Du Yuyan "gurgled" and sat up, as she opened her eyes, she felt dizzy, her entire body falling towards the ground.
In a frenzy, she flailed her arms trying to maintain balance, but her body was beyond control and she eventually fell heavily to the ground. The palm of her hand, used to support her, was pierced by a piece of broken glass, the pain making it numb.
Biting her teeth, she closed her eyes and pulled out the broken glass. Blood immediately gushed out, flowing from the crevices of her fingers to her elbow, staining her greyish-blue sleeve into a deep purple color.
……A greyish-blue sleeve?? When did she ever own such a hideously colored piece of clothing?
Her gaze followed along her sleeve over her body and there it was, a coarse greyish-blue cotton jacket, with deep blue coarse cloth trousers…… These clearly weren't her clothing, so why did they seem so familiar?
This was the clothing that the woman with the same name as her in the dream was wearing!
Was it a dream within a dream?
Was she actually still asleep, still dreaming?
"Mom, what... has happened to you?" A tender voice pulled Du Yuyan back from her thoughts.
Following the origin of the voice, she saw two boys standing at the door of the room, one approximately four to five years old, the other around two years old.
Seeing her looking over, the younger boy immediately hid behind the older one. After a moment or two, he cautiously peeked his head out to look at her.
Both boys stared at her still bleeding hand, their clear eyes filled with concern and...fear.
The concern was due to her injured hand; the fear was because of her!
Were they afraid of her?!
Du Yuyan closed her eyes, and the various scenes from her dream flashed across her mind quickly.
What they feared was not her, but the woman named Du Yuyan in their dreams. A woman who was wronged and bullied into powerless rage, venting her anger on her child.
Such a pitiful, pathetic, and detestable coward!
The coward's husband, Li Xiao, died a few days ago during the flood rescue. She held on for two days before she couldn't bear it any longer and ended her life with a bottle of pesticide.
Death seemed worry-free. However, the mess it left was dumped onto others.
Hold on…
P… Pesticide?
Vomit!
Du Yuyan covered her mouth, crawled up from the ground, and rushed outdoors.
As her spirit and body gradually combined, her sensory perception finally restored.
A sharp taste lingered in her mouth. An intense burning sensation, like a fire ablaze, increasingly intensified from her esophagus to the stomach.
Du Yuyan ran everywhere, looking for water.
"Mom, what are you looking for?" A big boy, holding a little boy, stood at the doorway, meekly asked.
"Water… Vomit! Blargh Blargh Blargh!" Once she opened her mouth, she couldn't control it anymore. She ran towards the corner of the courtyard near the drainage ditch and began to vomit. She vomited so much everything went dark and her tears and snot flowed out.
She only felt slightly better after vomiting out just light blue gastric juice.
As she supported herself to stand and find water to wash the taste out of her mouth, a ladle full of water was handed to her.
Du Yu Yan turned her head.
The boy facing her gaze shrank back half a step in fright, causing some of the water in his ladle to splash out, wetting his pant leg and worn-out cloth shoes that left his big toe exposed.
"Thank you!" She took the ladle and smiled at the boy.
His eyes widened in shock and delight.
Du Yu Yan quickly turned around and rinsed her mouth. The corners of her eyes seared hot, and she restrained herself from shedding further tears after a painful moment.
The ladle of water was finished, finally making her mouth comfortable.
As she stood up, a series of rapid footsteps reverberated from afar.
Soon, the crooked wooden yard door was pushed open with a resounding "bang".
Before Du Yu Yan could see who arrived, the two children who were three yards away from her were already frightened enough to cower behind her, clutching the hem of her skirt tightly.
"Are you happy now that my son is dead? Are you enjoying standing in the yard under the sun midday? Would you lure anyone in broad daylight? You shameless vain woman..." A barrage of obscene language was fired at her.
The one flinging this slew of vile words was an old woman with a face full of thick lines, short and robust.
Shielding the two children, Du Yu Yan dodged the spit flying from her mouth and the old woman who was trying to headbutt her chest.
This woman, named Li Chunhua, was the mother-in-law of the coward. She had a fair share of "credit" for him swallowing pesticide.
"How dare you dodge?" Li Chunhua missed her target and turned around to slap her.
Du Yu Yan sidestepped her slap, raised her arm, and swung a slap back, landing on Li Chunhua's face.
With a "smack," Li Chunhua was knocked into a circle on the spot. Unable to keep her balance, she fell to the ground.
"You dare to hit me?" She covered her face in a daze, disbelief spread across her face.
As before, when she was still in shock, Du Yuyan turned and told the child behind her, "Dabao, go bring the team leader over!"
Dabao was the name of the older boy, and the younger boy was called Erbao.
"What simple and convenient names," Du Yuyan commented to herself.
Dabao gave a nod, let go of Du Yuyan's dress, and turned to quickly run to Team Leader Hong Xing's house.
Hong Xing’s house was not far away and was soon brought over by Dabao, with a crowd of neighbors who'd overheard the commotion in tow.
Finally regaining her senses from the shock, Li Chunhua was about to get up and fight back with gritted teeth. Still, upon hearing the approaching chaotic footsteps, she changed her strategy. Instead of getting up, she sat on the ground, slapped her legs, and cried out,
"What an unjust world, daughter-in-law hitting mother-in-law, the young hitting the old. What kind of world is this? Lord Thunder, why don't you strike down this unfilial person with heavenly lightning..."
She cried loudly and then softly, as though performing a play.
Du Yuyan watched her performance with interest, stroking the trembling Erbao with a smile on her lips.
"What happened?" Team Leader Hong Xing’s voice arrived before he did, clear and commanding.
A crowd of onlookers followed behind him, whispering eagerly.
"Team leader, you came just in time. Look at my face! This audacious person dared to hit her mother-in-law. You have to speak up for me!" With an audience present, Li Chunhua cried even more vigorously, hitting her thigh as she alternated between melodrama and self-pity.
Hong Xing frowned at the handprint on Li Chunhua's face, turning to look at Du Yuyan, "Did you hit her?" His voice was severe.
"She hit herself." Du Yuyan lied without batting an eyelash.
"Your mother-in-law hit herself?" Hong Xing was clearly incredulous, "Has she lost her mind?"
"Li Xiao sacrificed himself to the flood rescue, and my mother-in-law embezzled the condolence money given by the village. When I demanded for it, she refused to give it to me, even wanted to hit me. I dodged and she ended up hitting herself. She wanted to frame me with the crime of abusing her, and smear my reputation, so the villagers would despise me…” Du Yuyan's eyes filled up with tears as she spoke, looking mistreated yet pretending to be strong.
Who wouldn't know how to act?
"You're talking nonsense! I'll rip your lying mouth off!" Li Chunhua, utterly exasperated, sprang up from the ground and charged towards Du Yuyan.