Chapter Thirty-One: If You Dare to Mimic the System, I'll Beat You Up

After gently soothing the little girl, Jiang Hua slowly turned around. With a mild expression and a faint smile playing on her lips, she looked at the old woman and said, "I'll give you a chance. Think it over carefully and repeat what you just said."

The old woman squinted at Jiang Hua, let out a sarcastic "Hmph," and shrieked, "What? Trying to scare me? Let me tell you, my son is the village accountant! I’ve seen the world—do you think I'm like you peasants? You won't intimidate me!"

With that, the old woman planted her hands on her hips and stood up aggressively. "Fine! If you want to hear it, I’ll satisfy you! This stuttering brat will never get married; keeping her at home is just a waste of food. Even if you beat me to death, that’s what I’ll say! I—ah—"

*Slap!* A crisp, sharp sound cut through the air, silencing her curses instantly.

Jiang Xiaxia watched as her grandmother moved with lightning speed, delivering a slap so powerful it knocked the old woman’s teeth right out of her mouth.

Looking down at the large, yellow tooth that had landed before her, Jiang Xiaxia rolled her innocent eyes, then lifted her small foot and ground it against the tooth. As she did, a foul, pungent odor wafted up, far worse than the general stench of the carriage.

"Ugh," Jiang Xiaxia grimaced in disgust, stepping back and flicking the yellow tooth away with the tip of her shoe.

The tooth traced a perfect arc through the air, *whizzing* straight back to land precisely on the forehead of the old woman, who was already being held down and slapped repeatedly by Jiang Hua.

With a dull thud, the old woman’s eyes rolled back, and she collapsed backward, fainting without warning.

Jiang Hua’s fist, still raised in the air, froze in place for a moment. A look of confusion flashed across her face, but she quickly recovered, letting out a deliberate, mocking scoff. "Such a weakling. Fainted after just a few slaps. And here you were, making such a scene—what a fool."

She pulled her hand back slowly, acting as if the fainting was exactly the "result" she had intended. She stood up, brushed the dust off her clothes, and turned her gaze toward the little fat boy nearby.

The boy was a typical bully who feared the strong. When he had watched his grandmother being pummeled, he had shrunk into the corner like a frightened quail, his feet glued to the floor, eyes filled with terror.

"I’ve lived for so many years, and this is the first time I’ve encountered such unreasonable demands," Jiang Hua said, her gaze sweeping over the surrounding crowd. They looked back at her with fear, but she ignored them. "She said she’d say bad things about my granddaughter even if I killed her. Since that’s the case, I won’t kill her—I’ll just knock her out so she can’t spout any more nonsense."

Jiang Xiaxia tilted her head, her eyes sparkling with pure admiration as she gazed up at her grandmother.

***

The crowded space cleared instantly as the onlookers respectfully made room for the grandmother.

Jiang Xiaxia, unable to contain her excitement, recorded her grandmother’s domineering and decisive words into her private system, word for word, planning to use them herself one day.

Once finished, she looked up, her eyes wide with unadulterated worship: "Grandma, amazing!"

Jiang Hua felt a surge of pride, though she frowned slightly at the sight of the tooth on the floor. "Don't step on things randomly, it's filthy. Understand?"

Jiang Xiaxia nodded obediently and wiped her shoe on the already-dirty coat on the floor. Jiang Hua looked at the coat with disdain. "That coat is too dirty. When your uncle gets back, let him deal with it himself."

Jiang Xiaxia nodded again. Since the crowd had cleared, she sat beside her grandmother instead of on her lap, leaning her small head against Jiang Hua’s arm.

When the train attendant hurried over, the scene was peaceful, save for the unconscious old woman on the floor.

The attendant, Xiao Xie, having heard the full story from the passengers, looked at Jiang Hua with eyes full of admiration. The old woman had clearly been trying to ride for free. Usually, when Xiao Xie encountered such people, they would use their age to bully her, acting unreasonable and turning the situation around to make it her fault. This was the first time she had seen a fare-dodger get their comeuppance.

Jiang Xiaxia noticed the way Xiao Xie looked at her grandmother. The admiration in the attendant's eyes mirrored her own, and she immediately felt a surge of affection for her. She leaned forward, clutching her grandmother’s sleeve. "Grandma, Auntie!"

Jiang Hua turned her gaze away from the distance and looked up. She saw a pretty young woman looking at her with worshipful eyes. *A nice girl, clearly raised with care,* she thought.

*Still, she wouldn't be a good match for my third son,* Jiang Hua mused. *Wang Lianjun’s line of work—soldiers are out on missions for weeks at a time, and train attendants are never home either. If there were an emergency, they’d never be able to reach each other.*

Regretting the mismatch, Jiang Hua stood up and said to Xiao Xie, "Sorry for the trouble. That foul-mouthed woman was insulting my granddaughter, and I lost my temper."

Xiao Xie waved her hands frantically. "No, no! You actually helped me! She was trying to dodge the fare, and I didn't know how to handle her!"

She called over a male colleague to carry the unconscious woman away. Her eyes lingered on the little fat boy, hesitant. Normally, the boy should stay with his grandmother, but after hearing how arrogant and domineering he had been, she was afraid to approach him.

Jiang Hua sensed her hesitation and said to the boy, "Follow this lady quietly. If you don't cause any trouble, you can have this coat when we get off!" She knew her third son; he was quite picky when he wasn't on duty, and he’d likely have no use for this coat anymore.

The boy, despite his spoiled nature, found the prospect of a soldier’s coat irresistible. He nodded excitedly. Seeing how the old woman had liked the way the "little stutterer" spoke, he tried to mimic her, stuttering, "O-okay, t-thank you, g-grandma!"

Jiang Xiaxia: "..."

She felt thoroughly insulted.