“Am I talking nonsense? I took Xiaomei to see Aunt Hao, the fortune teller, before, and she figured it all out. The baby in Xiaomei’s belly was perfectly fine at first, but because of you — this jinx who brings disaster to your mother and father — the child almost died because of your bad luck.”
Actually, she had only learned these things earlier after asking Xiaomei about them. If she hadn’t asked, she would never have known. But it turned out this Li Zude really had brought plenty of misfortune ever since he was born.
“At first I didn’t believe it either, but Aunt Hao described everything about your family so accurately that I had no choice but to believe her. She said you’re a White Tiger Star, born specifically to take the Li family’s lives. You won’t die until every member of the Li clan has been cursed to death by you, and only then will you bleed from all seven orifices and be reborn into another life.”
“Didn’t your mother die giving birth to you? Wasn’t your father’s leg broken when he climbed a tree to pick fruit for you when you were seven? And didn’t your third sister die saving you after you fell into the river while playing? Dare you say any of that isn’t true? You’re a curse on your entire family. Sooner or later, the whole Li family will be wiped out because of you.”
Wow!
That was truly explosive gossip. Judging from Li Zude’s expression, he couldn’t refute a single word. It seemed everything this woman said was true.
“The child in Xiaomei’s belly almost died because of your curse. I begged Aunt Hao to save the baby, and only then was its life barely preserved.
“The fortune teller also said that your Li family is destined to die out. Even women who marry into your family, or families who marry your daughters, will be implicated too. At best they’ll lose money; at worst they’ll lose their lives.”
“And Aunt Hao calculated that Xiaomei’s fate clashes with the Li family. Not only will she speed up your family’s destruction, but she herself could also lose her life.”
“Come with me to Li Village and get this divorce done. I don’t want my family harmed because of your Li family. And you, Li Zude, stop ruining my daughter’s life. Divorce her right now!”
Qin Sui’an grabbed Li Zude by the collar, trying to drag him toward Li Village.
“What kind of crazy nonsense are you spouting?! Keep talking like that and I’ll beat you to death, you lunatic!” Li Zude struggled to break free, but Qin Sui’an was surprisingly strong, and he couldn’t shake her off.
“My friend, some things are better not ignored,” Xie Kaihua stepped in at the right moment, trying to smooth things over. “Aunt Hao is famous far and wide. She really does have some ability. Whether it’s true or not, why don’t you ask your father about it?”
“And ma’am, don’t be too angry. I’m sure this young man didn’t mean to harm your family on purpose. Everyone should calm down and talk things out. It’s better to settle grudges than deepen them.”
“I’m scared! How did I ever let my daughter marry such a person? He nearly got her killed! My poor daughter! It’s all my fault! Less than a year after marrying into the Li family, she gets beaten and starved every day, and now she’s nearly lost her life too! Someone save my daughter!”
Qin Sui’an let go of Li Zude, sat down on the ground, and burst into tears while clutching her head. Gone was the fierce woman from moments ago — now she looked like nothing more than a pitiful mother.
Li Zude still wanted to save face, but seeing Qin Sui’an crying so miserably, the bystanders began persuading him too.
“Young man, if this really happened, shouldn’t you hurry and find a way to resolve it? Maybe Aunt Hao has a solution. This isn’t something to joke about,” one older woman said, clearly someone who believed in such things and couldn’t help meddling a little.
Of course, Li Zude didn’t believe them so easily.
A bunch of ignorant fools! If he were really such a terrible curse, he’d curse everyone present to death!
But since no one was on his side, he could only retreat for now.
Wang Xiaomei wanted to divorce him?
Dream on!
After Li Zude left, Xie Kaihua helped Qin Sui’an to her feet, picked up the carrying pole from the ground, and comforted her with a few words.
When no one was looking, Qin Sui’an winked at her.
Xie Kaihua immediately understood, suppressing a laugh as she patted Qin Sui’an on the shoulder.
“You should’ve told me beforehand. I could’ve played along even better.”
“But this way felt more natural. Thanks, Sister Xie. Oh right, while I’m here — tomorrow I want twenty jin of potatoes, twenty jin of peanuts, five jin of eggplants, five jin of spinach, plus several jin each of scallions, ginger, and garlic.”
“Sure thing. I’ll have them delivered tomorrow morning,” Xie Kaihua said, making a note of it.
As for her vegetable-selling business, Old Zhang hadn’t objected much. Once she said it would help pay off their debts sooner, he stopped complaining. Now she was highly motivated.
“Alright then, thanks for the trouble. I still need to go inside and buy a few things.”
Qin Sui’an tidied her slightly messy hair and clothes before heading into the farmers’ market.
She wandered around the market, mainly buying vegetables and dried ingredients for cold dishes, along with seasonings and spices — sesame seeds, star anise, Sichuan peppercorns, cinnamon, and more.