He Xiaoya's pretty face flushed under Zhang Xiaobei's eager gaze, "I'm going to cook, you should lie down for a while..."
The simple meal was ready, but her sister-in-law seemed a bit distracted, her eyes filled with added worry.
"Xiaobei, we've offended Meng Qingdong, he definitely won't let this go, what should we do..."
"Sister-in-law, don't worry, he wouldn't dare do anything to us!"
Remembering the humiliated look on He Xiaoya's face, Zhang Xiaobei's fists instinctively clenched, making crunching sounds...
"Xiaobei, don't stay up all night, go back to your room and sleep early. Tomorrow morning, let's haul back the rest of the sorghum."
He Xiaoya was tidying up the dishes and utensils on the table while softly instructing.
"Sister-in-law, you should sleep early too."
He smiled, then returned to his room, his heart somewhat unsettled as he thought of his sister-in-law's graceful figure.
Although the room was shabby, Zhang Xiaobei kept it neat and tidy.
Lying on the hard plank bed tossing and turning, he felt not the slightest bit sleepy. Looking at the moonlight outside the window, his thoughts drifted—sometimes they landed on He Xiaoya's graceful silhouette, other times on those bizarre patterns and characters...
Eventually, he thought once again of the family's fish pond—if what was recorded was true, there was still hope for the pond tainted with poison!
Initially, to pay for his father's medical treatment, he had borrowed more than a hundred thousand from relatives and friends, and it was still not repaid. Debt collectors came knocking incessantly, and for this, he and his sister-in-law had not suffered little from scorn and ridicule.
If they could restore the abandoned fish pond to operation, then these problems would be resolved. Not only would they be able to live better, but he would also possess the capital for revenge.
As he lay in bed, the more Zhang Xiaobei thought, the less he could sleep. Eventually, he couldn't lie still any longer and got up.
He quietly went to the door and heard no sound from his sister-in-law's room, knowing she had fallen asleep. Assured, he returned to his room, got dressed, took a flashlight, and left the house.
According to the records, if one wanted the fish fry to grow quickly, beside ordinary feed, a combination of several types of traditional Chinese medicine was needed.
For Zhang Xiaobei, this was no problem at all; having grown up in Ji Xian Village, he was more than familiar with the surrounding mountains. In less than two hours, he had gathered the necessary herbs.
Approaching the fish pond, he was greeted by a foul stench.
It seemed that to revive the abandoned fish pond, the first step was to remove the poison from it, only then could this be a true solution.
Thinking this, Zhang Xiaobei processed the herbs he had collected in a rudimentary way and scattered them into the fish pond.
After the medicine was dispersed, about ten minutes passed, and there were ripples on the water. A short while later, several resilient little fish appeared.
And as time went on, more and more fish gathered.
The fish seemed crazed, voraciously devouring the feed just cast into the water.
Watching this scene, Zhang Xiaobei sat on the bank, his grin so wide his mouth could barely close.
In order to let these little ones eat their fill, Zhang Xiaobei went into the mountains two more times, not stopping until 2 a.m. before finally returning home.
At dawn, with the first glimmer of light spreading across the east, Zhang Xiaobei climbed out of bed.
Without stopping to greet his sister-in-law, he hurriedly dressed and dashed straight for his fish pond.
Upon reaching the pond, Zhang Xiaobei was taken aback. The three- to four-inch fry from last night had already grown to four or five inches, and they were plump and especially energetic, constantly jumping in the pond.
Hearing Zhang Xiaobei's footsteps, they quickly swam to the bank, their round, bulging eyes showing a greedy look.
It appeared that the Yin Yang Fragment truly was miraculous—he had to thoroughly study it.
Zhang Xiaobei scattered the rest of the prepared feed from last night into the pond, then left, satisfied.
Barely at the entrance of the village, he faintly heard a distant scolding. As he continued forward, the voices became clearer.
At the same time, Zhang Xiaobei noticed many villagers standing on their own walls or in the streets, craning their necks to look.
The direction they were all looking was toward his home. Zhang Xiaobei's heart tightened, and he sped up.
"He Xiaoya, do you know who I, Meng Qingdong, am? The eyes of our fellow villagers are clear—I won't let you slander me. Are you going to pay up or not?"
At the sound of this voice, Zhang Xiaobei was first stunned, then his eyes flashed with a cold light.
"Meng Qingdong, stop spouting nonsense. When did our family ever owe you money?"
"Hmm, whether you owe it or not isn't up to you to say. Black and white, who is framing you?"
"You, you're talking nonsense!"
Hearing He Xiaoya's frantic shrieking, Zhang Xiaobei's heart raced with urgency. He strode to the door, pushed through the onlookers, and dashed into the yard.
At that moment, six or seven people stood in the yard, with Meng Qingdong posing arrogantly in the center.
Seeing this, Zhang Xiaobei's pupils suddenly constricted, and he took three steps forward, lifting his leg to land a kick.
As all attention was focused on He Xiaoya and no one had noticed Zhang Xiaobei's sudden appearance, one of them was caught off guard and received a kick to the rear, tumbling headlong in a pratfall.
"Hmm, it seems you're not dead yet. Good timing, it's about time we settled our accounts!" Meng Qingdong, his head wrapped in bandages, gazed at Zhang Xiaobei with a vicious smile.
"How could I die when someone like you, wrapped in human skin but a beast at heart, is still alive?" Zhang Xiaobei stepped forward to stand before Meng Qingdong, protecting He Xiaoya behind him.
Thinking of the night before, hate surged through Meng Qingdong—if not for this wretch, He Xiaoya would have been his by now!
But it was also strange—how was this young man, poisoned so severely, still alive and seemingly even more vigorous than before?
"A beast in human clothing? Don't you know who I, Meng Qingdong, am? Everyone in our village knows. You think you can frame me with lies? Think again!" Meng Qingdong scoffed coldly. "I'm not here to fight you; I'm here for my money. It's only right to repay a debt, that's clear, isn't it?"