Dennis and Nori were also scared.
But they remembered what their dad said—they were the men of the house and needed to learn how to protect their mom.
The two brothers looked at each other and shouted toward the door, "Bad guys, go away now! When our dad comes back, he'll beat you up!"
Gianna picked up Xeno and comforted him. "Xeno, don't cry. Do you remember what I told you before? When I start fighting, you three just step back."
There were three children in the house. Gianna definitely didn't want them to take any risks.
But she was really fed up with Old Liu's family.
People like them needed to be taught a lesson, or they'd never stop coming to cause trouble.
She quickly thought of an idea.
She spoke seriously to the three children, "In a moment, I'll go out through the back door. You three close it behind me right away. Don't open it again until I tell you to. Understand?"
She thought the three kids would agree obediently.
But they all shook their heads.
Dennis said seriously, "Mom, you can't go out alone. Let me and Nori go with you. We've been learning boxing from Dad for a long time. We can help you fight them."
He even raised his little fists after speaking.
Gianna found Dennis more and more adorable like this.
She pinched his chubby cheeks and said, "No way. My three little men aren't grown up yet! I can't let you get into danger."
Nori hugged Gianna's arm and said, "If you don't let me and brother help, then we won't let you go either. We want to protect you."
Xeno joined in, "Xeno also wants to protect Mom and brothers."
Gianna felt especially happy in that moment.
Her heart swelled with pride. All her love for them wasn't wasted.
She knew the three kids could be quite stubborn.
People say children need gentle coaxing.
They were just worried about her. She couldn't discourage their spirit.
So she said, "How about this? I'll go out first. You guys get sticks and wooden rods ready and hide by the door. When I call you, you come out and fight, okay?"
Dennis and Nori ran to the side and whispered together for a while.
Then they came back and said, "We agree."
This time, Gianna didn't take a knife. Instead, she grabbed an old rolling pin from the kitchen.
She couldn't kill anyone. This wasn't like before when they were alone in the village.
She listened carefully at the back door and then opened it.
Just three steps away, Dahai stood up right away.
Gianna walked out the door.
Dennis quickly shut it behind her.
Dahai saw that Gianna had smooth, soft skin.
She looked nothing like those rough women outside.
He was surprised that Floyd had managed to keep a woman looking this good.
"Wow! You've got guts, little lady. Coming out to see me while Floyd isn't home. How about we go into the woods and have some fun?" Dahai's eyes were full of lust. It had been a long time since he'd touched a woman. Seeing Gianna so lovely now, he couldn't hold back.
He felt more and more jealous of Floyd's good luck.
Back when Floyd married Gianna, he had laughed at him for a long time.
Gianna's family was poor, and her only brother was a useless gambler.
He had married Qinna, whose family was much better off. Back then, Qinna even looked prettier than Gianna.
Gianna thought men who were obsessed with lust were the most disgusting kind of people.
If she wasn't worried that killing someone would cause trouble, she would've already acted without hesitation.
She didn't bother wasting words with Dahai. She raised the rolling pin in her hand and struck Dahai's arm.
The pain snapped Dahai back to his senses.
He reached out and grabbed the rolling pin, then swung his other fist angrily at Gianna.
Gianna tilted her head and avoided his punch, then kicked him hard in the leg.
During this time, Gianna hadn't mistreated herself.
Whenever she wanted to eat something, she would go into the space and eat it directly.
Her body hadn't gotten worse—instead, it got even better. She often exercised too, so Dahai, who was weak and soft, wasn't her match at all.
Gianna pulled the rolling pin out of Dahai's grip.
Then she began hitting Dahai all over with it.
Gianna shouted, "Dennis!"
Dennis, Nori, and Xeno each grabbed a wooden stick and rushed out, hitting Dahai all over.
Old Liu, who was guarding the front yard and banging on the door, heard his son's screams.
He immediately realized something was wrong.
He and Aunt Liu rushed toward the back door. Aunt Liu asked anxiously, "What happened to Dahai?"
Gianna quickly said to the three children, "Go back inside and shut the door."
The three kids listened right away, went inside, and closed the back door.
Gianna beat Dahai until he couldn't fight back at all.
Then she kicked him to the ground.
She stared coldly at Old Liu and Aunt Liu as they ran over.
Aunt Liu saw her son lying on the ground, bleeding from the head and groaning in pain. She rushed up and helped him up, then started cursing at Gianna, "You heartless wench! He's still your cousin!"
Gianna laughed.
She said with disgust, "I don't have such shameless relatives like you. What, you finished stealing food and now you're eyeing our supplies again? Old Liu, you really don't learn your lesson. You dare to come for our things again? Fine, you two can come at me. I still have to cook for my husband!"
Aunt Liu didn't dare charge at her.
Seeing how badly Dahai got beaten, she knew she was even weaker than him.
If she stepped forward, she'd only get beaten too.
More importantly, she couldn't afford to get hurt or sick. After seeing how ruthless Dahai and Old Liu were, she only wanted to protect herself.
She could only shout viciously, "Gianna, don't be so arrogant! I heard your gambling brother is coming for you. Let's see what you'll do then!"
Gianna narrowed her eyes dangerously.
To be honest, she found her birth family disgusting.
Not because they were poor, but because they had no conscience.
Back then, for five silver taels of bride price, they married her off to Floyd without even giving her a dowry. It wasn't a marriage—it was selling a daughter.
After all, in the nearby villages, the highest bride price was only two silver taels.
To get Floyd to willingly pay the money, she remembered the most disgusting thing her father said: "A married daughter is like spilled water. Even if Floyd beats her to death, we won't care."
During the famine, her father, Qian, and her brother, Yuan, even came to demand food. When she didn't give it to them, they cursed her terribly.
But how did Aunt Liu know for sure that the gambling brother was coming?
Could it be...