Early the next morning, Chu Nanzhi cooked a pot of porridge just like yesterday. After breakfast, she went to the market to buy more food.
It was the season for wild mushrooms in the mountains, so she wanted to take the opportunity to pick some mushrooms to go with the vegetables.
Perhaps if she was lucky, she might even find some game.
There was not much money left at home and Lin Jinxiao still needed treatment. She had to pinch her pennies.
She thought that if Lin Jinxiao was not so resistant towards her, she would examine his wound properly and see if she could find a good way to treat him.
ā¦
The mountain was large and covered with forests and shrubs, extending all the way to the horizon.
It was precisely because of this hot and humid environment that many treasures grew in the mountains and there were many varieties of mushrooms.
But she only picked the ones she recognized.
She walked around the forest and soon she had filled half of her large basket.
Chu Nanzhi carried the mushrooms on her back and walked proudly along the forest path. She thought to herself, "It will be great I can get a few wild rabbits and pheasants."
Just as she thought of that, she suddenly looked up and saw a gray rabbit darting out of the dense forest.
The rabbit ran extremely fast, as if it had been frightened. It rushed forward in a frenzy.
Suddenly, the rabbit crashed into a nearby large tree and was knocked unconscious.
Chu Nanzhi was surprised. What was this?
She slowly approached the rabbit and touched it. It was no longer breathing.
"Poor Bunny. Can't let you die in vain."
Chu Nanzhi sighed, picked up the rabbit and hurried out of the forest.
When she reached the village entrance, she heard a faint but familiar cry.
Chu Nanzhi listened carefully. She knew this cry well. It was Lin Ruijia.
She hurriedly rushed towards the direction of the cries.
From afar, she could see the Lin Ruijia crying in the middle of a ring of children.
As she cried, she smeared mud on her face and clothes, dirtying her entire body.
Chu Nanzhi could not understand what she was doing.
She walked to the group of children in confusion. When the children saw that it was Lin Ruijia's mother, they explained fearfully, "Would you believe us if we said that we didn't bully her?"
Chu Nanzhi remembered that the child who spoke was the son of the blacksmith, Zhao Erlang.
"Iā"
Should she believe them?
Looking at the crying Lin Ruijia, she felt that she was caught in a difficult position.
At that moment, Zhao Erlang ran over angrily. When he saw his son, he immediately started beating and scolding him, "Little Erlang, I told you not to bully the other children in the village. Are you itching for another beating?"
Zhao Erlang's son was the second son in the family and had an elder sister. Everyone called him Little Erlang. He was the eldest of the village children. He usually liked to bully the weak and was often received fierce scoldings.
Moreover, someone had complained to the Village Chief about the children's fights. This troubled Zhao Erlang.
The children in the village knew that the four children's mother did not protect them, so they liked to bully the four of them.
Xiao Erlang explained to his father with an aggrieved expression, "Father, we didn't hit her. She cried for no reason."
Zhao Erlang looked at Lin Ruijia's dirty face and muddy body. He ground his teeth in anger. "You brat, how dare you say you didn't bully Ruijia. Look at her, she's covered in mud."
Little Erlang explained earnestly, "She rubbed the mud on herself."
When Lin Ruijia heard that, she cried even harder.
Chu Nanzhi finally understood why this the child had smeared mud on herself.
Zhao Erlang glared at the child and scolded, "You b*stard, do you think your father is a fool? Why would Lin Ruijia smear mud on herself for no reason?"
Xiao Erlang grimaced, but refused to give in. He repeated, "She smeared it on herself. If you don't believe me, ask them."
All the children nodded innocently.
Zhao Erlang was furious. "You bunch of unreasonable little b*stards. You don't even have the guts to admit to what you've done. What kind of men are you? If you dare to go around doing naughty things with my little b*stard in the future, I won't let you off."
With that, he ignored Chu Nanzhi and dragged Little Erlang back home, kicking him along the way.
Chu Nanzhi wanted to explain to him, but this boorish man treated her like she was invisible, so she gave up.
After all the other children had left, she pulled Lin Ruijia up and wiped the mud off her face. Her heart ached, but she was angry.
"You must learn to be honest. Do you think all the adults will believe your lies?"
Little Ruijia pouted and said, "It depends on luck. Father said that we have a hard lot in life, so we will receive more blessings from the heavens."
Chu Nanzhi was speechless.
This girl must have used all her luck on such things.
Indeed, a child needed a mother to raise and teach her.
If she had a mother to back her up, this girl would not be like that.
After some thought, she looked at the Lin Ruijia and asked solemnly, "What if you're unlucky?"
Little Ruijia snorted in disdain. "Those who walk by the river can't avoid getting their feet wet. Anyway, even a broken clock is right twice a day. It's better than being bullied all the time."
Chu Nanzhi's heart ached and she could not help but grab Lin Ruijia. She hugged the girl with no regard for how dirty she was. "With me around, no one will dare to bully you in the future. You have to be an honest and obedient child. You can't lie to people like this anymore."
She knew that Blacksmith Zhao was afraid that she would complain to the Village Chief again.
When Lin Ruijia touched the furry thing in her arms, she immediately broke free and batted her eyes. "Where did this rabbit come from?"
"I picked it up in the mountains."
Chu Nanzhi tilted her basket. "Look, I've even gotten so many mushrooms. If you promise to listen to me, I'll go home and cook rabbit meat for you."
"Really?"
"Yeah."
Little Ruijia was in a difficult position, but she looked at the extremely fat rabbit, then finally pursed her lips and nodded.
Chu Nanzhi was overjoyed. She led little Ruijia home.
When she reached the courtyard door, she saw Lin Ruixi sitting at the doorway and crying loudly. Lin Jinxiao and the other two children were nowhere to be seen.
"What's going on today?"
Chu Nanzhi looked puzzled.
Just as she reached Lin Ruixi's side, she saw Lin Jinxiao emerge with difficulty, leaning on his walking stick with something in his hand.
She saw that it was the cloth bag she had used to wrap the silver that Magistrate Hu had given her.
She walked up to Lin Jinxiao in surprise, grabbed the cloth bag, and asked loudly, "Where's the silver?"
Lin Jinxiao replied helplessly, "I heard from Ruixi that my brother has taken it."
Lin Jinhong?
His half-brother?
That man was a ruffian.
Chu Nanzhi sensed that something was amiss. She looked at the house again. "Where are the other children?"
"They went after my brother. My leg hurt terribly last night and I couldn't sleep all night. I had just fallen into a deep sleep and when I woke up, I heard Ruixi crying."
Lin Jinxiao's eyes darted around. He wanted to say something but hesitated.
Lin Jinxiao suppressed the anger and sorrow in his heart. He forced himself to calm down and say tactfully, "Why don't we just forget about it? My brother's family is probably having a hard time this year."
After all, he could not move around freely. He knew his brother's bad temper very well. Even if this family combined forces, they might not be able to beat him. However, he did not want to show weakness in front of this woman, so he could only sigh helplessly in his heart.
"Easy for you to say."
Chu Nanzhi glanced at him angrily. She did not know what this man was thinking, but he seemed to have the heart of a Buddha. "Take good care of the two children. I'll go take a look."
She hurriedly put down the basket and rabbit and hurried off in the direction of Lin Jinhong's house.
After pursuing them for a mile, she saw Lin Ruiwen and Lin Ruichong wrapped around a man's leg, refusing to let go.
The man panicked and flew into a rage. He punched and kicked the children. However, the two children seemed to be plastered to him and no matter what he did, he could not get rid of them.