"Talking big without fear of biting your tongue!"
"This woman probably doesn't have any money! Came to our Linlang Pavilion pretending to be a big shot?"
"Go, go, go, hurry up and leave, don't delay our business."
The shopkeeper and two female clerks mocked.
In fact, that skinny female clerk even went up to shove Zhao Xiaohua.
Zhao Xiaohua staggered and fell to the ground.
Well, Meng Yao thought she was on their turf, and since she was new here, she thought it best to avoid trouble if possible.
But her retreat made them even more aggressive, thinking they could bully her.
Ha.
Meng Yao helped Zhao Xiaohua up, then shook her wrist, and with a stern face, she walked step-by-step to the female clerk who had pushed Zhao Xiaohua.
"What do you want to do?"
Perhaps the pressure from Meng Yao was too intense, the female clerk instinctively felt afraid.
Meng Yao smiled gently, "What do you think I want to do?"
While speaking, Meng Yao effortlessly dislocated the clerk's arms.
Amidst the clerk's pig-like screeching, Meng Yao calmly took Zhao Xiaohua's hand and left.
The shopkeeper wanted to stop Meng Yao, but hearing her own clerk's miserable cries, she didn't dare to approach.
The customers in the shop also hurriedly left, afraid of getting into trouble themselves.
Zhao Xiaohua was dumbstruck, "Mom, what did you just do?"
"She pushed you, so I dislocated her arm joints." Meng Yao said calmly.
Zhao Xiaohua clearly saw the person who pushed her earlier, her arms hanging limply.
"Mom... does that mean her arms are useless now?" Zhao Xiaohua felt both vindicated and a bit cruel, since although the fall hurt, she was fine.
Meng Yao remained unfazed, "So do you want her arms to be useless or not?"
"Just let her feel pain and remember it, that's enough." Zhao Xiaohua said.
"What if one day she doesn't learn and continues to bully you?" Meng Yao asked her.
"I won't go to Linlang Pavilion again, we won't cross paths, so she can't bully me." Zhao Xiaohua replied seriously.
Meng Yao didn't stop walking, holding Zhao Xiaohua's hand as they continued ahead. The little girl's kindness was a good thing.
But she didn't want to forgive the clerk just like that; she needed to feel the pain longer to truly learn.
Meng Yao took Zhao Xiaohua to a bakery to pick out her favorite treats.
"Mom, you don't need to buy any more. I need to eat less in the future." Zhao Xiaohua said.
"Eating less doesn't mean not eating at all. I didn't buy much, and when we bring it back, your older brother, sister-in-law, second brother, and Xiaoshu can all eat some." Meng Yao said.
Zhao Xiaohua sulked with a hum, "Mom, if I eat less, can I get slimmer?"
"Is it because of what they said at Linlang Pavilion?" Meng Yao asked.
Zhao Xiaohua said nothing.
"Being chubby isn't a problem, with some self-discipline, controlling your diet, and exercising more, you'll slim down gradually." Meng Yao said gently, "You're just a bit chubby, not as unbearable as that clerk said. I want you to be slimmer not because of how you look in a dress, but because I want you to be healthier."
"I've heard from the uncles and aunts in the village that chubbier girls are healthier." Zhao Xiaohua remarked.
"They mean being plump. You need to understand that being plump and being fat aren't the same concept." Meng Yao said.
In the countryside, they often say a woman with a full figure is good for childbirth, but that doesn't mean being overweight is ideal for having children.
Hormonal imbalances, endocrine disorders, leading to illnesses like ovarian syndrome. Not to mention being easy for childbearing; it might even prevent pregnancy altogether.
Explaining the concept of being plump versus fat to Zhao Xiaohua, she may only half understand.
"Wouldn't you like to walk as far as you want without chafing your thighs?"
"Wouldn't you like your second brother to stop teasing about your snoring being thunderous?"
"Wouldn't you like to catch up to your friends easily when playing?"
These three issues frequently troubled Zhao Xiaohua.
Zhao Xiaohua nodded continuously, "Yes, I would."
"So, you want to lose weight not because of what anybody says, but for yourself." Meng Yao said.
"Yes, yes." Zhao Xiaohua replied.
Meng Yao seized the opportunity to instill such ideas into Zhao Xiaohua—
"Mouths are on other people, and while you can't control what they say, you can decide whether or not to listen."
"Being kind is a good thing, but you can't be overly kind. Simply put, don't start trouble, but if trouble finds you, react swiftly and decisively. In other words, if people don't offend me, I won't offend them; if they do offend me, I'll pay them back twice."
"Mom, who taught you to dislocate people's joints?" Any frustration was already forgotten by Zhao Xiaohua.
Meng Yao remained calm, "Learned it from your dad."
"Is my dad that impressive?" Zhao Xiaohua looked up to him in admiration.
Meng Yao nodded, "Extremely impressive."
Only if Zhao Ting was extremely impressive could she later show her differences with a cover.
After all, Zhao Ting had died and wasn't a local, so people didn't really know what he was capable of. Using him as a cover was the best strategy.
"Then mom, can you teach me?" Zhao Xiaohua asked excitedly.
Meng Yao didn't intend to raise Zhao Xiaohua as a proper young lady; in her view, it's always beneficial for a girl to have some self-defense skills, no matter the time or place.
"I can teach you, but the process is very tough. Can you endure the hardships?" Meng Yao asked her.
Zhao Xiaohua, having been pampered by her previous self, made Meng Yao worry she couldn't persevere.
"If mom can learn, surely I can too. Once I learn, no one can bully me anymore." Zhao Xiaohua said earnestly.
"Then we need to agree that once you start, you can't stop halfway." Meng Yao said.
She herself had practiced diligently since childhood, never stopping once she started.
"Pinky swear, hang it over, a hundred years without change, whoever breaks it is a puppy." Zhao Xiaohua chanted.
Meng Yao played along, their thumbs pressing together in the end. Zhao Xiaohua was excited, "Stamp it, now neither of us can change it."
"Hmm, mom definitely won't change." Meng Yao said.
"Then mom, let's hurry back home." Zhao Xiaohua urged, eager to return and learn skills from her mother.
"It's still early for the time Uncle Niu mentioned, besides, we're not finished here yet." Meng Yao said.
Zhao Xiaohua thought they were going to buy her a dress, so she said, "Mom, I won't buy a dress now, I've decided, I won't buy until I slim down."
If she couldn't wear a dress beautifully, then it was better not to wear one.
Once she slimmed down, she would beg her mom for many beautiful dresses to look absolutely stunning.
Meng Yao chuckled, "Before leaving, Xiaoshu asked me to do him a favor."
"Eh? How come I didn't know?" Zhao Xiaohua wondered.
"You had already left the room by then, and Xiaoshu spoke quite softly." Meng Yao said calmly.
Zhao Xiaoshu hadn't asked for her help, but she noticed his hesitation on his face.
She guessed he might want her to check on the carpenter's daughter, Ya'er, to see if she was okay.
After all, in her previous life, even when Zhao Xiaoshu darkened, he didn't harm Ya'er and her mother; he even ensured their wellbeing. This shows that Ya'er and her mother were good to Zhao Xiaoshu.
Now that he's back home, even if he doesn't say it, he surely worries about whether Ya'er might suffer from the carpenter's anger.