23
He Erlang crashed straight to the ground, clutching his shin and wailing in agony.
Dahei let his companions out of the pigsty and led his little gang charging over to bite He Erlang’s face.
Mrs. Li, still unaware that He Erlang’s leg had been snapped with a single kick, was momentarily stunned after her lunge missed. When she saw a bunch of young animal cubs daring to act high and mighty over them, she exploded with rage. She charged at the wild boar piglets, swinging her arms. “Scram! You bunch of beasts! All of you, scram!”
The wild boar piglets weren’t afraid of Mrs. Li in the least. Instead of scattering, they bit onto Mrs. Li’s sleeves, tearing and tugging.
Dahuang was raring to join in, but He Tian stepped on his tail.
Dahuang was different from the wild boar piglets. He was a fierce animal, and bigger. At over two months old, he was already capable of hunting small prey. If he pounced, there was a high chance he wouldn’t be able to control his force.
Dahuang looked at He Tian with confusion, then obediently stayed by her side.
But there were other cubs at home.
Dami leaped over, let out a meow, and swiped her soft little paw right across Mrs. Li’s face. Though she had just reached one month old, her claws were still very sharp. In one go, she left several bloody scratches. Mrs. Li let out a shriek, not even realizing what had hit her, as she fell to the ground, covering her face and dodging frantically.
“Get off! Get off me! Get off—!”
Xiaohui hopped over and started chewing on her hair, pulling and tugging with all his might.
Mrs. Li, tormented by the few piglets, was hitting and rolling around, all to no avail. She had only made a fool of herself.
“Hahaha…”
Watching Mrs. Li being pulled around on the ground by a handful of not-so-big wild boar piglets, a kitten, and a rabbit, the onlookers burst into laughter.
Not a single person stepped forward to help—why would they? The wild boar piglets were tiny; they hadn’t even broken the skin. They were just tearing at her clothes and hair. What was the harm?
“Get off! Get off!”
He Erlang and Mrs. Li’s eldest son, He Jin, came charging in from outside with a broom, swatting at the wild boar piglets and the rabbit. “How dare you bite my mother? I’ll beat you little beasts to death!”
The animal cubs were still small and couldn’t withstand the broom. They retreated one after another, pulling back to He Tian’s side, forming a circle and glaring warily at the family of three.
Dami, being nimble, had already climbed up He Tian’s pants leg and onto her shoulder.
Seeing his parents humiliated in public, He Jin’s anger flared. He shouted at He Tian, “You worthless girl! My mother said that everything in the He family will be mine someday. Even after you marry, this house will still be mine. And I’ll kick your good-for-nothing mother out too!”
Hearing He Jin’s words, the onlookers stopped laughing. They exchanged glances, their expressions turning grim.
What a thing to say…
Even if that was what the family was scheming behind closed doors, how could he just say it out loud like that?
Wasn’t that practically a confession? The whole family was eyeing the widow and orphan, looking to take advantage and devour the inheritance!
He Tian’s previously calm face took on a hint of murderous intent.
Such venom at such a young age, his very existence was polluting the air.
Mrs. Li also realized that her son had blurted out something that should have stayed behind closed doors. She quickly covered his mouth to stop him from talking nonsense.
But He Jin, at eleven years old, was at an age of strong pride and impulsiveness. He pushed aside Mrs. Li’s hand and swung the broom, charging at He Tian.
She had bullied his parents, he was going to beat her to death!
He Tian treated him equally and gave him a kick as well.
And then He Jin, like his father, crumpled to the ground, clutching his shin and rolling around.
Unfortunately, he wasn’t as tough as his father. He Erlang could still wail, but He Jin could only clutch his shin, unable to make a sound.
Only then did Mrs. Li realize something was wrong. She rushed to check on her son. One look and her face changed completely.
Broken!
His leg was broken!
She was about to burst into wails when something occurred to her. She hurried to check on He Erlang.
He Erlang’s leg was broken too—
Mrs. Li slapped both hands on the ground and began crying out to the heavens, “Murder! Murder! Is there no law anymore? How can anyone be so vicious as to break both her own uncle’s and her cousin’s legs?”
Broken legs?
Only then did the gathered villagers understand why He Erlang had been clutching his shin and screaming so pitifully. They had originally thought he was either too pathetic or trying to frame his teenage niece.
Now, as they looked at He Tian, their expressions shifted.
Some were surprised, some admiring, though a few disapproved, feeling she shouldn’t have been so harsh.
“Your family of three came to my house, bullied my mother, and ganged up to attack me. I defended myself, what did I do wrong? The only mistake is that you three are too weak and got beaten back by me. And now you want to play the victim and accuse me first?”
He Tian really thought Mrs. Li’s brain was seriously flawed. Did she think crying louder and playing the victim would twist the truth?
She stepped forward, pointing the bone-cleaver at Mrs. Li. “Wail one more time, and I’ll cut your tongue out.”
The wailing was getting on her nerves.
With her husband and son both having their legs broken by a kick, Mrs. Li couldn’t swallow her anger. Her family was injured—no matter what, justice had to be served. But meeting He Tian’s gaze, which looked at her like she was already dead, she shivered inexplicably and dared not wail any further.
“Neighbors, you be the judge,” He Tian turned to the onlookers. “If someone broke into your home, bullied your parents, and tried to beat you, wouldn’t you fight back?”
“Of course, I’d fight back! If someone dares come to my house and bully my parents and hit me, I’d take a blade and chop them down!”
“If they come to your door and bully you in your own home, why hold back? If you can beat them, you beat them. If you can’t, you fight to the death anyway!”
“Exactly!”
“It was your family that went too far in the first place. You just didn’t have the skill and got beaten back. Now you’re crying about being wronged? If anything, not chopping you down on the spot shows plenty of family feeling!”
“Yes, yes…”
He Erlang and Mrs. Li were already unpopular. And today, no one would have shown their family much courtesy, regardless.
Even a cornered rabbit bites, let alone a living person.
Seeing everyone siding with He Tian and criticizing her, Mrs. Li was both anxious and furious.
Their family had two broken legs!
How could this be?
The matter had escalated. Someone had gone to fetch the village head.
On his way there, the village head had already heard the full story. In the spirit of fairness, after arriving, he separately asked both sides what had happened.
Although Mrs. Li had embellished quite a bit, there were many witnesses. Moreover, the incident had taken place at He Da’s house. Had they invited you to come to their yard and hit you? Their family had come as a group of three, while the other household had only one frail young girl capable of fighting.
“You provoked the trouble, bullied them first, used your superior numbers against a weaker party, and struck first. Having your legs broken serves you right. Go home and tend to them yourselves.” The village head was quite fair.
Still, he did offer He Tian a word of advice: “Try not to be so impulsive. You’re young, and your father is gone. If something really happens, there’s no one to protect you.”
What happened today took place in the village, where everyone knew each other and so many people were watching. But if something like this happened outside, or if she kicked someone she shouldn’t have, she could end up in serious trouble.
Although He Tian didn’t agree with the village head’s remark that “there’s no one to protect you”—she could protect herself and those around her, she appreciated his good intentions and thanked him sincerely.
The village head, in his early forties, waved his hand and told her not to be so polite. Then he frowned at the family of three and said, “Go back to your own house. If you come to their home again looking for trouble and get yourselves killed, you’ll deserve it. Even if you go to the authorities, do you think the yamen will care?”
Mrs. Li was somewhat afraid of the village head. Though resentful, she didn’t dare argue with him and risk angering the crowd. She just lowered her head, pretending she understood her mistake.
He Erlang and He Jin, father and son, both had broken legs and were in the worst of the pain. They couldn’t walk at all, and Mrs. Li couldn’t carry both of them by herself. So, she went home, dragged back a cart, loaded the two of them onto it, and pulled them away.
“Tiantian,” someone in the crowd suddenly asked He Tian as Mrs. Li was pulling the cart out of the yard, “the two taels of pension money the court issued for your brother—you’ve collected it from the village head, haven’t you?”
The village head, who had stayed since he was already there, waiting for the matter to fully settle, frowned at these words.
He looked at He Tian, then at Mrs. Li, whose face had suddenly changed dramatically, and understood immediately.
He Tian looked toward the person who had spoken. “What pension money?”
She had no idea what they were talking about.
Afraid of a mistake, she even turned to ask Liu Erniang.
Liu Erniang didn’t know either.
The person, clearly familiar with the situation, said loudly, “It’s the pension the court gives to the families of fallen soldiers, two taels of silver. You collect it from the village head. You haven’t gone yet? Since the village head is right here, just ask him about it.”
Mrs. Li’s face went white. She hurriedly pushed the cart with He Erlang and He Jin, trying to flee.
“Mrs. Li, don’t leave just yet!” The village head directly called out to Mrs. Li, who was attempting to escape.
The others, now understanding the situation, casually stepped in front of the cart, blocking the way.
Seeing that they wouldn’t be able to run off, the village head said, “He Dong’s pension was already collected by He Erlang five days ago. He said his sister-in-law was gravely ill and his niece was young, so he was authorized to collect it on their behalf. He also said he needed the money to hire a doctor and buy medicine for his sister-in-law, so I let him take it.”
The money earned with her son’s life had been embezzled by He Erlang. Liu Erniang was utterly enraged. She stood up shakily, ready to lunge at He Erlang and Mrs. Li and fight them with everything she had.
“You already took everything we own, saying it was to repay funeral debts. I didn’t say a word. But now you’re stealing the money my son bought with his life? You black-hearted wretches! Aren’t you afraid of retribution?”
He Tian and Liu Erniang’s reactions made everything clear.
The villagers, who had already thought poorly of He Erlang and his wife, now wore even more contemptuous expressions.
So despicable.
But given Mrs. Li and He Erlang’s character, once that money was in their pockets, it would be very hard to get back out. Everyone could see how difficult He Tian and Liu Erniang’s situation was… It was truly tragic.
He Tian didn’t waste words arguing with Mrs. Li and the others. She set down her basket and the grass in the yard, grabbed her bone-cleaver, and strode over to Mrs. Li in a few steps. Before anyone could react, she pressed the already razor-sharp blade against Mrs. Li’s neck.
It happened so suddenly, mainly because no one expected He Tian to do this. Gasps erupted, and someone told He Tian not to be impulsive.
Breaking a leg and killing someone were very different things.
He Tian only looked at Mrs. Li, whose face had turned pale as she trembled uncontrollably. “That money my brother bought with his life if you want to steal it, then trade another life for it. Your life, He Erlang’s life, or your son He Jin’s life? You choose.”
Mrs. Li didn’t even dare tremble anymore. She could feel the cold, blood-stained blade pressing harder against her neck.
The approach of death made her make a choice almost instantly. “I’ll pay it back! I’ll pay it! I’ll pay it back right now!”
She had no doubt that He Tian would actually kill her.
She was terrified. Truly terrified.
A live tree is better than a dead stump—there will always be more firewood!
He Tian looked at her coldly. “Go home right now and get the money.”
Keeping her neck still, Mrs. Li nodded with small movements of her head. “Okay, o-okay, I’ll go get the money right now.”
She started to push the cart away, but He Tian reached out and stopped her. “Return the pension first, then take the cart.”
Mrs. Li didn’t dare say no. Her legs trembling, she stumbled and ran home.
Only when Mrs. Li, trembling with fear, hurried back holding a small piece of silver and a string of copper coins and handed them to He Tian did the crowd snap back from their shock.
That was it?
So fast?
Then they thought about it—against scoundrels like Mrs. Li and He Erlang, this really was the only effective method.
As vile as they were, they were afraid of death. If He Tian hadn’t understood them so well and struck directly at their weak spot, that two taels of silver could have been argued over endlessly.
Watching Mrs. Li hastily push the cart back home, the villagers couldn’t help feeling a sense of schadenfreude. The tables had finally turned on He Erlang and Mrs. Li. How satisfying.
As for He Tian’s transformation, the villagers rationalized it on their own—don’t bully honest people. When pushed too far, they will fight back, and with even greater ferocity.
Especially since He Tian had gone through such a tremendous family upheaval. It was only natural for her temperament to change. Honestly speaking, it was quite pitiful—a young girl forced to become like this.
With the matter settled, the village head said a few more words about maintaining neighborly harmony and minding one’s own business, then left.
Among the onlookers, some praised He Tian, others comforted her. They didn’t linger long and soon dispersed.
Only then did He Tian close the gate. She helped Liu Erniang, who was still struggling to breathe from anger, sit back down, and handed the pension money to her.
Sensing that something was wrong at home, the little cubs behaved perfectly, silently following behind He Tian.
Looking at the two taels of pension money in her hand—a mix of silver bits and copper coins—Liu Erniang’s tears fell.
She could no longer hold back. She burst into wails.
She cried for her husband, for her son, for herself, and for her daughter.
She didn’t even know who to blame.
All she could do was pour out her grievances and sorrow through tears.
He Tian didn’t try to comfort her. She just stood beside her, silently accompanying her.
Rong Yan, who had known nothing of He Tian’s family matters before, had now learned everything over the course of this while.
Though he had only been taken in less than two days, people are always moved by the purest and most sincere emotions. Rong Yan felt a touch of melancholy as well. Listening to Liu Erniang cry so bitterly, he wondered—after his death in his previous life, had anyone shed a single tear for him?
Thinking carefully, besides the palace attendants who had served him since childhood, there was no one else.
At the very least, none of his so-called “family” would have shed a tear.
In fact, even now, those same “family” members were sparing no expense to find him—so they could kill him.
He blinked. The corner of his mouth curled into a faint, self-deprecating smile.
Liu Erniang cried until she nearly fainted. He Tian half-supported, half-carried her back to the room to lie down and rest.
Just as she was about to leave after tucking in the covers, Liu Erniang grabbed her hand.
He Tian looked at her.
Liu Erniang’s tears were still flowing silently. She handed the two taels of pension money to He Tian, her voice low and hoarse with grief. “You keep it.”
He Tian was about to say no, that she could earn money.
But Liu Erniang had already closed her eyes. “Keep it. Your brother will be comforted if he knows.”
He Tian thought for a moment and finally accepted it.
She came out of the room with the cubs. The wind had picked up at some point, howling cold against her face. She looked at Rong Yan. “Are you okay?”
Rong Yan shook his head and studied her for a moment. Her emotions didn’t seem to have fluctuated much.
Even when they had been bullied like that, her emotions had barely changed.
Very calm.
So, calm it was almost frightening.
Rong Yan admitted to himself that even he, having lived two lives, couldn’t remain this calm.
“The wind is picking up. Let me help you inside,” He Tian said.
Rong Yan didn’t refuse.
After settling Rong Yan back in the corner of the kitchen, He Tian was about to head to the yard to tend to the Immortal Grass she had just cut from the mountain. Sure, He Erlang and Mrs. Li had been jumping around like pests in front of her, but they were gone now. She wasn’t going to let them affect her mood, she wanted to eat that grass jelly.
Letting two pests ruin your life and rhythm just wasn’t worth it.
Just as she was about to leave, Rong Yan reached out and grabbed her sleeve.
He Tian: “?”
She followed the pale, long-fingered hand clutching her sleeve up to Rong Yan’s face.
His expression was calm. He didn’t look like he was in any discomfort.
Could it be that he also had money to give her?
She raised an eyebrow slightly, but before she could ask, Rong Yan picked up a long branch beside him and wrote on the ground: “They won’t let this go. Be very careful.”
Having lived two lives, if he still couldn’t read people, those lives would have been wasted.
Especially since He Erlang and Mrs. Li were the easiest kind to read—pure, petty villains.
He had seen everything—their reactions, their son’s reaction. Even though they had been put in their place and temporarily backed down, they were not the type to swallow their anger.
It wasn’t the open acts of malice that were scary; it was the underhanded schemes.
After all, He Tian wasn’t very old, and there was a sickly, weak woman in the house.
If someone wanted to cause trouble, it would be very hard to defend against.
He had lost his life in his last life because he wasn’t on guard. In this life, even with his guard up, he had still narrowly escaped death. She had stood up for him today—even though she was really standing up for her own rights, he had still benefited. He felt it was better to remind her.
Looking at the elegant characters on the ground, He Tian’s eyes widened slightly. “You can read?”
Rong Yan’s hand holding the branch paused. Why was her focus so strange?
Then, as if suddenly realizing something, He Tian said, “Oh right, even though you can’t speak, your hand works now, so you can write to communicate. How could I forget to ask if you could read?”
Rong Yan: “…” She really was strange.
Seeing her about to veer off track, Rong Yan tapped the branch heavily on the words he had just written.
He Tian smiled. “I know.”
She knew exactly what kind of people He Erlang and Mrs. Li were.
They were just too pathetic to be worth much of her energy—especially not worth getting in the way of her eating something delicious.
Rong Yan’s eyes flickered. She said she knew?
“Then what are you going to do?” Rong Yan hesitated for a moment but still asked.
He Tian: “Nothing. Just deal with things as they come.” In the face of absolute strength, any scheme or trick was just foam.
There was something else she didn’t say—if He Erlang and Mrs. Li dared try anything again, she would not be lenient.
But one should never speak too deeply with someone you’ve just met. She didn’t need to say these things to Rong Yan.
Rong Yan didn’t agree with He Tian’s approach. When it came to people you knew bore you deep malice and would never change, you should take precautions early and prepare well. Otherwise, you could end up suffering greatly.
Just as he was about to continue writing to advise her, he heard her ask: “What’s your name? Where are you from? Should I report this to the authorities and have them send you home?”
His words of warning were blocked by the barrage of questions. His eyes flickered for a moment, then he wrote seriously: “My name is Gu Bing. My family is from Jiangnan, silk merchants. Business was bad this year, we lost our ancestral property, and the whole family had to travel as traders to pay off debts. On the road to the northwest, we were robbed by mountain bandits. My family is dead. I survived by hiding in a coffin. Thank you for your kindness, but no need to report it. There’s no one left. I have no home.”
Gu Bing—taking half of Rong, and the opposite of Yan.
He Tian thought to herself, no wonder he was wearing dead people’s clothes when she found him.
Gu Bing. The name was rather nice.
After a long moment, she said, “My condolences.”
Rong Yan: “…”
He paused briefly, then nodded slightly.
The atmosphere was a bit heavy, and He Tian felt uncomfortable with it. She glanced at the sky outside, which had suddenly turned overcast, and said, “You saw the grass I just cut, right? I can make a very delicious dessert with it. You can have plenty later.”
Rong Yan looked up and met her sparkling eyes.
He was genuinely curious—how did she manage to remain so calm?
But strangely enough, her quiet demeanor and those bright, clear eyes were indeed very soothing.
At the very least, the ferocity that had risen in his heart from thoughts of his family matters was mostly suppressed.
He nodded. Then, thinking of something, he tried to pull the corners of his mouth into a smile.
But it was too stiff, making him look rather comical. He Tian laughed outright.
She didn’t linger after laughing. She took her little entourage of cubs and left the kitchen, leaving Rong Yan sitting there bewildered.
What had she… been laughing at?
One by one, He Tian rubbed the cubs’ heads and rewarded each of them with fresh food. Already washing the fresh Immortal Grass to make grass jelly, she didn’t pay any attention to Rong Yan’s confusion.
Nothing was going to stop her from eating delicious grass jelly!
After washing the fresh Immortal Grass, she put it directly into a pot, added water, and started boiling it.
While it boiled, just like when she made wild yam tofu last time, she burned plant ash and simultaneously cooked rice water on the clay stove.
Once the fresh Immortal Grass had boiled until soft and mushy, she removed the unboilable stems from the pot and placed them on a clean steaming cloth. She used the cloth to filter the grass soup she had just boiled. After filtering, she squeezed the remaining pulp on the cloth hard with her hands to extract the emerald green juice, combining it with the previously filtered liquid.
When that was done, she poured the filtered juice—now free of stems and large leaves—back into the pot. She added the supernatant liquid from the plant ash, stirred it well, then added the cooked rice water—just the liquid, not the rice. She continued boiling over high heat, stirring with a spoon the whole time, until it became a thick, even paste. Then it was done.
She ladled it into a basin and set it aside to cool.
While waiting for it to cool and set, He Tian went out again.
A dessert, by definition, needed sweetness. But at home, she had neither sugar nor honey, nor anything to substitute for them. Having finally gotten to make the grass jelly she craved, He Tian didn’t want to leave any regrets. So, she wanted to hurry up the mountain and find something sweet to go with the sweet grass jelly.
Dahuang wanted to follow, but He Tian left him at home to guard the house. He Erlang and He Jin had broken legs and couldn’t stir up trouble for now, but Mrs. Li was still fine. If she suddenly went crazy, Dahuang would be more than enough to handle her.
The sky had turned overcast, and the wind was growing stronger. It looked like the weather was about to turn. He Tian needed to make it quick, so she didn’t conserve her energy. Though she didn’t find the optimal solution—honey—she still got what she wanted.
She picked a pocketful of wild grapes and found a hawthorn tree, filling her basket to the brim.
Walking home happily, just as she neared the house, the wind carried a few voices she found utterly annoying.
Mrs. Li: “…We can’t delay any longer. It has to be today! If you had listened to me earlier, would any of this have happened today?”
“Father, Mother, my leg hurts! You have to get revenge for me!”
Mrs. Li: “The weather is turning today. When the time comes, we’ll say it’s divine punishment for her unfilial and unrighteous ways—that the Thunder God struck her house!”
He Erlang: “What if we’re discovered?”
Mrs. Li: “I’ll sneak over at night. I won’t be found. We can’t win face to face, but can’t we still set a fire? Besides, this just happened today—they won’t suspect us. The fact that she broke her uncle and cousin’s legs and held a knife to her aunt’s neck is all true. It’s only natural for the heavens to punish her!”
He Jin screamed: “Burn it! Burn them all to death! I’m so furious!”
He Erlang: “It’s settled.”
If they dragged it out any longer, their family would be bullied to death by that little wretch. Mrs. Li was right—they shouldn’t have been soft-hearted!
He Tian: “?”
They really were hell-bent on courting death.
Seeing He Tian return with a basket full of hawthorns and a pocket full of wild grapes, yet not looking very happy, even patting the cubs’ heads absently Rong Yan found it strange. He used a branch to write and ask her: “What’s wrong?”
He Tian told him what she had overheard—that Mrs. Li planned to come set their house on fire tonight and burn them all to death.
Rong Yan: “…”
After a moment of silence, he wrote again: “What do you want to do? I’ll help you.”
Though his strength was limited now, if it was truly needed, he was willing to help her deal with those vile people.
He Tian, who was washing wild grapes to cook into jam as a topping, glanced at the ground and said indifferently, “Nothing much. Just give them a taste of their own medicine.”
Rong Yan continued writing: “Are you going to burn their house too?”
He Tian saw it but didn’t answer him.
Burning their house would be beneath her.
They wanted to spread the story that her family was suffering divine punishment from the heavens—that the Thunder God struck her house, didn’t they?
Then she would let them taste what it felt like to be struck by lightning.
**