Chapter 141: Chapter 131: Teacher Yu in Danger

After all the guests had left, Xiao Man asked Grandma, "What do you think of Sister Liu Ping’s date?"

"He seems quite nice," Grandma said. "The young man is handsome and has a gentle demeanor. In those two respects, he’s a good match for your Sister Liu Ping."

"But it looked to me like he likes Lu Meiye, too."

"He’s only been here half a day. How could you possibly tell?"

"He smiled at Lu Meiye!"

Grandma...

’He’s not even allowed to smile at other people? Just how possessive are you, child?’

"Grandma, you said yourself that Lu Meiye was better than Sister Liu Ping. Do you really think she’s nicer and prettier than her? What if Little Huang feels the same way and falls for Lu Meiye? What do we do then?"

Grandma sighed softly. "Any young woman will be pretty if she puts in a little effort to dress up. Your Sister Liu Ping has the advantage in looks, but that Lu Meiye is more clever and calculating. It looks like Little Huang is quite interested in your Sister Liu Ping, but with a girl like Lu Meiye by her side—so considerate and thoughtful on their very first meeting—it’s only a matter of time before he takes notice... As the saying goes, ’cabbage and turnips each have their own taste.’ It’s his business which one Little Huang prefers. What can we do?"

"But he can’t just pick and choose! They’re people, not actual cabbages and turnips."

"That’s why you girls need to be sharp. Dating is all about getting to know each other. If you’re compatible, you continue. If not, you break it off early. I just had a word with your Sister Liu Ping and told her to be more attentive and vigilant. This is a decision for a lifetime; you can’t be muddle-headed about it. She’s a good girl. Growing up without a mother, she’s honest and not at all flashy. She needs to find a man who will cherish her with all his heart, who can support her and be someone she can depend on. If he’s the fickle type, it’s better to see it for what it is and end things sooner rather than later!"

Xiao Man nodded repeatedly, completely agreeing.

’Ginger really does get spicier with age,’ she thought. ’Now that Grandma’s eyes are better, her mind is clear, and some of her profound wisdom is showing through.’

On Monday afternoon, Teacher Yu stayed after school to tutor her students, so she was a bit late heading back to her parents’ house. It was a route she traveled all the time, so she wasn’t afraid. However, she never expected what would happen. As she was cycling through a mountain pass, six or seven people blocked her way to rob her. It was hard to see them clearly in the dusk, but she could tell they were all young men, between fifteen and twenty years old. They snatched her bicycle and shoulder bag. Just as they were about to surround and beat her, they heard a car approaching in the distance. The group quickly fled, not even taking the bicycle with them!

That very night, Teacher Yu’s father rushed to the commune police station to file a report. In the sixties and seventies, the police came to investigate overnight, but after several days, the investigation yielded no results.

After recovering from the shock, Teacher Yu told Xiao Man that she thought she recognized one of the voices from the group. She seemed to recall hearing it once at Mo Xiaosu’s house. At the time, the person had been speaking from another room. Mo Xiaosu’s two younger brothers were still little, and Mo Xiaosu often mentioned she had a cousin... But she couldn’t be certain.

Teacher Yu wasn’t certain, but Xiao Man was immediately sure: It was them!

’The people of the Mo Family Courtyard had never intended to let her go,’ she thought. ’Whether it was the couple Mo Guoqiang and Liu Fengying, or Mo Xiaosu, it was like they held a grudge from several lifetimes ago. They dreamed of her suffering misfortune, of pushing her to her death!’

That time Mo Guoqiang had fallen hard on the road, he’d knocked out several teeth. A stone kicked up by Xiao Man’s foot had shattered his shin bone. To make matters worse, a few inexperienced young people had tried to help by dragging him around, only aggravating the injury. After returning from the hospital, he was left a severe cripple. He could still work, but he couldn’t carry heavy loads or plow the fields, so he could no longer be considered a primary laborer in the production team.

Because of this, his entire family hated Xiao Man enough to want to tear her apart.

Liu Fengying still came looking for Xiao Man, acting like a madwoman in an opera. One moment she’d be playing the victim and weeping, the next she’d be revealing her vicious side and spewing curses. Xiao Man was long sick of her and was waiting for an opportunity to teach her a harsh lesson when no one was looking, to make her finally give it up.

Mo Xiaoqiang’s name was fitting; he really had the spirit of an unkillable cockroach. Xiao Man had slapped and kicked him before, but he still kept coming back for more. Xiao Man only ever used her normal strength on him. The little brat had already thrown in his lot with Huang Baoshan. Because Xiao Man had left home early on, Liu Fengying was too exhausted with housework to push her children to study, so Mo Xiaoqiang had long since given up on improving himself. Recalling Huang Baoshan’s fate in her previous life, Xiao Man felt that Mo Xiaoqiang would end up the same way. ’Prison is waiting for them,’ she thought. ’There’s no need for me to get my hands dirty.’

On behalf of Mo Xiaosu, Huang Baoshan had tried to cause trouble for Xiao Man more than once, but he had limited himself to verbal threats and never got physical. Xiao Man just let him be.

But this incident with Teacher Yu was different; Xiao Man knew it wasn’t that simple. Mo Xiaosu must have come up with the plan, and Huang Baoshan carried it out with his accomplices. After Xiao Man moved in with her Grandpa and Grandma, she had become a pampered girl who rarely did any outside chores. She wouldn’t even go out to gather pig feed without a companion. With midterm exams coming up, she acted even more like a good little girl, going only between school and home. Huang Baoshan had no opportunity to pick a fight with her, so he went after Teacher Yu instead!

If that was true, then Mo Xiaosu’s viciousness truly rivaled Liu Fengying’s.

After this incident, Xiao Man felt that some things couldn’t be delayed any longer. First, she took out several Amulets from her space. They were round beads carved from thousand-year-old peach wood, each paired with a tiny Jade Gourd. Xiao Man simply explained that she had taken them from the string of beads Mr. Sun had given her and that they had been consecrated by an eminent monk to attract good fortune and ward off evil. She tied one to the wrist or neck of her Grandpa, Grandma, and Teacher Yu. ’This small object certainly can’t protect them from direct physical harm,’ she thought, ’but since it’s called an Amulet, there has to be some truth to it.’

Lin Liuping, her three best friends, Mo Chengfu, and Qiu Xiaohu—all those she was closer to—also received a peach wood bead. She told them it was a gift from an "expert" that could ward off evil; wearing it would keep even ghosts at bay. Who in the countryside didn’t believe in ghosts and gods? They all quickly put them on, wearing them close to their skin and hiding them securely under their clothes, afraid someone might snatch them away.

She also began rounding up any interested girls to learn Sun-style Tai Chi or a simplified version of the Five Animals Qigong [some of the complex movements were impossible for ordinary people to perform]. They would practice for an hour or two in the mornings and evenings. Everyone knew Xiao Man had a famous doctor for a master in Wancheng and that someone drove to her house every month. It was no surprise that she was learning medicine and also knew Tai Chi. Her friends quickly finished their chores; they could still squeeze out some time. Teacher Yu and Lin Liuping both claimed they had no time, so Xiao Man coaxed them by saying the practice would help them maintain a slim figure, preventing them from getting fat and ugly in old age. Their bodies would be super healthy, and if they practiced long enough, they could even defend themselves. The two were thoroughly convinced and obediently joined in.

Grandpa, Grandma, and Mo Chengfu had already been "conscripted" by Xiao Man during winter break, and they were already practicing Tai Chi and the Five Animals Qigong quite proficiently.

Since someone was plotting against her, Xiao Man started going out alone, sometimes intentionally, sometimes casually. She would walk by the river, look at the old maple tree, or stroll along the road out of the village toward the fields, hoping to lure out some of the local fiends for a look. But nothing happened. It was probably because the incident with Teacher Yu had just occurred, and Huang Baoshan’s gang needed to lay low for a while. They didn’t dare to strike again while the heat was on.

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