Ruo Shui stopped pushing the cart, infuriated by Zhen Hu's words, and turned around to throw a punch when he heard his precious daughter's words.
All of a sudden, he wasn't angry anymore!
My goodness! Xuanbao's earnest way of talking back was just too adorable.
He knew Xuanbao could talk, but he didn't know she was so good at it!
More villagers walked to the entrance of the village and happened to hear Ruo Xuan's words, and couldn't help but laugh.
"Old Lady Tan, Xuanbao is right, you need to be a good person, you know!"
"Yeah, stop selling your daughters for glory! You're really sinning here!"
Madam Tan didn't know if her son would someday die from anger, but she felt she might die from anger at Xuanbao right now: "You little brat, what are you saying!"
Ruo Xuan frowned slightly: "I'm not a dead girl, I'm telling the truth, be careful, or you might really die from anger one day!"
How could Xuancao, for the first time being human, understand the complexities of human relationships? How could she know that the last thing humans want to hear is the blunt truth?
Even the villagers felt Ruo Xuan was cursing someone, and several villagers laughed loudly:
"Pfft! Hahahaha... Old Lady Tan, did you hear that? You better be careful!"
"Nothing's more honest than a three-year old's words! You really should take heed!"
"Seeking glory by selling daughters, taking advantage of others, bullying and stealing chickens and dogs, engaging in such immoral acts too much, even a child can see you're due for retribution!"
...
Madam Tan had five daughters, and she and her husband were lazy, extremely partial, and their behavior had been getting worse over the past few years. They were essentially living off the bride prices from selling their daughters, which everyone disapproved of.
Madam Tan's face turned black with rage.
Zhen Hu threw a punch in his fury: "You imbecile, talking nonsense, courting death!"
Madam Liu hurriedly wrapped Ruo Xuan in her arms to protect her.
Startled, Ruo Xuan instinctively threw out an Immortal Technique.
"Courting death!" Ruo Shui punched out!
The tiger's punch created a gust of wind.
Before the fists even met, a burst of powerful wind blew Zhen Hu away!
He landed heavily about ten meters away!
The surrounding onlookers stared at Ruo Shui in astonishment.
Since when had the fourth son of the Ruo Family become so formidable?
A punch that hadn't even touched someone, just the force of the wind, had flung a person away?
Ruo Shui was also stunned, had he really become that powerful?
He couldn't help but throw another punch into the air.
The onlooking villagers jumped back in fright!
Ruo Shui: ...Indeed, my ability has greatly increased!
Zhen Hu, having landed hard on the ground, curled up in pain, feeling as if all his bones were broken.
Especially his arm, which had struck a rock, was entirely numb and tingling!
He couldn't even open his fingers.
Madam Tan was petrified and hurried over: "Huzi, are you okay?"
Zhen Hu cried out in pain: "Waah, mother, my hand hurts so much, is it ruined? What do I do? Wuuu... it hurts so much!"
Madam Tan was driven to madness and lunged at Ruo Shui: "My God! Murder! My Huzi's hand is meant for writing. If it's ruined and he can't hold a pen or pass the Top Scholar exams, can you afford it? Pay up!"
Ruo Shui cocked his fist, and before he could swing, Madam Tan halted her steps abruptly!
She didn't dare to come any closer and even took a few steps back, only daring to spread her vitriol: "Go on, hit me! If you have the guts, kill me! Heavens above, is there no law anymore? You dare to injure someone in broad daylight! Pay up in silver! One hundred, no, one thousand taels, if you don't give me one thousand taels I will report this to the officials!"
Ruo Shui looked at Zhen Hu with a dark sneer: "Go ahead and report! If Lord County Magistrate tells me to pay up, I will. Just now he started it, and I didn't even touch him, I wonder how the County Magistrate will decide, or maybe I should just disable him entirely now, ruin his hand, mouth, and Little Huzi, and then pay after he's ruined!"
As he spoke, he stared at Zhen Hu's crotch and walked towards him.
Zhen Hu, in terror, shielded his groin, his face fraught with fear: "Mother, I don't want him to pay! Let's go, no need for compensation!"
Coward! Ruo Shui snorted coldly, turned his head, pulled the cart, and walked away.
He left Madam Tan behind, wailing and screaming for help on the side of the road, saying she would report it to the officials, asking people to bear witness for her.
The villagers also quickly left to avoid being implicated by the mother and son, with nobody sympathizing with them.
Peoples gossiped:
"She has the nerve to report it? It was clearly Zhen Hu who struck first, and Ruo Shui only retaliated to block his fist, that's all."
"Zhen Hu has become too bold, daring to hit Xuanbao! Who doesn't know that Ruo Shui treasures his mentally challenged child like a gem?"
"Shh, keep it down! Don't want Ruo Shui to hit you?"
"Xuanbao seemed like she could talk just now, and Tan Popo was so angry she almost died? Has she become smart?"
Several people were stunned.
Right!
Xuanbao had spoken just now.
And she spoke so clearly, she almost infuriated Tan Popo and her son to death!
Has Xuanbao recovered?!
Oh my! Has the Ruo Family's silly child become smart?
One
The sun rose in the east, casting its light on the magnificent ancient city.
The long streets paved with blue stone slabs, lined with shops, bustling with carts and horses, were permeated with an air of prosperity everywhere.
Ruo Xuan practiced her Immortal Technique under the warm morning light while looking around curiously.
So this is a human city? It is indeed lively and bustling!
Ruo Shui pushed the cart toward the marketplace.
"Mom, what's that?" Ruo Xuan asked, pointing to a candied haw being held by a beautifully dressed little girl.
"That's a candied haw, does Xuanbao want one?" Madam Liu touched her daughter's hair bun. Xuanbao, given her previous condition, had always eaten liquid food and had never tried a candied haw.
"Yes, I want one." Ruo Xuan nodded, it looked delicious.
She also caught a whiff of a sour-sweet scent and subconsciously swallowed her saliva.
Ruo Shui immediately said, "We'll buy you one once we've exchanged for silver."
Soon, Ruo Xuan smelled a sweet aroma mixed with a malt scent.
Turning her head, she saw a stall selling sugar figurines with an array of various shapes.
"Mom, what is that?" Ruo Xuan pointed and asked.
Madam Liu looked over, "That's a sugar figurine."
Ruo Shui said, "Does Xuanbao want one? Dad will buy it for you in a bit."
Ruo Xuan saw a little girl buy a butterfly-shaped one and nodded, "Yes, I want one. I'd like a rabbit and a goat shape."
"Alright!" Ruo Shui agreed immediately.
Madam Liu moved her lips but ultimately remained silent.
Today's persimmons should sell well, and the candied haws and sugar figurines just cost a few coins together.
The persimmons should bring in a tael of silver.
Next, Ruo Xuan saw stalls selling roasted lamb skewers, pastries, pancakes, meat buns, wontons... and even restaurants!
The city had so many stalls that Ruo Shui broke into a cold sweat whenever Ruo Xuan called out to her parents.
The little girl drooled over those stalls with a look of longing, making him wish he could earn more silver to lay the whole world at her feet.
The persimmons could be exchanged for silver, but there was almost no grain left at home; they needed to buy some.
They also needed to buy medicine for the eldest brother and the third brother.
Plus, half of the rice grown in their field turned out to be husks. The harvest was doomed to be poor this year; they had to store some grain for the winter.
Winter had already come, the weather was growing colder, and they needed to prepare a new cotton robe for Xuanbao.
He couldn't just buy whatever Xuanbao wanted to eat.
Yet Ruo Shui couldn't refuse his daughter, so he could only turn the cart into a side alley and take another street.
This street was quiet and tidy, lined with the large houses of the city's wealthy, without any shops.
Madam Liu understood her husband's intentions. She took out a persimmon for Ruo Xuan, "Are you hungry, Xuanbao? Do you want to eat a persimmon first?"
Ruo Xuan was about to take it but then shook her head as if remembering something, "Aren't we going to exchange for silver? I won't eat it, use it to get silver."
Madam Liu felt a pang of emotion at her daughter's sensible and well-behaved demeanor.
She touched Xuanbao's head and said softly, "It's okay, we need to ensure Xuanbao eats first even if we are to sell for silver."
Ruo Shui nodded, "Exactly, our own persimmons can be eaten anytime, as much as you want, and we only sell the leftovers."
Ruo Xuan, reassured, then took it and began to eat.
The persimmon was juicy and sweet, so delicious!
At that moment, a large red-lacquered gate opened, and a little girl ran out from inside, followed by a young couple dressed in luxurious clothes.
The little girl, seeing Ruo Xuan eating the fruit which seemed tasty, immediately said to the woman behind her, "Mom, I want to eat that kind of fruit, too."
"You can't just buy any wild fruit from the street; you don't know if it's poisoned," the woman said casually, glancing at the people on the cart, her expression freezing.
The woman's husband paused for a moment, then broke into an enthusiastic smile, "Brother Ruo Shui, long time no see! What brings you...?"