Chapter 9: Always Seeking Death

The autumn morning wasn’t particularly cold, with occasional breezes brushing against their faces, lifting strands of hair. However, the few people on the small slope felt that the day was colder than winter.

The noise that had filled the air moments ago had now vanished into an eerie silence.

Everyone was stunned by Xiang He’s expression. It was an intense, serious harshness. They felt that if they said the wrong thing now, Xiang He would tear them apart in the next moment…

“He—He girl…”

A hoarse call reached their ears. Xiang He’s eyelashes fluttered slightly, and a smile spread across her face, completely different from the fierce look she had earlier.

She loosened her grip, and Mrs. Shi’s feet, which had been lifted, finally touched the ground. Her legs gave way, and she collapsed onto the ground.

“Ah, Grandma, please step aside. I really need to hoe the grass here.”

Xiang He couldn’t be bothered to look at her dazed expression again. She turned and helped Xiang Dayong up. “Father, are you hurt? If your legs are bothering you, just rest. We can manage.”

Xiang Dayong didn’t understand why they looked like this, but it had to be related to Xiang He. He tried to ask but couldn’t find his voice, so he let her help him to sit on the bed.

“He…”

Xiang He released her hand and walked toward the door to grab the hoe again. “Mother, Father is calling for you.”

Mrs. Su, who had been in a daze, snapped back to her senses. She paused for a moment before running inside.

Xiang He swung the hoe down onto the weeds, her gaze fixed on the ground, never lifting. “What? You’re not leaving? Do you want me to get rid of you too?”

As the first strike hit the ground, Mrs. Shi and the others trembled. Mrs. Yu didn’t dare abandon Mrs. Shi, as it was Mrs. Shi who was in charge of the meal tonight.

She quickly grabbed Mrs. Shi’s arm. “M—Mother, there’s still work to do here… Should we… go back first?”

Like a soul-less Mrs. Shi, drained of energy, she was helped up by Mrs. Yu and Xiang Lianhua. However, when she saw Xiang He wearing a bright pink outfit, her anger flared up again. “You, you dead girl, remember this! Next time, you won’t have it so easy!”

“Oh, oh, I got it,” Xiang He waved her hand at them. “Next time, make sure to bring a kitchen knife or a cleaver. I could really use one.”

“You!”

Mrs. Shi struggled, trying to stir up more trouble, but her legs were too weak. She was entirely supported by Mrs. Yu and Xiang Lianhua as they helped her walk. She could only turn her head back stubbornly. “You good-for-nothing! You’re gonna make me die of anger! Just wait!”

Xiang He laughed joyfully at her gritted teeth. “Your legs are so soft from fear, and you still want to cause a scene? But, hey, we’re all here, you’re always welcome to come scream at us~”

This made Mrs. Shi even angrier. She opened her mouth, and the curses continued all the way for several dozen meters. Even the two women supporting her started cursing, speaking without any restraint.

“You two are useless! Don’t you know how to help me beat her up?! You’re all a bunch of bastards!”

“Grandma, I bit her, and she didn’t even flinch…”

“Then choke her! What’s the point of having you two around if you can’t do anything?!”

“That girl is really strong! We can’t get her off! Didn’t you get choked too…”

Hearing this, Mrs. Shi became even more furious and spat harshly at Mrs. Su, “Useless thing!”

“…”

Xiang Lianhua turned her head away, disgust clearly visible in her eyes.

The people watching from below were stunned. They couldn’t clearly see Xiang He’s face because Mrs. Shi was blocking it, but just the act of choking her grandmother was already intimidating, not to mention that Mrs. Shi had been the one choked.

Clap, clap, clap!

A round of applause sounded, and Si Ma’s face was full of joy. “Xiang He, you’re amazing! Even that old hag was scared off by you. Your family will never suffer losses again!”

“Well, that’s thanks to Si Ma keeping an eye on things. When I’m not home, I’ll have to trouble you,” Xiang He said with a smile.

“Oh, don’t mention it. I’ve never liked that old witch. I’m so happy to see her finally put in her place!”

The two continued chatting casually while Xiang He kept hoeing the grass. Mrs. Su hurriedly came out.

She quickly lifted Xiang He’s sleeve. “Did it break the skin? Let me take a look.”

Xiang He raised her hand to show her. “It’s through the clothing. It doesn’t hurt at all. See, just a tiny red mark. You should hurry and go with Si Ma. I’ll stay here and keep an eye on things. Nothing’s going to happen.”

Mrs. Su’s worry didn’t dissipate, but Si Ma took her arm and led Xiang Yun down the slope.

Before leaving, Mrs. Su glanced back at Xiang He, her eyes full of unspoken meaning.

Xiang He glanced over casually, knowing exactly what was on her mind. Some things would have to be clarified sooner or later, so it was better to wait for them to ask first.

“Sister…”

Xiang He paused, her head lowered for a moment. She turned to see Xiang Yang’s concerned little face. She crouched down and gently pinched his thin cheek. “What’s wrong?”

At this moment, Xiang Yang’s mind was filled with his sister’s fierce expression, but he wasn’t scared at all. After all, this was his sister, and he actually thought… it was pretty impressive!

Seeing the worry in his eyes turn into joy, Xiang He smiled too. “Go pick up some twigs and firewood. We’ll cook meat and eat!”

Last night, Xiang He had secretly sent him to the kitchen to fetch meat. The boy was clever and had hidden it under the blanket, carrying it out with him as he left.

The rabbit meat had been hunted by Xiang Dayong while he was in the mountains, and it had even injured his hands and legs. Xiang He wasn’t about to let that family benefit from it.

Hearing there was meat to eat, Xiang Yang smiled brightly and ran off, shouting, “I’ll go right now!”

Watching him run off happily, Xiang He relaxed a little. At last, she had a moment of peace. She needed to quickly clear the weeds in front of the house and think of ways to repair the home and improve the living conditions.

“But… what should I do to make money?”

Xiang He gazed at the golden fields below, her finger lightly tapping the hoe’s handle as she pondered.

“Exorcise ghosts? Read fortunes?” She glanced down at herself with a twitch of her mouth. “With this little body, still a village girl… no one would believe me, right?”

She was deeply troubled, as her skills were hard to apply in this situation…

“Xiang… Xiang He…”

Xiang Dayong’s voice came from inside the house again. Xiang He shook off her worries and turned to go inside. “What’s wrong, Father? Are you feeling unwell?”

Xiang Dayong slowly shook his head, his gaze fixed on Xiang He’s face, not moving away.

Seeing him like this, Xiang He didn’t say anything. She simply rolled up his pant leg to check the injury. The wound, wrapped in white cloth, had started to ooze red, indicating that it needed a change of dressing.

“Father, should I change your bandages?”

Xiang Dayong still didn’t speak. Xiang He directly took out a small bundle from the side. Inside, only two doses of the cheapest herbs were left. If she used them on his hands and feet today, there would be no more for tomorrow.

“Father, after I’m done with this, I’ll go to the back mountain to look for these herbs. We only have a hundred coins, which isn’t enough to buy your medicine.”

Xiang He didn’t wait for him to respond. She went ahead and started changing the bandages herself.

There was a long gash on his foot. Fortunately, it hadn’t injured the tendons or bones, but skin injuries were trickier. If they weren’t cleaned properly and got infected, it would cause a lot of trouble.

“Father, if it hurts, just say something or tap my hand.”

She skillfully changed the bandages and cleaned the wounds. There wasn’t much white cloth left, so she had to be careful with how much she used. She also treated the wound on Xiang Dayong’s hand and tidied up the things before sitting down beside the bed.

Looking at Xiang Dayong, she spoke with a calm gaze. “Father, is there anything you want to ask?”

It was this look in her eyes that made Xiang Dayong’s heart tremble, as if he were in quiet pain.

He opened his mouth, then closed it again, his eyes filled with sorrow. In the end, he still asked quietly:

“He… He… Where… did He go…”