Nan Quanyou replied, "Silly Fengfeng, don't you remember? You got these spots after eating those wild fruits off the mountain. It's been two years, and they've never healed. We don't have the money for the town doctor, and Dr. Liu in the village couldn't cure it."
Nan Feng asked cautiously, "What wild fruit did I eat?"
"Red ones, about as big as your thumb. I took one to Dr. Liu, but he didn't know what it was either. Not many in the village do, either. I don't know where on the mountain you found it."
Nan Feng felt she should visit the mountain, she needed to find a cure for her face, or she'll endure great agony.
She combed her hair a bit more: "Father, don't we have a comb?"
"A comb? I bought one for you before, but you lost it. Then you stopped combing your hair, so I stopped buying the comb."
"..."
Nan Quanyou said, "Why not go and borrow one from Aunt Lan next door? I see her kerosene lamp still on."
"Alright, I'll go now."
His small daughter darted out of the compound in an instant, prompting laughter from Nan Quanyou.
His daughter, finally starting to pay attention to her appearance.
...
"Hey hey, Wenxuan, your ugly wife is here again."
The next day, at the grain drying field.
A group of boys began pointing and gossiping at a distance.
"Wow, she combed her hair today."
"What kind of hairstyle is that?"
"Yo, even her clothes are cleaned up."
"..."
With a sack of rice on her back, Nan Feng was struggling along towards them.
After today's drying, the rice should be ready. The thought of handing it over in taxes after it dried brought her unspeakable pain.
She had eaten a bowl of thin vegetable porridge in the morning, and she was already starving.
Preoccupied with these matters, she gave no thought to what the boys were chatting about, focusing entirely on drying the grain.
By noon, with the sun blazing, Nan Feng spread the rice out and took a break under a tree for some shade.
She was utterly unaware of a pair of eyes fixated on her.
Ever since Nan Feng had asserted that she would rather marry to Ye Ge rather than Mo Wenxuan, Mo Wenxuan had found it strange. This fool who used to always stutter had suddenly burst into defiant words. Could it be a different person?
Looking at her today, her hair was clearly washed and combed smoothly and shiny. The village girls usually wore their hair in buns, but she had tied two braids on either side and then twisted them on top of her head, letting the rest of her hair hang loose. Simple, but it hid a large part of her face.
Her clothes, though still patched, were very clean. And this demeanor of hers, her languid gestures, there was something about her if you didn't look at her face.
Mo Wenxuan while watching, happened to be seen by Nan Feng.
It was still that ugly face. Mo Wenxuan glared at Nan Feng.
Nan Feng didn't care, but smiled slightly at the corner of her mouth.
Then she saw Ye Ge.
Ye Ge also came carrying a sack of rice, and while he was drying the rice, Nan Feng walked over to help him spread it out.
Ye Ge glanced at Nan Feng lightly.
Seeing Ye Ge's ugly face again, Nan Feng was no longer afraid. She smiled at Ye Ge: "Could I ask you for a favor? I want to go to the back mountain to pick some wild vegetables, so can you look after my rice? I'll be back after noon."
Ye Ge said nothing but nodded his head.
"Great, thank you, Ye Ge. I'm leaving now."
Gossip followed her: "Nan Feng that silly girl, she's daring enough to talk to Ye Ge. All the children in the village are afraid to talk to him."
"Not only talking, she even dared to ask Ye Ge for help."
"Who else would help her? She said yesterday she wants to call off the marriage to Wenxuan. Wenxuan is the village head's son, we should side with him."
"..."