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墨書 Inktalez
The tall, lanky man with high cheekbones and deep-set eyes was none other than the biological father of the Fourth Daughter.
Ye Chenfeng remained silent, dragging his heavy footsteps into the room.
The light inside was dim. There was a narrow little courtyard by the stove and entrance, and directly opposite was a small room with walls made of Mao Bamboo. The rest were crude fences made of mud. What era was this? Ye Chenfeng felt a surge of anger; he had inexplicably found himself in this story, playing the role of one of its characters.
"Dead girl, you still know how to come back?"
A stout, rough-looking woman emerged from a darker room on the right. Ye Chenfeng looked at her; her face was full and fleshy, with slanted brows and fierce eyes that exuded a domineering presence. Indeed, this woman was no pushover—she had lived a life of poverty and hardship, only to find some fortune in her old age, albeit with a hint of disability to carry with her for life.
Ye Chenfeng said nothing; he was simply too hungry.
Seeing steam rising from the kitchen, he walked over and lifted the pot lid, only to be hit by the pungent smell of Pig Slop.
What the hell is this!
I can't possibly starve to death here!
"The porridge is in the earthen basin."
The woman known as Tiger Mom shot a cold glance at her daughter without an ounce of compassion before leaving the house.
Porridge—would there be any appetizing side dishes?
Ye Chenfeng lifted the veil and froze in place.
Under the veil was a bowl of pickled vegetables and half a plate of bean paste.
Rice porridge, it was truly rice porridge, just a few grains boiled into a watery soup.
Cluck, cluck—
What was that sound? Ye Chenfeng looked over and realized it was a hen clucking in its nest. He reached under the hen and felt something warm—an egg had just been laid.
“Ha ha, food at last.”
Ye Chenfeng grinned, but he faced a dilemma holding the warm egg. He had no idea how to cook it without anyone noticing.
Looking at the steaming Pig Slop, he had an idea: why not boil the egg in the Pig Slop? That way, he could eat it!
With the egg mixed into the porridge, Ye Chenfeng felt much warmer.
What should I do next?
Ye Chenfeng glanced around the room filled with chickens and ducks, and noticed two White Geese as well as a floor covered in Chicken and Duck Droppings. His eyelids twitched; surely, I won’t have to clean this mess?
While he was lost in thought, someone from behind called out, “Sister, look what Second Brother brought you!”
Ye Chenfeng turned to see a silly-looking boy with well-defined features, thick eyebrows, and big eyes.
The boy appeared to be around fifteen or sixteen years old, and from his looks, he seemed to be quite a handsome rural lad.
Is he the Silly Second Brother from Li Xin's story? Ye Chenfeng's mind was a muddle, like a mute, as he stared at the silly Second Brother holding something in his hand.
It was a green leaf.
On the leaf crawled a creature covered in fuzz, with several horns—perhaps it should be called an insect.
"What is this thing?"
"Why don't you touch it?" The Second Brother said mysteriously, handing the leaf to Ye Chenfeng.
Ye Chenfeng reached out to touch it—"Damn!" he yelped, quickly retracting his hand. He had been pricked by this thing called the Eight-Horned Sheep. His finger quickly turned red and swollen, causing him to grimace in pain, while the Silly Second Brother clapped his hands and laughed joyfully.
Truly a fool.
Ye Chenfeng was speechless and picked up a broom to sweep the floor.
It was difficult to sweep, very difficult.
The ground was littered with Chicken and Duck Droppings, making the broom dirty. It wasn't clean yet; he had to think of a way.
Ye Chenfeng tilted his head and thought for a long time before coming up with the idea of using ash to sweep the floor. As he swept, the ground became clean and shiny.
The Silly Second Brother was still playing with that Eight-Horned Sheep creature.
Ye Chenfeng began preparing lunch.
This was the household chore assigned to him by the Tall Guy.
Just a moment ago, Ye Chenfeng, who was barely as tall as the stove, felt like a clown playing a role in a tragic story.
The basin was for holding rice, and the pot was for cooking it. He firmly remembered all these details, constantly thinking about how he could blink and return to his own world.
Silly Second Brother seemed to have disappeared.
Ye Chenfeng was busy cooking, running around in circles, with smoke stinging his eyes and tears streaming down his face.
At noon, Tiger Mom and her husband didn’t come back for lunch.
Silly Second Brother, however, scampered back, gobbling down food messily before wiping his mouth and leaving.
With nothing much to do downstairs, Ye Chenfeng pondered how he could return to reality.
Someone was shouting outside.
He peeked out and saw a girl about his age, tall and sturdy. If he hadn’t seen her face-on, he might have mistaken her for a boy.
“Fourth Daughter, let’s go play.”
“Who are you?”
“I... what’s wrong with you? You don’t know who I am? That can’t be! We’re classmates, born in the same month and year!”
"Ah," Ye Chenfeng replied and then asked, "Are you also the Fourth?"
"Yes."
This was his guess. In Li Xin's story, there was a girl who was born in the same year and month as the Fourth Daughter, ranking fourth among her siblings. She must be the person in front of him; her surname was Tu, and everyone called her Tu Laosi.
It was a good thing to be invited to play.
But in Ye Chenfeng's mind, he was still himself, a grown man. How could he go out to play with a minor girl?
Tu Laosi had no intention of leaving. She seemed to know that Tiger Mom and her husband wouldn't be back, which gave her the boldness to come and invite Old Root out to play.
Ye Chenfeng couldn't resist her repeated invitations; he really went.
He had played hide-and-seek before. It was when he visited Grandma's House, where the kids also liked to play with him. But when Grandma scolded them, they stopped inviting him.
Now they were playing hide-and-seek again.
Once someone hiding was found, they would become the next seeker.
Ye Chenfeng found it fun and hid behind a bundle of straw. Next to him, another boy also hid close by.
The problem was that he hadn't slept at all last night. After hiding, he unknowingly fell asleep while waiting to be found.
A large hand suddenly grabbed him and pulled him out from behind the straw, startling him for real.
Tiger Mom glared with fierce eyes, like an eagle snatching a chick, dragging Ye Chenfeng all the way home.
Ye Chenfeng shouted recklessly, "You will face retribution! Your hands will break, and you will live your old age disabled!"
He was undoubtedly swatting flies on a tiger's head.
Tiger Mom was unfazed by his insinuations, considering them a rebellious curse. She bound Ye Chenfeng cruelly to a tree not far from the door, then wielded a whip in her hand, striking him intermittently.
Each strike pierced through him with excruciating pain. Ye Chenfeng, filled with rage, yelled, "I am not your daughter, you Tiger Mom!"
"You ungrateful wretch! I brought you into this world, and I have the right to take you out of it. Had I known you were such a rebellious piece of trash, I would have crushed you to death myself!"
Look—this is the Tiger Mom from Li Xin's story.
Ye Chenfeng couldn't believe it; he still thought that Li Xin was exaggerating. He even tried to excuse Tiger Mom, saying she had her reasons.
This time, it seemed like karma was catching up!
Ye Chenfeng endured the intense pain, watching as the whip in Tiger Mom's hand cracked fiercely, making her sweat while she cursed obscenely.
A neighbor, unable to stand by any longer, approached and kindly advised, "Hitting like this could kill someone. Just take a break; let her realize her mistakes."
"Mind your own business! I'm disciplining my own flesh and blood; what does it have to do with you? Get lost!" Tiger Mom spat angrily, causing the well-meaning neighbor to retreat.
Ye Chenfeng remained silent and ceased any futile struggles.
He knew that it was useless to say anything now.
He was the Fourth Daughter, a character in Li Xin's story.
Tiger Mom was finally tired. She tossed aside the shattered remnants of her disdainful remarks without even glancing at the Fourth Daughter, who was battered and barely breathing, and walked straight into the house.
Tiger Mom's man had returned. Seeing the girl gasping for breath by the tree, he walked over, untied her ropes, and dragged her into the house, throwing her onto the floor.
They were having dinner.
Xiao Wu was there too.
He looked at the Fourth Daughter on the ground and took a bite of rice, saying, "Dad, is Fourth Sister going to die?"
Tiger Mom was complaining to her man about her sore shoulders when she heard her precious son's words. She shot him a glare and angrily retorted, "Let her die already."
Ye Chenfeng, the Fourth Daughter, watched them and cursed inwardly: Damn it, I want to go back; I never want to stay here again.
He fell into a drowsy sleep, unaware of how long he had been asleep.
When he woke up, he found himself in bed.
Was this really a bed?
It was just tattered cotton and a hard wooden board.
Ye Chenfeng felt a wave of pain wash over him as memories flooded back.
He heard some noise coming from his parents' room and got up to take a look.
A man stepped out of the room.
He was not the Tall Guy's Biological Father, but rather an unfamiliar stranger.
The man didn't even glance at Ye Chenfeng, walking out as if he were in his own home.
Moments later, Tiger Mom emerged from the room.
With a stern expression, she tossed a pile of dirty clothes into the basin and said to him, "Wash these clothes."
Ye Chenfeng was curious about what Tiger Mom was doing with a strange man in the house.
Once Tiger Mom left, he ventured inside the room.
It was dark.
He turned on the light and saw that the bed was in disarray, revealing some sticky substance beneath the covers.
Just then, Tiger Mom returned.
"What are you doing?" she asked.
A sharp question startled Ye Chenfeng, causing him to shudder. He stammered, "I was just checking if there are any dirty things left to wash."
Tiger Mom snapped back, "Get out! All the dirty stuff has been thrown out. You better clean up properly, or you'll see what happens."
"I want to study."
"Tomorrow is Monday. Are you out of your mind?"
"Oh."
Ye Chenfeng nodded, staring blankly at the pile of dirty clothes that resembled a small mountain.
There were so many clothes, yet not a single one belonged to him.
They all belonged to Tiger Mom, Xiao Wu, and that Skinny Tall Father.
In the blink of an eye, the Spring Festival arrived.
Silly Second Brother loved the Spring Festival the most.
No matter how tough Tiger Mom was, she had to pay attention to some small details during the Spring Festival.
There were many taboos in the countryside.
For instance, during the Spring Festival, one must avoid anything unlucky; there should be no crying or fighting in the house. In short, it was essential to spend the festival in a harmonious atmosphere.
At that moment, the children had delicious food and new clothes to wear.
Xiao Wu had new clothes.
When it was Fourth Daughter's turn along with Silly Second Brother, she received an old garment sent by a relative from the city.
Feeling wronged, she squatted in the corner and cried.
On the Fifth Day of the Lunar New Year, Silly Second Brother met with an accident.
He fell into the latrine and drowned.
The sight of his death was horrifying; blood trickled from his lips, and his pupils bulged, reflecting a look of unwillingness.
Ye Chenfeng found it strange. He had taken on Fourth Daughter's identity but had completely lost his ability to sense abnormal auras. There were no signs at all before Silly Second Brother's incident.
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