The laughter of several girls drifted slowly away with the river.
Yi'an paid no attention to the frolicking behind her and quickly walked across the village path.
Most of the villagers had already gone to work in the fields. He would occasionally run into a few acquaintances on the road, but he would only nod in greeting and keep walking until he was back in his own yard.
In the courtyard, Yi Nian was sitting on a small stool, basking in the sun, holding a kitten in her arms, staring blankly at the path by the door.
Hearing footsteps, she suddenly looked up and saw Yi An. Her eyes lit up instantly, and tears fell without warning.
“Brother!” Yi Nian stood up, ignoring her weakness, and ran towards Yi An, hugging his arm tightly, her voice choked with sobs, “You’re back! I thought… I thought you wouldn’t come back.”
Yi An's heart softened instantly. She reached out and gently stroked her head. "Why are you crying? I'm back safe and sound, aren't I?"
Yi Nian wiped away her tears and grabbed his arm, looking him up and down. "Brother, are you hurt? Did you encounter any danger?"
"No, look, I'm perfectly fine, aren't I?" Yi An turned around so she could see him more clearly. "I just went to pick up some things, and everything went smoothly."
Only after confirming that her brother was truly unharmed did Yi Nian breathe a sigh of relief. "Brother, what exactly did you do? How did you earn so much money!"
She had never seen such a thick stack of 10,000 yuan notes in her entire life.
Even the village chief is probably not as wealthy as they are now!
Yi An had already prepared her explanation: "I was lucky to meet a wealthy boss who helped me with some things and gave me a generous reward."
Not wanting his sister to get involved in danger, he could only give vague answers, saying, "Don't ask any more questions. Knowing too much won't do you any good. Just stay home and take care of yourself."
Seeing her brother's serious expression, Yi Nian knew he didn't want to talk about it. Although she still had many questions in her mind, she could only obediently nod and say, "Okay, brother, are you tired? I made some porridge this morning, it's still warm, you should drink some to fill your stomach."
"No, I have something to do. I'll be right back." Yi An put down her backpack and patted Yi Nian's head. "You eat first, don't wait for me."
The gate to Uncle Li's courtyard was open.
He was sitting by the door weaving bamboo baskets when he saw Yi'an come in. He immediately put down his work and asked, "Xiao'an, you're back? Where's Xiao'er? Is she alright?"
“Uncle Li, don’t worry, Su Xiao is fine.” Yi An stepped forward and said in a low voice, “She is still in the cave on the other side of the river. I will secretly go and bring her back tonight. There are too many people in the morning, and I don’t want to arouse suspicion, so I’ll let her wait there first.”
Upon hearing this, Uncle Li breathed a heavy sigh of relief. "It's good that nothing happened. I was really worried that something might go wrong."
He knew Yi'an was reliable and didn't ask for details, only reminding her, "Be careful when you pick her up tonight, don't let anyone see you."
"I know." Yi An nodded. "Don't worry, I'll handle it."
After saying that, he exchanged a few more pleasantries with Uncle Li, then turned and left.
Yi'an returned home, drank the hot porridge her younger sister had cooked, tidied up a bit, and then leaned back in her chair to rest with her eyes closed.
Yi Nian sat to the side doing needlework, occasionally stealing a glance at her brother. Seeing that he looked tired, she didn't dare to disturb him and just quietly kept him company.
About an hour later, a sound of laughter and chatter came from outside the courtyard gate. It was Ah Cui and the others returning after washing the clothes.
Several girls, carrying bamboo baskets, deliberately circled around to the entrance of Yi'an's courtyard, hoping to try their luck and see if they could see him again.
Just as they reached the gate of the courtyard, they encountered Uncle Li, who was carrying a hoe and preparing to go to work in the fields.
Ah Cui immediately greeted him with a smile, "Uncle Li, are you going to the fields?"
"Yes, let's get to work while it's still cool." Uncle Li nodded, his back hunched, and slowly walked away.
One of the girls suddenly remembered Xu Xinghe, and with a disdainful tone, she said, "Where's that ugly girl from Uncle Li's family? The one with the big birthmark on her face? Why haven't we seen her come out?"
"Who knows?" another person chimed in, his tone full of disdain. "My mother said he went to visit some relatives. I think it's best if he doesn't come back, lest he bring bad luck into the village."
"Exactly! My mother also specifically told me not to talk to her, saying that with her appearance, she might have been punished by God, and that getting close to her would bring bad luck."
"She's so ugly, how dare she show her face in public? If it were me, I would have stayed home and never come out."
Bang!
The door opened.
Yi An, her face grim, came out of the house carrying a basin of dirty water. "Say less."
The girls were startled by his sudden words, their smiles instantly freezing as they stared at him blankly.
They didn't expect Yi An to suddenly appear, and they certainly didn't expect him to speak up for that ugly woman.
Yi An didn't look at them again, quickly poured the water, turned around and went back, slamming the door shut with a bang!
Outside the courtyard gate, several girls looked at each other, their faces full of surprise.
Yi An's gaze was so cold just now that it made them feel a little scared.
After a long while, one of the girls whispered, "That's strange. Brother Yi'an has never spoken up for anyone before, so why is he speaking up for that ugly girl?"
"Yeah, why would Brother Yi'an suddenly defend an outsider, especially one who's so ugly?"
Ah Cui bit her lip, feeling a little uneasy. Yi An had never spoken up for her before. "Could it be... that ugly girl deliberately seduced Brother Yi An? Otherwise, why would Brother Yi An protect her like this?"
Upon hearing this, the other girls were stunned and looked at each other.
Thinking about A Cui's identity and her feelings for Yi An.
Several people spoke in unison.
"It's possible! Maybe she used some means to get Brother Yi'an to speak up for her!"
"Shameless! How dare she seduce Yi An Ge with looks like that!"
"This is outrageous! We need to warn Yi'an not to be fooled by her!"
In the courtyard, Yi'an leaned against the door, her face pale.
He wasn't trying to defend Xu Xinghe, but he couldn't stand this kind of malicious slander that didn't distinguish right from wrong.
Su Xiao is clearly a very different person.
He's incredibly skilled and deliberately makes himself look ugly; he might even be a soldier.
Such people should not be wantonly slandered.
Not to mention that after she came to the village, she clearly did nothing, yet she was labeled as bad luck and a jinx.
Back then... he was like that too.
He was just a child when his parents passed away.
Those adults, without any mercy, used the excuse that he was cursed to kill off his family's land and food rations...
"Brother, what are you doing standing at the door?" Yi Nian's voice suddenly came.
Yi An suppressed the bitterness in her heart and said, "I'm here."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
