That night, everyone slept soundly, especially Old Madam Lin.
Leaning against Liu Ju, even in her dreams, the corners of her mouth curved up with a smile.
When dawn broke the next morning, Su Nianyuan woke up feeling well-rested. Even the system’s notification chime in the early hours had failed to wake her from her deep sleep.
At this moment, she was completely clear-headed. Touching her forehead, she found that her fever was gone.
She was somewhat happy, and Su Jiancheng had also woken up.
Su Nianyuan couldn’t help joyfully saying, “Dad, my fever is gone.”
Hearing this, Su Jiancheng used the back of his hand to test her forehead. Sure enough, it was no longer burning, and he let out a sigh of relief.
Three days ago when the natural disaster struck, they had taken refuge in the dilapidated temple, and the daughter in his arms had been burning with a high fever. Yet he had been completely helpless, able only to continuously pray that the heavens had eyes.
Sure enough, the Great Immortal had manifested its divine presence.
“Daughter, today Dad will take two men up the mountain to see if we can find that cave.”
“Alright, take a few familiar people with you.”
Su Nianyuan nodded.
Father and daughter walked outside together. Just as they stepped out of the main hall, a roar of fury rang out. Su Nianyuan raised her eyes and saw Mother Hu wielding a stick, swinging it directly at a man.
“How dare you push my son? I’ll beat you to death!”
On the ground, Huzi sat stunned, blood still flowing from his forehead.
The usual local bully was currently shedding grievances and tears.
Mother Hu had learned a few martial arts tricks from Huzi’s father. As the man fled, he wailed, “Ouch! I didn’t do it on purpose! That brat was snatching food, so I pushed him out of anger! He’s just a kid, why does he need to eat so much!”
Listening to his words, Su Nianyuan frowned.
Naturally, she knew that among these fifty-six people, there were a few thorns; she had already sensed it yesterday.
Those who had been injured and rescued would naturally place a good deal of trust in him because of the debt of gratitude for saving their lives.
However, there were also a few who had been lucky enough not to be injured and were simply brought back along with the others.
To them, Su Jiancheng as the village chief wasn’t to be feared, let alone a nursing toddler like her.
With a cold expression, Su Nianyuan pulled young Huzi up.
Seeing Su Nianyuan, Huzi’s grievances welled up instantly, and he cried out, “Little Village Chief, it’s not my fault! The food rations were already distributed yesterday. Even though I’m young, I’m strong!”
“This uncle didn’t get enough to eat and wanted to snatch mine. When I wouldn’t let him, he pushed me!”
Huzi pointed at the man, tearfully lodging his complaint.
Su Nianyuan pulled a small handkerchief from her pouch and gently wiped the blood from his forehead, soothing him in a babyish, tender voice, “Don’t be afraid, Big Brother Huzi. I’ll avenge you!”
Huzi liked this little village chief even more now.
She was so good to him.
“Mhm! I believe you!”
Su Jiancheng also heard Huzi’s words, frowned, and scolded, “Enough!”
He looked at the crowd of onlookers and instructed a few of the men: “Hold Li Si down!”
Then he shouted toward Mother Hu, “Mother Hu, come back first!”
Although Mother Hu had fire in her heart, she was very obedient. Hearing this, she snorted, turned around, and went back to Huzi’s side, lowering her head to gently wipe his forehead.
The men who had been called shrank their necks and didn’t move.
On the other hand, the two brothers Zhao Qingzhu and Zhao Qingming stepped forward. Each grabbed an arm and directly pressed the man onto the ground.
Li Si was furious to the point of death, unable to help scolding, “Zhao Qingzhu, have you lost your minds?! We’re brothers!”
Zhao Qingzhu didn’t care at all, wearing a deadpan expression of absolute seriousness: “Brothers are brothers, but without the village chief and the little village chief, we have no way out. The two of us brothers swore an oath: from now on, we only listen to the little village chief.”
The two brothers had sworn that oath behind the scenes yesterday.
Can brotherhood put food in your stomach? When you were drinking porridge this morning, you didn’t share any with us.
Everyone around watched this scene, their expressions varying.
Li Si was furious and cursed, “Lackeys!”
A pair of embroidered children’s shoes suddenly appeared before his eyes, the shoes still stained with dried mud. Li Si looked up and met Su Nianyuan’s cold, indifferent little face.
A jolt of shock went through his heart.
How could a five-year-old girl have an expression like that?
Su Nianyuan squatted down, resting her chin on her hands, looking terribly cute.
Her voice was soft and sweet, yet even with her chilling tone, she still seemed well-behaved.
“You don’t want to listen to me?”
“You look down on me and my dad?”
Faced with the two questions, Li Si was initially slightly suspicious, but then the corners of his mouth curled up. Even while being pinned down, his momentum did not yield: “That’s right! I look down on the two of you! What right do you have to call the shots? Whoever else in this ruined temple were chosen to lead, I’d believe in them! I just refuse to believe your Su family!”
What was the Su family anyway?
Don’t look at the exile village as if it had been abandoned by the imperial court; deep down, a ranking of status still existed.
Those who held higher status prior to exile always considered themselves superior.
Take this Li Si for example; his maternal grandfather had once served as the Minister of Rites in the imperial court. Although that was fifty or sixty years ago, he had always fancied himself quite extraordinary.
As for the Su family, Su Jiancheng’s father had barely passed as a third-place imperial scholar (*tanhua*) when he was exiled, and after serving in the Censorate for less than a month, he had suffered implication and been demoted.
Naturally, their status was the lowest, and they were the most looked down upon.
Su Nianyuan chuckled lightly and asked a question she had never quite understood.
“If everyone is compared to food, some are delicate pastries, and some are roadside sesame flatbreads—their value is indeed different.”
“Yet once they enter the stomach and are excreted, they’re all just crap. Are you still going to compare which turd is drier and which turd is runnier?”
The crowd’s expressions turned unsightly.
An excessively vulgar analogy, yet remarkably apt.
In the eyes of the imperial court, what difference was there between them—these exiles—and excrement?
Oh right, there was a difference.
Excrement could still be fermented into manure to nourish crops, whereas they couldn’t even do that.
Having just finished eating, the stomachs of everyone present churned in turmoil. Su Jiancheng wore a melancholic expression—what on earth was the Great Immortal teaching his daughter?
Why did she speak with such vulgarity!
Li Si was choked red in the face by these words: “How can you evaluate us like that?!”
“Why not?”
Su Nianyuan’s expression remained calm as she stared straight into Li Si’s eyes and retorted, “Aside from bullying your own people inside Qingzhu Village, would you dare chirp a single word outside?”
“What wouldn’t I dare!” Li Si gritted his teeth, refusing to admit defeat.
He was someone who had already died once; what was there for him to be afraid of? At worst, he’d just die a second time!
Su Nianyuan nodded: “Fine, let him go.”
Zhao Qingzhu raised an eyebrow. Although somewhat puzzled, he still released his grip.
Li Si hurriedly scrambled up, patted the dust off his body, and looked extremely smug: “Wouldn’t it have been better to do this sooner? There are only this many people left in the village now; if you want to stay alive, you have to rely on us men.”
“Starting today, all the food goes to us! Only when we are full can we go out and find opportunities to survive!”
Li Si bellowed, his demeanor practically begging for a beating.
Yet Su Nianyuan said nothing, and neither did the others.
Su Jiancheng frowned and couldn’t help leaning over to Lin Shoufeng, asking in a low voice, “What does Ah Yuan mean by this?”
Is it really a good idea to let such a person go unsuppressed and let him run wild?
Lin Shoufeng’s expression was calm.
“To cause someone’s downfall, first let them run wild.”
Sure enough, the next second, Su Nianyuan began clapping her little hands energetically, looking at him with adoring admiration: “Uncle Li Si is truly amazing!”
“Then the heavy burden of clearing the path for the village is entrusted to you~ Uncle, you’ll definitely have no problem with it, right?”