Xie Wuni genuinely felt embarrassed to go out with Xie Jinzhu.
But she didn’t dare defy her father’s words.
Although Second Uncle Xie had asked Xie Wuni to accompany Jinzhu into the mountains, it was only out of habitual worry that Xie Jinzhu might cause trouble and bring more problems to the family. He didn’t take Xie Jinzhu’s words seriously at all.
The others were much the same, all treating Xie Jinzhu’s claims as empty boasts.
Eldest Aunt sighed at Madam Wang, who hadn’t slept a wink all night: “Paper and ink are rare treasures, more valuable than meat.”
“How could a family like ours possibly make such things? Although Jin Zhu has studied for a few years, still…”
Seeing Madam Wang’s expression grow increasingly despondent, Eldest Aunt belatedly sighed: “Forget it, let’s just indulge her whims.”
“That child has been spoiled since she was young. If we don’t let her try, who knows what she might…”
“If it weren’t for their family’s lies, would that wretched girl have been spoiled like this?”
Second Aunt interjected in a rough voice, glaring sideways with displeasure: “That whole family doesn’t have an honest word among them, and now there’s a braggart too!”
“If that wretched girl can really make ink, I’ll eat every last ember from this stove!”
“Although wood ash is useful, you really shouldn’t eat too much at once.”
Xie Jinzhu packed her hatchet and rope, slung the basket onto her back with one hand, and smiled: “Second Aunt.”
“Trying to eat a whole stoveful at once—wouldn’t that burst your intestines?”
Second Aunt froze for a moment, then angrily grabbed a fire poker to hit her: “Wretched girl, what kind of talk is that?”
“How dare you curse me!”
“I’m just giving you advice.”
Xie Jinzhu spoke earnestly: “You really shouldn’t overeat. Greed always brings harm.”
“Second Aunt, if you’re craving something, I’ll pick some pine nuts for you to nibble on later. Why keep picking fights with the stove embers?”
“You…”
“Second sister-in-law, calm down!”
“Little Eight, stop talking now!”
Madam Wang and Eldest Aunt hurriedly tried to restrain the furious woman, while Xie Jinzhu slipped away like greased lightning.
By the time Xie Jinzhu had left the angry shouts from the courtyard behind, Xie Wuni and Xie Xiao Liu finally caught up, panting.
Xie Xiao Liu, being gentle-natured, couldn’t bring herself to say harsh words about tearing Xie Jinzhu’s mouth apart for her mother, but her expression was odd.
Xie Wuni snorted coldly: “You’ve angered Second Aunt. You’d better watch your skin when you get back.”
Second Aunt was famously hot-tempered in the Xie family.
Even if Xie Jinzhu ran away now, she wouldn’t escape unscathed when she returned!
Xie Jinzhu’s expression turned subtle: “As if keeping my mouth shut would save my skin.”
What good would it do if she swallowed her anger?
She’d still get scolded anyway!
Since the outcome was already set, why not speak her mind and ease her frustration?
Xie Wuni shot Xie Jinzhu an angry glare, unable to retort. Hearing people pointing and gossiping about them, she finally snapped: “What are you looking at?”
“Don’t you know the way into the mountains yourselves?”
A young woman shouted back indignantly: “What’s wrong with saying a few words?”
“Your family raised a fake Golden Grandson, and yet…”
“Did your family raise him?”
“Or did he eat your white rice and meat? If he didn’t eat your food, what business do you have wagging your tongue?”
Xie Wuni flared up: “If your tongue’s that long, go find a beam to hang it from! Stop pointing fingers and gossiping about people!”
Even if there was gossip, it should only be about Xie Jinzhu alone!
Not a single word aimed at them was acceptable!
The young bride faltered with a meek “hey,” her bravado deflating.
Xie Wuni swept a cold glare over the gossiping crowd, grabbed Xie Jinzhu’s arm, and yanked her forward. “Don’t you have legs? Why are you moving so slowly?”
“Aren’t you ashamed of being laughed at?!”
Xie Jinzhu felt both amused and annoyed. “Fifth Sister, I am walking.”
“Let go, I really can walk on my own!”
“Let’s just hurry up.”
Xie Xiao Liu lacked both Xie Jinzhu’s composure and Xie Wuni’s fierce boldness.
Having been pointed at and whispered about all the way, her face had long paled with embarrassment. Grabbing Xie Jinzhu’s other hand, she broke into a run.
Caught off guard by the pincer movement, Xie Jinzhu stammered, “Sixth Sister, I—”
“It’s so embarrassing.”
Xie Xiao Liu bit her lower lip and sped up, her voice trembling softly. “It really is so embarrassing…”
Xie Jinzhu blinked, at a loss for words.
Xie Wuni, panting heavily from the run, poked Xie Xiao Liu’s forehead in frustration. “What’s so embarrassing?”
“We’re not the ones who should be embarrassed!”
Xie Jinzhu, hands on her waist catching her breath, nodded in agreement. But then Xie Wuni abruptly turned her glare on Xie Jinzhu. “You’re the one who’s embarrassing!”
“You’re the one making us all lose face!”
Xie Jinzhu: “…”
After a brief silence, Xie Jinzhu silently shouldered the immense burden of blame left by the original host, enduring the humiliation as she let out a breath. “Yes, it’s all my fault.”
“The pine forest I’m looking for is just ahead. Shall we go in?”
Xie Wuni wore a dark scowl, while Xie Xiao Liu simply nodded, still catching her breath.
But as they stepped into the pine forest, the two instinctively positioned themselves—one in front, one behind.
Before Xie Jinzhu could react, she found herself protected in the middle.
Xie Wuni wielded a long stick she had picked up, swatting at the roadside undergrowth, occasionally warning those behind to watch their step.
Xie Jinzhu was momentarily lost in thought when Xie Xiao Liu’s hand steadied the basket on her shoulder. “Are you tired?”
“Should we find a place for you to rest?”
For over a decade, the original host had never lifted a finger for heavy labor—all the rough work was shouldered by her seven sisters.
The original host’s feet couldn’t bear fatigue; she would complain after just a few steps, demanding rest, and if she so much as scraped a bit of skin, it was treated as a major incident.
Whenever the original host threw a tantrum and ran home to complain to Old Mrs. Xie, whoever had been with her that day was sure to get an earful.
Xie Xiao Liu’s tone held a note of caution, making Xie Jinzhu feel uneasy.
Xie Xiao Liu was only a year older than her.
From yesterday until now, this young girl hadn’t uttered a single harsh word to her and was still instinctively protecting her as the family’s only precious child.
Xie Jinzhu adjusted the strap of her basket and shook her head. “I’m fine.”
“Let’s stop here.”
The pine forest was deep and dense, its towering trunks stretching straight into the sky. Underfoot lay thick, damp layers of yellowed pine needles.
Even in broad daylight, the forest held only the few of them.
Aside from the lunar New Year in the twelfth month, when people came to smoke meat and sausages, or during pinecone-gathering season, hardly anyone ventured into these woods.
Xie Wuni grumbled in annoyance. “You can gather dry branches anywhere. Why does it have to be here?”
“The pine forest is the worst for sticking to shoes. Why insist on coming here?”
“Because the ink I want to make requires materials only found here.”
Xie Jinzhu set down her basket and said, “Have you heard of pine soot ink?”
“The ‘pine’ in pine soot ink refers to the pine tree.”
“As long as we protect this forest, we won’t have to worry about making money.”