Chapter 78
Seeing more and more water spilling out of the bucket, the young woman panicked and loosened her grip.
The old woman seized the bucket at once and burst into triumphant laughter.
"This water is mine! You little tramp, get lost!"
She quickly poured the water into her own bucket, moving with surprising speed, then tossed the empty bucket back at the woman.
"Here! Take it back!"
Just as the old woman smugly prepared to carry off the bucket she had filled, a tall, powerfully built man rushed forward.
Without hesitation, he delivered a flying kick.
The old woman didn’t even have time to react before she was sent flying. She crashed heavily onto the ground, baring her teeth in pain.
Her head buzzed, and she couldn’t even process what had happened.
The man didn’t spare her a glance.
He calmly picked up the bucket and poured the water back into the young woman’s container.
Because of the earlier struggle, a portion had already spilled out. Only about three-quarters remained.
The young woman hurried to his side, her eyes red. "Honey... she tried to steal our water."
The man shielded her with his body. "Take the water home first."
The woman nodded. Seeing that only three-quarters of the bucket remained, her heart ached.
She turned to the staff member and asked cautiously, "Some of the water spilled... could we refill it?"
The worker hesitated, clearly conflicted. After a moment, he nodded. "Go ahead."
The woman’s face lit up with relief. She stepped forward with the bucket and refilled the water that had been lost.
The property manager added quietly, "You should go home quickly. That old woman isn’t someone you want to deal with."
If there were a ranking for the most troublesome resident in the complex, Mrs. Warren would undoubtedly make the list.
Even in normal times, she constantly took advantage of others by relying on her age.
But back then, people cared about appearances and simply avoided arguing with her.
Now things were different. The water she tried to steal was someone’s lifeline.
The woman hurried away with the bucket.
Meanwhile, Mrs. Warren still sat on the ground wailing in pain. The long line of residents said nothing.
Everyone had seen how shameless she was. Getting involved with her would only bring trouble.
Many simply watched the scene unfold.
The tall man remained nearby, ignoring her endless curses. When he saw his wife disappear into the building entrance, he relaxed slightly and turned to leave.
"Where do you think you’re going?!" Mrs. Warren shrieked. "You kicked an old woman! My bones are broken! You have to compensate me! You’re not leaving otherwise!"
She lunged forward and clung tightly to his leg. The man frowned and tried to shake her off.
But she clung to him stubbornly, crying and shouting.
"Oh my heavens! Everyone look! This man is beating up an old woman in the street! Shameless! He hit me and now he wants to run away!"
Several people who had just arrived didn’t know what had happened. Seeing the old woman’s disheveled hair and tear-streaked face, they were momentarily fooled.
"That man looks decent enough. How could he hit an old lady?"
"Poor old woman..."
"Exactly! You never know someone’s true nature. Why aren’t any of you stopping him?"
A few women who had just come down to collect water felt uneasy. They exchanged glances and were about to step forward. But someone from the line quickly grabbed them and explained in a low voice, "That old woman tried to steal their water and got taught a lesson. Don’t get involved!"
The women froze. "Steal water?!"
Right now, every household was short of water. If she was actually trying to steal it, that changed everything.
When they looked again at Mrs. Warren’s pitiful expression, it suddenly seemed repulsive.
Mrs. Warren overheard the conversation and spat angrily. "What nonsense are you spouting, you little slut!"
She shouted loudly, "What stealing?! That water was mine! I waited in line—so it’s mine!"
The person she shouted at didn’t back down, sneering. "Didn’t they say each household only gets one bucket a day? Your daughter-in-law already took one earlier. So what are you talking about? Have you no shame?"
"That’s right!" Many people nearby began echoing the accusation.
If they let this old woman exploit a loophole now, there would be no end to it later.
Mrs. Warren’s face shifted between red and pale. She muttered curses under her breath, directing them toward the people who had called her out.
While she was distracted, the man suddenly jerked his leg free.
Mrs. Warren tried to grab him again, but this time he was ready. He quickly stepped back.
Too tired to argue further, he turned to leave.
At that moment, a heavyset middle-aged man hurried over.
Seeing Mrs. Warren sprawled miserably on the ground, he shouted in alarm.
"Mom! What happened?! Who bullied you?!"
The moment she saw her son, Mrs. Warren instantly regained confidence.
"Bill! Your mother’s about to be beaten to death!" She pointed at the tall man. "It was him! He kicked me! He tried to kill me!"
Her cries were so dramatic that anyone unfamiliar with the situation might have believed she had truly been abused.
Bill’s face flushed red with anger. He marched up to the tall man and shoved him hard.
"Damn you! Why did you kick my mother?!"
Bill was about half a head shorter than the tall man. Standing next to him, the difference in build was obvious. Despite the forceful shove, the tall man didn’t move an inch. His stance was rock solid.
Bill immediately felt his face burning with embarrassment. He was a grown man, after all.
But the other man looked incredibly strong—muscles bulging under his clothes.
If it came to a fight, Bill wasn’t confident he would win.
Still, with so many people watching, he couldn’t just back down while his mother was supposedly being bullied.
"Apologize to my mother right now!" he shouted. "Otherwise, I won’t be polite! Hitting an old woman—what kind of parents raised you?!"
The tall man finally spoke. His voice was icy. "With a mother like that, it’s no wonder she raised a son like you."
Then he continued coldly, "Your mother tried to steal my family’s water and even pushed my wife. So what if I kicked her? I could have killed her if I wanted to."
Bill froze. What? His mother tried to steal someone else’s water?
His momentum faltered immediately.
But after thinking about it again, his mother was elderly, and besides, hadn’t she failed to steal it anyway?
"It’s just a bucket of water!" he argued stubbornly. "She didn’t even get it in the end. Did you really have to hit an old woman? You’re the one in the wrong—apologize!"
Clearly, reason wasn’t going to reach him. The tall man rubbed his forehead, losing patience with the absurd argument.
Bill naturally wouldn’t let him leave so easily. He stepped forward to block his path.
"You’re not going anywhere! Apologize to my mom and compensate her, and I won’t make things difficult for you. Otherwise, I’ll call the police!"
"Move," the man said flatly.
Bill puffed out his chest. "I’m not moving. Apologize first!"
Behind him, Mrs. Warren shouted encouragement. "Bill! Teach him a lesson! That shameless bastard, hitting an old woman!"
The man let out a short laugh. "You should be grateful I’m not demanding an apology from you. Fine—you won’t move? Don’t blame me for being rude."
Bill scoffed. "I’d like to see how you plan to be ru—"
Before he could finish his sentence, he felt a devastating blow to his stomach.
His heavy body shot backward like a missile.