"Sister, what's wrong with you? You look frightening," Chuner's youthful voice rang out, filled with concern.
Caught in the vengeful hatred of her past life and angrily unable to extricate herself, Xuexue was suddenly jolted by this voice. She looked up, slightly startled, "Chuner?"
"Sister, what's wrong? Did Sister Xiuzhi bully you again?" Chuner stepped forward, tugging at Xuexue's sleeve with concern.
Indeed, in the Mo family, her only support, besides her mother, was her sister. Young as she was, Chuner was keenly aware of this.
"No, sister was just thinking about things," Xuexue adjusted her emotions, hiding her fierceness, lest she frighten Chuner.
Since that day, when Madam Ruan had been injured on the forehead, she had not seen them, granting Xuexue some peaceful days.
"Sister, you've been in bed for so many days; it's time to get up," the sensible Chuner said, trying to pull Xuexue up. "It's not cold outside today, and the sun is out. Come on, I'll take you out to bask in the sun."
Thinking that she couldn't always be cooped up in her room, daydreaming about revenge, she needed to prepare. For instance, finding ways to strengthen herself. That would give her a chance at revenge, especially since her enemy's status was so prominent. She needed a good plan. With that thought, Xuexue suddenly got up from the bed.
"Let's go bask in the sun," she said.
"Great, sister and Chuner are going to bask in the sun!" The five-year-old Chuner clapped her hands, cheering.
The two sisters walked hand in hand out of the room and into the courtyard, indeed, the winter sun felt exceptionally comfortable.
Whether it was due to staying in the room for too long or the joy of rebirth, Xuexue felt an inner warmth from the sun; it was the first time in a long while she felt the air was particularly refreshing to breathe.
Mo Family Village, as the name implies, was mostly inhabited by the Mo surname. They even had a Clan Leader to address big and small matters. If something was beyond him, there was the village head and, if even the village head could not handle it, then they would report it to the government office.
The Mo family was considered upper class in Mo Family Village. Their livelihood was good, as evident from their residence—a large courtyard surrounded by two rows of seven or eight tile-roofed houses.
However, as the main branch of the family, they could only live in a thatched hut next to the tile houses. According to Old Lady Mo, the blame was entirely on Madam Xie, a barren old hen who couldn't bear a son and thus didn't deserve to live in a better house.
"Sister, you've just recovered, you shouldn't stand for too long. Chuner will fetch a stool for you to sit," Chuner said, showing maturity beyond her years. Perhaps living under the shadow of Old Lady Mo for so long, she had become adept at observing words and moods.
Xuexue was about to say it wasn't necessary when Chuner slipped her hand away and dashed off, running with little steps.
After a while, when Chuner still hadn't returned, Xuexue grew worried and started walking towards the main room of the main hall, the direction Chuner had gone. She had seen it clearly.
Chuner was nowhere to be seen in the main hall. Puzzled, Xuexue muttered to herself as she headed towards the main room, "This little girl, still a child, unreliable at times—how could she disappear just fetching a stool?"
After searching everywhere and finding no sign of her, just as Xuexue was about to turn back, suddenly, she heard a sharp voice: "You little brat, just as wretched as your mother and your sister, can't even handle a simple task right."