Xu Fubao tilted her little head, confused. "Xu Jinfeng, Grandma told Mother to feed the geese and you to feed the pigs. I didn't say a word."
"Then let me tell you this: your father won't be back for a few days. You'd better pray to the gods that you live to see him again!"
Xu Jinfeng's voice lowered to a venomous whisper, the malice in her eyes unmistakable.
Xu Fubao paused, momentarily stunned—those weren't the eyes of a six-year-old. Could this person in front of her be like her, a transmigrator as well?
It didn't seem possible. According to the laws of Heaven, there could only be one traveler in a world, or it would collapse. Unless… the rules had changed?
Never mind. Whatever the case, how could she possibly be afraid of these lowlifes? Just a bunch of clowns performing a farce.
"Grandma's coming. Shouldn't you go feed the pigs?" Xu Fubao feigned innocence, "kindly" reminding Xu Jinfeng.
Terrified of Grandma's wrath, Xu Jinfeng bolted without hesitation.
In truth, Grandma wasn't coming at all. Xu Fubao had merely frightened her.
"Xu Fubao, you've really grown bold. As soon as you could speak, you learned how to tattle, haven't you?"
Eight-year-old Xu Juncheng approached with his younger brother, Xu Junming, both holding fruit, deliberately waving it in front of Xu Fubao.
"You little troublemaker, next time you dare sit at the table, I'll beat you to death!" Xu Junming clenched his tiny fist, threatening her.
The second branch of the Xu family had two sons, and with Grandma doting on boys and despising girls, she heavily favored this branch.
These brothers would often bully the original mute girl, knowing full well that she couldn't speak or complain.
Xu Fubao stared at them blankly, her mischievous mind itching for action.
Should she... act?
Yes, she should!
"Oh." Xu Fubao lowered her head, appearing frightened.
The two brothers exchanged a glance, then burst into gleeful laughter as they strutted off.
"Cough, cough…"
Xu Fubao let out a couple of casual coughs.
Xu Juncheng, walking ahead, felt even more triumphant. He had managed to scare the mute into coughing!
But then...
Suddenly, his foot slipped, sending him sprawling to the ground.
Xu Junming, following close behind, tripped over his brother and fell as well!
The fruit they had been holding flew out of their hands and landed right in front of three large white geese.
With their beaks wide open, the geese lunged for the fruit.
In a panic, the two brothers scrambled to reclaim it...
"Achoo~"
A gentle breeze blew, and Xu Fubao, as though catching a cold, sneezed.
At that moment, the three white geese surrounded the brothers, launching a fierce battle: two boys versus three geese!
The geese's combat skills were far superior to those of the chickens. They coordinated their attacks, one coming from the front, another from behind, biting the brothers mercilessly.
"Ah! It's biting my face!"
"Ah! Damn goose, it pecked my backside!"
"Help! Somebody help!"
Moments ago, the brothers had been full of bravado. Now, they were utterly defeated.
Meanwhile, Song Xiangyu, who had been feeding the geese, stood to the side, laughing so hard she could barely breathe.
"Those little rascals! Always bullying me, and now they're getting what they deserve!"
Seeing Song Xiangyu laugh, Xu Fubao couldn't help but join in.
Yesterday, Xu Jinfeng had battled five chickens. Today, the Xu brothers were fighting three white geese!
But... watching only poultry wars was starting to get boring.
"Ah! Damn beast, get away! Get away!"
Suddenly, from the back courtyard, Xu Jinfeng's terrified screams rang out from the pigsty!
"Don't be scared, Jinfeng! Mother's coming!"
Song Xiangyu dropped her bucket and ran toward the pigsty.
The Xu family's front and back courtyards were now echoing with cries of distress, and the entire family rushed out.
One group went to deal with the geese, while the other headed for the pigsty.
Leaning against the apricot tree, Xu Fubao swung her little legs, feigning shock as though she had been terrified.
But in her mind, she was thinking: Xu Dahai has been gone for over half a month. If he comes back today, maybe there'll be roast pork for dinner!
After watching the chaotic scene between humans and geese for a while, Xu Fubao grew bored. She quickly dashed off toward the back courtyard.
In the pigsty.
The sight before her was truly something.
A few days ago, there had been a torrential downpour, and the pigsty hadn't been cleaned since, leaving it filled with thick sludge.
For an adult standing in it, the mud reached their knees.
Cleaning the pigsty had always been Xu Dahai's job, but since he had gone to town to sell game and hadn't returned yet, no one else wanted to deal with the dirty work.
Xu Dafu, the second son of the Xu family, would never stoop to such a filthy task. He would wait for his elder brother to return and do it.
Xu Jinfeng, who had come to feed the pig, was now lying in the muck, covered in mud, with only her eyes visible.
And Song Xiangyu was holding her daughter's head above the surface, preventing her from drowning in the sludge.
But she wasn't much better off herself, her face swollen on one side.
Around the pigsty, Grandma Xu and the rest of the family stood in stunned silence.
Why?
Because the pig in the sty—was already dead.
The Xu family had raised only one pig, waiting for the New Year to slaughter it, sell most of the meat, and keep some for the holiday feast.
But now that the pig was dead, their livelihood had been cut off!
"Xu Jinfeng! Song Xiangyu! I told you to feed the pig, and you killed it instead! I'm going to kill both of you!"
Grandma Xu finally snapped, grabbing a kitchen knife and charging at them.
Those two wretched creatures—first they had caused the deaths of two hens, and now they had killed the only pig!
How could she not be furious?
Terrified, Song Xiangyu quickly explained, "Mother, it's not what you think. The pig went mad and almost kicked Jinfeng to death. I only hit it a few times, and it just… died!"
When she had arrived, she had seen the pig suddenly go berserk, knocking her daughter unconscious. In a panic, she had grabbed a stick and beaten the pig.
How dare that beast harm her precious daughter? It deserved to die!
But she hadn't expected that one hundred and eighty pounds of pig would end up dead from her beating.
She couldn't possibly admit to that now—admitting it would be the end of her.
The second daughter-in-law, Li Cuihua, rushed over to stop Grandma Xu. "Mother, please calm down. Don't get too worked up, or you'll make yourself sick!"
Li Cuihua, who had borne two sons for the Xu family, held significant sway.
"Mother, we need to think of a solution. It's too hot out here, and the smell is unbearable!" Xu Dafu chimed in, pulling Grandma Xu away.
The second branch of the family was Grandma Xu's treasure. Whether the pig lived or died, they wouldn't have to work, and now that the pig was dead, they would simply eat the meat, unbothered.
"You two wretches, get out of there! What are you doing, swimming in filth?" Grandma Xu shouted, brandishing the knife.
Once you've washed up, I'll beat you both to death!
Dragging her daughter through the muck, Song Xiangyu found herself unable to get out.
Spotting Xu Fubao among the crowd, a wave of fury surged within her.
"Are you blind? Get over here and help!"
Her precious daughter had been knocked unconscious by a beast, and this little village brat was standing there watching the spectacle. The rage inside her nearly made her want to drown Xu Fubao in the mud.
"Grandma! Mother's going to hit me! I'm so scared~ Waaa~" Xu Fubao turned and ran off.
You and your daughter can stay there and enjoy the mud; I'm certainly not helping.
Didn't Xu Jinfeng say I had swallowed some mud water? Well, now she's had her fill of pig slurry—she won't forget this for the rest of her life.
Seeing her youngest daughter run away, Song Xiangyu was livid. "Xu Fubao! Come back here! If you run, I'll beat you to death!"
Ever since this little brat survived the river, she not only spoke but had grown bolder. She tattled and defied orders!
This suffering should have been the brat's, so why was her precious Jinfeng enduring it instead?
The more she thought about it, the angrier she became, and a plan began forming in her mind.
But Xu Fubao knew nothing of this—she had already run far away.