Aunt Zhao's Humbling Encounter: A Lesson in Karma

Hence, she refused to lend a hand to Aunt Zhao.

"Auntie, I told you that bad luck was coming your way, but you didn't believe me!" Fu Bao proclaimed with a hint of pride.

"You insolent brat! You cursed little troublemaker!" Aunt Zhao seethed with rage, ready to lunge at Fu Bao. However, as she took a step forward, she inadvertently stepped on something smooth and lost her footing, tumbling headlong into the field once more!

This time, she landed face-first in the mud, her entire body covered in grime, rendering her unrecognizable. It was a humiliating sight.

"Children, never emulate the behavior of people like her. Look, this is karma in action!" Mrs. Li remarked disdainfully, secretly reveling in Aunt Zhao's misfortune.

"Don't worry, Grandma, we won't be like her. We won't invite karma upon ourselves!" Fu Bao's astute reply further incensed Aunt Zhao.

Aunt Zhao felt as though her old waist was on the brink of breaking as she struggled to rise from the paddy field. Just as she was about to stand, the owner of the field, Hu Laosan, arrived. He was a burly man of fifty-three, renowned in the village for his immense strength.

Upon seeing his ruined paddy field, Hu Laosan's anger reached boiling point. He had barely finished his breakfast when he noticed the devastation wreaked upon the rice seedlings he had painstakingly planted that very morning.

"Damn it! Aunt Zhao, are you out of your mind? You've destroyed the seedlings I worked so hard to plant!" His voice thundered with fury, his eyes bulging with rage.

Aunt Zhao, trembling in fear at his imposing figure, pointed frantically at Mrs. Li, "It's not my fault! It was that wretched woman from the Li family and her two brats who pushed me into the mud. If you want to assign blame, go find them!"

Hu Lao San cast a skeptical glance towards Mrs. Li's group as Fu Bao approached him. With her innocent and tender face, Fu Bao looked up at him and spoke cheerfully, "Uncle Hu, Aunt Zhao is being unfair. She was just trying to catch a wild pig, but accidentally fell into the field. Yet she insists on blaming us and scolding us! Uncle Hu, you're a fair man, you can judge."

At the sound of "Uncle Hu," the rough exterior of Hu softened momentarily.

This little girl, Fu Bao, was the darling of the village, her innocence and beauty captivating everyone who laid eyes on her. When those sparkling eyes met yours, even a tough man like Hu couldn't resist feeling a pang of tenderness. He longed for a daughter himself, but his wife hadn't borne any daughters; they had only been blessed with two rowdy boys who seemed to have endless energy. They were always getting into mischief, and no amount of scolding or punishment seemed to curb their antics. They could be quite the handful!

Feeling the warmth of Hu Lao San's rough hand on her head, Fu Bao couldn't help but smile sweetly. His softened tone brought relief to the tense situation. "Uncle Hu believes in you," she said, her gaze shifting to Aunt Zhao with a stern expression.

"Aunt Zhao, you destroyed our seedlings and refuse to take responsibility. Blaming the Li family instead, are you so wicked? I won't stand for it. If you don't compensate for the damage to our seedlings, I'll make sure you pay, even if it means using my fists!"

Aunt Zhao glanced nervously at his outstretched hand, realizing that if she dared to hit it, she might end up seriously injured.

Fearing the consequences, she begrudgingly swallowed her pride and relented, "Fine, I'll pay. How much do you want?"

"At least five yuan!" Hu Lao San demanded firmly.

"Five yuan?! Are you out of your mind?" Aunt Zhao snapped, her anger boiling over. "Hu Lao San, it's just a few crushed seedlings! You expect me to fork over five yuan? You're trying to rob me!"

She knew that if she returned home having paid so much, her husband would surely scold her mercilessly.

Feeling utterly unlucky, Aunt Zhao couldn't help but wonder why she always found herself in such predicaments.