Ma Linghua had just finished delivering the New Year's shopping list when she felt as light and joyful as the clouds drifting in the clear blue sky.
She walked with light steps, humming a tuneless little melody, preparing to return to the house.
The white light shone on the country lanes, casting a shadow over everything around them.
Ma Linghua squinted, enjoying this rare and beautiful moment of tranquility in the winter.
However, this good mood was shattered the moment she met Ayi.
Ayi carried a slightly worn-out basket on her back and walked heavily on the other side of the road.
When her gaze fell upon Ma Linghua's figure, her already sorrowful face instantly became even more gloomy, as if she had seen a terrible plague.
Her eyes were filled with disgust and vigilance, and she quickened her pace unconsciously, trying to avoid a direct encounter with Ma Linghua.
Ma Linghua initially didn't pay attention to Ayi's reaction and continued walking forward with a smile on her face.
But when she realized that Ayina was deliberately avoiding her, her smile froze on her face.
Her joy for the New Year was suddenly doused with cold water, leaving her with an indescribable sense of gloom and confusion.
"Ayi, what's wrong?" Why are you wearing such a long face? Ma Linghua doesn't mince words.
Ayi, however, seemed not to hear, quickening her pace without turning her head, putting even more distance between herself and Ma Linghua.
Her basket swayed with her hurried steps, as if expressing her dissatisfaction and resistance.
Ma Linghua stopped in her tracks, watching Ayi's hurried departure, her heart filled with confusion. "What did I do to offend her?" she muttered to herself.
After thinking for a long time, I still couldn't figure it out. I concluded that this Miao girl, Ayi, is sick.
Just then, a gust of wind blew by, lifting a strand of Ma Linghua's hair.
She couldn't understand why Ayi was avoiding her like the plague today, even though they weren't close and had never had any conflicts.
Just as Ma Linghua was lost in thought, Ayina's resentful voice drifted from afar: "Those who are with Cui Gu are all bad people!" The voice was sharp and piercing, echoing along the quiet path.
Ma Linghua's eyes widened in disbelief.
She never imagined that Ayi's dislike for her was because of Cui Gu. "What does this have to do with anything?" Ma Linghua rolled her eyes.
Cui Gu doesn't really look like an honest woman, but she's honest! She's never hesitant to do anything you ask her to do.
Ma Linghua knew that Cui Gu was not a good person; she spoke coldly, but she was kind-hearted.
Cui Gu: "…………………………"
Ha! You just hand out "friend zone" cards like that?
Why Ayi has such a strong prejudice against Cuigu is none of her business; it's a matter within their village.
However, when she chased after her to a fork in the road, she found that Ayi had already disappeared.
Ma Linghua stood at the intersection, looking at the empty path, her heart filled with doubt. How could this little girl walk so fast?
The wind was still blowing, ruffling Ma Linghua's hair. She shivered. No, it was too cold; she had to go home early.
Ayi was walking along the winding path, her mind completely absorbed in her own world.
Thinking of Ma Linghua filled her with gloom. Suddenly, a hand reached out from behind and grabbed her arm.
Ayi was startled by this sudden action and turned her head in fear, only to be met with Cui Gu's beautiful yet serious face.
Her eyes widened, her lips trembled, and her voice trembled uncontrollably: "Grandma Cui, why are you grabbing me? I...I...I didn't do anything to you."
Ayi's heart felt as if it had been gripped tightly by an invisible hand, making each beat extremely difficult.
Her eyes were filled with extreme fear, as if Cui Gu in front of her was a demon from hell.
She tried to break free from Cui Gu's hand, but found that the hand held her tightly like an iron clamp, not moving an inch.
Cui Gu's face was terribly gloomy, and her eyes gleamed with an unfathomable light.
Ayi felt like a lamb to the slaughter when she was being stared at like that.
Her legs began to weaken, and her whole body began to tremble uncontrollably.
"Grandma Cui, please, let me go!" Ayi pleaded, her voice shrill and piercing with fear.
However, Cui Gu still held on tightly, showing no sign of letting go.
Ayi felt increasingly desperate, and her mental defenses were on the verge of collapse.
In her panic, she slipped and fell heavily to the ground, carrying the basket on her back.
The contents of the basket were scattered all over the ground, including freshly picked vegetables and some odds and ends.
Ignoring the fallen items, Ayi used her hands to support herself on the ground, trying to get up and get away from Cuigu.
But her body seemed to have lost its strength, and every attempt ended in failure.
"Grandma Cui, what happened? I really don't know where I offended you!" Tears welled up in Ayi's eyes and streamed down her face.
Her hair was disheveled and scattered across her face, mixed with tears and dirt, making her look utterly wretched.
The surrounding air seemed to freeze, with only Ayi's sobs and her increasingly rapid breathing due to fear.
Her eyes remained fixed on Cui Gu, fearing that Cui Gu might do something even more terrible.
Cui Gu remained silent, but the hand that was tightly gripping Ayi trembled slightly, revealing her inner turmoil.
Ayi's voice had become hoarse: "Grandma Cui, I... I have things to do at home, please let me go." Her eyes were full of pleading, hoping to get a little pity from Aunt Cui.
Just then, a few chirps of insects came from the courtyard, their clear calls breaking the suffocating silence.
Cui Gu finally loosened her grip, and A Yi, feeling like she had been granted a pardon, scrambled away from Cui Gu, picked up the basket on the ground, and ran home without looking back.
With a cold smile on her lips, Cui Gu picked up a stone from the ground and flicked it, causing Ayi to fall before she even left the courtyard.
"ah…………"
She let out a scream.
"Why are you running away? I'm not going to eat you. I just want you to do something for me tomorrow," Cui Gu's cold voice rang out.
Ayi was taken aback. "Doing something?" she thought. "Could it be... casting a spell on someone? Or catching poisonous insects?"
Judging from her expression, Cui Gu looked disdainful. Not only was she timid, but she also seemed rather dim-witted. Compared to A Xia, she was far inferior.
Judging by that girl Asha's audacity, she's confident she'll become the saintess.
Thinking about all the New Year's goods, it might not even fit two people. It seems I'll have to ask Xia to help out later.
"Meet at the village entrance at six o'clock tomorrow morning. Remember, be on time at six o'clock. Don't be late." Her eyes glanced at Ayi, almost scaring her to death.
"I...I understand." Her timid and hesitant manner made Cui Gu uncomfortable. "Alright, you can go back now!"
It was getting late, and she still needed to go and change Teacher Xiao's dressing! Otherwise, his body would rot.
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