The Du family.

Aunt Zhou has woken up.

Now fully dressed, she knelt before the Du family mother and daughter, tears streaming down her face, and said, "Madam, Miss, it's my fault for being useless."

"What exactly happened?" Du Lanlan demanded.

“I had already lured Xia Chunmei here, and everything should have been foolproof, but as soon as I turned around, she knocked me unconscious. I don’t know anything about what happened after that.”

Aunt Zhou hated Xia Chunmei to death. If it weren't for Xia Chunmei, she wouldn't have lost so much face!

The siblings were caught naked. Even if they hadn't done anything, who would believe it if word got out?

Madam Du took a sip of tea and said unhurriedly, "It seems this village girl is not easy to deal with. She must have known about our plan beforehand."

“How could that be? This is her first time visiting our home.” After saying that, Du Lanlan’s gaze fell on Fan Baoyun. “Sister Fan, could it be that your side has been exposed?”

“Impossible!” Fan Baoyun said firmly. “My parents and Baowen haven’t seen her these days. Even if they had, they wouldn’t have told her. When I met her, I didn’t say anything. If someone really let something slip, could it be someone from your kitchen?”

Aunt Zhou immediately shook her head: "Impossible, the people in the kitchen know nothing about these things, and she told me to clear the area as soon as she arrived."

She was the only one working in the kitchen, while her aunt kept watch outside, afraid our people would learn her skills. Even if someone in the kitchen knew our plans, they wouldn't have a chance to tell her.

"How did she know our plan and even turn the tables on you...? Could she possibly be a prophet?"

Speaking of prophecy, Fan Baoyun exclaimed in surprise, "I've heard she can predict the future, could it be true?"

Madam Du looked at Fan Baoyun as if she were a fool: "How old is she to have that kind of ability?"

"What you say is true, but what should we do now?"

"You don't need to worry about what happens next. There are a lot of hooligans and thugs in the county. A beautiful girl like Miss Xia is likely to get into trouble."

After hearing this, is there anything else that you don't understand?

Xia Ping'an was also anxious, so he quickly floated out to spread the word.

In fact, as soon as Xia Chunmei left the Du family's house, she felt that she was being followed, but Xia Hongfen was completely unaware of it.

Not wanting to frighten Xia Hongfen, Xia Chunmei said, "Auntie, I'm so hungry. Let's go to the noodle shop and have a bowl of noodles first, then we can go home."

"You order one bowl to eat, I'm not hungry."

"Auntie, don't worry about saving me money. I can afford a bowl of noodles. We don't come here to eat every day. We might only have this opportunity once or twice a year."

Xia Chunmei dragged Xia Hongfen to the noodle shop and ordered two bowls of the cheapest plain noodles.

It's really expensive; a bowl of plain noodles weighing two ounces costs eight coins.

"Auntie, please eat here for a while, I'm going to the restroom."

"Do you know where the outhouse is? Don't get lost."

"You won't get lost, I'll come back to find you in a little while."

"Alright then, don't go too far."

Xia Chunmei wandered into a quiet alley.

Then she pulled out the nunchucks tucked into her waistband: "You've been following me all this way, aren't you tired?"

As soon as she finished speaking, four middle-aged men appeared at the alley entrance, looking at Xia Chunmei with lewd expressions: "Little sister, your brothers are here to play with you."

As he spoke, he moved closer to Xia Chunmei, his lewd gaze roaming over her chest.

"I've been itching to play lately, so you've come at just the right time."

"I think the itching isn't in your hands, little sister, it's somewhere else..."

Before she could finish speaking, Xia Chunmei slammed a stick into the man's mouth, knocking out two teeth, and the man screamed in pain.

Before the others could react, Xia Chunmei knocked them to the ground in a few moves. Despite their imposing appearance, the four men were actually no match for her.

"Grandma, spare my life!"

"Please have mercy, Grandma!"

"Speak, who sent you?"

The four people looked at each other, seemingly reluctant to speak.

"You think I won't know if you don't tell me? Go back and tell your master behind the scenes. If you have the guts to harm me, you should have the courage to accept my return gift."

After saying that, Xia Chunmei kicked them a few more times before leaving.

"Sister, sister." As they reached the alley entrance, a little boy suddenly darted out and hugged Xia Chunmei tightly, looking at her with starry eyes.

"Little one, it's you."

The little guy is none other than Jin Wenyuan, whom Xia Chunmei rescued from human traffickers!

How did you recognize me?

Jin Wenyuan grinned foolishly, then gestured a couple of times.

"You figured it out from my kung fu moves."

Jin Wenyuan nodded.

"You're so smart."

It's really impressive that such a young child can recognize people by their kung fu moves.

At this moment, Xia Chunmei noticed that Jin Wenyuan's appearance was a bit off; black spots appeared on his forehead, the tip of his nose, and both cheeks, which meant that he would have a difficult three days.

This sadness doesn't mean being unhappy; it means not living past three days.

"What's your name?" Xia Chunmei squatted down and asked softly.

"Jin, Wen, Yuan".

Xia Chunmei discovered that the little guy had a language disorder and always spoke one word at a time.

"Xiao Yuan, how about I give you a gift?"

Upon hearing that there would be a gift, the little guy nodded excitedly.

Xia Chunmei led him to the shop across the street that sold incense, candles, and paper money.

"Old...shopkeeper, do you have any exorcism talismans or similar items?"

"Yes, yes, yes, miss, how much do you want?"

"Give me a talisman, and I'll write it here."

After saying that, Xia Chunmei took out five coins and handed them to the shopkeeper. Then, seeing that there were cinnabar, a brush, and talisman paper on the counter, she immediately held her breath and drew a good luck talisman.

Drawing talismans is a very mentally taxing task.

In her past life, Xia Chunmei never painted easily, because every time she painted, she would get a headache and lose all energy, needing to rest for a day or two to recover.

As expected, after drawing the talisman this time, Xia Chunmei still had a headache and felt extremely weak.

"Sister, sister." The little guy was a little worried when he saw Xia Chunmei like this.

Xia Chunmei led him out of the shop, folded the talisman, and stuffed it into his pouch: "You must carry this with you at all times, and you must not go near water for the next two days, understand?"

Jin Wenyuan clutched the purse to his chest and nodded heavily.

"Young master, young master."

The servant rushed straight towards Jin Wenyuan.

Xia Chunmei had originally planned to send the little guy back, but when she saw his servant arrive, she slipped away again while Jin Wenyuan wasn't paying attention.

When Jin Wenyuan turned around, he found that Xia Chunmei had already left, and he felt very disappointed.

Xia Chunmei met up with Xia Hongfen at the noodle shop.

"Chunmei, what's wrong with you? Don't scare your aunt."

Seeing Xia Chunmei like this, Xia Hongfen turned pale with fright.

"Auntie, it's nothing, I'm just hungry."

"Then you should eat your noodles quickly."

Xia Chunmei had been gone for a while, and the noodles had become a bit soggy.

Xia Chunmei was indeed hungry. Drawing the lucky charm had taken a lot of her time and energy, so she quickly picked up her chopsticks and began to eat heartily.

"Should we see a doctor?" Xia Hongfen was still worried.

"No need, I'm full. I'll be fine after I go home and rest."

"Then let's hurry back, Auntie, I'll carry you." It's about five or six miles from here to the city gate, and Xia Hongfen is worried that Xia Chunmei's health won't allow her to make it to the city gate.

"Miss Xia, what's wrong?" A familiar voice sounded from behind. Turning around, she saw Wang Dagui and his son Wang Fuchun.

"Village Chief Wang, Uncle Wang."

"What's wrong, Miss Xia?"

"I feel a little unwell."

"Are you going back to the village? If you don't mind, get in the car, we'll give you a ride."

"Then thank you very much, Village Chief Wang."

The Wang family father and son came to the city to buy goods. Their donkey cart was loaded with a lot of goods. Wang Fuchun tidied up the goods and made room for Xia Chunmei and her niece.

Although the donkey cart was bumpy, Xia Chunmei still found a comfortable position and fell asleep leaning against Xia Hongfen.

Seeing that her niece could fall asleep under such circumstances, Xia Hongfen felt that her niece was too tired and kept wiping away tears with heartache.

Xia Ping'an had been waiting for Xia Chunmei at the city gate. When he saw Xia Chunmei riding in Wang Dagui's donkey cart, he was immediately relieved.

He quickly floated back to the Du family home to continue monitoring them.

When they got home, Xia Chunmei was still not recovered. After getting off the bus at the village entrance, Xia Hongfen thanked the Wang family profusely and then carried Xia Chunmei home on her back.

When the villagers saw Xia Chunmei being carried back, they all rushed forward to check on her.

“I don’t know what happened to the child, he suddenly felt unwell and fell ill,” Xia Hongfen explained.

"She must be exhausted. Although she is the eldest sister, she is still only a fourteen-year-old child."

"Yes, Chunmei has it tough too. She has to support her younger sister and also face some shameless wolves. It's not easy for her."

...

When several close relatives in the village heard that Xia Chunmei was ill, they all brought eggs to visit her.

Xia Dongmei was terrified that Xia Chunmei would die, so she held Yaomei at the door and cried her heart out.

"Your eldest sister will be alright, don't cry." After comforting her, Grandma Ming said to Xia Hongfen, "Hongfen, why don't we go and ask a doctor to take a look at her?"

"No need to call a doctor, I'll be fine after a night's rest." Although Xia Chunmei had a headache and felt weak all over, she was still conscious.

"Chunmei, you should rest first. We won't bother you here. If you're still feeling unwell later, your aunt will take you to see a doctor."

Xia Hongfen led her other nieces out, closed the door, and forbade anyone from disturbing them.

Xia Hongfen harbored deep hatred for the Fan and Du families, believing that Xia Chunmei's illness was caused by them; otherwise, how could she have been perfectly fine in the morning but fell ill after leaving the Du family?

Xia Hongfen cursed the ancestors of the Fan and Du families for eighteen generations in her mind several times.

Xia Hongfen has many chickens at home now. She caught one that didn't lay eggs and killed it, thinking of making red date chicken soup for her niece tonight to nourish her.

Xia Chunmei slept for an hour and a half. When she woke up, it was already 7 p.m. Xia Chunmei's headache had eased a little, and Xia Hongfen brought the chicken soup to her bedside.

"Your cooking skills aren't as good as mine, so just make do with this. Here, have a chicken leg first."

"Give the chicken leg to Yaomei."

"She already has one. Here, have this. You're the eldest sister, but without you, she wouldn't even get a chicken leg, let alone a chicken feather. Eat up, and then get some rest."

After finishing her meal, Xia Dongmei brought hot water, and Xia Chunmei washed her face and feet before going back to sleep.

At the hour of Hai (9-11 PM), Xia Pingan floated back.

Standing beside Xia Chunmei's bed, he shouted at the top of his lungs, "Girl, wake up, wake up!"

Xia Chunmei was woken up by the noise, her eyes still blurry with sleep.

"Fan Baowen and Du Lanlan are planning to have someone defile Xia Xiumei and then frame you for it!"