"Alright, she's just a three-and-a-half-year-old child, what does she know?"
Ninth Master slammed his pipe on the table, immediately silencing the crowd. He stood up and walked into the courtyard.
"Ninth Master, this child really can't be kept!" The hundred or so villagers were united as one, more united than ever before.
Grandpa Jiu ignored them and went straight to Xiao Xinyan, squatting down in front of her.
Xiao Xinyan's eyes lit up, filled with hope, as she stared intently at Grandpa Jiu.
Grandpa Jiu raised his hand and patted her little head, feeling a little reluctant, but still helplessly said, "Child, why don't you leave the village first and go to Cangxia Temple on Yongyang Mountain to find Master Xu? Perhaps... he will be willing to take you in."
She really couldn't stay in the village any longer; the villagers' spittle could drown her.
Upon hearing this, Xiao Xinyan's eyes dimmed instantly, and her little head drooped. She bit her lip hard, stubbornly refusing to let her tears fall.
At the same time, a powerful-looking SUV stopped at the entrance of the village. A couple who were on their way to visit Master Xu at Cangxia Temple had stopped their journey because they got lost.
A well-dressed woman with exquisite makeup got out of the passenger seat, glanced at the small village in front of her, and said to the man who then got out of the car, "Brother Cheng, let's ask for directions in this village!"
“Yes, this is the only village nearby. The villagers here should know the way up the mountain very well.” As he spoke, Li Qicheng walked to Zhong Jingyi’s side, took her hand, and the couple walked towards the village.
Even Grandpa Jiu couldn't help her, so Xiao Xinyan had no choice but to leave the village.
She didn't have much to pack, only two pieces of clothing her mother had made for her, a pair of shoes, and the only keepsake her mother had left her: a dark bracelet.
The bracelet is quite old; it's coated with a paste, making it look greasy and rather ugly.
The villagers didn't care for it, but Xiao Xinyan treasured it like a precious gem.
When she left the village, the villagers watched her closely, afraid that she wouldn't leave. The village children followed behind her with smiles, trying to urge her to go.
"Get out and don't ever come back!"
"The little jinx is finally leaving!"
It's unclear which mischievous kid started it, but someone picked up a stone and threw it at Xiao Xinyan, hitting her right on the nose and drawing blood.
Little Xinyan screamed in pain, "Mother!"
In a hazy vision, she seemed to see her mother, who had just been buried, floating in the air, trying to protect her and shield her from the stones.
"That brat is talking nonsense again! Quick, throw a rock at her!"
The children got even more excited and started picking up stones and throwing them at her, laughing as they did so.
"Your mother is dead! You are now a motherless wild child!"
Amidst the pattering rain of stones, Xiao Xinyan quickly crouched down and hugged herself tightly.
Just then, someone shouted at the group of unruly children, "Stop it! How can you throw stones at other people!"
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