My strength increases by one percent every day; I can destroy stars with my bare hands.

Hearing her mother-in-law and husband's insults, Li Xiu's arms tightened around Nannan.

Looking at her mean-spirited mother-in-law and indifferent husband, a surge of grievances welled up inside her, her eyes reddened, and tears welled up in her eyes.

Over the years, she has worked tirelessly and devoted herself to serving others, but all she has received in return is endless beatings and verbal abuse.

When her family encountered trouble, her younger sister was always taken away to pay off debts. She repeatedly begged her husband to give her family money to help them, but instead of getting any money, she was beaten and scolded.

She had just survived a calamity at her parents' home and was filled with joy at her younger brother's success, but upon returning to her husband's family, she was met with endless mistreatment and humiliation.

On what grounds?

Her younger brother is now a registered regular soldier of the imperial court and a meritorious official who guards the border. She is the soldier's older sister and is no longer a weak woman who can be bullied at will.

In the past, she thought that her younger brother had died on the battlefield and was left with no one to rely on, so she could only swallow her anger.

Now that news has arrived that her younger brother is not only alive but has also become a soldier, she has a powerful backer and the confidence to resist.

Li Xiu took a deep breath, straightened her slightly hunched back, and her timid eyes became incredibly firm.

She raised her head, meeting the cold stares of her mother-in-law and husband, and spoke each word clearly.

"You don't need to treat me so harshly anymore! My younger brother, Li Xuancang, joined the army to guard the border two years ago. Now he is killing barbarians and fighting demons on the frontier. He has been enrolled in the regular army by the imperial court and has become a soldier of the Great Yan Army."

At this point, fearing that her mother-in-law and husband wouldn't believe her, she told them everything that had happened in Qingxi Village.

"The county officials personally went to Qingxi Village to deliver the good news: from now on, my Li family will be exempt from all taxes and corvée labor and will be fully protected by the government."

"When the wealthy Qian came to my door to collect debts, he was so frightened when he heard that my brother was a soldier that he knelt down on the spot and begged for mercy. He then wrote off the debt and fled in panic."

boom!

These words struck Yang Cuihua and Zhang Erzhu like a thunderbolt, instantly stunning them.

The harshness and indifference on their faces froze instantly, their eyes filled with disbelief, as if they had heard the most incredible news imaginable.

"What...what did you say? Your brother, who was captured and used as cannon fodder, has become...become a soldier in the imperial army?"

Yang Cuihua's voice trembled, her sharp tone vanished, and her face was filled with shock.

Zhang Erzhu also widened his eyes, stepped forward, and spoke urgently.

"Are you telling the truth? You're not lying to us?"

Li Xiu held Nannan in her arms, her tone firm and full of confidence.

"Every word is true. It was said by the county officials themselves, and everyone in the village can testify to it."

Everyone in Qingxi Village knows about this, and it won't be long before it spreads far and wide; there's no way to fake it.

The next second, the attitude of the Zhang family mother and son underwent a dramatic reversal.

The fierce look on Yang Cuihua's face vanished, replaced by a fawning expression. She quickly stepped forward and reached out to help Li Xiu hold the child.

There was not a trace of the harshness from before; his tone was extremely polite.

"Oh dear! Xiuer, look at you, why didn't you tell me about such a wonderful thing sooner? I was just saying it casually, don't take it to heart."

"Come inside quickly, come inside quickly. It's windy outside, don't let my dear granddaughter get cold. You must be exhausted from running all the way back. Mom will go and boil some eggs for you and make you some food."

Zhang Erzhu, abandoning his usual indifference, hurriedly stepped forward, carefully supporting Li Xiu with a beaming smile and a fawning tone.

"Xiuer, I was wrong before, please don't be angry."

"You don't need to do any housework from now on. I'll do it all. You can rest well and take good care of Nannan."

"Your brother is a soldier in the imperial army; he's the pride of our whole family!"

"From now on, we're relatives, family. With your brother around, our family can finally hold our heads high."

The two surrounded Li Xiu, showing her great concern and attentiveness.

He was afraid of mistreating her or upsetting her, and his demeanor was completely different from when he had been speaking harshly and giving her the cold shoulder.

Looking at the two fawning faces in front of her, Li Xiu felt a mix of emotions: resentment, relief, and pride in her younger brother.

The identity her younger brother risked his life for not only protected her family but also gave her a strong backing, freeing her from having to endure humiliation and bullying in her husband's family.

Li Xiu felt a pang of sadness, and tears welled up in her eyes. It felt so good to have someone to rely on.

"Xiuer! What's wrong with you? Please don't blame your mother!"

Seeing Li Xiu burst into tears, Yang Cuihua and Zhang Erzhu turned pale with fright.

If Li Xiu were to report them to the authorities for bullying the soldiers' families, the two men would be severely punished, if not killed.

As Zhang and her son were fawning over Li Xiu, a loud and unreasonable shout came from outside the courtyard gate.

"Mother, brother, I'm back! I'm starving! Quickly, tell Li Xiu to cook for me."

Before the words were finished, a young woman dressed in coarse cloth with floral patterns and her hair in a bun, carrying a straw basket, strode in. She was Zhang Chunhua, the unmarried sister-in-law of the Zhang family.

She was spoiled and arrogant by her mother and brother and always looked down on the timid and weak Li Xiu.

At home, he was domineering and bossy, pushing all the dirty and tiring work onto Li Xiu. He would beat and scold her if she was ever unhappy, and never gave Li Xiu a kind look.

Normally, as soon as she entered the door, Li Xiu would immediately put down what she was doing and obediently go to the kitchen to start a fire and cook, not daring to delay for even a moment.

Zhang Chunhua was completely oblivious to the strange atmosphere in the courtyard. As usual, she glanced at Li Xiu sideways and waved her hand impatiently.

"Li Xiu, what are you standing there for? Didn't you hear me? Hurry up and cook. I want to eat white flour pancakes and boil an egg. Hurry up."

As soon as these words were spoken, Yang Cuihua's expression changed drastically, and she immediately exploded.

"Shut up! What nonsense are you spouting, you brat? Kneel down!"

Zhang Erzhu's face also turned ashen. He stepped forward, glared fiercely at Zhang Chunhua, and raised his hand as if to slap her.

"How dare you speak to your sister-in-law like that? You're getting more and more rude."

The two men shouted at her sharply, their voices urgent and harsh, which frightened Zhang Chunhua so much that she froze on the spot.

"Clatter!"

Zhang Chunhua was completely stunned. The straw basket in her hand fell to the ground, and she looked at her mother and brother in disbelief.

From childhood to adulthood, her mother and brother always indulged her, never scolding or beating her, and never even uttering a harsh word.

Today, he actually wants to hit and scold Li Xiu, his sister-in-law who can't even give birth to a son.

"Mother, brother, have you two gone mad? You're actually scolding me because of her?"

Zhang Chunhua felt wronged and angry, and her eyes instantly welled up with tears.

Yang Cuihua completely ignored her grievances, quickly stepped forward, covered her mouth, afraid that she would say anything offensive to Li Xiu, and then turned around and apologized to Li Xiu with a big smile.

"Xiuer, don't take it to heart with this ignorant brat. I've spoiled her rotten. I'll discipline her properly!"

After saying that, she pulled Zhang Chunhua aside, lowered her voice, and quickly told her everything: Li Xuancang had become a regular soldier of the imperial court, the Li family was protected by the government, and the wealthy Qian knelt down and begged for mercy.

"Your sister-in-law's brother is a border soldier registered by the imperial court."

"He is a hero who killed barbarians and vanquished demons."

"Our whole family has to treat her with utmost respect. Anyone who dares to offend your sister-in-law is offending the imperial army. When the government comes, our entire Zhang family will be wiped out."

Zhang Erzhu added coldly from the side, "From now on, you are not allowed to order your sister-in-law around at home anymore. You will do all the laundry, cooking, feeding the pigs, and sweeping by yourself."

"From now on, your sister-in-law won't have to do any work. Just enjoy yourself. If you dare to make her suffer even the slightest grievance, I'll be the first to not forgive you."

Every word carried an undeniable severity.

Zhang Chunhua stood there, completely dumbfounded.

The arrogance and domineering look on his face vanished without a trace, replaced by fear and lingering dread.

Soldiers... Li Xiu's younger brother actually became a high-ranking imperial soldier?

She recalled how she had made things difficult for Li Xiu in the past, and how she had abused and beaten her. She was so frightened that she trembled all over, her face turned pale, and her legs went weak, almost causing her to collapse to the ground.

If she offends Lord Zhanbing and implicates the whole family because of her, she will be a sinner of the Zhang family.

Zhang Chunhua no longer dared to be arrogant in the slightest. She lowered her head and looked at Li Xiu cautiously, her voice trembling. She was no longer as arrogant as before.

"Sister-in-law... I was wrong. I will never do it again. I will take care of all the housework. You should rest well and please don't be angry with me."

This was the first time Zhang Chunhua had ever called her sister-in-law. Li Xiu held her baby in her arms and looked at her once arrogant and domineering sister-in-law, who was now trembling with fear. The grievances and resentment that had accumulated in her heart for many years were finally swept away.

She nodded slightly, without saying anything more.

From this moment on, she has completely established herself in this family.

With her younger brother as her support, everything changed from then on.