Jim Thorne returned with a basket of swamp eels and loaches. He was soaking wet, and the bamboo basket was brimming with his catch. The family would have enough dried loaches to last until winter.

When he saw the furious Phoenix Golding and her son, he sneered and yelled at Phoenix, "Your son has a mother but no upbringing! I went ahead and taught him a lesson for you. No need to thank me!"

Phoenix Golding’s face turned ugly. Losing all reason, she shrieked, "My son is not for a little bastard like you to discipline!"

She tried to charge over and hit Jim Thorne, but Phoebe Huxley grabbed her by the hair and easily subdued her.

"And my son is *certainly* not for a promiscuous vixen like you to lecture!"

Phoebe Huxley landed a heavy kick on the back of her knee. The pain forced Phoenix Golding to her knees, making it look as if she were repenting to Phoebe. Ulysses Spann was so scared he burst into tears. "Stop hitting her! I’ll never take the loaches again, I promise! Stop... WAHHH..."

"You call that ’taking’? That was clearly stealing! I worked hard to catch those loaches and you, you little turtle bastard, stole more than half of them! You’re just asking for a beating, and I’m going to beat you to death!"

Jim Thorne raised his fist, his face vicious. Terrified, Ulysses Spann covered his head and cried uncontrollably.

The other villagers came out to watch the spectacle. Seeing Phoebe Huxley and Phoenix Golding fighting again, they perked up with interest. For some reason, Phoebe had been relentlessly targeting Phoenix’s family lately. Just the other day, she had thrown a bucket of feces on Linden’s mother, and the stench hadn’t even faded yet. Now, she was at it with Phoenix again.

However, when they heard what Ulysses Spann said, the crowd couldn’t help but look at him with contempt. There was an old saying: "He who steals a pin as a child will steal gold as an adult." Ulysses was already seven. Another saying went, "The child at three is the man at seventy," meaning his character was likely set for life. He was probably a lost cause.

Phoebe Huxley mocked them in a cold voice, "Your family is the one that’s rotten from the top down! The men are philanderers, the women are whores who cheat, and the son they raise is a petty thief. A whole den of thieves and harlots—utter trash!"

"That’s a load of bullshit! Stop slandering me day in and day out! If you have the guts, show me some proof! Otherwise, if you keep slinging mud, I’ll report you to the authorities. You just wait until you’re thrown in jail!"

Phoenix Golding cursed loudly, her righteous indignation making her seem like someone with a clear conscience who fears no shadow. Some of the villagers began to waver. ’If Phoenix Golding were really cheating on her husband, how could she stand so tall and proud? Maybe it really is just a rumor someone started?’

"You know perfectly well whether you’ve been cheating or not! Don’t think you’re not a cheap slut just because no one saw you in bed with another man. Hmph! You can’t wrap fire in paper. Sooner or later, your disgusting secrets will come to light!"

’Phoebe Huxley was fuming with frustration. Goldie Thorne still hasn’t caught her in the act. What a useless coward! If I’d known, I would have gone to catch them myself. I refuse to believe that slut can really get away with it right under everyone’s noses.’

This only made Phoenix Golding feel more secure. ’My plan is seamless,’ she thought. ’There’s no way I’ll be caught in the act. Phoebe Huxley only suspects things.’

"If I didn’t do it, I didn’t do it! What is there to be afraid of? Your family, on the other hand, has done nothing but evil. Sooner or later, you’ll get what’s coming to you!"

Phoenix Golding’s eyes were venomous and held a hint of triumph. Tang Xiaonan’s heart skipped a beat. ’This woman’s words have a hidden meaning. It’s like she’s certain something bad will happen to the Thorne family. But what could happen to them?’

She quickly thought of Lana Steiner. If her second aunt took the medicine from Auntie Liu the Immortal, she would give birth prematurely to a deformed baby at the end of the year. Her aunt would die from massive blood loss, her second uncle would go insane, and the Thorne family would fall into ruin. The villagers would all say the Thornes were getting their just deserts. When Byron Thorne found out, the anger and grief would take a toll on his health. He’d then catch a severe cold and die not long after.

The retribution Phoenix Golding mentioned was definitely aimed at her second aunt. Furthermore, the "retribution" the villagers would later talk about might be public opinion steered by this woman, trying to drown the Thorne family in gossip.

’Damn it,’ she thought, ’this fucking bitch is so venomous!’