Li Juanmei was deeply moved, and even felt a little more affectionate towards Aunt Fan, who was usually sharp-tongued and unforgiving.
"Thank you, Aunt Fan."
"No need to thank me, we're all family," Aunt Fan said mischievously.
She glanced out of the corner of her eye and saw that people were already lining up to get water, so she pushed Li Juanmei aside and said, "You should go to work now, don't be late."
Li Juanmei smiled and, like Ke Meiyu, often carried some candy in her pocket, slipping two White Rabbit milk candies into Aunt Fan's hand.
Aunt Fan's smile became even more genuine. She stuffed the candy into her pocket and said politely, "Oh dear, it's true what they say, birds of a feather flock together. You're just like the Ke family, so generous."
Last night she received a roe deer leg and half a bag of flour, and this morning the whole family had roe deer meat and dumpling soup!
The aroma of meat still lingers in her mouth.
Li Juanmei smiled and walked towards the supply and marketing cooperative with her satchel on her back. After everyone had gone far away, Aunt Fan gathered the women in the group, said a few words, and then screamed and pointed at the tree in front of the village chief's door: "Oh my, everyone look, what's that?"
Everyone's eyes followed her hand and looked over, where they saw a white and a red cloth fluttering in the wind on a tree. Because there were two trees in front of them, it wasn't very noticeable from where they were fetching water, so no one noticed it immediately.
The young, quick-footed ones darted over, saw clearly that they were two pieces of cloth, and climbed up the tree in a few strides to retrieve them. After unfolding them, they immediately burst out laughing: "Whose underwear is this?"
The men and women in the village, young and old, are all thick-skinned and have no taboos. They couldn't help but step forward and snatch it to take a look.
"Haha, it really is! How did it end up hanging in the tree?"
"This is the tree belonging to the village chief, right? Could it be that it belongs to him and his wife?"
"No way! Hanging your underwear on a tree outside your own yard? That's just ridiculous!"
"Perhaps it's just the old couple's hobby; we wouldn't understand..."
The group laughed loudly, which startled the people in the yard, as well as the two people who were still asleep.
The people in the courtyard opened the door, puzzled, and instantly the villagers rushed in, pushing the village chief's family to one side.
The two people inside the room were groaning in pain before they even opened their eyes. When they came to their senses, they looked at each other honestly and were immediately stunned.
What happened last night? Why were they not wearing clothes? And why were they covered in bruises?
"Bang, bang, bang," the door was pounded on.
"Village chief, get up quickly! Your house is on fire!"
Someone shouted maliciously.
The people behind immediately understood and followed suit, their voices filled with urgency: "Village chief and village chief's wife, have they fainted? Should we break down the door? Otherwise, it'll be too late once the fire reaches them..."
Upon hearing that their house was on fire, the village chief and his wife immediately threw on some clothes and ran outside.
As soon as the door opened, the men and women split into two groups, laughing and joking as they blocked people's way to conduct the inspection.
"Oh my goodness, they're really not wearing anything! Village chief, you and your wife are so old, yet you're more diligent than young people, and you're really having a good time..."
"Why is her face slightly swollen...?"
The villagers were very good at brainstorming, and before long, they had already pieced together the whole story.
The village chief and his wife argued for a while before they realized what had happened. Before they could finish their angry argument, their daughter-in-law yelled, "Where are the chickens? Where are the ducks? Our chickens and ducks are gone!"
Everyone was a bit confused; it wasn't that the village chief and his wife were joking around, but rather...
Their faces were filled with horror. They all had the same guess, but dared not say it aloud, and could only communicate with their eyes and gestures.
The village chief's family has always acted domineeringly and never held back, especially his brother-in-law, who is a truly wicked person. Anyone who crosses him or the village chief's family will suffer a great calamity!
Perhaps they've committed too many evil deeds, angering the Weasel spirit and receiving a series of retributions and warnings. For example, they might be sleeping soundly at home, only to find themselves with bruises and swelling on their faces, stripped naked, their underwear hanging from a tree, and all their chickens and ducks gone.
Who has the ability to secretly take away those dozen or so chickens and ducks without anyone noticing?
Even the village chief and his family were trembling with fear, their faces pale.
The villagers dared not linger and left one after another.
The educated youth in the back room also looked grim. They felt a chill in their hearts when they thought of Li Juanmei, who had gotten up from her bed unharmed to go to work that morning.
It seems like their memories have all gone wrong, which is terrifying to think about!
Because of what happened yesterday, Li Juanmei is now deeply wary of everyone.
A lingering fear began to surface, and even as the winter sun rose above the horizon, gradually spreading warmth, it could not dispel the gloom in her heart.
"Comrade Xiao Li, I've come to buy some things," Ke's mother suddenly said with a smile as she walked in, followed by the tall Ke Yuanda.
Li Juanmei then felt her body temperature slowly rising, and greeted her with a slight smile, "Auntie, you're here."
"Hmm, your face looks a little pale. Are you feeling unwell?" Mrs. Ke asked worriedly as she stepped forward.
The shop assistant chimed in, "That's probably true. This girl has been absent-minded since early morning. We have to repeat ourselves to her several times before she responds."
"Her forehead was covered in cold sweat, and her eyes were fixed blankly, as if she were terrified..."
Ke's mother held Li Juanmei's hand and said with a smile, "You are women too, how come you don't know this is a women's disease? Look at her cold hands, pale face, and sweating profusely from the pain on her forehead."
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