Only after Wang Chuntao and Chen Feicai had both been turned into “walking piles of filth” did Lin Xiazhi kick the manure bucket aside.
She immediately rushed into Wang Chuntao’s room, grabbed a wooden stool, and began smashing everything in sight.
Lin Xiazhi blinked.
She had instinctively wanted to scan the room with her psychic ability before remembering that this body didn’t possess any supernatural powers.
Even so, she already knew where the money was hidden.
The wooden cabinet beside the bed.
She raised her hand, intending to split the cabinet open with brute force.
Suddenly, her eyes grew warm.
That familiar sensation…
Her heart leaped with excitement.
She looked toward the cabinet, and to her astonishment, her vision pierced straight through the wood.
She could clearly see the folded clothes inside, and beneath them, a hidden money pouch and several pieces of jewelry.
Her X-ray vision had come with her!
Then what about her storage space…?
With a single thought, an ice-cold bottle of Baishi Cola suddenly appeared in her hand.
“Hahaha…”
“My storage space came too!”
She eagerly twisted the cap open and gulped down the entire bottle in one breath.
It still wasn’t enough.
She reached into her storage space again, took out a compressed biscuit, and quickly devoured it.
Only then did the gnawing hunger in her stomach ease slightly.
Time was running short.
With one chop of her hand, she split the wooden cabinet apart and accurately retrieved the silver and jewelry before storing everything inside her space.
But neither the slave contract nor the marriage contract was there.
They had to be hidden somewhere else.
“Sister Wang’s slaughtering a pig! Come on, everyone, let’s lend a hand! Hehehe!”
Just then, the courtyard gate was gently pushed open from outside.
Lin Xiazhi’s expression immediately turned solemn.
She dashed into the courtyard and deliberately collapsed just outside the doorway, clutching her stomach as she groaned weakly.
The moment she saw someone carrying gifts into the yard, she stretched out a trembling hand.
“Help…”
Her voice was so faint that Liu Juan didn’t hear it.
Instead, illuminated by the fading rays of the setting sun, she first spotted Wang Chuntao and Chen Feicai lying motionless near the entrance.
She gasped in horror.
“Oh heavens! What happened here?”
“What? Has the pig already been slaughtered?”
One villager after another poured through the gate.
The instant they saw the bodies on the ground, every face changed.
This wasn’t pig slaughter.
It looked like murder.
Someone had been killed!
…Should they even go inside?
A few villagers cautiously stepped closer, only to be driven back by the overwhelming stench of human waste.
“…It reeks!”
“Why are the mother and son covered in filth? What happened?”
The villagers looked at one another in confusion, none of them knowing the answer.
“There was a thief.”
Everyone turned toward the voice.
Only then did they notice Lin Xiazhi lying weakly beneath the eaves.
“Girl Lin!”
Liu Juan and Zhao Xiaomei hurried over and helped her to her feet.
Seeing the swollen bruises covering her face and body, both women felt a pang of sympathy.
Still, there were more urgent matters.
“Girl Lin, you just said there was a thief?”
Lin Xiazhi nodded timidly and quietly explained what had happened.
“The thief stole things from the house. He beat Madam and Young Master badly. I tried to stop him and get the belongings back… but he slapped me several times too…”
Liu Juan frowned.
“What thief would be bold enough to steal from the village chief’s house?”
Lin Xiazhi shook her head fearfully.
“I don’t know. I’ve never seen him before.”
The villagers inspected both the courtyard and the main hall.
Everything had clearly been tossed around and searched.
Seeing the obvious signs of a burglary, none of them questioned her story.
Fortunately, there happened to be a barefoot village doctor among the crowd.
After examining Wang Chuntao and Chen Feicai, his tense expression relaxed.
“The injuries aren’t life-threatening. They’ll recover.”
The villagers immediately breathed sighs of relief.
“Owww… It hurts… Help…”
Just as everyone was wondering what to do next, Wang Chuntao slowly regained consciousness, baring her teeth in pain.
The instant she opened her mouth, the overwhelming stench of manure rushed into her nose and throat.
She immediately began dry heaving.
Realizing she was soaked from head to toe in human waste, her face twisted with fury.
She shot upright.
“LIN XIAZHI! Blegh… You bitch… Blegh… I’ll kill… Blegh… you!”
Liu Juan had been about to help her, but seeing the murderous look on Wang Chuntao’s face, she instinctively backed away.
Then her eyes fell on Wang Chuntao’s limp arms.
She cried out in alarm.
“Oh! Sister Wang’s arms are broken!”
The villagers all looked over.
Sure enough, both of Wang Chuntao’s arms dangled uselessly at her sides.
Everyone was stunned.
“That thief was vicious!”
“Good thing he didn’t break into my house…”
“Your family’s too poor to steal from anyway.”
“…”
Listening to everyone’s discussion, Lin Xiazhi secretly smiled behind Liu Juan’s back.
Meanwhile, Wang Chuntao stared at her own arms, her expression dark enough to kill.
Lin Xiazhi!
The first thing on her mind wasn’t getting treatment.
It was tearing Lin Xiazhi apart.
“Someone tie Lin Xiazhi up! She broke my arms with her own hands!”
“What?!”
“Girl Lin did that?”
“Impossible…”
The villagers looked at the timid, skinny girl standing there.
No one believed Wang Chuntao’s outrageous claim.
Everyone knew how Lin Xiazhi had lived in the Chen household.
She was little more than skin and bones.
Those thin, twig-like arms couldn’t possibly overpower two healthy adults, let alone break someone’s arms.
Who would believe something so ridiculous?
Usually, Wang Chuntao was the one beating Lin Xiazhi.
Understanding exactly why the villagers doubted her, Wang Chuntao felt as though flames were burning inside her chest.
She had nowhere to vent her rage.
“How is it impossible? That little bitch was possessed by a ghost! She suddenly became incredibly strong. She beat me black and blue with punches and kicks. I couldn’t even fight back!”
The more she spoke, the angrier she became.
“If you don’t believe me, tie her up and question her! Where is that little bitch? Did she run away?!”
The villagers exchanged uncertain glances.
No one moved.
“I didn’t run away.”
“And I didn’t hit anyone.”
Lin Xiazhi timidly peeked out from behind Liu Juan, exposing only half of her face.
“It was obviously the thief. Auntie, could it be you were hit so hard that you’ve become confused?”
Seeing Lin Xiazhi actually dare show herself, Wang Chuntao nearly spat out a mouthful of blood.
Her eyes bulged with hatred, as if she wanted to devour her alive.
“Bullshit! There wasn’t any thief! You’re the one who did it! And now you refuse to admit it?!”
Lin Xiazhi immediately shrank back behind Liu Juan again, wiping tears from the corners of her eyes.
“You say I hit you… Do you have any evidence? Any witnesses? I’ve always been obedient and grateful to the Chen family for raising me. Why would I ever repay kindness with betrayal? Auntie, falsely accusing me like this… it really hurts.”
“…”
For a moment, Wang Chuntao couldn’t adjust to Lin Xiazhi suddenly becoming meek and pitiful again.
Yet the image of Lin Xiazhi’s cold smile just before she had blacked out remained vivid in her mind.
At that moment, Zhao Xiaomei returned after inspecting the house.
“I’ve checked inside. Everything’s been turned upside down. A thief definitely broke in.”
“You’re lying!”
Ignoring the pain, Wang Chuntao struggled to her feet and rushed into the house.
“AHHH!”
A moment later, a despairing scream echoed from inside.
She staggered back out, her broken arms swinging helplessly.
“My silver! My jewelry! Catch the thief! Somebody catch the thief!”
The corners of Lin Xiazhi’s lips curled upward.
“No!”
“There wasn’t any thief!”
Wang Chuntao quickly pieced everything together.
She forced herself to calm down.
Marching straight toward Liu Juan, she rammed her aside with her shoulder and fixed Lin Xiazhi with a venomous glare.
“It was you! You stole my silver and jewelry! I’ll tear you into pieces!”
She lunged to grab Lin Xiazhi’s throat.
But both of her arms hung uselessly, refusing to obey her.
Enraged, she lifted a foot to kick instead.
Liu Juan quickly stepped in from the side, pulling Lin Xiazhi away just in time.
The kick hit nothing but air.
Wang Chuntao panted heavily with rage.
She looked as though she wanted to chew Lin Xiazhi to pieces.
Afraid she might attack again, Liu Juan subtly positioned herself between them.
“Calm down. Why are you getting so worked up? At least let Girl Lin explain herself.”
“I didn’t… I really didn’t take your money…”
Lin Xiazhi trembled from head to toe.
She looked so pitiful that anyone who saw her would instinctively want to protect her.
Wang Chuntao spat as she shouted.
“It had to be you!”
Liu Juan could no longer watch in silence.
She pointed at Lin Xiazhi.
“Look at her. She’s wearing nothing but ragged clothes. Where could she possibly hide your money? Sister Wang, you’ve truly wronged her.”
Wang Chuntao snorted.
“Maybe she hid it somewhere else!”
Liu Juan sighed patiently.
“Even though Girl Lin was sold to your family, she’s still Feicai’s future wife. One day she’ll bear you healthy grandchildren. You shouldn’t treat her like this.”
“Pah!”
Wang Chuntao sneered.
“My son is going to marry a noble young lady someday! How could a lowly servant girl ever be worthy of becoming my daughter-in-law?”
“The only thing she’s fit for is washing my real daughter-in-law’s feet and emptying my grandson’s chamber pot!”