At the end of the village stood a family with three low, mud-clad houses. Two red lanterns hung at the gate. In the yard stood three tables, each occupied by a dozen or so people, all wearing cheerful smiles, as if they were celebrating a happy occasion.
Why does this place look so familiar?
Zhou Yuanyuan's face turned pale. This seemed to be Taoshu Village, where she had lived for more than ten years in her previous life.
This small mountain village held too many painful memories from Zhou Yuanyuan's past life. Zhou Yuanyuan felt deeply distressed at the sight of it. She grabbed Wen Ziqing's hand and was about to turn around and leave.
No, she couldn't leave. It would have been fine before she came, but now that she was here, she had to go into the village and take a look. In Taoshu Village, there were not only the evil people that Zhou Yuanyuan disliked, but also the benefactor who had saved Zhou Yuanyuan's life!
After Zhou Yuanyuan made up her mind, she took Wen Ziqing's hand and walked down the mountain.
Zhou Yuanyuan wanted to visit her Eighth Uncle in Taoshu Village, the one who had always protected her in her past life. If it weren't for her, Zhou Yuanyuan would have died in this village long ago. Her escape from Taoshu Village was a blessing from her Eighth Uncle. I wonder if this Eighth Uncle still exists in this small mountain village in this time and space?
Zhou Yuanyuan was thinking as she walked, and she didn't notice that the ice chips on Wen Ziqing's face were falling off at this moment.
The spiritual power of a cultivator is incredibly powerful. Standing halfway up the mountain, Wen Ziqing recognized the small village at the foot of the mountain at a glance. It felt familiar. After a few more glances, Wen Ziqing recognized the small courtyard filled with people. It was the same courtyard he had seen a few days ago when he devoured the remaining soul of Taoist Baopu.
To be more precise, that was the courtyard where Zhou Yuanyuan had lived in her previous life. Wen Ziqing had even witnessed Zhou Yuanyuan being violently beaten by a man in that small mud house.
In the days leading up to the Lunar New Year, Wen Ziqing was so busy trying to please Zhou Yuanyuan's family, curry her favor, and salvage his engagement that he finally gave that irritating man a second look. Wen Ziqing had already made up his mind: if he couldn't free himself, he wouldn't let that man go. Wen Ziqing could still clearly remember which hand the man had used to hit Zhou Yuanyuan; he'd make him pay with the hand that had done the wrong.
Seeing Zhou Yuanyuan walking towards the village, Wen Ziqing said nothing, but just pursed his lips tightly and followed Zhou Yuanyuan.
He didn't know whether Zhou Yuanyuan had any memories of her past life, nor did he know what Zhou Yuanyuan was planning to do, but Wen Ziqing decided that no matter what Zhou Yuanyuan was going to do, he would stand by her.
Ten minutes later, Zhou Yuanyuan, holding Wen Ziqing's hand, stood at the village entrance. The village road was a narrow dirt road, muddy from the snow. Yet, Zhou Yuanyuan and Wen Ziqing were spotlessly clean. Perhaps this was one of the perks of cultivating immortality—not even a single leaf could get on them! As long as Zhou Yuanyuan didn't want the dust and mud to get close to her, it would naturally be blocked by the thin aura shield she wore.
Zhou Yuanyuan stood at the entrance of the village, looking a little hesitant.
In this life, many things have changed. Will there still be Uncle Eight in this village? Will there still be Yuan Sixi's family?
At that moment, on a mountain path about five or six miles from where Zhou Yuanyuan and the others were, a middle-aged man, clutching a thumb-thick hemp rope, strode forward at a brisk pace. Behind him was a girl in red, about seventeen or eighteen years old, with bright eyes and a rather pretty face.
"Hurry up!" the middle-aged man turned around and shouted, quickening his pace. As he neared the end of the field, he finally breathed a sigh of relief. He couldn't help but feel angry about this unprofitable "deal."
The middle-aged man quickened his pace and pulled the hemp rope forward. The girl behind him was tied up and her hands were twitching. She was almost knocked off balance by the middle-aged man.
"Ouch!" the girl cried.
"Hurry up and leave! Don't even think about causing any more trouble. You're the woman I bought. If you run away again, I'll beat you to death!" The middle-aged man cursed fiercely. Looking at the sun setting in the sky, the middle-aged man's anger was almost unbearable.
Today was his wedding day, and the whole village was waiting for him to take his bride home! And this stinking woman had the audacity to run away on the road? Luckily, he was smart enough to bring a piece of hemp rope with him for tying up firewood. Otherwise, with his money spent and his bride running away, his family would have been a laughingstock today.
"Brother, please, please let me go! I will definitely return the money to you later." Zhou Miaomiao begged bitterly. Although Zhou Miaomiao knew that her pleading might not be of any use, she was very unhappy to be sold like a commodity to this man by her grandmother's family.
When Zhou Zhimei returned to Zhoujia Village last month, she went to look for Zhou Miaomiao without Wu Jinfeng's knowledge. She explained that she had found a family in the county town for her. The family of four all worked, the man was an only child, and the younger sister would eventually marry off. She asked her to visit her family during the Lunar New Year, and then she would have the man come to her house to meet her. She said that with Zhou Miaomiao's looks, the family was likely a good match.
Zhou Miaomiao's dream of marrying into the county town was shattered just one month after she started.
Zhou Miaomiao hated her eldest cousin to death. If Zhou Jiaxing hadn't suggested it, how could she have been given to the Gu family by her own grandparents? The Gu family was her grandmother's family! How could these people be so cruel? For the sake of a 500 yuan betrothal gift, they sold her, Zhou Miaomiao, to this old bachelor in front of them?
It's only 500 yuan! If Zhou Miaomiao married in the county town, she could save 500 yuan a year.
Unfortunately, the Gu family didn't believe her. They saw how strict she was, even having her aunts take turns following her to the bathroom. The most hateful one was her uncle Gu Dashi. It was obvious that her grandmother had been persuaded by him. If only Zhou Miaomiao could go to Yuyuan County to live with her aunt.
Along the way, tears never dried in Zhou Miaomiao's eyes.
Because she was sold by her grandmother's family for 500 yuan, and because she was worried about her future, there wasn't even a wide road along the way. She had to walk on foot, non-stop. In her 18 years, this was the first time Zhou Miaomiao had walked such a long distance in a single day.
Before daybreak, Zhou Miaomiao was picked up by Yuan Sixi from Gu's house. They first took an hour-long car ride before heading deep into the mountains and forests. Zhou Miaomiao had never seen such a desolate place in her life. Along the way, there were only mountain roads and no houses in sight.
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