Chapter 2 Auntie

Pushing open the door of the dilapidated hall, a gust of cold wind blew in. Looking up, she saw that the snow on the ground had thickened again. She wrapped her worn-out hemp coat tightly around her and then stepped out.

Standing by the wooden fence gate was a woman in her thirties, slender and dressed in a fine blue cotton dress. Her hair was styled in a married woman's bun, adorned with a plum blossom silver hairpin. Her face was full of impatience, and when she saw Xi Qiu, she shouted in displeasure, "Are you dead? How long have I been knocking on the door? Are you sleeping to death?"

Ignoring her scolding, Xi Qiu stood on the snow-covered ground, her tattered hemp shoes quickly soaked through by the snow.

Liu Shi disdainfully looked at her worn-out shoes and muttered, "Has Xi Chun gotten up? If she has, tell her to come out. I'll take her to the town later and sell the silver. I'll bring back some millet flour for you."

She spoke with a sense of entitlement, as if Xi Chun belonged to her.

Xi Qiu stood there calmly, not reaching out to open the door. Seeing Liu Shi's displeasure, she just smiled faintly and said, "Xi Chun is not feeling well and can't be exposed to the wind. You don't need to bother, Aunt."

Liu Shi spat, "If she doesn't have the fate of the rich, she shouldn't have the illness of the rich. Keeping her is just a nuisance. It's better to sell her. It can at least fill our stomachs. Hurry up and open the door so I can take her away."

Xi Qiu stood there with her arms crossed, her voice cold and indifferent, "The nuisance is only a nuisance to our own family. Aunt, it's better not to be so heartless."

"What do you mean by that? Are you saying I'm meddling too much?"

Ignoring her sudden outburst, Xi Qiu tightened her clothes and said, "It's almost breakfast time. Aunt, you'd better go back early. We can't afford to feed you."

Liu Shi snapped back to reality and realized that this girl was acting differently today. Normally, she would cower and avoid eye contact, and even when scolded, she wouldn't dare to speak up. Today, she seemed unusually bold.

Thinking about this, Liu Shi felt a surge of indignation. After all, she was the wife of the village head. When had she ever been talked back to by a junior?

So, she immediately frowned in displeasure and shouted, "You little brat, what are you talking about? What do you mean by feeling guilty? Back then, you and your siblings couldn't even afford to eat. Xi Chun, that short-lived ghost, was bedridden and couldn't move. If it weren't for the eldest begging me, I wouldn't have introduced her to the Chen family in town out of consideration for our family ties. How could you have survived until today? Xi Chun would have been long gone."

After saying that, she spat on the ground in disgust. "You ungrateful thing! No sense of gratitude!"

Xi Qiu looked up with a calm and indifferent gaze. Liu Shi, still not feeling relieved after scolding her, wanted to say more, but she was taken aback when she met Xi Qiu's cold eyes, and her anger flared up again.

"What kind of look is that? Are you resentful of me?" she shouted sharply. "Do you believe I can make it impossible for you and your siblings to stay in the village?"

Xi Qiu nodded, "I believe you. Go tell the village head, and we'll be ready to leave the village at any time!"

"You..."

She was at a loss for words, and Xi Qiu continued in a calm voice, "Whether we leave the village or not, it's all the same. We have no land, no grain. Wherever we go, it's waiting to die. Even if we die, we will die together as a family. We won't be separated again."

"You, you, you..."

She stammered for a while, and Xi Qiu smiled. Seeing her almost jumping with anger, she taunted, "Aunt, you should calm down. Remember, you are the wife of the village head and the wife of a scholar. Don't lose your temper, or the village head's face will be lost. It's time for Xi Yu to get married."

Liu Shi, unable to resort to violence or kicking the door, was afraid to go too far. Although she had the power to silence people in the village, there was no wall that could completely block the wind.

Moreover, Tong Baichuan was a man who cared about his reputation. Although his wife had been drowned in a pond for adultery, the original siblings were still surnamed Tong. He wouldn't dare to be too harsh. All she could do was slowly wear them down.

Liu Shi left in a huff, but the look of confusion on her face made Xi Qiu understand clearly.

Knowing what she was puzzled about, Xi Qiu didn't want to hide it. After all, she, Tong Xi Qiu, was not the Tong Xi Qiu of this era. She couldn't be as silent and timid as the original. It was better to be herself.

As she turned to go back into the house, she saw Xi Chun and Yan Qing standing under the eaves of the thatched house, their eyes full of admiration and confusion.

Xi Qiu frowned, "Hurry back inside. It's very cold outside. Be careful of catching a cold."

If they caught a cold, she didn't have the ability to produce money immediately. After all, the family was still eating wild vegetables that scratched their throats.

Yan Qing's pale face was full of disbelief, and the bright light in her phoenix eyes sparkled. "Second sister, did you make Aunt leave in anger?"

"Yes."

"Will we be driven out of the village?"

"No!"

"Why?"

"Because someone wants to save face!"

"Who?"

"..."

"Who is Second Sister talking about?"

"There's a song called 'Oh Lin You'!"

"Huh? What's 'Oh Lin You'? Is it a lot of oil? Wow! I haven't had oil in a long time. I don't even know what it tastes like. Second Sister, do you remember?..."

Xi Qiu: "..."