“Run!” Yu Lian was the first to react, grabbing her daughter and dashing off, with Su Xinghui close behind.
But just ahead was Clear Water Creek, which cut across two villages—there was nowhere left to flee. Even if they went into the water, the dogs might swim even faster than them.
As the mad dog was about to catch up, Ling Xi gritted her teeth and, while Su Xinghui wasn’t paying attention, snatched the crow from his hand and released it.
She was grasping at straws—now that all the good luck had been set free, surely the bad luck couldn’t still land on her head?
To see her worrying about her catch at a time like this, Su Xinghui cursed viciously, but his feet never stopped, and he soon overtook Yu Lian and Ling Xi.
Ling Xi’s strength was already spent. She had just been about to shield Yu Lian and tell her to run when she found Yu Lian had already wrapped her tightly in her arms—she couldn’t break free at all.
The mad dog’s powerful hind legs launched it into the air as it pounced at mother and daughter, its bloodthirsty maw dripping disgusting saliva, its patchy, balding fur like a testament to its winning streak.
Yu Lian shut her eyes in terror, but her protective hold on her child never loosened in the slightest.
The pain she expected never came. Instead, the furious roar of the mad dog rang in her ears, and if one listened closely, it was mixed with cries of pain.
When she looked up again, the mad dog was standing a meter away, warily eyeing the sky. Blood was dripping steadily from its left eye, and it looked utterly wretched.
Facing off against it in midair was none other than the crow Ling Xi had just freed.
Only now did Ling Xi notice that, in these times of scarcity, the crow was surprisingly robust—as big as an eagle. Its broad wings spread wide, its feathers glossy black, its small eyes glinting, and its swooping movements were fierce and agile.
Its hard beak struck the mad dog, tearing away a chunk of flesh dripping with blood—a thoroughly satisfying sight.
After a few rounds, the mad dog had completely lost its earlier ferocity. With a whimper and its tail between its legs, it fled in panic.
Yu Lian breathed a sigh of relief, only to see the crow flying toward them. She immediately shielded her daughter again, swallowing nervously.
But the crow did not attack as she had imagined. Instead, it circled above them twice before spreading its wings and flying away, almost as if saying farewell.
Ling Xi, moved by some feeling, waved at it, then looked disdainfully at Cai Yu, who had been so frightened by the mad dog that she couldn’t keep her eyes open. “Look at that. Your courage doesn’t even match that of a common bird.”
“I—I’m a beautiful immortal bird! I would never be so crude!” Cai Yu pouted in protest.
Ling Xi rolled her eyes, too lazy to bother with such a spineless creature.
Not far away, the men who had been finishing up the autumn harvest were getting off work. Su Changhe came to the village entrance to meet his wife and daughter. Seeing how shaken mother and daughter looked, he asked anxiously, “Lian’er, what happened? What’s going on?”
Yu Lian’s legs were still trembling. Leaning on him, she recounted what had just happened. Su Changhe exclaimed, “All things have spirits. Xiao Xi did the right thing!”
The family of three walked off arm in arm, looking warm and content.
Su Xinghui watched from far behind, feeling terribly bitter inside.
It was Wang Guiqiu’s turn to cook that day, so Ling Xi and the others went back to the second household to rest for a while, only going to Old Mrs. Su’s room for the meal once Yu Lian’s legs had stopped shaking.
Before they could even steady themselves, Old Mrs. Su’s scolding rang out: “All the birds Huihui caught, and you let them go! And you still have the nerve to eat!”
Glancing at Su Xinghui, Ling Xi saw her put on an act and say, “I’m sorry, Xiaoxi. I—I couldn’t keep it a secret.”
Ling Xi sneered. “What’s there to hide? Yes, I set it free. So what?”
“You still have the nerve to say that! You little home-wrecker, have you no shame? Taking meat instead of giving it to your brother, snatching your sister’s things—how did the Su family ever end up with a thing like you!” Old Mrs. Su wailed and howled. “Su Wangmin, oh Su Wangmin, open your eyes and see what kind of life I’m living! My son is unfilial, and the little menace he raised is a debt-collecting demon too!”
Su Wangmin was Ling Xi’s grandfather, whom she had never met. Every time Old Mrs. Su wanted to take advantage of the second branch, she would drag him out for a spin—she certainly knew how to get full use out of him.
“Mother, if you have something to say, just say it. Let Father rest in peace.” Su Changhe’s filial devotion had long been worn away by Old Mrs. Su’s repeated favoritism and bloodsucking. His cold indifference was both heartbreaking and unsettling.
Old Mrs. Su stopped her fake wailing and declared shamelessly, “Don’t talk as if I play favorites! If anyone’s to blame, it’s your daughter for letting Huihui’s bird go!”
Su Changhe stared at her blankly, saying nothing.
“Winter’s coming soon. Xingchen goes to school in the county, and the trip back and forth is slow and cold. Don’t you happen to have a bicycle coupon? Your mother was thinking of buying a bicycle for your nephew.” Old Mrs. Su cleared her throat awkwardly. “Consider it a loan from the third branch. We’ll pay you back once Xingchen gets into the steel factory and starts earning!”
Ling Xi was angered into laughter by the shamelessness of Old Mrs. Su and the third branch. She set down her chopsticks. “Fine, it was wrong of me to let Second Sister’s bird go. How about this—I’ll go catch another one just like it to give back to her. As for the bicycle coupon, don’t even think about it. It was given to me by a soldier comrade. If he found out I passed it on to someone else, what would he think of our Su family and of Eldest Brother?”
Old Mrs. Su was annoyed at the very sight of her, and hearing her refusal made her feel her authority as head of the family was being challenged. Yet she had to admit Ling Xi had a point.
Pulling a long face, she slapped her chopsticks down on the table. “I can see you don’t treat Xingchen like a brother at all! Fine—you want to catch a bird? Go! And don’t come back until you catch one!”
The bicycle matter was thus dropped, but Wang Guiqiu was naturally displeased. “Mother, what are you saying? What does this have to do with the bird? This—”
“Eat your food! Stop making trouble for your mother!” Old Mrs. Su had her own calculations.
Her eldest grandson’s future job would depend on the soldier comrade pulling strings, so caution was the better part of valor. If that connection fell through, Sanya’s side might still be of some help. Neither side could be offended.
Ling Xi set down her chopsticks. “All right then, Grandma, I’ll go catch a crow right now.”
With that, she started to leave.
Old Mrs. Su’s eyes bulged. “What crow?”
“Second Sister caught a crow just now. Didn’t you know, Grandma?” Ling Xi gave a brilliant smile, so dazzling it sent a chill down Su Xinghui’s spine. “Second Sister, why didn’t you tell Grandma?”
“You caught a crow?” Old Mrs. Su looked at Su Xinghui as if she’d been frightened silly, her voice shooting up. “And you wanted to eat it?!”
As a young person of the new generation, long free of feudal superstition, Su Xinghui had no beliefs and feared no ghosts or gods, and couldn’t understand why the old woman was so worked up. In her view, resources were so scarce these days that having meat to eat at all was good fortune—who cared what kind of meat it was?
“Yes, that crow looked nice and plump, so I wanted to bring it back for Xingyu to eat…”
Before the old woman could even react, Wang Guiqiu could no longer sit still. “You still want to give it to Xingyu to eat? I feed you and clothe you, and you ungrateful wretch still want to harm my Xingyu? How can you be so heartless!”
Old Mrs. Su was so furious she nearly flipped the table over. Smacking Su Xinghui on the head with her chopsticks while cursing her, she hit her so hard her eyes reddened.
Su Xinghui said through tears, “Grandma, I was doing it for the good of our family!”
“For the good of nothing!”
Su Xinghui felt terribly wronged, but when she looked up, she found Ling Xi watching her with a smile. For no discernible reason, a chill ran through her from head to toe.
Having dealt with the female lead, Ling Xi was in an excellent mood. Ignoring the chaos around her, she took a few casual bites of food and went back to her room to nap.
She was truly exhausted, but fortunately, she had changed Yu Lian’s fate.
She slept deeply, unaware that on the branch of a poplar tree directly facing the second household’s window, a jet-black, sturdy crow sat quietly perched, its eyes bright and alert…