Chapter 5

“Grandma, I’m looking for He Quhao. Is he home?” The old woman stood up and recognized her, but she looked at Zhong Xixi with some displeasure. “What do you want with Quhao?” Although she was old, with stiff legs and poor hearing, she had still heard some of the rumors circulating around the village. This was the girl her grandson had rescued, yet she had gone and ruined his reputation for no reason! Zhong Xixi was just about to speak when a steady, rhythmic sound of footsteps came from behind her. “Grandma, I’m back.” Zhong Xixi turned at the sound of his voice and saw He Quhao returning with a large bundle of firewood on his back. He was tall and broad-shouldered, with thick eyebrows, large eyes, and a strong, straight nose. He carried the imposing presence of a true northern man. The muscles in his shoulders and arms bulged beneath the weight of the firewood, making him look like the embodiment of raw masculine strength. Zhong Xixi only glanced at him before lowering her head, her cheeks growing warm and her heart beating faster. This man looked incredibly strong, and there was an unmistakable sense of righteousness about him. She found it hard to believe that someone like him could be a murderer. He Quhao recognized her as well. He froze for a moment before frowning. “What are you doing here?” He had sent her to the hospital back then purely out of kindness. Later, people had falsely accused the two of them of having an affair. It should have been easy enough to explain, but she had immediately pushed all the blame onto him. She had cursed and hit him, accusing him of having ulterior motives and shamelessly trying to take advantage of her. In the end, there was no way to explain things clearly, and the two of them had been convicted of hooliganism. Tomorrow, they would have to stand before the entire village and publicly confess their supposed wrongdoing. Naturally, he wanted nothing to do with a woman like her. Seeing his reaction, Zhong Xixi clearly remembered what had happened as well. She hurriedly pulled a stack of medicinal patches from her pocket and pressed them into his hand. “Don’t misunderstand. I came to thank you for helping me last time, and also to apologize for what happened. These are made from a prescription my mother left behind. I made them myself. I heard your grandmother often suffers from back pain, so I thought she could give them a try. They work really well.” They were muscle and bone pain-relief patches she had taken from her space before coming over. She had already removed the packaging, so there was nothing about them that could reveal what era they came from. They were also from the first area of her space. Common medicines such as cold medicine, fever reducers, pain-relief patches, eye drops, and anti-inflammatory ointments were all available there. A stack of medicinal patches had suddenly been shoved into his hands. He was momentarily stunned by how completely different she seemed from before, but he still frowned slightly and pushed them back toward her. “No need.” Zhong Xixi understood that he was trying to keep his distance from her. After all, their relationship was already extremely sensitive. She didn't mind. Blinking her eyes, she suddenly grinned, revealing a row of pearly white teeth. “He Quhao, I’m being sincere. Just keep the medicine. Actually, there’s something else I came to talk to you about. Tomorrow, we have to go up there and publicly confess our wrongdoing. I’m sure you don’t want to stand on that platform and humiliate yourself, right?” “If you don’t want that either, then before two this afternoon, you must bring the village Party secretary to the ruined temple behind the house. Don’t make a sound. When the time comes, I’ll make Zhong Chuchu tell you both the truth herself!” With that, she didn't wait for He Quhao to respond. She shoved the medicine back into his hands, turned around, and left. She had already delivered the message. If he still cared about his dignity, he would bring someone there no matter what, right? Her two thick, glossy braids swung around with her turn before settling back onto her shoulders. Zhong Xixi had always been pretty. It was just that the scar on her face now somewhat marred her beauty. Yet beneath the morning sunlight, the moment she turned around, she looked like a lively butterfly. And somehow, He Quhao felt as though the flutter of those butterfly wings had lightly brushed against his heart. He quickly came back to his senses, however, and frowned as he rubbed the tip of his nose. Zhong Chuchu could tell the truth herself? What a ridiculous idea! That dead girl was probably plotting some new trick. There was no way he was going to fall for it! …… Meanwhile, when Zhong Xixi returned, she spotted her younger brother waiting for her in the alley from a distance. He had stretched his neck and was anxiously looking around for her. His little body was thin and frail, making him look especially pitiful. Her uncle's family was truly heartless. After her parents died, they had bullied her and her younger brother mercilessly! The siblings depended on each other just to get by. They barely had enough food or warm clothes, and Liu Meili was always deliberately assigning them the heaviest chores. Now, Zhong Mumu was nearly half a head shorter than other children his age, all because of years of poor nutrition. Zhong Xixi's heart ached. She remembered how, when Zhong Mumu had eaten roast chicken for the first time, he had wolfed it down while still remembering to leave some for her. The memory made her feel even more protective of him. “Mumu, let’s go home.” Zhong Xixi walked up to her thin, dark-skinned younger brother. With the intention of simply trying it out, she focused her thoughts and moved her mind slightly. To her surprise, several White Rabbit milk candies appeared in the palm of her hand. Zhong Xixi was instantly overjoyed. This was already the fourth time today that she had taken something out of her space. Wasn't she supposed to be able to use the space only three times a day? Could it be because she had eaten well and gotten enough sleep compared with yesterday, allowing her strength to recover and increasing the number of times she could use it? With this thought in mind, Zhong Xixi held her breath and concentrated, trying to take something else out of the space. But the space no longer responded. It seemed that even after her physical strength recovered, the number of uses would only increase little by little. While she was lost in thought, Zhong Xixi felt a pair of small hands tugging at her arm. “Sis, what’s that in your hand?” Seeing that Zhong Xixi was standing there without moving, Zhong Mumu couldn't resist tugging on her arm. His eyes were fixed expectantly on the candies in her hand, making him look like an obedient and loyal little puppy. His sister was always able to produce delicious things out of nowhere. By now, Zhong Mumu had absolute faith in her ability to do so. “These are White Rabbit milk candies. They’re really sweet. Try one.” Zhong Xixi unwrapped one of the candies and popped it into Zhong Mumu's mouth. Seeing his eyes curve happily as he tasted it, she took his hand and started walking home. “Is it good?” It was Zhong Mumu's first time eating candy like this. It was completely different from the crumbly peanut candy they occasionally got during festivals. It was even more delicious than the lollipop his sister had given him before. When his sister asked him, he quickly pressed his lips together and nodded vigorously. Zhong Xixi's heart softened at the sight. She placed the remaining candies into his palm. “Keep these safe. When you finish them, your sister will give you more. For now, let's go home and eat the big steamed buns.” At the mention of the large steamed buns they had eaten that morning, Zhong Mumu couldn't help swallowing. He quickly stuffed the candies into his pocket and patted it, assuring his sister that he would take good care of them. When the two siblings returned home, lively voices and the aroma of food drifted through the crack in the door of the northern room. Yet the siblings were treated as though they were invisible, completely shut out from it all. By now, neither of them cared about the coarse meals prepared by their aunt's family. They exchanged a knowing glance and quietly returned to their room to eat the steamed buns left over from breakfast. “You must be hungry. Hurry and eat.” Zhong Xixi took out the steamed buns and placed them on the small wooden table on the kang. The two siblings sat along the edge of the kang. Zhong Xixi then turned around, poured her brother a bowl of water, and sat down beside him. The two began eating. Unlike the warm and cozy atmosphere in their little run-down room, the northern room was currently filled with commotion because of Zhong Chuchu having been sent out to work in the fields. “Mom! Look at my fingers! They’re covered in blisters from working. People even laughed at me while I was working. I’m so embarrassed I can’t even face anyone anymore!” Zhong Chuchu's eyes were red as she angrily pushed her food aside and refused to eat. She held out her slender, fair hands and waved them in front of Liu Meili. Several large blisters on her fingers were painfully obvious, and seeing them made Liu Meili's heart ache.