The moment Zhaozhao stepped into the courtyard gate, a shoe carrying a sour stench flew over.
Zhaozhao did not dare dodge. She could only shrink her little head, close her eyes, and take the blow. Then, she cautiously raised her head and timidly looked toward the young woman sitting at the entrance of the main room. Her palm-sized little face was filled with alarm as she spoke softly, “Mother…”
The woman’s face was gloomy as she pointed at the shoe that had flown over, “Bring the shoe here.”
Zhaozhao hurriedly crouched down, cupped the shoe in both hands, and ran over to Madam Zheng. Madam Zheng snatched the shoe away in one motion, then struck her all over with it, “You still dare to call me Mother? You wretched girl, slacking off again. I told you to gather firewood, and you took until now, yet there isn’t even much firewood. You’ve got a cheap hide. You don’t feel comfortable if you aren’t beaten for a day. I think you’re deliberately trying to anger me.”
“Mother, I, I wasn’t slacking off. I fell down. I couldn’t get back up, so, so…” She had not eaten anything all day. She had no strength after falling, and with the firewood pressing down on her, she pushed for a long time before she finally managed to push it away.
“You still dare talk back? You’ve learned to make excuses, have you?” The force of the shoe striking her body became heavier.
Zhaozhao instantly did not dare speak again. She could only use both hands to protect her head, her tiny body shrinking slightly as she silently endured each blow that was heavier than the last, forcing back her tears.
It’s okay. It’s fine. She’s already used to it. As long as Mother gets this anger out, it’ll be fine. It’s okay, it’s okay. Zhaozhao just has to endure it for a little while, and it’ll pass. Zhaozhao doesn’t hurt. It doesn’t hurt at all.
Sure enough, after a while, Madam Zheng stopped, panting heavily. She fiercely exhaled a breath and put the shoe back on.
However, before Zhaozhao could breathe a sigh of relief, a head suddenly poked over the wall of the neighboring courtyard. A man in his twenties sloppily leaned against the wall, eating melon seeds, and said with a grin, “Sister-in-law, beating the child again? Why did you stop already? Sister-in-law, you’re no good. You’re out of strength after just a few hits. If you ask me, you shouldn’t use the sole of a shoe. There’s a stick over there. Use that to beat her. It won’t take much effort, and it hurts.”
When Zhaozhao heard this, her body could not stop trembling.
Madam Zheng looked up at the man, her expression extremely unpleasant, “Mind your own business when it comes to our family. Don’t lie over the wall and stare at my house like a thief. What the hell does it have to do with you how I discipline my child?”
Seeing this third son of the Jiang family made her angry. He was always lying over the wall all day long, and he had to know about even the slightest movement in her household. He was irritating her to death.
“Sister-in-law, you really don’t know a good heart when you see one. I reminded you, and you still blame me.” Third Brother Jiang snorted twice, then looked darkly at Zhaozhao a couple of times, “People say mischief-makers live for a thousand years[1]祸害遗千年 (huò hài yí qiān nián) – literally, “a scourge leaves behind a thousand years.” It means that bad or troublesome people are said to have unusually long lives. jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3335510_1_1').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3335510_1_1', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });. This little jinx is tough as nails. You can’t beat her to death.”
“Get lost. I’m telling you, Third Brother Jiang, if you spit melon seed shells into my courtyard, I won’t let you off.” As she spoke, Madam Zheng picked up a small stone from the ground and threw it toward him.
Third Brother Jiang hurriedly withdrew his neck and climbed down from the wall.
Only then did Madam Zheng turn her gaze away. When she turned around and saw Zhaozhao, she kicked her over with one foot and spat, “Useless thing. Hurry up, sweep the courtyard and clean it up. Also, you’re not allowed to eat tonight. Wretched girl, keeping you alive is just a waste of food.”
Zhaozhao fell onto the ground. The skin on her little hands was scraped open, and blood seeped out. The pain made her whole body flinch.
She did not dare argue back. She lowered her little head, unable to control the tears as they plop, plop fell down.
After Madam Zheng entered the kitchen, Zhaozhao cautiously sat up and gently blew on the wound on her hand. She did not have much time to feel sad. Enduring the pain, she got up and prepared to fetch the broom from the corner.
Who knew that just after she stood up, a strange and unfamiliar voice suddenly sounded in her head, “System energy accumulation complete. Preparing to reboot. Estimated time required: two hours…”
Chaochao widened her eyes and looked left and right. There was not a single person around.
Why is there a voice? She clearly heard it, but there isn’t anyone beside her at all. Who is speaking?
She could not help rubbing her head, but that voice disappeared again. She suddenly remembered the old grandpa at the east entrance of the village who was always muttering strangely. The villagers said there was something wrong with his mind, that he often heard things that were not there, and that after a long time, he went crazy.
Could it be… she also started hearing things because she was beaten just now? Does that mean she is about to go crazy too?
Zhaozhao was extremely frightened inside. Her little hand trembled as she touched her head again, and her gaze instinctively turned toward the kitchen. She wanted to ask Madam Zheng what she should do.
However, just as she turned her head, Madam Zheng’s cursing voice came over, “Wretched girl, what are you still standing there for? Believe it or not, I’ll beat you to death?”
Zhaozhao did not dare delay any longer. She also had no time to care about the strange voice in her head. She hurriedly grabbed the broom that was much taller than she was and laboriously began sweeping the courtyard.
When she swept to the base of the wall, a handful of melon seed shells suddenly scattered down from the top of the neighboring wall, all of them landing on her hair.
Zhaozhao’s movements paused. She silently patted the melon seed shells off the top of her head, pressed her lips tightly together, and continued sweeping.
Loud laughter, “Hahaha,” came from the other side of the wall.
Chaochao pretended she did not hear it and continued silently doing her own things.
After sweeping the ground, she gathered the baskets and frames scattered around the courtyard and put them in the corner. She took in the clothes hanging on the pole, drove the chickens and ducks wandering around the courtyard back into the chicken pen, and chopped up the pigweed to feed the pigs…
The tiny figure busily worked without daring to stop for even a moment, until the sky gradually grew darker.
A faint smell of meat drifted over from the kitchen. Madam Zheng, Hu Laifu, and their son Hu Baodun were eating dinner. The family of three chatted and laughed together, and the sounds of slurp, slurp could also be heard.
Little Zhaozhao looked over there and could not help swallowing. Her stomach began gurgling and gurgling. She quickly withdrew her gaze, ran to the water vat, and scooped up a ladleful of water. The cold water went down her stomach, and she suddenly shuddered. She began drinking in tiny mouthfuls, only daring to swallow once the water in her mouth had warmed up. Although it was cold, at least she managed to fill her stomach with water, which made her feel a little better.
After wiping her mouth, Zhaozhao did not even have time to rest before Madam Zheng called for her, “Wretched girl, hurry in and wash the dishes.”
Zhaozhao entered the kitchen. There was not even a drop of vegetable soup left on the dining table.
There was hot water in the pot, but that was for Madam Zheng and the others to wash their feet. Zhaozhao could only use cold water to wash the dishes. She squatted on the ground and blew two breaths into her palms. The moment her slightly red and swollen hands were put into the cold water, she could not help curling them up.
As soon as she finished washing the dishes, Madam Zheng called for her again to bring hot water for Hu Baodun to wash his feet.
Zhaozhao stood on a little stool and mixed some hot water from the pot. Only at this moment did she feel a little warmer.
She was somewhat reluctant to give up this feeling, but she did not dare delay. Carrying the foot-washing water, she walked toward the main room.
Hu Baodun was three years older than Zhaozhao. At this moment, he sat on a little stool and looked at her impatiently. When Zhaozhao took off his shoes and socks and put his feet into the foot basin, he immediately stomped hard in the water twice. Only after seeing Zhaozhao splashed all over the face did he burst into laughter, “You’re so slow, you wretched girl. You really need to be taught a lesson. You’re my child bride, so you have to learn from a young age how to serve me. If you’re this slow next time, I’ll push your head into the water and make you drink my foot-washing water.”
The two hours were up, and the system that had just rebooted was very excited. After all, it had been shut down for two years ever since it bound itself to its host. Now that it had finally accumulated enough energy to reboot, it was just preparing to have a good chat with its little host when, before it could even speak, it heard such an insulting remark and immediately froze.
Who is this ah? Where did this little punk come from, daring to talk to a child like this? What era is this? There are still child brides? Where did all that education in morality, intelligence, physical fitness, aesthetics, and labor go? Did they study it into a dog’s stomach…
Hmm? Wait, wait. Something seems a little off.
The system finally realized belatedly that something seemed to have gone wrong. The person in front of it! Why! Is she an ancient person?!
The host it urgently bound before shutting down was clearly a modern person. It shouldn’t have, shouldn’t have remembered that wrong, right?
Also, its host was clearly supposed to be delicate and round like a carved jade doll, but the one in front of it was skinny as a stick, with a bloodless face. The clothes on her body were tattered and extremely thin, and her toes were exposed, still carrying scabs of dried blood. In such cold weather, her entire little body was trembling from the cold.
What happened? What exactly happened during the two years it was shut down?
The system had no time to worry about anything else and hurriedly went to investigate the cause.
It did not make a sound, so naturally Zhaozhao did not know that the strange voice in her head almost sounded again just now. At this moment, after she finished washing Hu Baodun’s feet, she carried the water out.
After the three members of the Hu family finished washing up, they returned to their room to prepare for sleep. Zhaozhao, however, still had to clean up the kitchen and neatly stack the firewood behind the stove.
Afterward, she washed her face and feet with cold water herself. By the time she finished everything, it was already pitch-black outside.
Zhaozhao did not have a room. She could only sleep in the woodshed. Cold wind came in from all four sides of the woodshed, and it could not block the chill at all.
She did not have a bed either. There were only two thin wooden boards joined together, with straw spread over them.
After being busy all day, Zhaozhao could finally rest.
She breathed out, lay down on the straw, then covered herself with a thin, worn-out sheet, and spread two more layers of straw over the sheet. Only this way could she avoid freezing to death during the night.
But even so, she still trembled all over as she lay down to sleep.
And at this very moment, the system, which now knew the entire cause and effect, looked at its little host curled up into a ball, and its entire system-being was about to crack apart!
After being away for two years, I, Hu Hansan[2]胡汉三 (Hú Hànsān) – a character from the novel 《红岩》 (Red Crag) and later a familiar humorous expression meaning someone has returned after a long absence, often with a triumphant … Continue reading jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3335510_1_2').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3335510_1_2', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });, am back again.
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