Gu Xiaoxiao was so happy she nearly jumped into the air.
Seeing his sister so delighted made Gu Yanchen happy as well. Smiling secretly, he edged closer and watched her dig through the soil.
Carefully, Gu Xiaoxiao unearthed the He Shou Wu (Fo-Ti root).
To her delight, not a single root tendril had been damaged.
She was overjoyed.
I’m rich! I’m rich!!!
Although Gu Yanchen had no idea why she was so excited, seeing his sister happy was enough to make him happy too.
“Let’s go home!”
Leading Gu Yanchen, Gu Xiaoxiao retraced their steps.
Unfortunately, every path in the forest looked exactly the same.
Soon, she had no idea which way to go.
What was going on?
Had her terrible sense of direction transmigrated with her too?
Gu Yanchen looked at her in confusion.
Why had they suddenly stopped walking?
Awkwardly, Gu Xiaoxiao asked,
“Ah Chen, do you still remember the way back?”
The little boy nodded.
“I do.”
So he led her back along the original route until they reached the fork where they had separated from Gu Zhenzhong earlier.
The moment Gu Xiaoxiao saw the familiar crossroads, she nodded vigorously.
Yes!
This was the place!
As expected of her little brother.
His memory was amazing!
“You’re incredible, Ah Chen! You still remembered the way back. If it weren’t for you, your big sister would have been lost forever!”
Squatting down, she hugged him and pinched his cheek affectionately.
Just then, Gu Zhenzhong returned.
His hands were full of prey.
The moment he spotted them, he excitedly raised his catch.
“Look! I don’t know what’s going on today, but I caught so much game! We can finally have a proper feast!”
He was genuinely thrilled.
It had been a very long time since he had eaten meat.
Previously, whatever meat the family had all gone to his little sister.
But today there was so much game.
Surely there would be some left for him this time?
He cautiously glanced at Gu Xiaoxiao.
Unfortunately, Gu Xiaoxiao had no idea what he was thinking.
At that moment, all she could see was meat flying toward her.
“Then let’s hurry home!”
After reminding the two still standing there, she took the lead and started walking.
Fortunately, she still remembered the way down the mountain.
Soon they approached the village.
From a distance, Gu Xiaoxiao noticed a large crowd gathered outside her house.
The villagers seemed to have all come over.
The area was noisy and chaotic.
Nobody knew what they were arguing about.
As they neared the entrance, someone with sharp eyes spotted her.
“Gu Xiaoxiao is over there!”
Instantly, countless pairs of eyes turned toward her.
Caught off guard, she froze.
Wait.
This was about her?
What was going on now?
Before she could even react, someone charged toward her in a rage.
The murderous look on the woman’s face made it seem as though she wanted to tear Gu Xiaoxiao apart.
Sensing danger immediately, Old Madam Gu rushed forward and shielded Gu Xiaoxiao behind her.
Unable to reach her target, the woman glared at Old Madam Gu.
“Old Madam Gu, are you really going to protect your ill-behaved granddaughter and make enemies of the entire village?”
The threat in her eyes was obvious.
Meanwhile, Gu Xiaoxiao still had no idea what was happening.
Turning her head, she found the entire village glaring at her with hostility.
She was completely baffled.
When had she offended everyone?
At that moment, Gu Yong and Grandpa Gu returned from the fields.
The moment they saw the scene, they dropped everything and rushed over.
“What are you all trying to do?”
Grandpa Gu shouted angrily.
“Are you bullying our Xiaoxiao because she’s young?”
Looking at her family standing protectively in front of her, Gu Xiaoxiao felt deeply touched.
Then she finally recognized the woman causing the commotion.
It was Da Hu’s mother.
Da Hu was the boy whose struggle with the original owner had indirectly led to her death.
The original owner had tried to steal his food.
During the scuffle, she ended up falling and hitting her head.
That was how Gu Xiaoxiao had arrived here.
Yet now his mother had come to cause trouble?
Since she couldn’t get to Gu Xiaoxiao, Da Hu’s mother could only continue yelling from across the crowd.
“Everyone here knows exactly what kind of person your Gu Xiaoxiao is!”
“The entire village knows it!”
“We only have one demand!”
“Drive Gu Xiaoxiao out of the village, and we’ll leave immediately!”
Old Madam Gu spat on the ground.
Her momentum wasn’t weaker than anyone else’s.
“You want my granddaughter gone? Dream on!”
“My granddaughter was nearly killed after your son pushed her!”
“And now you come here demanding that she be driven away?”
“You’ve got some nerve!”
“If my granddaughter hadn’t woken up, I’d have gone to your house and chopped your whole family apart!”
Old Madam Gu stepped forward protectively.
Da Hu’s mother immediately retreated several steps in fear.
“You… you… you…”
Before she could finish, Gu Yanchen and Gu Zhenzhong arrived.
The moment they learned that people wanted to drive their sister away, they rushed forward to protect her.
“I won’t let anyone touch my sister!”
Gu Yanchen shouted.
Meanwhile, Gu Zhenzhong positioned himself in front of Old Madam Gu.
He stared at Da Hu’s mother like a wild beast.
The look in his eyes said that if she provoked him further, he might actually tear her throat out.
Da Hu’s mother involuntarily backed away.
“You… you people…”
Just then, a sharp female voice rang out from the crowd.
“It was Gu Xiaoxiao who tried to steal Da Hu’s food first!”
“Da Hu only pushed her by accident because he wouldn’t let her take it!”
“If she hadn’t insisted on stealing from him, none of this would’ve happened!”
“In the end, it’s all Gu Xiaoxiao’s fault!”
The moment those words were spoken, Da Hu’s mother regained her confidence.
That’s right!
This had been Gu Xiaoxiao’s fault from the beginning.
What was there for her to fear?
Narrowing her eyes, Gu Xiaoxiao looked toward the speaker.
Using the original owner’s memories, she quickly identified her.
Xu Cuihua.
Ironically, Xu Cuihua had been considered the original owner’s best friend.
In reality, the original owner hadn’t been born that bad.
Most of her worst actions had been encouraged by Xu Cuihua.
Whenever the original owner bullied others, Xu Cuihua would secretly instigate the behavior.
As a result, all the villagers only saw Gu Xiaoxiao as the troublemaker.
Then, whenever people came to seek justice, Xu Cuihua would step forward and pretend to plead on Gu Xiaoxiao’s behalf.
By doing so, she appeared kind and compassionate.
Meanwhile, the original owner foolishly believed Xu Cuihua genuinely cared about her and treated her even better.
Thus, Gu Xiaoxiao became the village villain.
And Xu Cuihua earned a spotless reputation.
What a scheme.
A true master-level green tea manipulator.
When Gu Xiaoxiao first woke up, the original owner’s memories had been chaotic and fragmented.
But after a full night’s rest, those memories had finally sorted themselves out.
At first, she had believed Da Hu was the one who pushed the original owner.
But the truth was different.
It had been Xu Cuihua.
While Gu Xiaoxiao and Da Hu were struggling over the food, Xu Cuihua had secretly shoved her from behind.
When Da Hu saw her fall, he had actually tried to help her up.
But Xu Cuihua had stopped him.