Lin Shuisheng, who had arrived later, looked at his lifeless daughter on the ground and staggered to his knees, weeping and beating his chest in anguish.  

Those in the team who had previously enjoyed making sarcastic remarks now watched the Lin family, young and old, crying their hearts out, and couldn’t help but feel a pang of guilt.  

A perfectly healthy person had just died like that, gone in the blink of an eye.  

No one knew what had driven Lin Wanwan to such despair that she would jump into the river.  

Wasn’t this just taking the lives of Lin Shuishui and his wife?  

Especially Wang Xiu’e, her mother, who had always treasured her plump daughter Lin Wanwan more than her own eyeballs.  

If anyone dared to badmouth Lin Wanwan behind her back and she found out, she would storm to their doorstep and curse them nonstop for three days and nights.  

A while ago, Widow Zhou had merely said, “A lazy girl like Lin Wanwan will never find a husband,” and somehow, those words reached Wang Xiu’e’s ears.  

That very night, Wang Xiu’e brought her sons and daughters-in-law to Widow Zhou’s house, smashed everything to pieces, and scratched Widow Zhou’s face until it was covered in wounds.  

Even the last two pounds of cornmeal in the Zhou household were taken by Wang Xiu’e.  

From then on, Widow Zhou, having learned her lesson, would detour whenever she saw any member of the Lin family in the team.  

Just a little girl, yet no one knew what kind of spell Lin Wanwan had cast on the Lin family to make them dote on her so much.  

They would rather starve themselves than let Lin Wanwan go hungry.  

Even in these lean years when food was scarce, they managed to feed Lin Wanwan until she was as plump as a sow ready for slaughter at New Year’s.  

Meanwhile, the rest of the Lin family was so thin they were practically skin and bones, looking pitiful enough to be blown over by a gust of wind.  

As Lin Wanwan gradually regained consciousness, the clamoring noise around her reached her ears. Struggling under the weight of her leaden body, she forced her eyes open with great effort.  

The moment she opened them, she saw a man as gaunt as a skeleton clinging tightly to her, refusing to let go.  

Lin Wanwan, who had always disliked being touched, was immediately furious.  

Just as she opened her mouth to order the man to get off her, a sharp pain shot through her chest, making her cough violently.  

“…Mom… I think I heard my sister cough…”  

After confirming that his ears weren’t playing tricks on him, Lin Yougen looked as if he had discovered a new world, turning excitedly to Wang Xiu’e.  

Wang Xiu’e instantly stopped crying, her eyes gleaming as she stared at her precious daughter lying on the ground.  

The next second, something miraculous happened.  

Lin Wanwan, who had been dead just moments ago, suddenly sat up.  

But before she could even get a clear look at the faces around her, her weakened body gave out, and she fainted again under everyone’s astonished gazes.  

“The corpse revived!”  

At Li Chunyan’s loud cry, everyone except the Lin family instinctively took several steps back.  

They were terrified of being haunted by Lin Wanwan’s ghost.  

“…Li Chunyan, you damn fool, you black-hearted, shameless bastard! How dare you curse my daughter! If anything happens to her, I’ll make sure you pay!”  

With that, Wang Xiu’e, her combat skills at full power, grabbed Li Chunyan by the collar and slapped her several times across the face.  

It wasn’t until Team Leader Lin Shuiyin saw the situation escalating that he quickly ordered the onlooking women in the team to step in and pull the two apart.  

“Fighting, fighting—is there nothing better to do all day? Seems like you’ve all had too much to eat. Maybe you don’t want next year’s grain rations!”  

Li Chunyan pointed at her swollen, pig-like face and complained,  

“Team Leader, that wicked woman Wang Xiu’e beat my face into this state. I can’t even show my face now!”  

“She has to compensate me with three pounds of cornmeal!”  

The moment those words left her mouth, the crowd fell into dead silence.

In these famine years where every meal is uncertain and food is more precious than life itself, getting a few slaps in exchange for three pounds of cornmeal sounded like a fantastic deal—one they’d all gladly take.  

But… Wang Xiu’e was never one to suffer losses.  

She was always the one taking advantage of others. No one in the team had ever managed to get the better of her.  

Could Li Chunyan… actually succeed?  

Probably not.  

“Li Chunyan, you’re talking out of your damn ass! Why don’t you take a piss and look at yourself in the puddle? How dare you try to swindle me! Looks like you’ve had too much to eat and need a good beating!”  

With that, Wang Xiu’e spat a wad of phlegm at her.  

Li Chunyan was utterly disgusted. Her face flushed red as she turned to the team leader. “Team Leader, if you don’t stand up for me, I… I might as well just die!”  

“Then hurry up and die! You think I’m scared? After you croak, I’ll find your Zhou Erdan a new wife—a fresh young maiden—so he can have two kids in three years!”  

Zhou Erdan, the man in question, turned beet red as the crowd burst into laughter.  

Aunt Xiu’e was just spouting nonsense.  

These days, even putting food on the table was a struggle. Where would they get the extra money to bring a new wife into the house?  

Not that he’d mind, but good luck finding a girl willing to marry into this mess.  

Li Chunyan, who had shared a bed with Zhou Erdan for years, took one look at her husband’s stupid, guilty face and immediately guessed what he was thinking. Rage boiled up inside her.  

She wasn’t even dead yet, and this bastard was already planning to find her son a stepmother!  

Did he really think she was that easy to push around?  

Li Chunyan stormed forward, grabbed Zhou Erdan’s ear, and twisted it hard, refusing to let go.  

“Wife… ow ow ow! Let go!” Zhou Erdan yelped in pain, begging for mercy.  

“Now it hurts? Where was this attitude earlier? Just wait till we get home—I’ll deal with you properly!”  

With that, Li Chunyan furiously dragged Zhou Erdan away by the ear, the matter of compensation completely forgotten.  

Wang Xiu’e scanned the crowd and bellowed, “If I hear any of you gossiping about my daughter behind my back again, I’ll rip your mouths open, break your legs, and wreck your homes!”  

The team members: “…” They hadn’t even said anything.  

Team Leader Lin Shuiyin had seen enough. He turned to Lin Yougen and his brother. “What are you standing around for? Hurry up and carry your sister home!”  

The two brothers instinctively looked at Wang Xiu’e.  

“Mom…”  

“Take your sister home. I’m going to the next team to fetch that barefoot doctor to check on her.”  

Wang Xiu’e wiped her tears and rushed off to find the doctor.  

The barefoot doctor, Li Ainian, supposedly came from a long line of physicians—his ancestors had even treated Heshen.  

With his half-decent medical skills, he’d managed to carve out a reputation in the nearby teams.  

Whether it was a kid with a split forehead or a sick hen, people went to him.  

In short, he was equally skilled at treating humans and animals.  

Wang Xiu’e’s reputation for being unreasonable was well-known across the neighboring teams. The moment Li Ainian saw her at his door, he immediately tried to shoo her away, afraid of getting dragged into trouble.  

But Wang Xiu’e, needing his help, didn’t lose her temper. She practically wore her lips out pleading and even promised him two eggs before finally convincing him to come check on her daughter.  

After examining Lin Wanwan, Li Ainian prescribed a few doses of medicine.  

Cost: one yuan and twenty cents.  

Wang Xiu’e considered trying to weasel out of paying—maybe if she stalled long enough, the debt would just disappear.  

The money saved could buy meat for her daughter.  

But Li Ainian saw right through her. “No money, no medicine,” he said flatly, then picked up his medical kit and left.  

“Mom, all our savings have already gone into feeding my sister. Where are we supposed to get the money? Maybe we should just forget about the treatment…”