Before Tang Qiyue could even go to the fishing village to meet the fisherwoman's mother-in-law, the woman came knocking at her door.
A group of people rushed to Tang Qiyue's house. If the patrol soldiers hadn't stopped them, they probably would have stormed into the yard and started smashing things.
When Tang Qiyue came out, the patrolling soldiers quickly explained what had happened.
Because the fishing village and the military family compound had always gotten along well, no one had expected any trouble. At first, the soldiers had even warmly guided the fisherwoman's mother-in-law to Tang Qiyue's house.
Only when the group suddenly pulled out harpoons and sticks and tried to rush inside did the soldiers realize they had come to cause trouble.
Tang Qiyue knew the patrol soldiers were not at fault. No one could have predicted such behavior.
Coral stood protectively beside Tang Qiyue, worried that she might be hurt by the fisherwoman's mother-in-law.
Compared to everyone else's tension, Tang Qiyue remained calm. She tidied her hair and kept a polite smile.
"Auntie, we don't know each other, do we?"
Her voice stopped the aggressive old woman.
The fisherwoman's mother-in-law held a stick and looked Tang Qiyue up and down, seemingly unable to believe that this delicate-looking woman had both kicked her son and saved her daughter-in-law.
"So you're the woman who meddled in my family's affairs?"
The old woman's voice was hoarse and unpleasant. She pointed her stick directly toward Tang Qiyue's face.
Coral could no longer tolerate it and pushed the stick aside.
"Aunt Hai, you can't blame outsiders for what happened between Yu Niang and Brother Biao," Coral said angrily. "Besides, Sister Qiyue saved Yu Niang's life. Would you rather watch Brother Biao stab his wife to death?"
Coral stood in front of Tang Qiyue with her hands on her hips, glaring at the old woman.
Aunt Hai spat on the ground.
"You little slut! Always hanging around that fisherwoman. Who knows how many times you've stirred up trouble between her and Biaozi behind their backs? Aren't you afraid no man will ever marry you?"
Coral's face turned red with anger.
She had a fiery personality, which was exactly why she was still unmarried.
Rolling up her sleeves, Coral stepped forward and shoved the old woman.
"Calling you 'Auntie' is just being polite! Do you really think you're some respectable elder?" she snapped. "Everyone in the village knows you're always encouraging Biaozi to beat his wife!"
Aunt Hai had clearly come prepared for a fight.
She suddenly swung her stick toward Coral's head.
If the blow landed, Coral would likely be seriously injured.
At that moment, Coral had no time to dodge. She instinctively crouched down and covered her head.
But the expected pain never came.
When she opened her eyes, she saw a fair hand gripping the black wooden stick.
Tang Qiyue.
To Coral's shock, Tang Qiyue applied a little force.
Crack.
The thick stick snapped in half.
Wood splinters flew everywhere.
Coral quickly stepped aside.
Aunt Hai stumbled forward from the momentum, nearly falling to the ground. Fortunately, one half of the broken stick remained in her hand, allowing her to steady herself.
Only after almost hitting the ground did she react.
However, instead of realizing Tang Qiyue's strength, she simply felt humiliated.
With a sharp scream, she pulled the stick from the ground and lunged at Tang Qiyue again.
Tang Qiyue sighed.
She hadn't expected the old woman to be so stubborn.
At that moment, Zheng Hongxia and several other military wives arrived after hearing the commotion.
Seeing Aunt Hai swinging the stick again, they gasped in alarm, afraid Tang Qiyue would be badly hurt.
But the scene unfolded differently from what they expected.
Tang Qiyue leaned back slightly, balancing on one leg. Then she raised the other leg and kicked forward.
The stick flew out of Aunt Hai's hand.
The force of the kick sent the old woman tumbling to the ground.
Although Tang Qiyue had recently spread sand in the yard, it certainly wasn't soft enough to cushion the fall.
The people who had come with Aunt Hai were originally very confident. They were used to fighting in the village and believed dealing with a small woman would be easy.
But they quickly realized that Tang Qiyue was not like the ordinary quarrelsome village women they were used to.
She looked gentle and delicate, yet she had effortlessly defeated Aunt Hai.
No one stepped forward to help the old woman.
Instead, they swallowed nervously and quietly stepped backward, clearly unwilling to provoke Tang Qiyue.
At that moment, Zheng Hongxia hurried to Tang Qiyue's side.
Even though she could see that Tang Qiyue was unharmed, she still looked her up and down carefully.
"Are you alright?" she asked anxiously. "We didn't think this through. From now on, we won't let anyone approach the compound so easily."
Zheng Hongxia was responsible for the military families. If Tang Qiyue had been injured, she would have had no way to explain it to Zhan Zeyi when he returned.
Tang Qiyue shook her head.
She had known she wouldn't be hurt.
But she also believed Aunt Hai should have come to her senses by now.
"The fisherwoman's mother-in-law came because of her son," Tang Qiyue said.
Zheng Hongxia immediately understood.
Mothers like this always protected their sons—even if the sons were clearly in the wrong.
"Go inside," Zheng Hongxia said firmly. "I'll handle this."
She was already furious.
For years she had mediated family disputes, but this kind of abusive mother-in-law could not simply be reasoned with.
Tang Qiyue reminded her,
"Sister-in-law, don't let them off so easily. They clearly don't value human life. It doesn't look like this is the first time they've done something like this."
Originally, Zheng Hongxia had planned to simply teach the woman a lesson.
But after hearing Tang Qiyue's words, she realized the situation required something more serious.
If such behavior wasn't punished, abusive mothers-in-law would continue tormenting their daughters-in-law.
"Don't worry," Zheng Hongxia said.
She signaled to the patrol soldiers.
Soon Aunt Hai and the troublemakers were escorted away from Tang Qiyue's yard.
Coral, her eyes shining with excitement, grabbed Tang Qiyue's arm.
"Sister Qiyue! That kick just now—how did you do it? Can you teach me?"
Tang Qiyue didn't know how to answer.
Her fighting skills came from training in the apocalypse—something she obviously couldn't explain.
Just as she was struggling to think of an excuse—
someone nearby suddenly spoke up and offered an explanation.
*T/N: The character Shanhu is sometimes translated as Coral.