The man had no choice but to throw down the bamboo stick in his hand and leave, cursing under his breath.
Watching him leave, Li Xiaohong's body was noticeably less stiff. "Thank you, thank you for saving me, sister."
Yu Yao smiled and patted her head. "It's alright, don't be afraid. Come on, I'll take you to the clinic to get your medicine applied. Don't worry about the money, I'll help you."
Upon hearing about applying medicine, Li Xiaohong shook her head vigorously, "No, no need, sister. Thank you, this little injury will heal in a while, no need to spend money."
She was already very grateful that her sister had saved her, so how could she possibly spend her sister's money?
No matter what Yu Yao said, Li Xiaohong refused to go to the clinic, so Yu Yao had no choice but to give up.
Li Xiaohong shuffled along, murmuring, "Sister, thank you for today. I want to go back to Qingshui Bay."
Yu Yao asked worriedly, "Are you really going back like this? What about your father...?"
Li Xiaohong grinned, pulling at the wound on her lip and hissing in pain. "Sister, I'm not afraid. You just said that even my father can't force me to marry. I can resist."
“But you’re too young. If you go back like this, what if your father kidnaps you again?”
"Don't worry, sister, I'm not alone. You've met the head of our Qingshui Bay clan, the one who led us to your mango-collecting village. He's my great-grandfather. I'll go and beg him, and ask the women's director to stand up for me. If all else fails, I'll call the police. I'm not afraid."
As she spoke, Li Xiaohong encouraged herself, "Yeah, I'm not afraid."
Yu Yao thought for a moment and said, "Tomorrow is the day we give your brigade our reply. We'll go to your brigade to check on Mango's situation. Then, I'll come to your house to see you. Until then, promise me you'll take good care of yourself, okay?"
Hearing Yu Yao say that, Li Xiaohong nodded, "Okay, thank you, sister."
Knowing that her sister would be going tomorrow, she seemed less afraid. At worst, she'd get a beating from her father, as long as he wouldn't let her get married.
Seeing that Li Xiaohong had difficulty walking, Yu Yao rode her bicycle to the intersection of Qingshuiwan Brigade Road, then grabbed a handful of fruit candies and two peach shortbreads from her bicycle basket and stuffed them into Li Xiaohong's hands, saying, "These are for you, eat them slowly. I'll come see you tomorrow."
Li Xiaohong was flattered and overwhelmed, holding the candy with tears in her eyes. "Thank you, sister. You're so kind."
Yu Yao waved to her, "Goodbye!"
"goodbye!"
Just as Yu Yao got on her bicycle to leave, Li Xiaohong suddenly called her back.
"Sister, if you're going to harvest mangoes tomorrow, please don't harvest the mangoes from that mountain at the east end of our village. The mangoes there look big and good, but you can't take them because something's wrong with that mango grove." Li Xiaohong said, still showing a hint of fear.
Yu Yao frowned. "Something's not right? What's wrong?"
Li Xiaohong looked around and whispered, "That mango grove is haunted; it's cursed."
Yu Yao was surprised, not expecting this reason.
Li Xiaohong thought she didn't believe her, so she was eager to prove herself and said excitedly, "It's true! Last autumn, Old Man Yu, who guarded the mountain, died one night. His death was very tragic. The old ladies in the village all said that a vengeful ghost had come to take his life."
"Ever since Old Man Yu died, the mangoes in that mango grove have had a problem. The fruit grows big and good, but people who eat it will inexplicably feel nauseous and have diarrhea."
"People who go to that forest to pick mangoes also feel uncomfortable. Some people saw Old Man Yu while picking mangoes. The villagers all say that Old Man Yu did too many evil deeds when he was young and became a vengeful ghost after he died. The mangoes in the mango forest are tainted by ghost energy, and people will have problems if they eat them."
Although Yu Yao didn't believe it was the work of a vengeful ghost, it was probably true that there was something wrong with the mangoes in the mango grove, but she had one question.
"Xiao Hong, you said your team all know there's something wrong with the mangoes here, yet they still dare to sell them to us. Aren't they afraid the police will come knocking if something goes wrong?"
"Don't worry, the mangoes they sell have been washed with water boiled with pomelo leaves, so the ghostly aura has been removed. At most, people will feel a little uncomfortable after eating them, but there won't be any symptoms, so there's no need to worry about being discovered."
Yu Yao had heard that pomelo leaves could ward off evil spirits.
In southern regions, the word "pomelo" is a homophone for "blessing," and it also carries the meaning of protection and protection. It is often used to ward off evil spirits and dispel bad luck. Even in later generations, the custom of taking a bath with pomelo leaves to drive away evil spirits and ensure peace has been passed down.
This matter should be a secret of the Qingshuiwan Brigade. Li Xiaohong was willing to tell me, probably because I had just saved her.
Yu Yao was very grateful. "I understand, Xiao Hong. Thank you for telling me. We'll be careful when we come to collect the mangoes tomorrow."
Li Xiaohong also mentioned that the people from the brigade might be mixed up when selling mangoes, and she even told Yu Yao a way to tell them apart.
The mangoes growing in the mango grove at the east end of the village are particularly large, brightly colored, and look very tempting. They also taste very sweet and delicious, better than mangoes grown in other parts of the village.
Be careful if you see a particularly good-looking mango.
Yu Yao guessed that there must be something poisonous in the mango grove, which caused the mangoes there to become contaminated with toxins. Washing them with water cleaned up the toxins on the surface, which is why people didn't have much of a reaction after eating the washed mangoes.
The specific details may require on-site investigation before they can be determined.
Thinking about having to go to Qingshuiwan Brigade to collect mangoes tomorrow, Yu Yao didn't delay any longer and rode her bicycle back to see Sister Dan to see how the recruitment was going.
She went back to the family compound first to retrieve her belongings.
When they arrived at the entrance of the family compound, they found that the main room door was wide open, and Wu Wanying was plucking the feathers of chickens in the yard. Smoke was billowing out of the kitchen chimney, and the aroma of stir-fried pork belly with chili peppers lingered around the yard.
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