Ming Fei clung to the back of Zhu Xiaoqi, listening to the boy panting heavily as he ran forward. She couldn't help but feel guilty for making such a young child carry her like this—it truly felt like a sin. But she really had no time to spare.
After a while, feeling her strength return slightly, Ming Fei immediately slid off Zhu Xiaoqi's back. "I've got some energy now. I'll walk on my own!"
"Are you going back on your word?" The boy, so thin he was practically skin and bones, glared at her fiercely.
"No! Six sweet potatoes, I promise! If I can't run anymore, you can carry me again!" Ming Fei answered Zhu Xiaoqi's question quickly while breaking into a run.
If she had the strength to walk but still made this child carry her, she would despise herself.
Zhu Xiaoqi rubbed his stomach, his expression softening a little. Truth be told, he was almost at his limit too.
Catching up to Ming Fei, who had run in the wrong direction, he grabbed her hand and continued sprinting.
Honestly, he didn't understand why Ming Fei was in such a hurry. There was still plenty of time before dark. But he didn't really care—as long as Ming Fei gave him what she promised, he was more than happy not to have to carry her.
Ming Fei had no idea how long she had been running with Zhu Xiaoqi. All she knew was that after she told him she was in a hurry, he had dragged her along at a breakneck pace. She felt as if her feet were about to leave the ground, turning her into a kite.
Finally, after rounding a corner, Ming Fei's eyes lit up—the surroundings suddenly looked familiar.
It was the other side of the Dadui!
This direction was completely opposite to where the original host had followed Jin Dan and his brother. No wonder she couldn't find her way no matter how hard she tried.
"Six sweet potatoes, I promise!" Ming Fei blurted out before immediately ditching the panting Zhu Xiaoqi and breaking into a mad dash.
Left behind, the boy leaned forward with his hands on his knees, gasping for breath as he watched Ming Fei's figure quickly disappear behind the bushes.
Ming Fei felt as if she had mustered every ounce of strength she had. Her legs felt as heavy as lead. Instead of heading home, she rushed straight to the house of the original host's uncle, Ming Dade. As she ran, she prayed she wasn't too late, hoping everything was still salvageable.
"Feifei? What are you doing here? Your mother has been looking for you everywhere!" Master Ming Si, who lived next door, called out as soon as he saw Ming Fei. "She went to your grandma's house. Go tell her you're back!"
"Alright, Fourth Master, I'm off!"
From a distance, Ming Fei saw a crowd gathered outside Ming Dade's house. Her heart sank, and she quickened her pace, shouting "Mom!" as she charged forward.
"Mom!"
The people gathered outside clearly heard Ming Fei's voice and immediately turned to look. "Feifei, hurry and talk some sense into your mom!"
"Cuihua, Feifei is back! Stop now!"
Those blocking the way wisely stepped aside, and Ming Fei, being small, immediately squeezed through.
What she saw next left her stunned.
Ming Dade's house was indeed in chaos, but it wasn't the scene Ming Fei had imagined—where Xu Cuihua was being bullied by Ming Dade's family. In fact, it was the complete opposite.
The original host's aunt, Zhao Xiulan, lay on the ground, her face bruised and swollen, clutching her arm. Old Mrs. Ming's face was also swollen as she lay on the ground, crying out for her mother. Old Mr. Ming, who had earlier slipped away, wasn't faring much better—his arm hung limply, and from Ming Fei's perspective, it looked dislocated or out of joint.
The original host's uncle, Ming Dade, however, seemed unharmed. He held a shoulder pole, looking as if he was ready to confront Xu Cuihua and fight to the death.
And her mother, Comrade Xu Cuihua!
Holding Jin Dan, whose face was swollen to twice its size, and stepping on Zhao Xiulan, who remained silent, the blood flowing down from her forehead had nearly dried, making her look especially terrifying, like a demon crawling out of hell.
Just then, Ming Dade seized the moment when Xu Cuihua turned her head upon hearing Ming Fei's voice, raised a carrying pole, and swung it at Xu Cuihua.
"Mom!"
The extraordinarily fierce Comrade Xu Cuihua seemed to have anticipated Ming Dade's move. She lifted her foot from Zhao Xiulan, executed a high kick that sent the pole flying, then followed up with a kick to Ming Dade's chest, forcing him to clutch his chest and stagger backward.
As she retracted her leg, she didn't forget to slap Zhao Xiulan, who was trying to get up, with her foot, knocking her to the ground once more.
Old Mrs. Ming, who had initially wanted to rush forward to save her eldest grandson, paused abruptly before continuing to slump back, moaning and calling for her mother.
Ming Fei: "…"
Now she understood why Zhao Xiulan had remained silent despite being beaten like this.
"Wah…"
Seeing his father, mother, and grandmother fail to rescue him, Jin Dan couldn't help but let out a despairing whimper. The next moment, upon hearing his voice, Xu Cuihua slapped him again, leaving another mark on his face.
The crisp sound of the slap made the surrounding neighbors flinch backward.
They had come over genuinely worried that Xu Cuihua might be at a disadvantage, concerned for Ming Fei's safety and wanting to find the child as soon as possible. They never expected that Ming Dade's family would push the usually honest and gentle Xu Cuihua to such a state.
Looking at Xu Cuihua's murderous, expressionless face, no one dared to intervene. Fortunately, Ming Fei returned at this critical moment.
God knows, when they saw Ming Fei running over, it felt like seeing hope. If this had continued, who knew whether Xu Cuihua would have killed Ming Dade's family if something had happened to Ming Fei.
Most likely, she would have.
Xu Cuihua turned her head to look at the little girl at the door, her hair dry and yellow, looking utterly disheveled. Her gaze was uncertain. "…Feifei?"
Ming Fei: "…"
She forced a dry laugh.
…After the original host came down from the mountain, her parents had already passed away. Back then, was Ming Dade's family like this? And her mother didn't seem like she was about to meet her end, did she?
Jin Dan squinted his swollen, nearly closed eyes, looking pleadingly at Ming Fei by the door as if she were a savior. But he didn't dare make a sound, not even crying aloud.
As the first male child of the next generation, he had been doted on by his parents and grandparents, acting like a little tyrant at home. But now, he was anything but domineering, more like a frightened quail.
Even more quail-like were Yin Dan and his younger brother Baodan, hiding under the table.
"Mom?"
Ming Fei truly felt that everything before her eyes seemed very off.
"Feifei, hurry and talk some sense into your mom."
"Cuihua, look, Feifei is back. Let Jin Dan and the others off this time. We're all family."
"Yeah, yeah. Those brats Jin Dan and the others must have learned their lesson by now. They definitely won't dare do it again."
They definitely won't dare. This time, the whole family got beaten and was scared out of their wits. Who would dare mess with Ming Fei again? Honestly, Jin Dan and the others deserved it.
Ignoring the chaotic suggestions from the others, Ming Fei quickly walked up to Xu Cuihua, pulled out the original host's clean, washed handkerchief from her pocket, and said, "Mom, you're bleeding. Does it hurt? Let's hurry to the clinic and get it checked. That's such a big gash!"
In the original host's memory, Xu Cuihua had died from this head injury, so Ming Fei was now extremely anxious. There would be plenty of time to deal with this family later—the most urgent matter was the wound on Xu Cuihua's head.
As someone who had majored in clinical medicine in university, she understood all too well the danger of such an injury. Half of Xu Cuihua's shoulder was stained red.
In front of her own daughter, Xu Cuihua finally restrained her fierce demeanor, obediently bending down to let Ming Fei wipe the blood from her face, while still casting glances at the restless Ming Dade.
"Yes, yes, Cuihua, your head injury is the most important thing right now. Let's go take care of it first!"
It wasn't that no one had said this earlier, but Xu Cuihua had simply ignored them.
Driven by hatred and rage, Xu Cuihua had just beaten every member of the family, from the oldest to the youngest. Now, feeling dizzy and faint, she finally relented, temporarily sparing Ming Dade's family.
Seeming to sense Xu Cuihua's retreat, Old Mrs. Ming, who had been too afraid to speak earlier, began to act up again.
"Xu Cuihua, you wretched, plague-ridden woman! I'll definitely tell Erde, have Erde beat you to death, have Erde divorce you, you barren hen!"
Xu Cuihua, who had been walking toward the door with Ming Fei, instantly let go of Ming Fei's hand and rushed over in a few quick strides. But before she could reach Old Mrs. Ming, Old Mr. Ming slapped the old woman.
"Shut up, you old hag! Cuihua was just worried about Feifei!"
As he spoke, Old Mr. Ming cautiously watched Xu Cuihua, afraid she might recall past grievances and give the whole family another beating.
It wasn't an impossible scenario.
Except for three-year-old Baodan and the infant Mingya, every member of the family was present.
"Cuihua, hurry and get your head checked. Your mother-in-law's gone mad—pay her no mind."
Ming Fei: "…"
Everyone else who had just witnessed Old Mr. Ming slapping Old Mrs. Ming: "…"
Why bother? Xu Cuihua hadn't even left the house yet, and you've already forgotten the pain, haven't you?
In these times, laying hands on an elder would usually invite gossip and criticism, but today, no one dared to fault Xu Cuihua—they had completely forgotten to judge her!
Seeing this, Xu Cuihua didn't insist on beating anyone further. Instead, she looked down at Old Mrs. Ming with a scornful laugh.
Old Mrs. Ming hadn't expected Old Mr. Ming to slap her in front of so many people. Stunned for a moment, she then burst into loud sobs.
Even when the whole family had been beaten one by one by the madwoman Xu Cuihua, she hadn't felt this humiliated!
Ignoring the wailing behind her, Xu Cuihua turned her gaze to Jin Dan, who was hiding behind Ming Dade. "Jin Dan, I'm warning you—if something like this happens again, I'll chop you up and feed you to the dogs. You can test whether I dare or not."
After saying this, Xu Cuihua paid no attention to Jin Dan's terrified and twisted expression. She took Ming Fei's hand and walked out through the path the crowd had cleared.
Only after the mother and daughter had left Ming Dade's courtyard did the others rush forward—some helping people up, others tidying and organizing, and a few comforting Zhao Xiulan, who had finally dared to cry out.
Sympathy? There was none to be found.
Ming Erde lay in bed, his fate unknown. Ming Fei, a frail child since birth, had been abandoned in the mountains. Xu Cuihua had only ever had Ming Fei as her child in this lifetime—it would be strange if she hadn't gone mad.
And how ruthless Ming Dade's family truly is! Even Jin Dan, that boy—daring to abandon such a young cousin in the mountains—is utterly vicious.
They all deserve it!
Ming Fei held Xu Cuihua's hand, leaving the murmurs and gossip behind her, her thoughts entirely focused on Xu Cuihua. "Mom, how are you feeling now? Are you dizzy? Can you hold on?"
Did the original host know that Xu Cuihua would spiral into such madness and collapse after her disappearance?
Just recalling everything she had seen in the original host's memories filled Ming Fei with deep loathing for Ming Dade's family.
Xu Cuihua looked at this worried young girl, feeling a twinge of guilt that even made her forget the injury on her head. "Mom's fine. They're no match for me—just a bunch of useless people. Don't be afraid, Feifei."
Ming Fei: "…"
Case solved—her mom wasn't her mom!
No, no, her mom was never her mom to begin with. What she meant was, the original host's mom wasn't the original host's mom anymore!
Author's Note:
Comrade Cuihua, mighty and majestic.jpg
The pre-ordered cover hasn't arrived yet, so I made a makeshift one myself. This is truly the limit of my abilities—I can only draw something like this. Please don't judge it too harshly.