On her way back, Song Wei ran into Heidan. The little boy was carrying an oversized basket, stuffed to the brim with pigweed.

“Heidan.”

Hearing her voice, Heidan’s thin, dark face lit up, and his unusually bright eyes sparkled. He turned around but nearly toppled over from the weight of the load he was carrying. Song Wei quickly stepped forward and grabbed the basket, helping him steady himself.

Heidan didn’t seem at all scared from nearly falling; instead, his eyes shone even brighter as he looked up at her. “Sister Song!”

Song Wei’s expression turned serious. “What are you doing here? And why are you gathering so much pigweed?”

Heidan thought she was angry, and a look of panic crossed his face. “Sister Song, please don’t be mad.”

He was terrified—the only person who had ever shown him kindness was now upset with him. Song Wei softened her tone and crouched down to remove the basket from his back.

“I’m not mad at you,” she assured him gently. “But you’re too young to earn work points, aren’t you? Who made you gather pigweed?”

In the Village, livestock was collectively raised, including the five pigs. Pigweed collection was usually assigned to young people who were just old enough to work but not ready for heavier tasks. Two loads of pigweed counted for one work point, but this job only required two people. Heidan was obviously too young for it.

Heidan pressed his lips together, about to answer, when a rough voice interrupted.

“Heidan! I told you to gather pigweed, not slack off. I’ll teach you a lesson!” A teenage boy of about eighteen strode over, clutching a stick. He was followed by several other boys his age. Judging by their swagger and the smug way they carried themselves, it was clear they were young troublemakers from the village.

Heidan, his voice low but steady, said, “I already gathered enough pigweed.”

He didn’t want Sister Song to get caught up in his problems. “Sister Song, you should go.”

But Lin Youfu, the ringleader, was already looking her up and down with a sleazy grin, whistling as he did. “Who’s this city girl? Pretty cute.”

Song Wei responded by pretending to gag, dry heaving dramatically. “Oh, sorry, I think my ears got contaminated. I feel sick.” She grimaced, looking thoroughly disgusted. Does this guy actually think he’s attractive? Seriously?

Lin Youfu and his buddies’ faces darkened, the sneers fading from their faces.

“Hey, Youfu, I think she’s one of the educated youth,” one of them whispered.

Heidan anxiously stepped between Song Wei and the older boys. “I’ve gathered the pigweed already, cousin. You can just take it.”

“Move it! And you, think you can insult me? I’ll teach you a lesson today.” He was already scheming. His mother had been arranging possible matches for him, but none were as pretty as this educated youth in front of him. He figured he’d take some liberties, and then ask his mother to arrange a marriage. Marrying a city girl would certainly be a huge status boost.

Lin Youfu assumed that Song Wei was an easy target, given her delicate appearance. But as he reached toward her, his hand was suddenly twisted back. In one swift motion, Song Wei snapped his fingers out of place.

“Aaaghhh!” He let out a shrill scream as she smiled sweetly.

“Let’s be honest—you guys look downright pathetic,” she said. “Greasy hair, cheap clothes… Honestly, you look like oily pigs let loose from the pen. Whose farm forgot to lock you in?”

Then, without warning, she gave him a hard slap that sent him spinning around and crashing to the ground. She shook her hand, looking mildly annoyed. “Wow, tough skin. My hand actually hurts.”

She turned her sharp gaze toward the others. Her eyes, usually soft and charming, now sent shivers down their spines.

“Wh-what are you all scared of?” one of the boys stammered, trying to rally them. “It’s one against four! We’ll take her down!”

As the four of them charged, Heidan lunged forward and latched onto one of them, sinking his teeth into the boy’s thigh.

“Argh!” The boy shrieked in pain.

Within less than a minute, five boys lay sprawled on the ground, groaning. Song Wei casually dumped Heidan’s load of pigweed on top of them.

“Pathetic,” she sneered. “You’re old enough and still make a child do your work? What a bunch of weaklings.”

She took Heidan’s hand and walked away, not looking back.

“You’re staying at my place tonight,” she said, squeezing his small hand reassuringly.

If Heidan went home, she knew the Lin family would make his life miserable. She had no regrets about teaching them a lesson, but she felt responsible for protecting Heidan from any backlash.

The poor kid… stuck with such awful relatives.

Just then, she heard a low growl. She glanced down to see Heidan’s face flush as his stomach grumbled.

“Hungry?”

He nodded, his small face turning red. “They didn’t leave me anything to eat today.”

Seeing him like this, Song Wei’s heart ached. The Lin family really are heartless.

“Come on,” she said, squeezing his hand. “Let’s get you something to eat.”

She had brought back two fish the previous day; one was still alive, though barely. That morning, she’d cleaned it and seasoned it. Now was the perfect time to cook it up.

“Do you know how to cook fish?”

She wasn’t the best cook herself. Her dishes turned out edible, but taste? Depends entirely on luck.

Heidan shook his head. “I’ve never made fish, but I can cook. I can try.”

So Song Wei led him back to her place, essentially recruiting him as her tiny kitchen helper while she took charge of the fire. She was generous with the oil, telling him to add more, so the fish turned out quite fragrant.

Fortunately, the others hadn’t returned yet; otherwise, they’d have had something to say about the smell.

However, they weren’t entirely alone.

Gao Le, drawn by the aroma, sheepishly knocked on Song Wei’s door.

Song Wei opened it, eyeing him suspiciously. “What do you want?”

“Um… can I trade for some meat?”

He held up a small handful of dried noodles.

Song Wei shrugged. “Sure!”

The noodles would be enough for three meals. With the deal made, the three of them sat around the little table, digging into the meal.

Heidan’s face glowed with happiness. This was the best meal he’d ever had! But perhaps out of habit from the Lin family’s treatment, he mostly picked the vegetables from the fish soup.

Song Wei placed two large pieces of fish in his bowl. “Eat up, or that big brother over there will eat it all.”

Gao Le was already wolfing down the fish, enjoying every bite. Heidan glanced at him nervously and, fearing his fish might indeed be taken, quickly took a few bites. Then, in a sweet gesture, he picked up a piece and offered it to Song Wei.

“Sister Song, you eat too,” he said, then shot Gao Le a warning look. Don’t you dare take Sister Song’s food.