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Lin Xiaoru, who was at the educated youth settlement, was preparing to go out for a performance when she also fell down.
However, Lin Xiaoru didn't trip over the threshold; instead, she slipped on a wet patch of ground and broke her leg.
"Which bastard threw water at the door?! He broke my leg!" Lin Xiaoru gasped in pain, cursing incoherently as she sat on the ground.
Huang Jingli came out of the house to help Lin Xiaoru up, without daring to say a word.
Sister Wu came out of the house, frowning, and said, "What are you yelling about so early in the morning! Who would splash water at your door? You splashed it yourself! You fell down, so you can't blame anyone else."
Lin Xiaoru was in so much pain that she didn't notice anything. Now that she's come to her senses, it seems like she spilled the water herself.
"Hurry up and help me inside!" Lin Xiaoru said irritably. This Huang Jingli was really stupid.
Huang Jingli didn't dare to say a word and helped Lin Xiaoru into the house.
As soon as Lin Xiaoru sat down on the bed, she said again, "Why aren't you hurrying up and calling a doctor for me? Do you want to see me die before you're happy?"
"Oh!" Huang Jingli replied and hurried out to find a doctor.
Once outside, Huang Jingli smiled. Serves her right, God has eyes!
I hope Lin Xiaoru's leg injury isn't too serious!
When Huang Jingli went to Hujia Village to invite Wang Shuilian, she was told that Wang Shuilian was in Qijia Village, so she hurriedly rushed back.
In just half a day, news spread throughout Qi Family Village that Qi Zhenzhen had developed moles on her face, Qi Shuli had broken his arm, Qi Fangfang had developed tinea, and Lin Xiaoru had broken her arm. Even people in the nearby Hu Family Village knew about it.
So many strange things happened this morning, it's terrifying!
Those with quicker minds thought about it and realized that these people all seemed to have some kind of grudge against He Tiantian! Could it be He Tiantian...?
No, He Tiantian is just a young girl, she can't break Qi Shuli's arm and Lin Xiaoru's leg at the same time!
Furthermore, He Tiantian has been staying at Grandma Qi's house the whole time and didn't come here at all this morning!
If He Tiantian didn't do it, then how could there be so many coincidences?
Those who were at odds with Qi Shuli began to gossip behind his back, saying that they had done something wrong and the mountain god had appeared to them.
Many people agreed with this and secretly went to the back mountain to worship the mountain god in the middle of the night.
Because the commune made it clear last time that feudal superstition was forbidden, otherwise people would be arrested and criticized.
However, with so many bizarre things happening, higher-level leaders can control what people say, but they can't control what people think.
Only after worshipping the gods can the people of Qijia Village feel at ease.
He Tiantian was also very curious, thinking that it was the Snake King who made the move.
The Snake King said with immense sorrow within the barrier space, "I've been cultivating all along. It wasn't me. Go ask Little Whirlwind Turtle..."
He Tiantian was stunned. How could she have forgotten about that seemingly mischievous but actually cunning little turtle?
When she went out to work, He Tiantian asked Huo Yingjie, "Brother Yingjie, where's the little turtle?"
"It's called Little Whirlwind Turtle," Huo Yingjie said with a smile, pulling the sleeping Little Whirlwind Turtle out of his pocket.
"Stop fooling around!" The little tortoise flapped its little arms and legs, speaking in a daze, but it was speaking human language!
"Oh my god!" He Tiantian exclaimed, feigning surprise, "It...it can talk?"
Huo Yingjie's heart skipped a beat, knowing he couldn't hide it any longer, so he told He Tiantian about the amazing features of the little spiral turtle.
He Tiantian actually knew all of this, but in order to protect the Snake King, she could only pretend that she knew nothing.
He was amazed one moment and asked questions the next.
Gradually, Huo Yingjie told He Tiantian everything about the little turtle.
"Then...then what happened to Qi Zhenzhen, Qi Shuli and the others? Was it Xiao Xuan Gui who did it?" He Tiantian asked nervously. She was a little worried that Huo Yingjie might already know something.
“Yes, I made it do it,” Huo Yingjie said in a deep voice, staring intently at He Tiantian. He hoped to get the truth from He Tiantian, not from anyone else.
He Tiantian felt a chill run down her spine; Huo Yingjie must have found out.
"I'm sorry, Brother Yingjie." He Tiantian lowered her head and quickly admitted her mistake.
Huo Yingjie dotes on her, but he will definitely be very angry when faced with her deception.
"Where did you go wrong?" Huo Yingjie tried to tell himself not to be angry, but when the situation came to this, he couldn't suppress his anger.
"I kept it from you," He Tiantian quickly explained. "At the time, with Grandma Qi, Qi Xiaoyan, and Secretary Qi around, I wouldn't have suffered any losses, so I didn't tell you. Besides, you were busy working at the research institute, and I didn't want to bother you with such trivial matters."
Huo Yingjie looked at the little fool whose voice was getting softer and softer, and didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He Tiantian had explained it the same way last time. In fact, it was true that He Tiantian said he couldn't come out to help, but he could ask someone else to do it.
Huo Yingjie couldn't bear to criticize He Tiantian anymore. He hugged her and said, "If you had sent me a telegram saying that even if I couldn't get out, I could have others do it, then Qi Jianguo's punishment would definitely not be as lenient as a year of labor reform! He should at least spend a few years in jail."
"I never expected it to turn out like this, even though the evidence was already conclusive," He Tiantian sighed. There is a place in the world where reason prevails, but how much weight that reason carries is anyone's guess.
In a county town, a deputy county head can influence the law, let alone other higher-ranking officials.
Huo Yingjie kissed He Tiantian on the head and said, "Tianbao, this world is scary. You can't be so kind anymore."
"Hmm!" He Tiantian nodded. She had been too naive before, thinking that having a reasonable explanation was enough. However, things were not as she had imagined. Perhaps in the future, when she encountered problems, she would need to talk to Huo Yingjie.
"Will you lie to me again in the future?" Huo Yingjie asked, hoping that this would be the last time.
He Tiantian nodded obediently as before and said, "Yes, I'll definitely say it next time."
"I know you too well. You definitely won't say it again next time," Huo Yingjie said plaintively. "But it'll be soon. After we get married, I'll apply for you to accompany me to the military!"
"Mmm!" He Tiantian blushed and nodded.
He Tiantian took the little tortoise out of Huo Yingjie's pocket and said, "It was originally my pet. I want to take it and play with it, okay?"
"It can talk, aren't you afraid?" Huo Yingjie was surprised, not expecting He Tiantian to be so brave!
"Don't be afraid, it's cute. Sometimes people are scary," He Tiantian said, holding the little turtle in both hands, scratching it to wake it up.
Once they reached the mountain, He Tiantian used the excuse of needing to urinate to hide in a distance.
"Little Whirlwind Turtle, won't it have an effect on you if you use magic so frequently?" He Tiantian asked anxiously. "You can't just blindly listen to your master and use your magic recklessly just to avenge me!"
The little tortoise made a very human-like gesture, scratching its not-so-pretty little head with its front paws, and said, "It doesn't affect me!"
"The Snake King said before that if it abused its magic on people, it would be punished by Heaven. Now that you're hurting people, aren't you afraid of being punished by Heaven and struck dead by lightning?" He Tiantian asked back, feeling confused and bewildered by the fantastical nature of the story.
"Haha, I'm not worried at all. Even if lightning strikes, it will strike the master first!" the little tortoise said bluntly, completely unaware that it had said the wrong thing.
He Tiantian lifted the little tortoise with two fingers and said, "You little ungrateful thing, your master is just an ordinary human. Let alone those powerful Three-Day Profound Thunder, Six-Day Profound Thunder, and Nine-Day Profound Thunder, even ordinary lightning could kill him. Since you know there will be punishment, why do you still do bad things for your master!"
"Tch!" The little spinning tortoise scoffed, beaming with pride. "Those Three Profound Lightning and Nine Heavens Profound Lightning are things Master has long since finished playing with. There's nothing to be afraid of. Those lightning bolts wouldn't dare strike him, and even if they saw him, they'd avoid Master. As for me, with Master protecting me, I'm not afraid of being struck by lightning at all!"
He Tiantian was taken aback, and asked hesitantly, "Are you telling the truth?"
"Of course!" the little tortoise said proudly. With its master around, it had nothing to fear.
"Alright then," He Tiantian said. "Then you should take good care of Brother Yingjie."
“That’s a must,” the little tortoise replied.
"We've been out for quite a while, we need to go back now." He Tiantian made an excuse to go to the bathroom. It had been more than ten minutes, and if she didn't go out soon, Huo Yingjie would probably come looking for her.
“Okay.” The little tortoise nodded.
When Huo Yingjie saw He Tiantian come out, the tense look on his face disappeared.
"Is your stomach upset?" Huo Yingjie asked worriedly. "Should I take you to see a doctor?"
"I'm fine," He Tiantian said with a smile. "This little thing is so cute, here you go."
Huo Yingjie put it in his pocket, then immediately thought that it was dangerous for He Tiantian to be here alone, so he asked the little turtle to stay and keep He Tiantian company.
“You know how powerful the Little Whirlwind Turtle is, so I’m leaving it to you,” Huo Yingjie said. With the Little Whirlwind Turtle by his side, he could finally relax.
He Tiantian was deeply moved by Huo Yingjie's words, but she also felt a little guilty.
Huo Yingjie treated her with such sincerity, yet she hid many things from him.
On several occasions, He Tiantian almost told Huo Yingjie the truth.
But... but she owed the Snake King a debt of gratitude, and couldn't say it...
The little tortoise in Huo Yingjie's pocket was heartbroken; its owner had just given it away like that.
It will never talk to its owner again!
“It’s your pet, and you’re its owner, so why don’t you take it with you?” He Tiantian knew how much the little turtle wanted to be with Huo Yingjie, so she didn’t want to disappoint it and refused.
“Since I am its master, it must obey me. If it doesn’t, what kind of master am I?” Huo Yingjie said matter-of-factly. “Isn’t that right, Little Whirlwind Turtle?”
The little tortoise in the pocket mumbled, "Yes..."
Although the answer was affirmative, both He Tiantian and Huo Yingjie could hear the reluctance in their voices.
"Alright, let's not talk about this for now. Let's get to work, it's about to rain," He Tiantian urged, knowing she wouldn't force anyone.
Looking at the bright sunshine, Huo Yingjie was puzzled: "With such nice weather, where did the rain come from?"
He Tiantian shrank back; it was the Snake King who had told her this, and she had accidentally blurted it out.
"I was just saying, just guessing," He Tiantian made up a flimsy excuse to get away with it. She couldn't be so careless in the future.
In the morning, they had exceeded their work quota and had just carried the hay to the livestock team when a torrential downpour began.
Huo Yingjie looked at the sky in surprise; it really was raining!
Thinking back on this period of time, many things have overturned his understanding!
For a while, he was in a state of shock and didn't think about it carefully, but after calming down, he discovered many suspicious points, especially about He Tiantian!
For example, was her encounter with the little tortoise really that simple?
For example, why is she so easily accepting of the bizarre little tortoise?
For example, she has undergone tremendous changes, both inside and out, both psychologically and physiologically!
He was absolutely certain that he liked He Tiantian the way she was, but what he really wanted to know was what had caused such a drastic change in her!
She used to be so weak!
She used to be so stubborn!
Huo Yingjie kept staring at He Tiantian, intently looking into her eyes, trying to glean some clue from them...
He Tiantian's heart raced under Huo Yingjie's gaze.
At this moment, my heart was racing, not because of Huo Yingjie's loving gaze, but because of searching, suspicion, and a hint of worry!
He Tiantian rubbed her face with both hands, forcing a smile as she asked, "Is there anything dirty on my face?"
Huo Yingjie didn't speak, but shook his head.
"Then why are you staring at me like that?" He Tiantian retorted, reaching out to pinch Huo Yingjie's arm to change the atmosphere.
Huo Yingjie didn't answer the question, but instead frowned and asked, "How did you know it would rain?"
He Tiantian scratched her head, looking embarrassed: "I don't know where I overheard it, but I just blurted it out. Why are you so concerned about the rain? You're making me nervous, like I'm interrogating a criminal."
As if retaliating against Huo Yingjie for neglecting its hospital, the little tortoise decided to help He Tiantian deceive its owner.
Then, the little tortoise crawled out of the pocket and said, "It was me who said it would rain today."
After saying that, without paying attention to Huo Yingjie's surprised look, the little tortoise climbed onto He Tiantian's shoulder, its rear end facing Huo Yingjie.
He Tiantian smiled and said, "You heard that, right? Sometimes I'm a little confused, and I don't remember where I heard a phrase, but I remembered it. By the way, can you tell me why you were looking at me like that just now? Did you suspect me?"
He Tiantian took the initiative and made this villain suspect her!
In fact, she did deceive him!
I'm doing this now just to cover up my inner tension and guilt!
Seeing that He Tiantian was angry, Huo Yingjie realized that he might have been wrong before, and said, "I'm sorry, it's just that your maturity surprised me!"
"That's because we're apart most of the time. If we were together all the time, I'd still be that troublesome girl who cries at the drop of a hat, always clinging to you," He Tiantian said reproachfully. This time, she was only able to find a convincing excuse because of the little turtle; otherwise, under Huo Yingjie's gaze, she wouldn't have been able to come up with one.
"Troublemaker?" Huo Yingjie laughed. Although he complained about it back then, he always helped He Tiantian deal with her troubles.
"You're the troublemaker! I'm all grown up now," He Tiantian pouted and said angrily. "Don't keep treating me like a child, and don't underestimate me." (To be continued.)
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