The Fierce Farm Girl Has A Secret Space Chapter 2362: Punishment (6)

Yang Ruxin gazed at him with a sly half-smile.

Under her piercing stare, Zhou Xiao felt utterly uneasy, overwhelmed by guilt, yet he stood his ground stubbornly, refusing to yield. He absolutely couldn't allow his future wife to face any punishment.

"Big sister, don’t blame Dabao." Sanni tried to step up, "It was all my idea, you know—Dabao just follows my lead." But Zhou Xiao yanked her back into his embrace, holding her tight so she couldn't move.

In the last two years, Zhou Xiao had thrived on the Yang Family's hearty meals and daily workouts. He'd shot up fast, now towering half a head over Sanni and far burlier. When he flexed his strength, Sanni truly stood no chance.

Yang Ruxin rolled her eyes. "Men and women must keep proper distance—what's with you two tugging at each other right in front of me?"

Zhou Xiao released her at once.

Sanni squirmed free and approached. "Big sister, I know eavesdropping is wrong, but we were just too curious. If you're punishing someone, make it me."

"Punish me!"

"That's enough—you're both getting punished." Yang Ruxin flicked her hand dismissively. "Horse stance for an hour."

"Okay." Sanni and Zhou Xiao grinned instantly. An hour of horse stance was nothing to them, so they spun around to head out.

"Come back."

The pair whipped around swiftly.

"Spill it—what did you overhear?" Yang Ruxin suddenly grinned mischievously.

"I knew you were dying to know too, big sister." Sanni burst into laughter and dashed forward.

"Out with it." Yang Ruxin nodded. Truth be told, she was quite curious herself.

"Dabao, you head out first." Sanni shot Dabao a look and shooed him off. "This isn't for your ears."

Yang Ruxin's lips twitched. "Hasn't he already heard it all?"

"He was just keeping watch." Sanni waved it away.

Helpless, Zhou Xiao had no choice but to exit.

"Big sister, that Ma Family is utterly shameless." Sanni pursed her lips. "They stripped Wang Baozhu's clothes and locked her in a room."

Yang Ruxin furrowed her brow. This amounted to unlawful confinement, though given Wang Baozhu's loose ways, shutting her away didn't seem entirely unjust.

"I overheard Tian Jinhua and Ma Laifu talking inside too—they said since Wang Baozhu couldn't control herself, why not just let her be. They plotted to drag her to town..." Sanni threw up her hands. "Then someone showed up, and I couldn't catch the rest."

Yang Ruxin knit her brows but stayed silent, merely landing a light swat on Sanni's backside. "Now go do your horse stance."

In the wink of an eye, the twenty-third of the twelfth lunar month arrived—known as Little Year—when villagers started butchering their Year Pigs. Pig squeals echoed through the village everywhere.

Though folks plugged their ears during the slaughters, each pig's demise brought waves of joy. It promised succulent meat for the New Year festivities—a sign of true prosperity.

Such bustling days flew by in a flash.

Before long, the twenty-eighth of the twelfth lunar month dawned, the prime day for tomb-sweeping.

Local tradition required visiting ancestors' graves on the twenty-eighth and twenty-ninth before New Year, summoning family spirits home for reunion. Though Yang Anshi had cut ties with the first household, Yang Baiyue fathered its children, so a grave visit was essential.

Yet customs barred unmarried girls and pregnant women from joining tomb-sweeping, leaving Yang Baixiang, Dong Wenxiu, Erni, Gu Yao, and Xiaofeng to make the trip.

Du Chengxiu and his wife tagged along too, easing Yang Ruxin's worries about any mishaps.

Still, a shadow of regret hung over them all, as Gu Qingheng remained away at war; had he been home, he'd have joined the tomb-sweeping as well.