"Ouch! Which blind fool is courting death?"
Aunt Hai cried out, rolling on the ground clutching her leg, cursing and swearing.
Tang Qiyue quickly walked over to the fisherwoman, helped her up, and checked her condition. Her face was swollen from the beating, and overall, she was in poor shape.
Fortunately, there was no bleeding around her waist or abdomen; her old wounds hadn't reopened.
The fisherwoman's face flushed when she saw Tang Qiyue. She didn't want her to see her in such a pitiful state, but without Tang Qiyue's help, she might not have survived. She could only murmur her thanks.
Tang Qiyue helped her sit on a stone by the door and then turned her attention to Aunt Hai, who was still cursing the ground.
Someone nudged Aunt Hai, signaling her to pay attention to who had attacked her rather than continue her tirade.
Aunt Hai didn't take it seriously at first, but when she saw Tang Qiyue standing beside the fisherwoman, the curses froze in her throat. She couldn't utter a single sound.
No one could tell what she was thinking. Her eyes darted around, then suddenly she grabbed her knees and cried out loudly:
"Oh dear, Goddess of the Sea, please witness how this poor old woman is being bullied to death!"
Aunt Hai dared not curse anymore, but she tried to cause trouble nonetheless, knowing Tang Qiyue's special status.
The fisherwoman's face drained of color. She knew her mother-in-law well—a typical shrew and selfish woman. She immediately pushed Tang Qiyue behind her, not wanting her to be dragged into Aunt Hai's antics.
Tang Qiyue didn't step back; she was ready to face whatever Aunt Hai dared to do.
She held the fisherwoman steady, letting her rest while she approached Aunt Hai.
"I don't know if you've inquired, but I can treat illnesses."
Aunt Hai froze, forgetting all her shouting. Dust-covered and disheveled, her gray hair whipping in the wind, the wrinkles on her face couldn't hide the malice in her sharp eyes.
"I don't care if you can treat illnesses—you broke my leg, and you have to pay for it!"
Tang Qiyue squatted, smiling as she looked at Aunt Hai's leg.
"So how do you want me to pay?"
"One hundred yuan!" Aunt Hai blurted out. She knew the outside prices; one hundred yuan wasn't much, but for fishermen, it was enough for a year's living.
Tang Qiyue laughed. "My leg is only worth one hundred yuan?"
Aunt Hai was stunned. She had thought she was demanding a high amount, but Tang Qiyue didn't even consider it. She quickly corrected herself: "I misspoke—it's one thousand!"
Tang Qiyue suspected Aunt Hai's concept of numbers was skewed; otherwise, she wouldn't have just added a zero.
Onlookers gasped. They knew Aunt Hai was greedy, but demanding money after a mere kick? Tang Qiyue nodded in agreement, actually accepting it.
Aunt Hai sat up happily, reaching for the money. Tang Qiyue looked at her withered hands—if she weren't such a bad person, she would seem like a laborer. But appearances could be deceiving.
Tang Qiyue looked puzzled. "What does this mean?"
Aunt Hai stretched out her hand again. "Money! Didn't you want to pay compensation?"
Tang Qiyue smiled. "Yes, I want compensation—but not from me. You'll pay the fisherwoman. Your son stabbed her twice, and you dare to ask for a thousand for a mere kick? Then twenty thousand would be fair for two stabs."
Aunt Hai was stunned, then shouted:
"You little wench! How dare you try to extort money from me!"
She raised her hand to hit Tang Qiyue, but Tang Qiyue only lifted her foot, causing Aunt Hai to shrink back several steps in fear.
Onlookers couldn't help but chuckle. Aunt Hai was usually unreasonable, but here she was being confronted by an outsider, Tang Qiyue.
"You little whore, how dare you watch me get bullied? Are you tired of living?"
Aunt Hai, afraid to touch Tang Qiyue, turned her attention to the fisherwoman. The fisherwoman pulled Tang Qiyue behind her.
"Even a cornered dog will bite! I've already died once—I'm not afraid to die again. We might as well die together!"
She spoke in a calm tone, but her words were venomous.
Seeing the fisherwoman's gaze, Aunt Hai wanted to curse further but remained frightened. She dusted herself off and ran away after being whispered to by the fisherwoman.
The villagers were left bewildered. Some asked questions, but the fisherwoman gave them a cold, unreadable look—one that inspired fear, as if demons had crawled out of hell.
The fisherwoman guided Tang Qiyue back to the courtyard. Onlookers left, each with their own work to do.
Entering the house, they found it ransacked; Aunt Hai and her men had taken all valuables. Even finding an intact bowl to pour water for Tang Qiyue was impossible. The fisherwoman could only manage a bitter smile.
"I'm sorry you had to see this. I never imagined my mother-in-law could be so heartless."
Tang Qiyue urged her to rest. While her medicine could help the fisherwoman's wounds scab over, the effects were weak; healing would take time.
"Let me check your wounds."
She had the fisherwoman lie down and examined them. The healing was progressing, but seeing her face, Tang Qiyue sighed.
"Since you were confident you could drive them away, why let them beat you?"
The fisherwoman touched her swollen cheeks, pain reminding her of her ordeal.
"That's a life-for-life approach—one shouldn't use it unless absolutely necessary. My mother-in-law didn't notice for a moment; but once she does, she'll probably retaliate!"
The fisherwoman didn't hide her threat: as long as her mother-in-law lived, she would drag the entire in-laws to face the Sea Goddess.
Tang Qiyue sighed. Domestic violence coupled with an inactive mother-in-law—how could anyone live like this?
Perhaps feeling the weight of the fisherwoman's tragic past, Tang Qiyue asked, unable to bear it any longer:
"Have you ever thought about leaving the island?"