After listening to my explanation, Miao Xiaoxian calmed down a bit: "Are you telling the truth? Uncle Qi's death really wasn't because you betrayed him?"
"Of course not! If you even used your brain for a moment, you should know that this has nothing to do with us!"
The monkey seized the opportunity to explain, "First of all, we have no grudge against Uncle Seven, we don't even know him, and you're a good friend of ours. Why would we go and betray Uncle Seven by reporting him to the clan leader? Even if we are villains to the core, we still have to have some purpose when we do bad things, right? What do we gain by risking offending you to harm Uncle Seven?"
Upon hearing this, Miao Xiaoxian lowered her head in anguish: "I'm sorry, I'm just too heartbroken because of Uncle Qi's death. Perhaps it was because I had nowhere to vent my negative emotions that I came to you!"
I saw Miao Xiaoxian calm down, so I pressed her shoulder and helped her sit in a chair. At the same time, I opened my wilderness first-aid kit, took out a piece of candy, and handed it to her: "Eat something. Eating a few pieces of candy when you're feeling extremely down can make you feel better!"
Miao Xiaoxian simply sat there with her head down, uttering two words in a hoarse voice: "No need."
Seeing that she was such a sweet-loving girl, I didn't even glance at the sugar cube in my hand, and sat down opposite her: "It seems that you and Uncle Qi have a very deep relationship."
"He is the best person to me in this world, and the one who cares about me the most."
As soon as Miao Xiaoxian finished speaking, tears streamed down her face: "My mother died during childbirth because of complications. People in the village said I was a jinx, and my maternal grandmother even wanted to drown me to atone for my mother's death!"
My father intervened and saved my life! After that, everyone in the village avoided me, and my father moved me to the most remote house! Later, my father was eaten by wolves while hunting, and I became a strange person in the village. If it weren't for Uncle Qi taking me in and raising me until I was twelve, I would have died long ago…”
"Holy crap, no way?"
Lin Que was shocked upon hearing this: "You are your mother's own flesh and blood, the continuation of her life! After she passed away, it's one thing that your maternal grandmother didn't take good care of you, but why would she even think of killing you?"
“Ping’an Village is isolated from the world and has limited access to information. It is certainly not as open-minded as we people living in modern society. Although I have not been in the village for long, I have found that male chauvinism is very serious here. I suppose the older generation also has the idea of valuing sons over daughters.”
Jiang Man placed a glass of water in front of Miao Xiaoxian and gently patted her back: "Xiaoxian, people can't come back to life. I know this is a cruel statement, but I still hope you can take it easy! You said that Uncle Qi is the person who cares about you the most in this world. I think the reason he protects you so much is because he hopes you can grow up happily and healthily. What do you think?"
Hearing this comforting remark, Miao Xiaoxian probably remembered what happened to Uncle Qi in the past, and cried even harder.
Jiang Man waved her hand to stop me when she saw that I was about to ask more questions: "Let her cry. A young girl has suffered such a blow. She needs to vent her emotions, otherwise she will get sick! You grown men don't know how to comfort people. Don't make things worse. Let me talk to her!"
After listening to Jiang Man's words, I gestured to the others, and we all left the living room and went upstairs.
Back in his room, the monkey finally spoke, "I originally thought that Ping'an Village was such a small place that everyone would love each other like a family. I never expected it to be so backward and barbaric! Miao Xiaoxian's story is simply outrageous. She even tried to strangle her own granddaughter. Are the people here all cold-blooded animals?"
“Jiang Man is right. Ping’an Village is isolated from the world and has no regard for law or government. It is a clan-based village. In such a village, the clan chief’s prestige is enormous. If the clan chief wants to maintain his rule, he must take some drastic measures while also adhering to those ancient rules.”
I lit a cigarette: "The reason Ping'an Village covered up Uncle Seven's death as a suicide is probably because they were afraid that their family affairs would get out and cause others to want to leave Ping'an Village! These clan-based villages generally have one characteristic: the strength of most people is concentrated to support a small number of people at the top. In this village, some people live a life of glory, while others live a life of oppression. I'm afraid that Uncle Seven is definitely not the only one who wants to escape from here!"
The monkey angrily cursed, "These people are insane! They not only torture the living, but they also turn the dead into poisons. People living here have to follow the rules and do things step by step their whole lives. What's the difference between them and domesticated livestock?"
“Everyone has their own way of life. The situation in Ping'an Village is not something we can change, and we are not here to change Ping'an Village.”
I had no interest in the tragic lives of the villagers of Ping'an Village; I was only thinking about whether Jiang Man could get any useful information out of Miao Xiaoxian.
About half an hour later, seeing that there was no more noise downstairs, I quietly went down.
Miao Xiaoxian was still slumped over the table, her shoulders twitching occasionally. I waved Jiang Man aside and asked in a low voice, "So, did you get any information?"
"I didn't ask."
Jiang Man sighed: "Miao Xiaoxian is so pitiful. She is about the same age as us, but her life has been so full of twists and turns. My heart broke when I heard her talk about her childhood experiences. Uncle Qi's death was a huge blow to her. Let her have some time to process it."
"We're giving him time, but who's giving us time?"
Seeing that Jiang Man couldn't bear to disturb Miao Xiaoxian at this moment, I took the initiative to walk over and sit opposite Miao Xiaoxian, saying as if talking to myself: "I have a friend who is a Buddhist. He once told me that in the Buddhist understanding, the suffering in the world is limited. If some people suffer more, others will suffer less! And everyone's suffering is also limited. When you have endured all the suffering in a certain period of time, you will no longer suffer in the future!"
I scoff at this notion, because I know perfectly well that it's merely a consolation for a miserable life! Some people's lives are destined to be filled with suffering! They think that by overcoming their current difficulties, a dawn will await them, but after climbing over the hill in front of them, they find even greater obstacles behind them!
When Miao Xiaoxian heard me say that, she suddenly raised her head and glared at me with her red, tear-filled eyes, as if she wanted to kill me.
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