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Xiao Lihua saw Zi Clan clearly heading towards the big tree by the river, but then they turned in another direction, which was a bit strange. She thought there was still space under that tree; why not go there? She looked carefully and began to understand.
Under the big tree by the river, there were quite a few large stones, and the women were washing clothes on the flat stones. Among those women were a few who had been injured by the original Xiao Lihua, causing Xiao Li to come over.
Xiao Lihua thought that Zi Clan probably didn't want her to go over and argue with anyone!
"Thank you, Second Sister! There’s still space here! Come wash with us?!"
Zi Clan wanted to go wash elsewhere, and Xiao Lihua did not oppose it. Although she remembered that the reason for Xiao Lihua's fights was due to jealousy and saying unpleasant things that angered others, leading to her being pushed and meeting a tragic end, she didn’t have a good impression of women who ganged up on one person. So it was better to keep her distance from those women. Just then, someone called out to Zi Clan.
The person calling was a somewhat plump woman who was smiling as she looked at Xiao Lihua.
At a glance, Xiao Lihua could tell from her expression that she was taking pleasure in her misfortune. She thought this person was doing it on purpose, truly relishing chaos and wanting to see her make a fool of herself. In her memory, she recognized this woman as Sister Zhu, whose husband Zhu Man was a pig butcher. Xiao Lihua had once mocked her for being overweight, warning her to be careful at night lest Zhu Man slaughter her. Sister Zhu had caused quite a scene at the Xie Family because of this, so there was definitely resentment between them!
Xiao Lihua thought that the original owner really had a sharp tongue and knew how to attract hatred; all these messes would have to be cleaned up by herself in the future. For now, all she could do was observe the situation, remain silent, and if she discovered that those whom Xiao Lihua had offended were good people, she would mend those relationships. If they were inherently ill-natured, then so be it; she wouldn’t waste her energy on such people.
As Sister Zhu spoke up, everyone else turned to look as well, their expressions varied. Among them was a woman in a green jacket who first appeared startled but then shot an angry glare at Xiao Lihua before turning back to continue washing clothes. This woman was directly involved in the incident that led to Xiao Lihua's demise.
This woman’s maiden name was Zhang, and her name was Shui Tao. She married into the Li Family in this village and is known as the little daughter-in-law of the Li Family.
The head of the Li Family is the village chief, who has two sons and one daughter. That daughter married into a wealthy family in town and often brought good things back to her family. Zhang Shui Tao had a good relationship with her sister-in-law and naturally received more good things, so she often boasted about them to some women in the village. When Xiao Lihua saw this, she became extremely jealous; after an argument broke out between them, Xiao Lihua ended up becoming the current Xiao Li.
Seeing Sister Zhu call her over with so many people watching, Zi Clan hesitated; if she didn’t go over, it would seem cowardly. In rural life, one cannot afford to be timid; otherwise, others would think you easy to bully. Especially since the Xie Family wasn’t considered a prominent family in this village; one needed courage.
Xiao Lihua said, “Second Sister, let’s go over. As long as they don’t provoke me, I definitely won’t argue with them.”
“Alright then!”
Zi Clan led Xiao Lihua over to an empty stone nearby where there was enough space for two or three people. She positioned Xiao Lihua on the outer edge to keep some distance from those women.
Once Xiao Lihua stood firm, she turned back to Stone and Wood and said, “You two stay away from the river while playing; don’t fall into the water. If you want to play further away, just tell your mother.”
Both children obediently nodded and said okay, then they didn't leave, instead squatting down to play with the grass. Their mother had changed for the better, and they wanted to stay with her as long as possible, fearing that if they left, she might revert to her old self.
In ancient times, laundry was done without detergent; people generally used plant ash, and fewer used soap pods since that was not cheap.
Xiao Lihua was pounding the clothes with a stick while thinking that once she earned money, she would wash clothes every day with soap pods and use fragrant soap for washing her face and hands!
"Xiao Lihua, why are you hitting so hard? Are you trying to scare someone? It's quite frightening!"
Sister Zhu noticed that Xiao Lihua was working silently and tried to make conversation. After Xiao Lihua got hurt and offended Zhang Shuitao, Sister Zhu felt a bit gloating.
Xiao Lihua stopped and glanced at her, saying, "I work hard after eating; unlike some people who eat so much but save their strength, all turned into fat. You still have the energy to meddle in others' affairs. No one else is scared, just you. How come your courage is so small? It's really unexpected."
Xiao Lihua didn't want to stir up trouble, but Sister Zhu was truly looking for trouble. She couldn't remain silent; having grown up in the countryside herself, she knew that being quiet only made one seem like a soft target.
Sister Zhu's face flushed red. She thought Xiao Lihua was mocking her for being fat, saying she had a big figure but a small heart. How could this woman be so sharp-tongued even after getting hurt? In the past, if someone spoke like this to her, she would have been bitterly sarcastic; now she seemed unfazed, which made Sister Zhu feel an impulse to scratch her face.
"Xiao Lihua! What good is being thin? Aren't you just going to marry some country bumpkin? No matter how envious you are of Golden Phoenix sister, it won't change anything. She'll become a young mistress while you'll have to lower your head whenever you see her for the rest of your life. Even if you wanted to be a maid for her, she wouldn't want you!"
Golden Phoenix referred to Zhang Shuitao's sister-in-law, the Golden Phoenix who flew out of the Li Family.
By mentioning maids, Sister Zhu was mocking Xiao Lihua for having done that before and being the kind who was easily fooled into it; thus, no one would want her even if she offered herself.
Xiao Lihua wasn't angry at all; that was not her business. That was all about the old Xiao Lihua; she had nothing to be ashamed of.
"So what if I marry a country bumpkin? Didn't you marry one too? Don't the sisters-in-law here marry country bumpkins? Are we supposed to lower our heads when we see that Golden Phoenix sister in the future? Or do you think we are inferior to those rich families' maids? Is that what you're really thinking?"
Xiao Lihua smiled at Sister Zhu and noticed everyone looking at Sister Zhu because of her words. She thought it served her right for looking for trouble.
Seeing everyone staring at her, Sister Zhu quickly waved her hands and said, "That's not what I meant! Don't get mad! I was just talking about Xiao Lihua! Don't listen to this woman's words; she's trying to harm me! Xiao Lihua! I'm talking about you; why do you drag others into this?"
Sister Zhu said angrily, "We have never looked down on our own men. It's just you who think of yourself as a fairy, always wanting to marry someone rich, getting envious when you see others living well. What are you pretending to be here? As if you're so satisfied with your man at home. Who would believe that? It would really make others laugh their teeth out!"
"How do you know I look down on my man? Are you a bug in my stomach? Let me tell you, my man is doing great! You say my man is not good; why don't you tell me what's wrong with him? If you can't say anything, we won't be done!"
Xiao Lihua said without turning red or out of breath. In her memory, Xie Youshun was indeed quite good; she really didn't look down on him.
"You, you, you must have hit your head! How come you're not like the original Xiao Lihua anymore?!"
Sister Zhu was almost speechless after being choked by Xiao Lihua. Finally, she shouted at Xiao Lihua. She truly felt that Xiao Lihua had changed. The original Xiao Lihua was not like this; she was someone who would rush to fight at the slightest disagreement. She was strong and had fought with Xiao Lihua a few times. Now this Xiao Lihua could talk so well and remained calm throughout, yet her expression could infuriate someone!
When the others heard Sister Zhu, they also felt that Xiao Lihua had changed, looking at her with strange eyes.
"You’re not possessed by a ghost, are you?"
Zhang Shuitao suddenly said, shrinking back a little.
Xiao Lihua's heart skipped a beat. She thought she hadn't changed that much yet they were already suspicious. These ancient people were really not easy to fool. However, she also felt that Zhang Shuitao was being somewhat intentional; it was clear from her eyes that she wasn't a good person either. But she wasn't afraid; after all, she had the memories of Xiao Lihua.
Upon hearing the words "possessed by a ghost," everyone nearby got scared. Ancient people were most afraid of ghosts, especially since they were all women and didn't have a good relationship with Xiao Lihua. They were genuinely afraid that Xiao Lihua would come back as a ghost to settle scores with them.
Several women involuntarily moved aside.
Zi Clan said from the side, "What ghost possession? Don't talk nonsense; I know our Sister Four! A person possessed by a ghost wouldn't have the original's memories! She's just been knocked hard and has come back to her senses. You all know that if someone has died once, they can let go of everything."
With Zi Clan saying this, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Indeed, Xiao Lihua still remembered them; if she were really a ghost, she definitely wouldn't remember them.
A hint of disappointment appeared on Zhang Shuitao's face.
Sister Zhu rolled her eyes and said, "Oh, then this is good news! I see that Xiao Lihua, you don't have any big issues now. You can even do laundry! I heard it only cost one or two Silver to invite a Physician. That's much cheaper than the Jade Bracelet that you broke for Shui Tao! So why don't you return the Jade Bracelet to her? Shui Tao, don't ask for too much; just fifty taels will do."
"Shui Tao" immediately nodded and said, "Yes, at that time I thought you were seriously injured, so I didn't ask you to compensate for the 'Jade Bracelet.' Now I see you're perfectly fine. You should pay me back! That was a gift from my sister-in-law, and I got scolded by my in-laws over it!"
Upon hearing about the fifty taels 'Jade Bracelet,' everyone around began to discuss it, their eyes lighting up. In this rural area, a family could save ten taels of 'Silver' after a year of hard work, so fifty taels was a significant amount!
"What nonsense are you talking about? Where is there any 'Jade Bracelet'? Do you really think I've lost my memory? Or are you trying to extort me? If you keep talking nonsense, I will go find 'Li Jinfeng' to clarify whether that 'Jade Bracelet' even exists. I want to see how generous 'Li Jinfeng's In-laws' are to let a new bride casually give away a 'Jade Bracelet' worth at least fifty taels to her sister-in-law! This 'Second Sister' must have a 'Sister-in-law,' right? And if the sister-in-law has a mother, she must have one too? This could really be a windfall; I want to see what that wealthy family is like!"
'Xiao Lihua' glared at 'Sister Zhu' and 'Zhang Shuitao.' She had no memory of any 'Jade Bracelet,' so she began to understand what these two were up to.
The expressions on 'Sister Zhu' and 'Zhang Shuitao's faces changed instantly. The others realized there was no 'Jade Bracelet' at all.
'Zi Clan' indignantly said, "How can you bully people like this? My 'Sister Four' nearly lost her life from the fall. After barely surviving, we just want to live well, and yet you treat us like this! Are you trying to make our family suffer or lose money?! 'Sister Four,' let's go; don't pay attention to these people!"
As 'Zi Clan' spoke, she stood up with the basin in hand. If it weren't for 'Xiao Lihua' not having suffered any serious injury and remembering that there was no 'Jade Bracelet,' their 'Xie Family' would have been labeled as having a possessed daughter-in-law or forced to pay fifty taels of silver! Neither of those outcomes was acceptable; it was truly outrageous!
'Xiao Lihua' also tossed her clothes into the basin. It was pointless to stay here with these women; it was better to avoid them.
"Fourth Brother?"
'Zi Clan' turned around and called out.
Upon hearing this, 'Xiao Lihua' was momentarily stunned. She looked up and saw a man standing by the trees on the bank, with Stone and Wood beside him, each holding one of his hands.
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