The three brothers all looked indifferent. They didn't think wrongly accusing Adrian Hawthorne was any big deal. He was just an unwanted illegitimate child, an outsider. Even a three-year-old in the village could climb on Adrian Hawthorne's head and take a crap, so what if they'd wronged him!
Tang Xiaonan said hesitantly, "Mom hit Adrian Hawthorne. Shouldn't we..."
"So what if I hit him? That jinx even pushed me! I questioned him and he wouldn't say a word. He deserved the beating I gave him!"
Phoebe Huxley cut her off, grumbling, her expression even more indifferent. Everyone in the village treated Adrian Hawthorne this way; the Thorne family was no exception.
Jim Thorne jumped up again, grabbing a carrying pole. "I'll kill him! How dare he push my mom? He must be tired of living!"
Tang Xiaonan's head throbbed. This third brother of hers was far too hot-tempered, several times more so than her older and second brothers. In the book, Jim Thorne's fate had been the most tragic of all.
But Jim Thorne had been the closest to the original Tang Xiaonan, and he defended his little sister in all matters. He didn't care about right or wrong, or reason; as long as Tang Xiaonan said it, it was true. Adrian Hawthorne had been beaten by Jim Thorne more than by anyone else.
The three brothers all took after their father, Felix Thorne. Felix Thorne was the most skilled pig butcher for miles around. During New Year, holidays, or for weddings and funerals, he was incredibly busy. For butchering a single pig, he would get about ten pounds of meat, a full set of offal, and two yuan.
Over the New Year, the Thorne family would have a mountain of meat, all of which was cured and salted. It was enough to eat from the start of the year to the end. No wonder the original owner of this body had been fed until she was covered in blubber.
"Who are you to be calling yourself 'the man' around here? And who are you planning to kill?" an imposing voice drifted in.
The tall and burly Felix Thorne entered with a dark look on his face. 'His son dared to talk like that in front of him; he must be itching for a beating.'
Jim Thorne immediately cowered, saying in a placating tone, "Dad, that jinx pushed Mom. I was going to teach him a lesson!"
Felix Thorne looked toward Phoebe Huxley with a questioning gaze.
"I hit him first, so let's just drop it." Phoebe Huxley didn't want to pursue the matter. Of course, it wasn't because she was being magnanimous, but because she had hit him much harder.
She had slapped Adrian Hawthorne's face until it was swollen and bleeding.
Felix Thorne then looked at his pale-faced daughter, and his stormy expression instantly cleared. His ferocious gaze softened, and he squeezed out a smile that was, frankly, terrifying. In a gruff voice, he asked, "What's wrong, Tang Xiaonan? Did someone bully you?"
"No, I fell on my own. Dad, I broke Mr. Hawthorne's bird eggs, but he saved me, and Mom still hit him..."
Huffing and puffing, Tang Xiaonan scrambled onto Felix Thorne. He scooped her up with one hand, his gaze growing even more tender. He was a butcher, renowned far and wide, feared by all who met him, and nicknamed "the Fiend."
Whenever a child threw a tantrum, all it took was for someone to say, "Butcher Thorne is here!" and the kid would instantly behave.
All of Felix Thorne's patience and gentleness was reserved for his precious daughter, Tang Xiaonan. In all other matters, Felix Thorne could be fair and just, but the moment his daughter was involved, he was nothing but a fiercely protective father.
Tang Xiaonan wrapped her chubby little arms around Felix Thorne's neck, not the least bit afraid of him. In the book, Felix Thorne was a doting father. Her parents in her past life had been selfish scoundrels, forcing her to cut all ties with them. She had wished to the heavens countless times that in her next life, she would have good, fiercely protective parents and several good brothers who would spoil their little sister.
Her wish had finally come true.
Smelling the milky scent on his daughter, the smile on Felix Thorne's face deepened. He had only been blessed with a daughter at thirty-five, which was considered old for a new father at the time. Furthermore, after Tang Xiaonan was born, the nightmares that had so often plagued him had become far less frequent, and he was able to sleep much more soundly.