When she went up the mountain to pick fruit, it wasn’t as if she hadn’t heard of people in the mountains being killed by wild beasts—she had even seen with her own eyes corpses torn apart by them.
She had thought more than once that if the man who had abused her were torn apart by wild beasts, that would be just.
The boy nodded vigorously.
He didn’t know where this sister had come from, why she had come here, or why she wanted to get close to him. He only knew that if what she suggested could actually happen, it would be perfect.
Yun Shang took a black bead from her sleeve. She quietly gave a few instructions and then returned to her own room, waiting silently.
In truth, she was just making something happen a few years earlier than it would naturally. The boy would grow up eventually, and that middle-aged man would also age. Why assume the boy wouldn’t seek revenge?
That same night, Wang Mazi’s house experienced a calamity. The villagers only knew that Wang Mazi seemed to have gone mad, repeatedly ramming his head against the wall. Even after his head was split open and bleeding, he didn’t stop.
Foaming at the mouth, he spoke nonsense, and seeing him like this, no one dared approach. Eventually, he bled out and died—it looked horrifying.
Only after he was dead did the villagers dare to take a closer look—and saw that the household meals had been made from a diseased chicken. He likely went mad because of it.
The death of a single person wasn’t much of a concern, but everyone knew that Wang Mazi had brought a child home from outside years ago. Now that he was dead, who would raise the child?
The boy sat alone in the house, covering his ears, trying not to hear the disgusting sounds around him.
When Yun Shang handed him the black bead, he didn’t hesitate at all and put it into the chicken soup.
He trusted that his sister wouldn’t lie to him, and he believed he had done nothing wrong. In fact, watching the man who had abused him for so many years go mad, ramming his head until it split open, actually gave him a sense of satisfaction.
The villagers gathered in small groups, pointing at Wang Mazi’s corpse.
“Wasn’t it just your own greed? This chicken was diseased and you still dared to eat it! Now look what’s happened. And this little bastard left behind, who will raise him?”
“You little brat! Your father ate a sick chicken and didn’t stop it—now this happened. You deserve to fend for yourself from now on!”
“Exactly! This little brat is really cruel!”
The boy merely blinked coldly at their comments.
Wang Mazi had never been his real father.
His true father held a high position—probably still living in luxury in the capital—so how could he remember his deceased mother or him suffering here?
“What’s going on?”
Yun Shang pretended to be surprised. When the men saw her, their eyes lit up immediately, and they instinctively wanted to approach.
Yun Shang quickly stepped back a few paces in disgust, covering her mouth and nose—she really couldn’t stand the smell of blood.
“I see this little brother is so pitiful. With no adults left in the house, why not come with me? I’ll take care of him.”
“Wonderful, the girl is truly kind!”
The villagers were eager for someone to say something like that—they were more than satisfied. After all, it wasn’t their problem.
Hearing Yun Shang’s voice, the boy cautiously peeked outside the door. In the muddy, messy ground stood a gentle sister. Everything felt unreal to him.
Yun Shang held the boy’s hand and led him into her room, ignoring the disgusting stares from behind.
The villagers didn’t believe that a young girl with a child could manage on their own, let alone live in a house that had been abandoned after someone died.
Where would they get food? Where would they get clothes?
Over time, the villagers grew increasingly wary of Yun Shang. Everyone could sense that such a beautiful woman appearing here was abnormal.
Moreover, whenever a few dared to get close, accidents would happen—they would suddenly tumble down the mountain and injure themselves, or they would feel the boy’s gaze was unnervingly piercing. Gradually, no one dared approach.
“Ah Du, have you put on some weight recently?”
Yun Shang held Ah Du’s hand and looked him over. Since being under her care, the boy had grown healthier. Thanks to the system providing food and medicine, he was thriving.
Ah Du was the name she had given him, hoping that with her around, he could survive the sea of suffering and that the world wouldn’t remain so broken.
“Mm!”
Ah Du blinked, his eyes curious. He still felt as if all this were a beautiful dream. Being with such a gentle sister, not having to face past beatings and humiliation—he felt truly happy.
But even though he was young, he could sense that they were not completely safe here.
“Wow, the little hero is so obedient and cute!”
The system covered its face, pink hearts gleaming in its eyes.
“Luckily, we appeared early. This age is crucial for forming values—he needs as much kindness as possible.”
Yun Shang gently pinched Ah Du’s cheek.
For more than half a month, things had been relatively peaceful. A young girl living alone with a child could easily draw ill intentions from others.
After suffering a few setbacks, people became cautious. But as time passed, some grew bolder.
One day, Yun Shang took Ah Du up the mountain to pick fruit. Coincidentally, they ran into children from the village, all mischievous boys of the same age.
Seeing Ah Du, the children, without caring if Yun Shang was nearby, picked up stones from the ground and threw them at him.
They were used to doing this—everyone knew that in the past, Wang Mazi’s child was the easiest to bully.
Stones hit Ah Du hard, but he squatted to pick one up and threw it back.
Recently, under Yun Shang’s care, he had grown stronger. He hit a child on the head with a stone, immediately causing a large bump.
The children realized Ah Du was not to be trifled with and immediately ran to fetch adults.
Yun Shang watched their retreating backs with a grave expression. She had been worrying about how the story of the world would unfold—and now a perfect opportunity had arisen.
Wang Mazi had originally been scheduled to die three years later, but now his death had been brought forward. She did not want to live in this disgusting village with Ah Du.
Children playing roughly was nothing significant—but when a beautiful young woman was mentioned, everyone’s restraint vanished—or perhaps, they had long since lost it.