Feng Chuxiao did indeed return to the village, but she didn't go back to the Feng family. Instead, she went to the Brigade Leader's house, asking for directions along the way.
"Why did you come here?" the Brigade Leader's Wife asked, looking at her.
"I'm looking for... looking for your daughter, the one about my age," Feng Chuxiao said, not knowing her name, so she had to say it like that.
The Brigade Leader's Wife looked at her suspiciously. She had heard this girl had gone foolish, and wondered if she was here to swindle her daughter. "What are you looking for Chunli for?"
Feng Chuxiao understood the Brigade Leader's Wife's expression and quickly said, "I just came to say thank you. Thank you for sending me home."
The Brigade Leader's Wife looked at her, half-believing, half-doubting. This didn't seem like someone who had gone foolish; instead, she seemed poised and generous.
Just as the Brigade Leader's Wife was contemplating whether to call her daughter, she saw her daughter run out.
"Chunli," Feng Chuxiao called out urgently.
"Hey, you're not foolish! You know my name, don't you?" Wang Chunli said.
Feng Chuxiao was speechless. Could she say she had only just found out?
"Chunli, can you come out for a moment? I have something to tell you."
"Okay." Wang Chunli happily ran to Feng Chuxiao's side and then pulled her towards a big tree nearby. She also had something she wanted to ask Chuxiao.
Every household in the village had trees planted by their doorways, so there were many trees in the village.
"Chuxiao, I heard you became amazing today and even hit your grandmother. Is that true?"
Feng Chuxiao nodded and said seriously, "She hit me first. And I felt so uncomfortable I couldn't stand. Finally, when I couldn't take it anymore, I fought back."
"She hit you so many times before, and you didn't fight back even once. It's not too much," Wang Chunli said frankly.
Feng Chuxiao's eyes lit up. This girl was good to get along with. She immediately made a decision: from now on, she would consider this girl her first friend in this world.
"Chunli, I need your help with something."
"Tell me, I'll definitely help if I can!" Wang Chunli vowed.
Feng Chuxiao first took out a few crumpled small bills and stuffed them into Wang Chunli's hand. "I've been secretly saving this. It's all for you."
"I don't want it. You keep it yourself." Wang Chunli absolutely refused to take her few cents.
"Take it first. I need to borrow something from you," Feng Chuxiao said, feeling embarrassed.
"I don't want your money. Just tell me what you want to borrow," the girl was quite stubborn.
Feng Chuxiao had no choice but to say, "My kitchen caught fire today, and my clothes were all burned. So I want to borrow some clothes from you, and some soap. I want to bathe and change clothes."
After saying this, she quickly guaranteed, "Chunli, don't worry, I'll return what I borrow from you twice over later!"
Wang Chunli glared at Feng Chuxiao. "Honestly, I wanted to give you two sets of clothes before, but you refused. But it's good you didn't take them then, or they would have been burned now too."
This girl was truly honest, and a good person. Even with how Feng Chuxiao used to be, she was still so kind to her.
"Wait for me here. I'll go get them now!"
Wang Chunli turned and ran towards her home. Feng Chuxiao quickly sat on a wooden stool under the tree to rest. Her body was truly weak; she hadn't recovered from the fatigue of fishing.
A moment later, Wang Chunli came out carrying two sets of clothes. Besides the clothes, there was also a towel and scented soap.
She ran to Feng Chuxiao and stuffed everything in her arms into Feng Chuxiao's hands. Then she said, "Chuxiao, my mother said you can't bathe yet. She said the more you bathe, the sicker you'll get. So just change your clothes for now."
Feng Chuxiao stood up and thanked Wang Chunli sincerely, "Thank you, Chunli. I understand."
At the same time, she also remembered Wang Chunli's kindness in her heart. She would repay Wang Chunli with ten or twenty sets of new clothes in the future, as this was truly a gift in her time of need.
Feng Chuxiao left the Brigade Leader's house and went to the riverbank. She certainly didn't dare to bathe in the river; although it was summer, the river water was icy cold.
She planned to go into the forest on the other side of the river again and boil some hot water for a bath. Even though it might be pitch black in there, or only have a few specks of starlight, she wasn't afraid of the dark.
...
"Where did that dead girl go? It's already dark. Where did she run off to?" Old Woman Feng cursed while eating.
Feng Tiezhu looked towards the main door, took a bite of a Steamed Corn Bun, and then said, "Chuxiao did come back with me earlier. I don't know where she ran off to now. Grandma, did you save her any food?"
"...I did!" Old Woman Feng said angrily. She hadn't wanted to save any at first, but she was afraid that dead girl would come back and demand grain from her.
Thinking of the grain, she became even more furious. So much grain was missing, and the money was gone too. She had cried and cursed again in the afternoon.
Feng Tiezhu secretly thought to himself: It's true that the weak are bullied and the strong are feared. Chuxiao's personality has become strong now, and his grandma doesn't dare not save food for her.
Wang Xihua said softly, "I'm thinking of finding a husband for Chuxiao. Mother, go and inquire, see which family is suitable."
When Old Woman Feng heard this, she thought it was a good idea. Anyway, this dead girl was becoming difficult to manage. It would be better to sell her off. There were plenty of bachelors looking for a wife.
"I don't need to inquire about this; I already know of a few families. In Xu Village, there are two families looking to buy wives. One offers fifty yuan, and the other offers two bags of grain. There's also Liu Family Village..."
Wang Xihua nodded. "Our family is short on grain and money now. Let's see if there's anyone offering more..."
Feng Tiezhu couldn't listen anymore, but he knew he couldn't make the decision. Moreover, this money was for him to get married, but he still couldn't help but say, "Grandma, Mother, no matter how much the betrothal gift money is, find a good husband for Chuxiao."
Old Woman Feng rolled her eyes. "With her like that, skinny as a stick, and now hitting people at the drop of a hat, what good family would want her!"
Speaking of this, she felt that she couldn't have been hit for nothing today. She incited her son, "Eldest son, that little slut hit me and your wife today. You must beat her soundly later and vent our anger!"
Feng Daping nodded. Daring to hit elders, she had truly gone too far and deserved a lesson.
Feng Tiedao quickly complained, "She even hit me with a stool! I want revenge later!"
Wang Xihua looked at her injured arm and said hatefully, "Hit her hard, or she won't learn her lesson!"
If it weren't for the fear of not being able to sell her, she would have wanted to break that Broom Star's arms and legs.
Feng Chuxiao, who was taking a bath, shivered. She quickly took out a towel to wrap herself, afraid of catching a fever again and losing this little life.
She wouldn't wash her hair tonight because she couldn't dry it. After tidying herself up, she took a few cold medicine pills as a precaution.
When she came out of the forest again, she didn't take the same path back because she heard many men and children's voices from that direction. Many people had come to the river to bathe.
When Feng Chuxiao returned to the Feng family, she found that not a single light was on at home, and the main door was closed. This didn't stop her; climbing over the wall was easy.
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