Chapter 018: Barefoot Ones Aren’t Afraid of Those Wearing Shoes

"Of course it's nothing compared to how hardworking you are, mother, spending the whole day out shopping in town and only coming back in the late afternoon. You really do manage this household well."

Ji Xinhe didn't care about Lady Ding's deliberate provocation and sat by herself on the doorstep of the house, chopping the wild vegetables she had just picked from the mountain to feed the pigs.

Everyone knew what Lady Ding was buying in town - using Ji Xinhe's sell-flesh money to buy clothes and jewelry for her sons and daughters. It was a lively scene.

Lady Ding's face turned black instantly: "You, you girl! No manners at all! What kind of attitude is that to talk to me with?!

"Naturally, I cannot compare to Sister Xiulan, who dared to bring a man into the room in broad daylight and hugged and embraced him. Luckily it was just me who saw them. I wonder what others would say about our family's moral values if they found out about this," Ji Xinhe said with a smile. Her hand chopping wild vegetables didn't slow down at all, and the sound of "bang bang bang" felt challenging.

Lady Ding's face at this moment couldn't be more colorful. She never imagined that this previously obedient and stupid girl had completely changed, and even dared to start scheming against Ji Xiulan!

Angry, Lady Ding rushed towards Ji Xinhe, raising her hand to slap her: "Did you hit your head and become confused? You talk nonsense all day long, so I have to beat you to make you sober up!"

Ji Xinhe looked up, sneered, and just as Lady Ding's hand was about to fall, she suddenly raised the vegetable knife she was using to prepare the pig feed.

Lady Ding's face turned white with fear, and she quickly stopped her hand. Looking at the cold light in Ji Xinhe's eyes, reflecting the sharp vegetable knife in her hand, one couldn't help but feel intimidated.

"What do you think you're doing?! Have you gone mad?!" Lady Ding screamed.

However, Ji Xinhe suddenly pulled out a smile and waved the vegetable knife in her hand: "I just remembered that you've been trying to marry me off to Pork Three, and with my frail figure, I'm afraid I wouldn't last a month before I die. Coincidentally, my mother's sacrificial day is coming up soon, and it might comfort her if I go down to accompany her. But the underworld road is a lonely place, and I was thinking about finding someone to go with me."

Lady Ding's legs felt weak, and she stumbled back a few steps, staring at Ji Xinhe in horror: "You, you, don't do anything crazy!"

At this moment, looking at Ji Xinhe, she didn't seem like the obedient and well-behaved girl of the past but rather a fierce ghost from hell! Lady Ding shuddered at her chilling smile.

Ji Xinhe let go of her smile and let the icy light in her eyes burst out unrestrained, stabbing Lady Ding's face like an ice blade: "I've got nothing to lose, so I don't fear those who do. Who I bring with me depends on my mood, and if anyone displeases me, I'll just take them with me."

Lady Ding was so scared that she fell to the ground with a scream, staring at the kitchen knife in Ji Xinhe's hand, her face full of fear.

Yes, fear. She's always been headstrong, never fearing anyone at home or in the village. But never would she have thought that today, she would feel a bone-chilling fear because of this girl she had never respected before.

"What's going on?" Ji Dashan rushed out.

Ji Xinhe sneered inwardly. On ordinary days, when Lady Ding scolded and beat her siblings, Ji Dashan would be as steady as a rock. Today, after hearing his precious wife scream, he rushed out, panting heavily. Their marital relationship must be truly "enviable."

Lady Ding, shaking on the ground, hadn't recovered from her shock. Ji Xinhe casually sat back down on her doorstep, and raised the vegetable knife in her hand, dropping it heavily on the pile of wild vegetables: "I'm chopping pig feed, mother. I don't know how it happened, but you just fell over."

No fool would believe this, but at this moment, looking at the as steady as a rock Ji Xinhe, Ji Dashan's anger didn't flare up. Instead, he felt an inexplicable unease.

What a useless man, unable to maintain his authority even in front of his own daughter. When facing her, he felt not just angry but also uneasy. It would be laughable if word got out.

If it had been before, Lady Ding would have surely complained immediately. But today, she managed to crawl up from the ground, staring at Ji Xinhe for a moment, and then listening to the sound of the vegetable knife falling with a "bang." She felt as if the knife was falling on her, gritting her teeth and cursing in her heart: "Just you wait!" She then fled back into the room as if escaping for her life.

How could she dare to provoke Ji Xinhe now? The moment that girl raised the knife, she almost scared Lady Ding's soul out of her body.

She could no longer tolerate her in the house. It seemed that even if it wasn't for the twenty ounces of silver from Pork Three, she had to get rid of Ji Xinhe.

Thinking about this, Lady Ding's eyes also darkened, exuding a touch of ferocity.

Ji Xinhe was inept in many ways, but she had a keen eye. She clearly noticed the unusual flashes in Lady Ding's expression.

Ji Xinhe knew that Lady Ding couldn't wait to take action against her now.

Her actions earlier were somewhat deliberate to anger Lady Ding and force her into a corner, so she would naturally be eager to act against her. This way, Ji Xinhe wouldn't have to trouble herself guessing when Lady Ding would make a move.

After Ji Xinhe finished feeding the pigs, the sky gradually darkened, but Xiao Bei still hadn't returned.

Ji Xinhe was suspicious and wanted to ask Ji Dong, but Ji Dong had just been sent to work in the fields again. He said that there were too many pests damaging the crops, so he had no choice but to go catch them himself at night.

Although Xiao Bei sometimes played with Gou Dan, he usually knew when to return. It was already dark, and he should have thought about coming back by now.

Ji Xinhe felt uneasy and went out of the courtyard to take a look.

But who would have thought that as soon as she stepped out of the courtyard, she saw a little girl running in a hurry, panting: "Xin He, Xin He, your brother is playing with Gou Dan and accidentally got pushed into a pond by someone!"

Ji Xinhe's face turned pale and she quickly asked, "Where is he?"

"At the east side of the village by the Bishui River, you better hurry over."

Xiao Bei was the apple of Ji Xinhe's eye. If it had been before, she would have rushed over without thinking. But this time, she couldn't help but scrutinize the little girl. The girl was called Wang Er Ya and had no connection to Ji Xinhe in the past. It was suspicious that someone unrelated would come to deliver such news, which made her even more suspicious.