289: Chu Ling's awakening and resistance

In Chu Family Village, within the dilapidated woodshed.

Amidst Tao Yan's stream of vicious curses, Chu Ling utterly despaired, and in its place was... rage!!! Hatred!!!

For the first time in her life, she lost control of her emotions and loudly roared out the grievances that had accumulated in her heart for years... "Why do you treat me like this? Did you ever truly consider me your daughter?"

"From the moment I could remember, you've done nothing but beat and scold me. You pushed all the dirty, arduous chores onto me."

"Not only did I have to work without food, but you'd also say... you were afraid I'd eat too much and get lazy!"

"Heh heh... The reason I got stomach cancer was due to long-term hunger and malnutrition."

"But as a mother, after learning the truth, you not only showed no remorse. You even threatened me to give up treatment and conspired with father to imprison me."

"Before, every night I had nightmares, doubting whether my birth had any meaning, even contemplating suicide..."

"I especially envied the other children in the village; they all had parents who cherished them, living like little princesses."

"But I... was like your punching bag. Whenever you were in a bad mood, you'd take it out on me, beating me as if I were an enemy!"

"Several times... I doubted if I could survive, if you would beat me to death on the spot?!"

...

Chu Ling's eyes were red, her emotions growing more and more agitated, as if she wanted to use this opportunity to vent all the grievances in her heart in one go.

However, her myriad grievances would likely take three days and three nights to recount... And at this moment, the most bewildered person was Tao Yan herself.

For the past eighteen years, she had deliberately raised Chu Ling to be a timid, useless person, never allowing her to defy her commands.

Under her careful "nurturing," Chu Ling had indeed been as docile as a lamb, enduring hardship and abuse without complaint.

With just a word from her, the other party would meekly get up and do as told.

But today... this wretched girl not only dared to ignore her but also dared to openly reprimand her for her wrongs?!

"Bitch, shut up!"

Slap!!!

Tao Yan, having recovered her senses, her face immediately darkened, and she raised her hand to deliver a slap.

Chu Ling, still crying and recounting, was instantly dazed... "You've gone too far, too far! Are you, you little slut, trying to rebel? How dare you talk back to me?"

"I'm your mother!!! When I tell you what to do, you just shut up and do it! Where do you get so much nonsense from?"

"It seems I haven't beaten you enough lately! You're getting itchy skin, not learning your lesson at all?! Alright then, today I'll teach you, you little bastard, a good lesson!"

...

As she spoke, Tao Yan's face held a cold sneer, completely disregarding Chu Ling's sick body, and she raised her hand, intending to slap her several more times.

This was her favorite thing to do for the past decade or so.

Just think... this was a wealthy young lady from an influential family... In front of such a person, she was nothing!

Yet now she could freely slap her for amusement. Was there anything more satisfying in the world?!

Tao Yan's eyes were filled with excitement, and a morbid smile unconsciously curved at the corner of her mouth.

Just as her sharp claws were about to strike Chu Ling... the girl, already disheartened and having conceived the idea of resistance, suddenly stretched out her hand and grasped Tao Yan's wrist, stopping her in her tracks.

"You, you... you little slut! Your parents beat you for your own good, how dare you even block with your hand?"

Tao Yan was stunned, her face full of disbelief.

She never expected that this wretched creature, who usually didn't even dare to speak loudly to her.

This time not only didn't offer her face to be slapped but also dared to reach out and stop her?!

Facing Tao Yan's exasperation, Chu Ling merely kept a cold face, saying nothing.

Seeing Tao Yan raise her other hand to hit her again, and recalling the abuse and grievances she had suffered over the past decade, a surge of anger suddenly rose in Chu Ling's heart.

She instinctively retaliated, swinging a powerful backhand slap that landed squarely on Tao Yan's face.

Slap!!!

Due to long-term malnutrition, Chu Ling was emaciated, and suffering from stomach cancer, she was extremely weak.

In fact, the force of the slap on Tao Yan's face was not great.

But Tao Yan still widened her eyes, covering her cheek and retreating repeatedly, completely dumbfounded.

"You, you, you... you actually dared to hit me!!!"

Chu Ling had always been the family's punching bag, letting her be beaten and scolded at will.

But today, she had accidentally been slapped by this little slut.

What a humiliation!!!

Tao Yan, having come to her senses, her face instantly turned chillingly cold, and she gnashed her teeth, screaming:

"Beast, are you crazy!!! I'm your mother!!! How dare you even hit your mother?!"

"A little beast who defies her elders, raising you is worse than raising a dog!!!"

"You're finished; watch me beat the shit out of you today!!!"

...

Extremely furious, Tao Yan picked up a piece of firewood from the ground and fiercely swung it towards Chu Ling.

Although she didn't know how this little bastard dared to resist her today?

But that didn't really matter; with the other party's sickly state, she posed no threat to her at all.

Since she had become disobedient, then she would beat her until she obeyed, and if she died, she deserved it!

Then she would just find a random mountain to bury her!

"No biological mother would treat her child like this!"

"You're not my real mother, are you!"

Chu Ling clearly realized that her physical strength was insufficient.

But she didn't panic, nor did she hug her head with both hands and squat on the ground to endure Tao Yan's beating and scolding, as she usually would.

Instead, she shifted the topic with an extremely certain tone.

Sure enough, as soon as the biggest secret in her heart was touched, Tao Yan's attention was instantly diverted.

She looked at Chu Ling's confident eyes, and an inexplicable panic arose in her heart. The piece of firewood in her hand slipped, falling to the ground with a "thud."

What's going on? What does she mean by this?

Could it be that she knows something... Impossible, absolutely impossible!!!

It's been eighteen years, and the only people who knew were her and Chu Xiong. She had 95% absolute certainty that it couldn't be known by outsiders... especially by this little slut!!!

She must have just guessed it by accident... It must be... Seeing her "mother's" flustered and guilty reaction, Chu Ling's heart skipped a beat, and she believed the contents of "cousin's" inner thoughts even more.

At this moment, Tao Yan, through self-consolation, finally managed to forcefully calm down.

However, she was no longer in the mood to lay hands on Chu Ling. Instead, she quickly walked out of the house, pointing her finger at Chu Ling fiercely as she walked, cursing and grumbling... "What nonsense are you, you little beast, spouting?"

"Crazy, crazy!!! Hitting me is one thing, but now you even doubt that I'm not your mother?!"

"Forget it, I can't control you, you wretched creature! Now I'm going to tell your father, and let him personally give you a good beating!"

"Before, I even worried about you because he hit you too hard! It seems I was too soft-hearted! An unfilial little beast like you deserves a harsh lesson!!!"

...

Soon, Tao Yan walked out of the woodshed, her voice gradually fading away.

As Chu Ling watched her retreating back, a strange glint suddenly flashed in her eyes. The mystery of her parentage... might soon be revealed...