and hugged her daughter tightly, tears streaming down her face: "Ya Ya, don't be afraid, Mom is here. Mom will protect you with her life!"

Meng Yaya buried her face in Lin Wanrou's brand-new blue cotton-padded jacket, wiped away non-existent tears, and then suddenly raised her head.

Her delicate, pretty face was covered in tear stains, a sight that broke one's heart.

She pointed at Wang Guifen lying on the door panel, her voice childish yet shrill: "Grandpa! You say we should be filial? Ask this wicked grandma, since my dad went to join the army, has my mom and I ever had a proper meal?"

Wang Guifen felt uneasy after being pointed at, and was about to curse back when she saw Meng Yaya roll up her sleeves.

Beneath the cuffs of his new blue cotton-padded jacket, a slender, withered arm peeked out. Aside from a few old scars, it was skin and bones, with hardly any flesh visible.

"Look at this, folks!" Meng Yaya raised her arms and walked around the yard. "A three-year-old child, as skinny as a monkey! This is the child I breastfed!"

Among the villagers watching, some sighed.

"He's really too thin, with a big head and a thin neck. He's obviously starving."

"The Meng family isn't poor, is they? Changhe must have sent back quite a bit of money over the years, right?"

Hearing the commotion, Wang Guifen panicked and struggled to peek out from behind the door: "Nonsense! We already have a shortage of food, I was just... I was just..."

"That's because all the food was fed to the dog!" Meng Yaya interrupted her, pointing with her small hand to the big yellow dog huddled in the corner.

The dog was fat with big ears and glossy fur, and looked much stronger than Meng Yaya.

"My mom and I drink barely edible wild vegetable soup every day, and we eat coarse bran that scratches our throats! Even this dog eats better than us!"

Meng Yaya cried even harder, and even as she sobbed, she didn't forget to make a clear and logical accusation.

"Grandpa! You just mentioned family rules? Does the Meng family's rule mean treating daughters-in-law and granddaughters like livestock, while leaving all the money for the younger brother's wedding and White Rabbit candies?"

She took out the few milk candies that Meng Jianjun had dropped yesterday from her pocket and threw them hard on the ground.

"Clatter".

The milk candy rolled to the feet of the third great-grandfather.

These days, White Rabbit candies are a rare treat. Ordinary families can't even afford a pound during the New Year, yet Meng Jianjun, a good-for-nothing, has several in his pocket. Looking at the mother and daughter, so thin they're practically unrecognizable, the stark contrast is obvious even to a fool.

The murmurs among the crowd grew louder.

"Wang Guifen is so biased. That's Changhe's own daughter."

"That's right, Changhe was a martyr. If his youngest son squanders all the compensation money, he'll be struck by lightning."

The third master's face was grim. He had come today to establish his authority, not to be judged.

"Enough!" The old man slammed his cane on the ground. "That was a family matter! We're talking about your disrespect for your elders, how you injured your second and youngest uncles! The broken arms and legs, that's for sure, isn't it?"

"I acted in self-defense!"

Meng Yaya wiped her face, her small body standing ramrod straight, her voice clear and crisp: "Grandpa, didn't you see? Second Uncle was trying to undress my mom! In broad daylight, a brother-in-law trying to undress his sister-in-law! If word gets out, what will become of Xiahe Village? Who will dare to marry into our village?"

That's a really harsh statement.

This directly escalated the Meng family's scandals to the level of infamy throughout the entire village.

Several women with sons nearby immediately changed their expressions. If their reputation were ruined, how would their sons ever find wives?

"Well done!" someone in the crowd shouted. "That kind of beast deserves to be taught a lesson!"

The third great-grandfather almost choked on his words.

He wanted to get angry, but looking at the agitated villagers and then at the righteous-looking little girl, he couldn't find any words to refute her.

Seeing that the time was almost right, Meng Yaya turned around, ran back to the doorway, and laboriously dragged out a cloth bag.

That was half a bag of high-gluten flour that we managed to snatch back yesterday.

"Grandpa said we were having affairs?" Meng Yaya untied the bag, grabbed a handful of flour, and tossed it into the air.

White powder danced in the sunlight.

"This noodle dish, my mother and I risked our lives for!" Meng Yaya's voice trembled with tears, yet held a fierce edge. "The day before yesterday, my mother and I were starving. I thought there were immortals in Daqingshan, so I ran deep into the mountains to dig for medicinal herbs. And there was such a thick, poisonous snake! Right at my feet!"

She gestured with her hand to indicate an exaggerated length.

"I was almost bitten to death! But I was lucky and found some ginseng! Grandpa Sun helped us sell it and used the money to buy this bag of flour and make this outfit! We just wanted to have a good meal and some warm clothes before we died, was that wrong?"

Sun Shouzhen stepped forward at the opportune moment, hands behind his back, his face solemn: "I can testify. That wild ginseng with five leaves was indeed dug up by this child after a near-death experience. It sold for 1,200 yuan, and the money was obtained cleanly. If anyone dares to smear this again, I will report them to the county authorities for defaming the family of a martyr!"

One thousand and two!

This number came as a complete shock, leaving everyone in the courtyard stunned.

Even Wang Guifen, who was lying on the door pretending to be dead, suddenly widened her eyes and even forgot about the pain in her legs.

That's a huge sum of money! Enough to build three large brick houses!

"My money! That's my money!" Wang Guifen couldn't keep up the act any longer. She rolled off the door and scrambled towards Meng Yaya. "I'm your grandma! This money has to be handed over to the government! You little brat, what are you going to do with so much money!"

With that movement, her previous "dying" look vanished without a trace.

The villagers looked at her with disdain.

"Pah! He was just pretending to be dead, but as soon as he heard about money, he jumped for joy."

"That old hag, she's really obsessed with money."

Meng Yaya stood still, coldly watching Wang Guifen crawl towards her like a maggot.

Just as Wang Guifen's hand was about to grab her trouser leg, Meng Yaya suddenly lifted her foot.

"Bang!"

She stepped on the cloth bag containing flour.

"Want money?" Meng Yaya looked down at Wang Guifen, her clear black and white eyes showing no trace of the tears and grievances from before.

Only a bone-chilling cold.

"I have a debt here that I haven't settled with you yet."

Meng Yaya bent down and pulled out a small notebook made of straw paper from her bosom. The notebook was crumpled and covered with charcoal drawings that looked like ghostly scribbles.

She waved the notebook in her hand, a chilling smile spreading across her lips.

"Grandpa, didn't you want to reason with us? Then let's have a good talk. Every penny my dad sent back over the years, every chore my mom and I did, and every grain of rice my grandma squeezed out of our mouths—it's all recorded here."

Third Grandfather's eyelids twitched, and an ominous premonition welled up in his heart.

This little girl is only three years old, how could she possibly keep accounts?

"What are you going to do?" Meng Jianjun asked through gritted teeth, enduring the excruciating pain.

Meng Yaya ignored him, simply flipped the notebook to the first page, and held it up in front of everyone.

"I can't read, but I can draw lines."

She pointed to the rows of dense black lines above, her voice clear and crisp, echoing throughout the entire courtyard.

"This story is from the winter before last. My mother had a high fever, but my grandmother wouldn't let her call a doctor. Instead, she made her go to the river to wash the whole family's clothes. My mother fainted by the river and almost froze to death."

"This dish is from last year's Chinese New Year. My second uncle was eating a chicken leg, and my grandma forced me to eat a chicken bone. I choked on it and my face turned purple. My grandma was laughing and saying it was retribution."

As she explained, those previously incomprehensible underworld terms seemed to transform into bloodstained knives, piercing the hearts of every conscientious person present.

Wang Guifen lay on the ground, her face deathly pale. She tried to cover Meng Yaya's mouth, but the little foot that had just broken Meng Jianjun's leg was hovering above her head.

"You're talking nonsense! You little beast, spouting rubbish!" Wang Guifen screamed hysterically.

"Nonsense?" Meng Yaya tilted her head, looking at her great-grandfather. "Grandpa, aren't you the fairest one? Why don't we invite the village accountant over, and compare my work point book with the commune's?"

The third great-grandfather's hand holding the cane began to tremble.

If the charges against Meng's family for abusing the orphans of martyrs are truly settled, his prestige in the village will be completely ruined, and he may even be held accountable by higher authorities!

This is not an account book.

This is clearly a death knell for the Meng family!