《Hot 90s Wife: The Mafia Boss Has A Goldmine》 Chapter 1 Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations ¡°Could she really be a jinx? I heard from the villagers that not only does she jinx her husbands, but she will also jinx her family and friends until she kills everyone around her. Mom, I¡¯m afraid. Can we chase her out?¡± ¡°Silly girl, how can someone like her be a jinx?¡± ¡°But she got engaged three times in a row, and the men all died¡­¡± A conversation sounded in Chen Baiyi¡¯s ear. She opened her eyes in a daze and heard her stepmother, Zhang Xiulan, scoff. ¡°I did that on purpose.¡± ¡°On purpose?¡± Chen Xinyue¡¯s stupid voice sounded in the room. Chen Baiyi forced herself to focus. From the corner of her eye, she saw that the mother and daughter were sitting with their backs facing her. Presumably, they hadn¡¯t guessed that she would wake up so quickly. Zhang Xiulan boasted, ¡°I¡¯ve asked around beforehand every time. The men chosen for her were all about to die in the first place. That way, we can accept the dowry without actually having her marry them. After all, she still has to do labor for the family!¡± Chen Xinyue was enlightened and she said in admiration, ¡°Mom, you¡¯re really impressive.¡± Zhang Xiulan was smug. ¡°Learn more from your mother. I¡¯ll talk to your aunt later and see if she knows any more men who aren¡¯t in good health. Then I¡¯ll get that good-for-nothing engaged again and charge an additional dowry.¡± Chen Xinyue was a little worried. ¡°But no one in our village will dare to marry her.¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s go to another village to search.¡± Zhang Xiulan wasn¡¯t worried at all. ¡°At most, we¡¯ll ask for less money. This time, we don¡¯t need a thousand. Eight hundred will do.¡± Chen Baiyi clenched her fists in anger. It turned out that she was sold out by Zhang Xiulan during these three engagements! For her first two marriages, she was betrothed to upright families. After her husband died, even if they wanted to get back the dowry, Zhang Xiulan would throw a tantrum and refuse to return it no matter what. Her third engagement was to Li Zhimin. He was a sly and greedy person. He was almost thirty years old and had yet to find a wife. The Li family chose Chen Baiyi as his wife, then came to their house to propose marriage. Chen Baiyi rejected him on the spot. In the end, after Zhang Xiulan heard about it, she took the initiative to ask for a thousand yuan as a dowry. Not long after the Li family gave the dowry, Li Zhimin drank too much one day and accidentally fell into the river, then he drowned. Li Zhimin¡¯s mother wanted Chen Baiyi to put on mourning clothes, but Chen Baiyi said that she hadn¡¯t even married him yet so it was inappropriate. As the two of them pulled and tugged, Li Zhimin¡¯s elder brother punched Chen Baiyi and knocked her out. When she woke up again, this was what she heard. Chen Xinyue was still chattering as she asked, ¡°Now that Old Madam Wang keeps asking us to return the dowry, what should we do?¡± Old Madam Wang was Li Zhimin¡¯s mother. Zhang Xiulan was a little angry. ¡°Her son just got unlucky and drowned to death on his own. It¡¯s not like I didn¡¯t want to marry my daughter to him. They were the ones who were in the wrong, so how could they have the nerve to ask for the dowry? If it were me, I would apologize to the girl¡¯s family and give them some compensation! After all, Chen Baiyi¡¯s reputation as a chaste girl has been ruined because of them.¡± Chen Xinyue was worried. ¡°But the Li family is quite powerful now. What if they attack me?¡± Old Madam Wang had the largest chicken farm in the surrounding villages. She had many workers under her and her family had many barbaric men. The punch they gave Chen Baiyi frightened Chen Xinyue. Zhang Xiulan said shamelessly, ¡°Anyway, I don¡¯t have money. They can ask Chen Baiyi for it themselves. It has nothing to do with us.¡± Chen Baiyi said, ¡°You think it¡¯s okay just because you say so?¡± Chapter 2 Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations Zhang Xiulan was so frightened that she jumped up. She pointed at Chen Baiyi and asked, ¡°When did you wake up?¡± Chen Baiyi propped herself up with her arms and used all her strength to sit up. When she fainted, her head accidentally knocked against the stone on the ground. Now, she was covered in blood. With her ghastly appearance, she looked very terrifying. Chen Xinyue shuddered and couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°You heard our conversation?¡± Chen Baiyi coughed twice. She had a splitting headache, but she did not let the two people in front of her see her weakness. She only said, ¡°I heard everything that I needed to hear. Mom, are you not planning to return the thousand yuan dowry?¡± ¡°What dowry? I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about.¡± Zhang Xiulan¡¯s expression was ugly. ¡°Are you hallucinating?¡± Chen Baiyi lowered her head and smiled. When she raised her head again, the expression on her face was cold. ¡°You can¡¯t brush over the Li family just by saying that you don¡¯t know. If you can¡¯t afford it, this family¡­¡± She looked around and sighed. Zhang Xiulan perked up and confronted Chen Baiyi. ¡°What are you trying to say?¡± Chen Baiyi said, ¡°It¡¯s fine if you don¡¯t want to return the dowry, but from today onwards, we¡¯ll sever all ties. I¡¯d rather go out and live alone than live with a vicious stepmother like you.¡± Zhang Xiulan was afraid that it was a trap, so she looked at Chen Baiyi suspiciously. ¡°You only want to sever ties?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want anything in the family except my mother¡¯s belongings.¡± Chen Baiyi¡¯s tone was firm. ¡°After we sever ties, I will have nothing to do with you guys, and I have no obligation to support you in the future.¡± She and her daughter, Chen Xinyue, looked at each other and saw the eagerness in each other¡¯s eyes. They weighed the pros and cons, then agreed. Chen Baiyi had already been engaged three times. It would be difficult to find another man for her. Now that she had agreed to sever ties, not only would she get a thousand yuan, but her grudge with the Li family would also disappear. Chen Baiyi heaved a sigh of relief and immediately said, ¡°Just the three of us being here won¡¯t do. Someone has to be a witness.¡± With that, she turned to Chen Xinyue and said, ¡°Call the village chief over.¡± Chen Xinyue rushed out quickly. In less than 15 minutes, the village chief arrived at the Chen family¡¯s home. The moment he entered, he looked at the tense atmosphere in front of him and stroked his beard. He frowned slightly and said disapprovingly, ¡°I heard from Xinyue that you guys want to sever ties? In my opinion, forget it. You guys will reconcile soon.¡± Chen Baiyi put on a disheartened expression and said to the village chief with tears in her eyes, ¡°I didn¡¯t want to do this either, but they said that I was destined to be a jinx. My grandparents died the moment I was born, and my father died early too. Now that three fianc¨¦es in a row have died, I wish I could go to the nunnery to avoid harming the people around me.¡± The village chief, thinking that it was better to believe in science than such superstition, wanted to comfort Chen Baiyi. However, when he thought of the series of things that had happened to her, he wondered¡ªwas it true? He immediately lost the desire to dissuade her. Chen Baiyi continued, ¡°My mom had gone through great pains to raise me. If I don¡¯t leave home, if even my brother and sister were affected, I would really deserve to die. I might as well just leave like this and live alone!¡± The village chief was moved to tears. He turned to Zhang Xiulan and asked, ¡°Xiulan, what do you think?¡± Zhang Xiulan did not expect Chen Baiyi to say such words. She froze for a moment and immediately pretended to wipe the non-existent tears from the corner of her eyes. She said, ¡°I naturally can¡¯t bear to let her leave, but if Baiyi insists on doing so, I can only let her fulfill her wish.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± The village chief nodded and stroked his beard. He was relieved to see such a loving family. Chen Baiyi struck while the iron was hot and struggled to get off the bed. She took out a piece of paper and a pen and said, ¡°I¡¯m afraid that God will think that I¡¯m putting on an act by severing ties with them. I think it¡¯s better to write an agreement. This way, when others ask, there will be evidence written in black and white.¡± The village chief sighed. ¡°You¡¯re so thoughtful. Child, even if you live alone in the future, don¡¯t be discouraged. You have to fight against fate. If you have any difficulties in the future, come to me for help.¡± Chen Baiyi nodded and agreed. After she wrote it down, two agreements were placed in front of everyone. Chapter 3 Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations Under Zhang Xiulan and Chen Xinyue¡¯s gazes, Chen Baiyi packed a small bag and placed the agreement inside. Then, he walked out satisfied. The village chief asked beside her, ¡°Baiyi, what are your next plans?¡± Looking at the scorching sun, Chen Baiyi narrowed her eyes and said, ¡°I plan to stay in the old house left behind by my grandparents first before making other plans.¡± That old house was at the westernmost end of the village, and the Chen family¡¯s home was at the easternmost end. The village chief immediately sensed her determination to stay away from Zhang Xiulan. He said worriedly, ¡°No one has lived in that house for more than twenty years. It¡¯s very shabby now.¡± Although it was called a house, it only had a living room and courtyard and it was in a small remote corner. This was also the reason Chen Baiyi¡¯s father had moved out as soon as he got married. That place was small, and there was no room for four people. Chen Baiyi waved her hand to indicate that it didn¡¯t matter. ¡°It¡¯s already very good for me to have a place to live.¡± The village chief had no other choice. He couldn¡¯t let her stay in his house. Looking at this optimistic and beautiful girl, he sighed heavily and left. Chen Baiyi arrived at the old house. No one had managed this place for many years, so it was covered in weeds and dust. She borrowed a basin of water from the neighbor¡¯s house and did some cleaning. She only stopped when she was feeling dizzy from hunger. So what if there was no food? Chen Baiyi wasn¡¯t troubled by this. Previously, Zhang Xiulan often starved her, so she had developed the habit of running up the mountain. Some kind-hearted old men and women had taught her how to screen edible plants and even secretly taught her some tricks for setting traps to catch game. Therefore, she would eat a sumptuous meal on the mountain from time to time before returning home. Unfortunately, Chen Baiyi had walked all over the places where she had set up traps today, but she did not see any prey enter the net. Before she walked to the last one, she closed her eyes and prayed. When she opened her eyes, she heard the rustling of animals touching leaves. Gotcha! She heard the faint sound of footsteps in the distance, but she couldn¡¯t care less. She took three steps forward and stuck her head out to check the trap, but she didn¡¯t expect a man to be squatting inside. The man had bold eyebrows and bright eyes. His gaze was cold and his thin lips were pursed tightly, like a cheetah that was ready to attack. Chen Baiyi realized that she was probably prey in his eyes. She cried out in shock. Before she could finish shouting, the man grabbed her collar and pulled her into the trap. Seeing that she still wanted to shout, he stopped her by kissing her. Chen Baiyi¡¯s eyes widened as her mind went blank. The sound of conversation got closer and closer. Chen Baiyi took a step back and wanted to call for help. The man pressed the back of her head and the two of them kissed each other. Hooligan! Chen Baiyi was shocked by the other party¡¯s rude behavior. She struggled after freezing for a while, but the man had a lot of strength. No matter how she kicked and struggled, he did not budge. Hearing the voices gradually fade away, the man let go of her and said apologetically, ¡°Sorry for being rude.¡± Chen Baiyi wiped her mouth with her sleeve and spat out a few more times. She glared at the man and said, ¡°Who exactly are you?¡± ¡°My name is He Xiao.¡± The man watched her disdainful reaction with a strange expression. He only said, ¡°I¡¯ll be responsible for you.¡± Chen Baiyi shook her head. ¡°No need. Just stay away from me.¡± Seeing that her lips were pale and her forehead was covered in cold sweat, He Xiao asked, ¡°Are you sick?¡± Chen Baiyi waved her hand. ¡°I¡¯m hungry.¡± He Xiao said, ¡°There¡¯s a wild chicken here. Take it.¡± Chen Baiyi subconsciously looked in the direction of his finger and saw a chicken hiding in the corner of the trap. To give her the prey she had caught with her own trap to her, this man was quite scheming! Chapter 4 Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations Chen Baiyi carried the wild chicken down from the mountain. She plucked the feathers and drained the blood before placing it in the big stove to cook. Although there was no seasoning, the aroma of the meat still made one drool. After the chicken soup was cooked, she scooped out a full bowl and sent it to the neighbor. Auntie Lin, who was next door, was washing clothes. She wiped her hands in embarrassment and didn¡¯t take it. She only said, ¡°It¡¯s just some well water and salt. It¡¯s not worth much. We don¡¯t want this chicken soup.¡± When the young lady returned the basin, she even washed it clean. How could she have the nerve to ask for the other party¡¯s meat? Chen Baiyi handed it to her again and said, ¡°Auntie, please accept it. I can¡¯t finish so much alone. Besides, I just moved here. There are still many things I have to trouble you with in the future. If you don¡¯t accept it, I won¡¯t be able to come over again.¡± Seeing that Auntie Lin was still hesitating, she lowered her head to look at Auntie Lin¡¯s granddaughter, who was grabbing Auntie Lin¡¯s pants. She asked gently, ¡°Do you want to eat chicken?¡± Auntie Lin¡¯s granddaughter nodded vigorously. She stuck her thumb into her mouth and swallowed a few mouthfuls of saliva. Her gaze could not leave the bowl in Chen Baiyi¡¯s hand. Seeing this, Auntie Lin took her granddaughter¡¯s finger out of her mouth and took the bowl in embarrassment. ¡°Then I¡¯ll accept it.¡± Chen Baiyi waved her hand and was sent out by the grandfather and grandson. She bumped into Zhang Xiulan, who was holding her son and looking over furtively. Her half-brother Chen Chunsheng was four to five years old. He was Chen Baiyi¡¯s father¡¯s son, and he was born after Chen Baiyi¡¯s father died. He was at the age where he was growing his body, so he was always hungry. The child pointed at Chen Baiyi and said, ¡°Mom, they¡¯re eating chickens!¡± When Zhang Xiulan heard her son¡¯s words, she walked over suspiciously and sniffed the air. It really smelled like chicken. She rushed up to ask Chen Baiyi, ¡°You were the one who stewed chicken?¡± Chen Baiyi looked at her coldly. ¡°Is it any of your business?¡± ¡°How is it not?¡± Zhang Xiulan straightened her back and said, ¡°You can¡¯t possibly have money to buy chickens. Did you secretly steal money from me?¡± The more she thought about it, the more she felt that it was the case. She snorted. ¡°No wonder you were in such a hurry to find the village chief and sever ties with us. It turns out that you wanted to escape after stealing money.¡± Chen Baiyi¡¯s expression darkened. ¡°You have no evidence. What right do you have to accuse me of stealing money?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Seeing that the little girl was alone, Auntie Lin stood behind her and supported her. ¡°Xiulan, if your family is short of money, let¡¯s go to the police and let the police handle it. If not, don¡¯t ruin her reputation.¡± At the mention of calling the police, Zhang Xiulan froze. She knew that she did not lose a single cent. Her money was all buried under the southeastern wall. She straightened her neck and said, ¡°Although there isn¡¯t any money that is missing, she might have stolen her father¡¯s money. That¡¯s our common asset and is also my money.¡± Seeing that she was being unreasonable, Chen Baiyi told the truth. ¡°I ate the pheasant I caught myself.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t believe you.¡± Zhang Xiulan sneered. ¡°A pheasant is so hard to catch. How can a young lady like you catch it? Perhaps you stole it from someone.¡± With that, she rushed forward to push open the door of the Chen family¡¯s old residence that was on the verge of collapse. ¡°I have to go in and take a look to find out where you got this chicken from!¡± Chen Baiyi went forward to stop her and asked, ¡°If I can prove that it¡¯s really a wild pheasant I caught, you have to apologize to me.¡± Zhang Xiulan looked at her skinny arms and legs. She did not believe her, so she nodded in agreement. ¡°If you want me to apologize, then I¡¯ll apologize. But if it¡¯s not a a wild pheasant, I¡¯ll skin you.¡± Chapter 5 Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations Zhang Xiulan and Chen Baiyi argued very loudly. It was already four to five o¡¯clock in the evening. The sun was setting, and the villagers were all waiting for dinner at home. When they heard the commotion, they all ran out to watch. Chen Baiyi cupped her fists and said to the surrounding villagers, ¡°Please bear witness for me.¡± Some nosy people immediately agreed. There were also some villagers who didn¡¯t know the situation, and they looked around. Auntie Lin went to the other side and quietly told them about Chen Baiyi severing ties with Zhang Xiulan. The reason was what Chen Baiyi told the village chief. Upon hearing Auntie Lin¡¯s words, a person who was familiar with Zhang Xiulan went over and tugged at her. ¡°If it weren¡¯t for the fear of affecting your family, who would choose to live alone? Your daughter is filial, so don¡¯t fuss about the origins of this chicken.¡± When Zhang Xiulan heard this, her anger deepened. She did not expect Chen Baiyi¡¯s words to actually create such a great reputation for her. She immediately pushed the person who spoke aside and rushed to the door. She pushed hard, and the door fell. She walked towards the kitchen quickly. Everyone followed her in and saw that she had lifted the lid of the pot. There was a pot of rich and delicious-looking chicken soup inside. There was a thin layer of oil on top of the chicken soup, and the large piece of chicken meat below was clearly visible. Steam slowly rose and transmitted the smell to everyone present. Everyone gulped. Zhang Xiulan felt very smug. She turned around and asked Chen Baiyi, ¡°Tell me, where did this chicken come from?¡± As she spoke, the corners of her mouth curled up slightly, as if she had already claimed possession of this pot of delicious food and swallowed the chicken. Beside her, an old granny said, ¡°I think this chicken really looks like a pheasant.¡± Someone chimed in. ¡°I think so too. Farmed chickens have more oil than this.¡± Zhang Xiulan¡¯s expression stiffened. She subconsciously denied, ¡°Impossible.¡± The old granny felt embarrassed to be retorted so firmly. She immediately said, ¡°Why not? I think you¡¯re deliberately finding trouble for your stepdaughter.¡± At this moment, Chen Baiyi came out with a pile of chicken feathers. She knew that the public was already biased towards her, so she deliberately put on a pitiful look and said, ¡°Fortunately, I didn¡¯t throw away these chicken feathers. I originally wanted to make a shuttlecock during my free time, but now, I used it to prove my innocence.¡± She raised the chicken feather high up. When the colorful tail feathers appeared in everyone¡¯s eyes, everyone exclaimed, ¡°It¡¯s indeed a wild pheasant. How can a farm chicken have such beautiful feathers?!¡± Zhang Xiulan couldn¡¯t believe it. She shook her head slowly. ¡°Impossible. How could you have the ability to catch a wild chicken? Tell me, was it given to you by some bastard you hooked up with?¡± Chen Baiyi¡¯s heart skipped a beat. She suddenly thought of He Xiao, but she immediately pretended to be embarrassed and complained with a sob, ¡°Mom, I didn¡¯t expect you to think of me this way¡­¡± Everyone looked at each other and discussed softly, ¡°That can¡¯t be. She just came out of her house less than half a day ago. What chance could she have to find a man?¡± ¡°If she could really hook up with one in just half a day, how could she have lost three fianc¨¦es in a row? Now, the men in our village are all avoiding her because they¡¯re afraid of being jinxed to death.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t she have hooked up with one before she left home?¡± someone questioned. ¡°That¡¯s even more impossible.¡± This statement was immediately refuted. ¡°If she had gotten herself a man who could catch wild pheasants, she wouldn¡¯t have been engaged to Li Zhiguo. The Li family¡¯s environment¡­¡± This person did not dare to continue, but everyone understood. If she had a choice, Chen Baiyi would not have been engaged to Li Zhiguo. That family was shady. Only someone as greedy as Zhang Xiulan would do so. Who would be willing to marry their daughter to him? At the thought of this, everyone looked at the arrogant and bossy Zhang Xiulan and the pitiful Chen Baiyi. Chapter 6 Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations Zhang Xiulan sensed that the villagers¡¯ gazes towards her had become hostile, so she secretly cursed Chen Baiyi in her mind. She didn¡¯t expect that this little hussy who had previously kept a low profile completely ruined her reputation that she had worked hard to maintain for many years. Chen Baiyi did not argue with Zhang Xiulan. She only said, ¡°Now that I¡¯ve proven that this is a wild pheasant, Mom, it¡¯s time for you to apologize to me.¡± How could Zhang Xiulan apologize to Chen Baiyi? She snorted coldly and turned to leave with her son. When Chen Chunsheng saw that there was no chance for him to eat the chicken, he stared fixedly at the white steam that was gradually rising from the big stove and suddenly cried. He shouted, ¡°Mom, I want to eat chicken. Get Chen Baiyi to give us the chicken!¡± Someone in the crowd laughed with disdain, and there were even people who looked amused. Zhang Xiulan felt humiliated, and she bent down to carry Chen Chunsheng. Chen Chunsheng shook off her hand and rolled on the ground. ¡°I don¡¯t care. I want to eat¡­¡± Chen Baiyi didn¡¯t have time to tidy up the kitchen yet, and there was a thick layer of dust on the ground. With the water used for cooking, the ground was muddy now. Chen Chunsheng looked like he was rolling around in a pit. Zhang Xiulan¡¯s heart ached for her son. She couldn¡¯t help but look at Chen Baiyi. After a moment of silence, she said, ¡°Baiyi, look at your brother. Why don¡¯t you give us a little? Treat it as a form of respect for your father and me.¡± Chen Baiyi shook her head despite Zhang Xiulan¡¯s expectant gaze. She said, ¡°Mom, I originally wanted to take this pot of chicken and eat it with the entire family. But now that I think about it, since we¡¯ve already severed ties, it¡¯s best if we don¡¯t see each other. As for filial piety towards my father, I¡¯ll personally place it in front of his grave.¡± Seeing that the situation was in a stalemate, someone came up to persuade Zhang Xiulan. ¡°The child is disappointed in you. Why don¡¯t you guys go back first and wait for her to calm down first?¡± Zhang Xiulan also wanted to go back, but her son was still rolling on the ground! She gritted her teeth and said, ¡°You have to give us this pot of chicken today. Otherwise, your father will not rest in peace when he sees that you only care about yourself and don¡¯t care about your siblings at all.¡± ¡°I miss my father so much. He had been strong and healthy when he was alive. Why is it that he abandoned me and died when he was in his forties?¡± Chen Baiyi suddenly cried. ¡°Mom, your previous husband also died early. I can understand your difficulties, but if my father knew that I was a jinx, he definitely would have felt bad for me. He wouldn¡¯t have blamed me for any choice I made.¡± When Chen Baiyi said this, Zhang Xiulan¡¯s back broke out in a cold sweat. She couldn¡¯t be bothered with the chicken anymore. She quickly picked Chen Chunsheng up and ran away. The reason was that she was most afraid of others mentioning that she had lost two husbands! As everyone watched her fleeing, they suddenly had a strange thought. After Chen Baiyi sent them out of the door, the women began to gossip. ¡°Do you think it¡¯s possible that the person who is a jinx isn¡¯t Chen Baiyi, but Zhang Xiulan instead?¡± ¡°Everyone says that Chen Baiyi jinxed her husbands, but she hadn¡¯t even married them yet. I think it¡¯s more likely that Zhang Xiulan jinxed her son-in-laws to death!¡± The crowd widened their eyes in shock as they listened to this person. ¡°Think about it, among Chen Baiyi¡¯s three fianc¨¦es, other than Li Zhimin, the other two were all sickly. I¡¯m not surprised that they died. On the other hand, which one of Zhang Xiulan¡¯s two husbands wasn¡¯t strong and robust? They were known for being good at planting crops.¡± ¡°In my opinion, it¡¯s Zhang Xiulan who jinxed Chen Baiyi. That¡¯s why Chen Baiyi suffered.¡± Someone asked, ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s see,¡± the person replied. ¡°Didn¡¯t the two of them cut ties already? Whoever has the better life is innocent, while the other one is a scourge.¡± Chapter 7 Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations Zhang Xiulan carried the wailing Chen Chunsheng and ran back. Chen Chunsheng did not get to eat the chicken, so he struggled and screamed as he slapped his mother. Seeing that it was useless, he used his nails to dig at the flesh on Zhang Xiulan¡¯s neck and pull the hair on the back of her head. He wriggled like a slippery fish. When Zhang Xiulan felt the pain, she accidentally let go. Chen Chunsheng fell straight down and rolled twice along the road. The corner of his eye hit a sharp stone and blood flowed. Zhang Xiulan was frightened and she trembled as she picked up her son. When she saw that Chen Chunsheng couldn¡¯t even open his right eye, she was instantly alarmed. She muttered, ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid. Mom will send you to the hospital immediately.¡± As she spoke, she turned around and rushed out, but she bumped into Li Zhimin¡¯s mother. Seeing the fierce look on Old Madam Wang¡¯s face, Zhang Xiulan had no intention of arguing with her. She lowered her head and quickened her pace, but was stopped. Old Madam Wang glanced at the crying Chen Chunsheng and said gloatingly, ¡°is he blind?¡± ¡°Nonsense, Chunsheng is fine.¡± Zhang Xiulan shouted, ¡°Don¡¯t block my way.¡± Old Madam Wang said, ¡°I can let you leave, but you have to return the dowry to me first.¡± Zhang Xiulan was overwhelmed with anxiety. She quickly said, ¡°Ask Chen Baiyi for the dowry. We¡¯ve already severed ties. The money is with her.¡± Old Madam Wang did not believe it. How could someone as mean as Zhang Xiulan give a thousand yuan to Chen Baiyi? Seeing that she was still blocking the road, Zhang Xiulan said, ¡°If you don¡¯t believe me, you can ask the village chief. You can also ask Chen Baiyi. She¡¯s living at the old residence now. You can see her directly if you go.¡± Old Madam Wang gave her a skeptical look, but Zhang Xiulan was in no mood to explain further. Zhang Xiulan ran towards the hospital. Old Madam Wang turned around to go to the Chen family¡¯s old residence. If Zhang Xiulan was lying, she could just come over again. At this moment, Chen Baiyi was eating chicken at home. She only ate one meal that day. After she finished it and took a break, she felt invigorated again. She was lying on the bed and thinking about what to do next when she heard Old Madam Wang¡¯s voice at the door. She got up immediately while thinking that she should install a door. The door being wide open was unsafe. Old Madam Wang walked in and was shocked when she saw Chen Baiyi walk out of the room. ¡°Is what Zhang Xiulan said true? You guys really severed ties?¡± Chen Baiyi nodded. ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Old Madam Wang had a sharp nose and immediately smelled the aroma of meat. She said, ¡°It seems like you have money to eat meat. Why don¡¯t you return my thousand yuan dowry first?¡± Chen Baiyi said, ¡°I don¡¯t have that much money.¡± Old Madam Wang had already guessed that she couldn¡¯t take out that much money. She smiled and said, ¡°It¡¯s fine if you don¡¯t give it to me. There¡¯s another choice for you ¡ª go to the Li family¡¯s chicken farm and work for ten years. This debt will be written off after that.¡± Ten years! Chen Baiyi was shocked by her exorbitant demand. Even a farmer who worked in the fields could save up a thousand yuan a year by scrimping, let alone a worker in the city. The average salary was more than a hundred yuan a month. Old Madam Wang actually wanted to use a thousand yuan to buy ten years of her life. Chen Baiyi rejected her on the spot. ¡°No.¡± Old Madam Wang got an idea and said, ¡°There¡¯s another choice. Why don¡¯t you marry Zhimin¡¯s uncle?¡± Chen Baiyi snorted. Old Madam Wang was quite scheming. Chen Zhimin¡¯s uncle was in his forties, and he was a mental retard with an IQ below that of a ten-year-old! Chapter 8 Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations Chen Baiyi shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t want either option.¡± Old Madam Wang was a little anxious and jumped up on the spot. ¡°What do you mean? I didn¡¯t despise you for jinxing your husband and was kind enough to let my brother marry you. Not only are you not grateful, but you even want to go back on your words?¡± Chen Baiyi said, ¡°Give me some time. I¡¯ll return the dowry to you.¡± Old Madam Wang didn¡¯t agree and wanted to refuse on the spot. However, Chen Baiyi said, ¡°You should deduct my medical fees from the dowry.¡± With that, she pointed at the wound on her forehead. This wound had been washed by Chen Baiyi with clear water. At this moment, it was no longer bleeding, but it looked ghastly. Furthermore, it was on a lady¡¯s face. It was obvious that her face was disfigured. Old Madam Wang felt a little guilty and muttered, ¡°It wasn¡¯t intentional. It¡¯s your fault for not dodging.¡± Chen Baiyi pursed his lips and said with a serious expression, ¡°If you¡¯re not going to take responsibility, I¡¯ll go to the police station to sue you for personal injury. When the police arrest Brother Li later, don¡¯t blame me for being ruthless. I was forced by you.¡± Old Madam Wang quickly stopped her and asked, ¡°How much do you want for the medical fees?¡± Chen Baiyi thought for a few seconds and said, ¡°200.¡± ¡°No, at most 100.¡± This price exceeded Old Madam Wang¡¯s expectations. She pursed her lips and said mockingly, ¡°200 yuan? Isn¡¯t this highway robbery?¡± Chen Baiyi was very determined. ¡°Two hundred. Otherwise, we¡¯ll meet at the police station.¡± ¡°How about 150?¡± Old Madam Wang bargained. Chen Baiyi shook her head and was about to blurt out the words ¡°police station¡± again. Old Madam Wang hurriedly said, ¡°So be it. There is still eight hundred left. You have to return it to me immediately.¡± Chen Baiyi said, ¡°I¡¯ll definitely return it to you in half a year at most. Otherwise, I¡¯ll let the entire village know that your chicken farm usually employs children.¡± Old Madam Wang was shocked. ¡°How did you know?¡± Working on a chicken farm was very tiring. A child¡¯s salary was half that of an adult¡¯s. In order to save money, 80% of the workers were not even 14 years old yet. At this moment, Chen Baiyi had to thank Li Zhimin, who had died early. She replied, ¡°When your good son went out with me, he told me something worth showing off.¡± Old Madam Wang gritted her teeth in hatred. She wished she could drag this prodigal out of the coffin and scold him. She panted heavily and stared at Chen Baiyi angrily. ¡°If this matter isn¡¯t enough for you to give me half a year¡¯s time, then I¡¯ll reveal Li Zhimin¡¯s real cause of death.¡± Chen Baiyi¡¯s tone sounded casual, but her words made Old Madam Wang surrender. ¡°What?¡± Old Madam Wang was shocked and afraid. She said with a trembling voice, ¡°What do you mean? I don¡¯t understand¡­¡± Chen Baiyi sneered. ¡°If you don¡¯t want people to know, don¡¯t do it. You don¡¯t really think you can hide the real cause of Li Zhimin¡¯s death by publicizing that I jinxed him to death, do you?¡± Old Madam Wang¡¯s heart suddenly thumped. She couldn¡¯t help but take a step back and look at Chen Baiyi in shock. Impossible. How did this little girl know how he died? When Li Zhimin died, only the Li family was around. They couldn¡¯t tell anyone. Looking at the sneering Chen Baiyi, Old Madam Wang swallowed nervously. ¡°What do you want?¡± ¡°I just want you to give me half a year,¡± Chen Baiyi said. Old Madam Wang nodded. ¡°Alright, half a year it is. I think you can earn back eight hundred yuan in such a short time.¡± Then, she turned around and left. Chapter 9 Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations Chen Baiyi heaved a sigh of relief as she watched Old Madam Wang leave. In fact, she did not know how Li Zhimin died, but he usually did not drink and the river he drowned in wasn¡¯t along the road that led to his house either. When she heard about it, she felt that something was amiss. After she had tricked Old Madam Wang, she could tell from her reaction that it was not an accident. Now that the time to return the money had been extended to half a year, she could take a gamble and start a small business. With this in mind, Chen Baiyi laid on the bed and slept with her clothes on. The next morning, for some reason, there was a commotion outside the door. Chen Baiyi was awakened by the sound and sighed heavily¡ªit seemed that the repair of the door could not be delayed any further. She walked out and saw a group of women surrounding her door. The one leading them was Zhang Xiulan¡¯s biological sister, Zhang Xiumei. She pointed at Chen Baiyi and said, ¡°Jinx, get out of the village!¡± Chen Baiyi was calm and composed as she said, ¡°On what basis?¡± ¡°On the basis that you¡¯ve ruined the reputation of all the girls in the village.¡± Zhang Xiumei pulled the woman beside her. ¡°Ms. Liu¡¯s daughter¡¯s engagement was canceled yesterday. They said that they were afraid that the girls in the village would jinx their husband. If you don¡¯t leave now, the rumors will spread even further. How will our daughters marry?¡± Mrs. Liu wiped her tears and said, ¡°Baiyi, don¡¯t blame me for being ruthless, but you really can¡¯t stay in the village anymore.¡± ¡°Who can¡¯t stay in the village anymore?¡± Before Chen Baiyi could speak, a deep male voice sounded from behind everyone. The women turned their heads in unison. When they saw that the person who came was the village chief, they were so frightened that they immediately dispersed. Only Zhang Xiumei and Auntie Liu stood stubbornly on the spot without moving. However, Auntie Liu lowered her head and didn¡¯t dare to say a word. The village chief came over with his hands behind his back. When he saw Zhang Xiumei and Auntie Liu, he asked, ¡°What happened?¡± The little girl beside him said in a clear voice, ¡°I know.¡± Then, she repeated their conversation. The village chief said to Auntie Liu in exasperation, ¡°Your daughter was caught seducing a man and that was why her engagement was called off. I didn¡¯t tell anyone for your sake, but how can you slander innocent people?¡± Auntie Liu trembled and didn¡¯t dare to retort. She only said, ¡°It¡¯s Xiumei who asked me to¡­¡± Zhang Xiumei scolded her loudly, ¡°You were the one who asked me to seek justice for your daughter. If I knew that your daughter was a loose woman, I wouldn¡¯t have gotten involved in this mess.¡± ¡°My daughter is not promiscuous. It¡¯s her boyfriend¡¯s fault for always hitting her. Her friend was just comforting her,¡± Auntie Liu explained. ¡°The two of them are innocent.¡± The village chief waved his hand and interrupted their argument. ¡°No matter who¡¯s right or wrong, you can¡¯t blame this on Chen Baiyi in the future. You have to believe in science, understand?¡± The group of people left angrily. Chen Baiyi went forward to thank the village chief. The village chief pointed at Auntie Lin and said, ¡°Fortunately, Auntie Lin was quick-witted. She saw that the situation wasn¡¯t right and secretly came to find me.¡± Chen Baiyi looked at Auntie Lin gratefully. Auntie Lin said casually, ¡°We¡¯re neighbors. If you have any difficulties, I can¡¯t just sit by and do nothing, right?¡± ¡°No matter what, I have to thank you,¡± Chen Baiyi said. ¡°I¡¯ll tidy up the house later and treat you guys to dinner.¡± Before the two of them could refuse, the little girl who had just explained the situation to the village chief said, ¡°And me!¡± She was Auntie Lin¡¯s granddaughter. Ever since she had drunk Chen Baiyi¡¯s chicken soup, she had never forgotten about it. Chen Baiyi smiled and hugged her. ¡°No problem. I¡¯ll cook a feast for you later.¡± Chapter 10 Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations When Auntie Lin saw that there were still many things left to organize at Chen Baiyi¡¯s house, she took her granddaughter from her arms. ¡°Go ahead and attend to your business. If there¡¯s anything I can help with, just tell me.¡± ¡°Thank you, Auntie Lin.¡± Chen Baiyi sent Auntie Lin and the little girl, who was making a fuss about playing with her, to the door with a smile. Auntie Lin told the little girl that she could come and play next time. After Chen Baiyi returned to the courtyard, the smile on her face disappeared. There was no need to think too much about today¡¯s matter. The mastermind must be her ¡°good¡± stepmother. Otherwise, why would Auntie Liu suddenly look for her today when she usually didn¡¯t have much interaction with Auntie Liu? She had to take revenge, but the most important thing was to earn money. An idea flashed across her mind. Chen Baiyi packed up and left. Not long after, she met Dog Two, a gangster in the village, on the way. Dog Two was standing under a big tree and smoking. When he saw Chen Baiyi coming, he stopped smoking and ran away. When Chen Baiyi saw his sneaky appearance, she felt that he must have some secret. As she shouted, she rushed up to chase after Dog Two. After running for a long time, Dog Two could not hold on anymore and panted. ¡°Don¡¯t¡­ Don¡¯t chase me anymore. I surrender.¡± He did not know how a weak woman like Chen Baiyi could run for so long. Chen Baiyi caught up with him and grabbed Dog Two¡¯s collar. ¡°Why are you running? Did you do something shady?¡± ¡°What¡­ what do you mean? I don¡¯t understand what you¡¯re saying.¡± Dog Two kept struggling to shake off Chen Baiyi¡¯s hand. However, Chen Baiyi grabbed it firmly, and the exhausted Dog Two could not break free at all. ¡°You were the one who started what happened this morning, right?¡± Seeing that Dog Two wanted to shake his head, Chen Baiyi exerted strength in her hand and threatened fiercely, ¡°If you don¡¯t tell the truth, I¡¯ll go to the village chief¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t. I¡¯ll talk. Chen Xinyue asked me to do it. She asked me to spread the news in the village. She said¡­ said that you were a jinx, and then¡­¡± ¡°They wanted to chase me out of the village this morning.¡± Chen Baiyi¡¯s voice was terrifyingly calm. Seeing that she was so calm, Dog Two was a little afraid. Chen Baiyi was secretly shocked. It was actually not Zhang Xiumei. On second thought, the two of them were both wicked people. Chen Xinyue had really followed her biological mother¡¯s footsteps since she was so vicious at such a young age. Chen Baiyi sneered. When Dog Two heard this, he thought that she did not believe him and hurriedly explained, ¡°I¡¯m telling the truth. I¡¯m not lying to you.¡± Dog Two was regretting it now. He was only spreading rumors about Chen Baiyi, and he did not want to chase her out of the village. He did not expect the matter to be so serious. Chen Baiyi naturally believed him. However, he was also an accomplice. How could she let him off so easily? He was considered one of the top gangsters in the village, so he should have a lot of connections. With this in mind, she had an idea. ¡°If you say so, then so be it. If no one told the truth this morning, I would have been chased out of the village now.¡± Chen Baiyi suddenly looked at him angrily. ¡°I didn¡¯t do it on purpose. I didn¡¯t want to chase you out of the village. Give me a chance to remedy this.¡± Dog Two was frightened by Chen Baiyi and begged in a panic. When Chen Baiyi heard this, her tone softened. ¡°I can forgive you, but you have to help me find a way to buy pig head meat.¡± Chapter 11 Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations When Dog Two heard Chen Baiyi relent, he hurriedly agreed. ¡°I have connections. I know someone who definitely has a way.¡± Chen Baiyi was secretly delighted when she heard that there was a way, but she still did not treat Dog Two kindly. ¡°You better not lie to me. Take me there now.¡± With that, she let go of Dog Two. Dog Two¡¯s neck relaxed and he finally did not feel suffocated anymore. ¡°There¡¯s nothing he can¡¯t do.¡± Chen Baiyi let Dog Two lead the way while she followed behind. As she walked, she thought about it. She finally had a way to earn money. In the past, she had learned a lot of culinary skills from those women and had trained herself to be good at cooking. Naturally, pig head meat was not a problem. Moreover, pig heads were expensive, but few people bought pig heads, and pig heads often could not be sold. Therefore, over time, the price of pig heads became very cheap. She did not have much money, so selling pig head meat was just right for her. At the thought that she could earn money, Chen Baiyi could not hold back her smile anymore. However, it was only temporary, and her expression quickly returned to normal. Finally, they arrived. Dog Two brought Chen Baiyi into the courtyard. ¡°Is the boss here?¡± There were actually many people inside. Dog Two seemed to be very familiar with them and asked calmly. Chen Baiyi was shocked, but she did not show it on her face. Soon, someone brought them into the room. The moment Chen Baiyi entered, she saw the hooligan who had forced a kiss on her last time. Was he the omnipotent big shot Dog Two spoke of? He Xiao saw a familiar figure behind Dog Two and looked at her a few more times. When he heard the person beside him say that Dog Two was looking for him, he retracted his gaze and looked at Dog Two. ¡°What are you looking for me for?¡± ¡°Brother Xiao, it¡¯s nothing serious. It¡¯s just that I have a friend who wants to do business. She wants to ask if you have a way to buy pig head meat.¡± Dog Two smiled obsequiously. As he spoke, he walked to the side and revealed Chen Baiyi to indicate that she wanted to do business. Chen Baiyi was thinking about what happened last time and did not notice Dog Two¡¯s actions. When she came back to her senses, she happened to meet the man¡¯s eyes. He Xiao finally saw the woman¡¯s face clearly. It was her! She was the woman he met when he was chased to the top of the mountain last time. His gaze slowly moved down from her face to her full lips. He suddenly remembered what happened last time¡­ her lips were so soft. He Xiao chuckled. Chen Baiyi saw that he was staring at her mouth and knew that he had also remembered what happened last time. Her face blushed and he said in a bad tone, ¡°What are you laughing at? Tell me if you have a way.¡± When Dog Two heard her speak in such a tone, he looked nervous. This man was not to be trifled with. His muscular body was very powerful. When he threw a punch at them, neither of them could withstand it. He wanted to reach out and pull her away to make her speak more cautiously. However, He Xiao stared at Dog Two, and Dog Two¡¯s hand froze in midair. He was at a loss as to what to do. After He Xiao heard the angry woman¡¯s words, he said calmly, ¡°I have a way to get pig heads. How much do you want?¡± ¡°Only one or two at the moment.¡± ¡°I can help you, but can you tell me why you want to buy a pig?¡± ¡°I want to do business.¡± Since she was going to do business, there was no problem. Of course he would dote on his woman. ¡°When do you want it?¡± Chen Baiyi knew that he had agreed, so she said, ¡°I want one every day. Now, I want one first.¡± He Xiao immediately instructed someone to do it. His underling was very efficient. After a while, he returned with a pig head, and He Xiao asked him to send it to Chen Baiyi¡¯s house. Chapter 12 Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations Chen Baiyi did not refuse. A pig head was not light, so him helping her send it over would save her a lot of effort. ¡°How much does it cost?¡± ¡°No need. Just treat it as my compensation for last time.¡± When she heard this, the blush that Chen Baiyi had suppressed with great difficulty rose again. She didn¡¯t even say thank you and directly rushed out the door. He Xiao laughed very loudly and gestured for his lackey to follow. ¡°Thank you, thank you, Brother Xiao. You¡¯re a magnanimous person. Don¡¯t lower yourself to her level,¡± said Dog Two flatteringly. He Xiao didn¡¯t say anything. He glanced at him and waved him away. After Dog Two came out, he wiped his sweat and heaved a sigh of relief. What happened just now was too scary. ¡­ Chen Baiyi thanked the underling who had helped her deliver the food and closed the door before starting to prepare the pig¡¯s head meat. She already had an idea. If she wanted to make something delicious and sellable, then braising the meat was the best choice. The raw materials and cooking method were simple, the cost was not high, and it would be quick to prepare. If she cooked now, she could sell it later, and the profit would be very high. Because there was nothing at home, Chen Baiyi knocked on Auntie Lin¡¯s door to ask. Since she had everything now, she would begin preparations. Chen Baiyi first cleaned the hair on the pig¡¯s head and soaked it for two hours before placing it in the pot. Then, she added wine and ginger to boil it. Then, she placed the blanched pig¡¯s head meat into the pot and added ginger, scallions, octagonal, cinnamon, fragrant leaves, cloves, and other spices. She added half a spoonful of salt, half a spoonful of old extract, one spoonful of raw extract, and twenty iced sugar cubes. After half an hour of boiling, she lowered the heat to broil for an hour and stewed for another while. It was time. Chen Baiyi opened the pot lid and took a bite. Mn ~, it was really quite delicious. After filling a large bowl, she placed the rest in the basin to sell later. She carried the bowl of pig head meat to Auntie Lin. When Auntie Lin saw that Chen Baiyi was holding food, she beamed. After bidding farewell to the Lin family, Chen Baiyi prepared to start selling. After arriving at the market, Chen Baiyi found a random place and put down her ¡°precious meat¡±. This was her first time doing business, and the joy of earning money surpassed her nervousness. After composing herself, she began to imitate the others and shout, ¡°Braised meat, delicious and cheap pig head meat. Come and take a look. Everyone can taste it once for free.¡± When those people who were shopping at the market heard that they could taste it for free, they gathered over immediately. Chen Baiyi was already prepared. She took out a small bag filled with broken pig head meat. Although there was not much, they could still taste it. ¡°Is this pig head meat?¡± ¡°Why did you cook it like this?¡± ¡°It¡¯s pig head meat. It¡¯s a new cooking method. You can try it before deciding whether to buy it or not.¡± After everyone confirmed that they could eat it for free, the bag was snatched away. ¡°Delicious. Give me some.¡± ¡°Help me weigh mine too.¡± ¡°Me too¡­¡± ¡°Me too¡­¡± This was probably the first time they had eaten such delicious braised meat. Those who only wanted to take advantage of the free sample at first were all clamoring to buy it now. The people in the distance saw the commotion and also came over to watch. Everyone fought over it. After a few hours, they were all sold out. ¡°Why is it gone? Do you still have more?¡± ¡°No, but I¡¯ll still come to sell it tomorrow.¡± When those who did not manage to buy any heard that there would be more tomorrow, they went home in peace and came to buy it early the next day. Chen Baiyi did not expect it to be so easy to sell. The price she set was not low, but it was still sold. It seemed that she could increase the price next time. Chapter 13 Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations Chen Baiyi counted the money she had earned today and laughed happily. Great, she had really earned money. These pig heads were her money making tools now! After packing her things, she found a restaurant to eat. She had not eaten anything in the morning and had been busy the entire day. She was starving. Tonight, she would reward herself and eat something good. After eating, Chen Baiyi looked up at the sky, which looked gloomy, as if it was about to rain. She took her things and walked home quickly. It must not rain, at least not until she returned home. Unfortunately, the weather didn¡¯t go her way. The rain fell just like that without giving her any time to prepare. Chen Baiyi walked forward in the rain with difficulty. Since there was such strong wind, was a storm coming? A bolt of lightning rumbled down. Chen Baiyi was shocked. There was no one beside her anymore. There was not even a place to hide from the rain. She could only brace herself and walk forward. She did not expect it to rain today. She did not even take her umbrella. Damn it. It was all her fault for being greedy and insisting on eating outside. If she had gone home to eat, she wouldn¡¯t be unable to go home now. Just as she was cursing herself, an umbrella suddenly appeared above her head. Chen Baiyi¡¯s face was covered in rain, so she couldn¡¯t see clearly. She wiped the water off her face to see who it was. When she finally opened her eyes, she saw He Xiao. ¡°Why is it you?¡± Chen Baiyi¡¯s tone was filled with surprise and joy that even she did not notice. ¡°I saw that you didn¡¯t take an umbrella, so I came out to look for you. The rain is too heavy. Let me send you home.¡± Because the rain was too heavy, they were both shouting. Chen Baiyi didn¡¯t refuse. She was indeed afraid, so it was good to have someone with her. After saying that, He Xiao reached out and took the thing from Chen Baiyi¡¯s hand. He used the hand that was holding the umbrella to hug Chen Baiyi. Chen Baiyi was already drenched, but He Xiao did not seem to feel anything. He took steady steps, while Chen Baiyi had been swaying when she walked alone in the rain just now. Chen Baiyi, on the other hand, felt cold. She suddenly touched He Xiao¡¯s warm body and was shocked. After getting used to it, she felt the muscles on He Xiao¡¯s hands and chest. Her face blushed. ¡°My umbrella is too small. Squeeze in.¡± As if he had expected Chen Baiyi to say something, He Xiao lowered his head and whispered into her ear. This time, Chen Baiyi had nothing to say. The journey that usually took only a short while had taken a long time. When they reached home, the two of them were already drenched. Chen Baiyi asked He Xiao to sit in the room and was about to find a dry towel to wipe He Xiao when He Xiao pulled her back. ¡°I¡¯ll find a towel to wipe you down. You¡¯ll catch a cold later,¡± Chen Baiyi, thinking that he didn¡¯t know where she was going, explained. He Xiao didn¡¯t say anything and just looked at Chen Baiyi. Chen Baiyi followed his gaze and her face started to burn again. Her clothes were drenched and stuck to her body tightly. Her underwear could be seen, and her exquisite curves were all revealed. Chen Baiyi cried out in shock. She wanted to use her other hand to block herself, but He Xiao grabbed her. He had a lustful look in his eyes. Chen Baiyi couldn¡¯t break free, so she wanted to curse him, but He Xiao kissed her again, like he did last time. As they kissed, Chen Baiyi slowly stopped struggling. She took the initiative to wrap her arms around He Xiao. The two of them started making love more and more passionately. Naturally, it progressed into a one night stand. Chapter 14 Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations The next morning, there were a bunch of women washing their clothes by the river. Women at this age loved to gossip about family matters the most. Even trivial matters could sound sensational in their mouths. One of the older women suddenly asked the people beside her secretively, ¡°Have you heard about Chen Baiyi?¡± ¡°Her fianc¨¦ died again? Sigh, who doesn¡¯t know that?¡± ¡°No, it was last night.¡± ¡°Yesterday night?¡± The person beside her was intrigued by her secretive tone. ¡°I didn¡¯t hear about it. What is it? Tell us quickly.¡± Seeing that no one knew, the person waved her hand smugly and got everyone to gather. The women surrounded the woman in a circle. ¡°Yesterday, my husband went to the market. It rained heavily at night, so he hid from the rain at a friend¡¯s house. When he came back in the middle of the night, he told me that he saw Chen Baiyi and He Xiao holding an umbrella together. The two of them looked so intimate.¡± Her tone revealed her disdain. These words caused an uproar. Although the village wasn¡¯t as conservative as before, such things would definitely be gossiped about behind their backs. ¡°Didn¡¯t Chen Baiyi¡¯s fianc¨¦ just die?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. It hasn¡¯t even been that long ago, but she¡¯s already so anxious to find her next target.¡± Seeing that someone agreed with her, the woman became more and more excited as she spoke, as if she had seen it with her own eyes. ¡°You guys don¡¯t know what happened. The two of them hugged each other. Good lord, they even started kissing on the street so passionately. You guys didn¡¯t see it. If you guys saw it, you guys would have blushed.¡± With that said, she even patted her wrinkled face to prove that Chen Baiyi and He Xiao had indeed done such a shameful thing on the streets. ¡°If no one had seen it, who would believe that Chen Baiyi would do such a thing?¡± They really had no sense of shame! ¡°One can never judge a book by its cover!¡± ¡°Yeah, right.¡± ¡°Chen Baiyi looks like an upright young lady. Ma¡¯am, don¡¯t talk nonsense and ruin other people¡¯s reputation.¡± Someone didn¡¯t believe her and questioned her words. ¡°How could I be spouting nonsense?! My husband saw it with his own eyes.¡± Seeing that someone was questioning her, she described the situation even more vividly. Everyone present was not young anymore. When they heard this, they also blushed. Originally, it was a discussion, but now, it had become that old woman¡¯s one-sided story. She spoke animatedly as spit flew everywhere. ¡°I heard that He Xiao is a murderer.¡± This added more sensationality to the matter and the discussion continued. ¡°I know. I heard that he killed someone and was imprisoned. In order to avoid arrest, he hid in the village.¡± ¡°Otherwise, why would he fancy a small place like our village?¡± ¡°Chen Baiyi has already lost three fianc¨¦es, and He Xiao is a murderer. Aren¡¯t the two of them a perfect match?¡± Everyone agreed with this. One jinxed her husbands to death, and the other was a murderer. They were a match made in heaven. After washing their clothes, the women returned home. After they heard such explosive news, they smiled and couldn¡¯t wait to share the news with their friends. Instantly, the news of Chen Baiyi and He Xiao spread throughout the village. Chapter 15 Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations Zhang Xiulan naturally heard about Chen Baiyi and she Xiao. She knew that Chen Baiyi must have some shameful secret for her to propose to sever ties from the family. She did not expect that this secret was actually a man! What a vixen. Her reputation was so bad, yet there was still a man who was willing to take her. However, that man was not any better. she was a murderer. Right now, only a murderer was willing to take her. Zhang Xiulan had completely forgotten that Chen Baiyi had such a reputation because of her. Chen Xiulan naturally would not let go of an opportunity to mock Chen Baiyi. She immediately brought Chen Chunsheng to look for Chen Baiyi. While traveling all the way from the easternmost point to the westernmost point, Chen Xiulan did not even pant. When she thought about how she could humiliate Chen Baiyi, her entire body was filled with vigor. She pushed open the door of Chen Baiyi¡¯s house with an imposing aura. When Chen Baiyi heard the commotion, she immediately got up. When she saw that it was Zhang Xiulan, she frowned. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± Zhang Xiulan did not have the slightest awareness that she was trespassing on private property. She even said in a sarcastic tone, ¡°Why am I here? Why do you think I¡¯m here? You¡¯re not with your murderer lover? You were so smug when I left earlier!¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t expect this, but it makes sense. A jinx like you can only be worthy of such a murderer!¡± Chen Baiyi ignored Zhang Xiulan¡¯s sarcastic remark. She noticed that Chen Chunsheng, who was following behind Zhang Xiulan, had gauze wrapped around his right eye and his entire face was red. He looked like he had a fever. Chen Baiyi realized that this might not be a light injury. He was Chen Baiyi¡¯s half-brother and Chen Baiyi could not bring herself to be as vicious as Zhang Xiulan was. Out of concern, Chen Baiyi still mentioned, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with Chen Chunsheng? His face is so red. I¡¯m afraid he has a fever. Hurry up and bring him to a hospital. Otherwise, he might go blind.¡± When Zhang Xiulan heard that, she thought that Chen Baiyi was cursing her son. She scolded, ¡°Bah! Chen Baiyi, Chunsheng is your younger brother after all. Why are you so evil? Let me tell you, Chunsheng is fine. It¡¯s just a superficial wound. Why would he need to go to a hospital? Don¡¯t try to scare me.¡± After saying that, she spat at Chen Baiyi. Fortunately, Chen Baiyi dodged quickly and avoided Zhang Xiulan¡¯s disgusting saliva. She was angry. She had been kind enough to express concern about Chen Chunsheng, but not only did Zhang Xiulan not accept it, but she also snubbed her. She immediately retorted, ¡°A superficial wound? Can¡¯t you see that his face is red? I kindly suggested that you bring him to a big hospital to take a look. Yet you didn¡¯t appreciate it and said that I was evil. If you have the time, why don¡¯t you hurry up and bring him to get examined? If you delay it, there might be sequelae.¡± ¡°Stop spouting nonsense. When we went to bandage his wound yesterday, the doctor didn¡¯t even say anything. Who do you think you are? As if you¡¯re trustworthy? Chen Baiyi, I think you just can¡¯t stand to see your brother doing well. You keep saying vicious stuff like he¡¯ll go blind and that he¡¯s sick.¡± Zhang Xiulan spat again. No matter how nice she was, she could not tolerate being framed like this. Chen Baiyi was already burning with anger. She said this only because she wanted Zhang Xiulan to treat it seriously. Otherwise, with Zhang Xiulan¡¯s stinginess, she definitely wouldn¡¯t be willing to spend money on it, even if he was her beloved son. Chen Baiyi knew Zhang Xiulan very well. Zhang Xiulan was afraid that it would cost a lot of money, so she insisted that it was a superficial wound. The wound was actually very scary, but she felt that Chen Chunsheng could recover on his own, so she did not want to spend money for a useless checkup. Chapter 16 Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations Chen Baiyi could not stand her ignorance and her insults. ¡°I only reminded you out of kindness. It¡¯s really Chen Chunsheng¡¯s misfortune to have a mother like you. You won¡¯t bring the child to get examined when he¡¯s sick and keep arguing with me instead. Perhaps you¡¯ve done too many bad things in the past and karma has fallen on your son.¡± ¡°What did you say?¡± Zhang Xiulan suddenly flipped out. She widened her eyes in anger and glared at Chen Baiyi fiercely. Of course, Chen Baiyi was not afraid of her. She had already been extremely kind just now, so there was no need to care about Chen Xiulan¡¯s feelings anymore. ¡°Isn¡¯t that so? You reap what you sow. It¡¯s just that time¡¯s not up yet¡­¡± Chen Xiulan wanted to slap Chen Baiyi, but she saw a man walk out of Chen Baiyi¡¯s room. No matter how stupid Zhang Xiulan was, she knew that this person was that murderer¡ªHe Xiao! The man was tall and muscular, as if he could kill three people with one punch. She probably could not even survive one punch from him. Zhang Xiulan¡¯s anger disappeared. Like a mouse that had seen a cat, she hurriedly left with Chen Chunsheng. As she walked, she looked back, since she was afraid that He Xiao would chase after her to seek justice for Chen Baiyi. Just as she was halfway there, Chen Chunsheng shouted, ¡°Mom, I feel uncomfortable.¡± Then, he fainted. Only then did Zhang Xiulan realize the severity of the matter. She thought about how Chen Baiyi said that he would go blind just now, and she was extremely afraid. He wouldn¡¯t really¡­ She ran to the hospital with Chen Chunsheng in her arms. On the other side, Chen Baiyi saw that Zhang Xiulan had been frightened away by He Xiao and felt that it was funny. She really bullied the weak and feared the strong. He Xiao walked to Chen Baiyi¡¯s side and touched her waist. ¡°Why are you so happy after being scolded?¡± ¡°Who can be happy after being scolded?!¡± Chen Baiyi rolled her eyes at He Xiao. ¡°Didn¡¯t you see how she looked at you? She was like a mouse that saw a cat.¡± He Xiao said nothing. With his muscular look, even some men would be afraid of him if they saw him, let alone women. He was used to it and did not find it funny. After Chen Baiyi finished laughing, she felt a sense of warmth on her waist that could not be ignored. She looked down and saw that it was He Xiao¡¯s hand. She blushed and tried to pry his hand away. ¡°Jerk, let go!¡± His hand did not budge even after a long time, so Chen Baiyi could only ask him to put it down. ¡°Jerk? Don¡¯t forget that last night, we¡­¡± Chen Baiyi was so frightened that she covered He Xiao¡¯s mouth. Afraid that he would say something he shouldn¡¯t say, she looked at the door. After making sure that no one was there, she glared at He Xiao and gave him a threatening look. He Xiao did not seem to discern that Chen Baiyi was threatening. He looked into Chen Baiyi¡¯s eyes and kissed her palm. Chen Baiyi retracted her palm, as if it had been scalded. In order to conceal her embarrassment, she deliberately shook her hand twice. ¡°How disgusting. It¡¯s covered in saliva.¡± After wiping her hand on the man¡¯s body, she calmed down a little and started to kick him out. ¡°Since you¡¯re awake, hurry up and leave. We only had a one-night stand last night. Don¡¯t think too much about it.¡± When He Xiao heard Chen Baiyi¡¯s words, he raised his eyebrows and teased, ¡°Ms. Chen, you¡¯re really capable! You just praised me for chasing away the bad guy, but now, you¡¯re in a hurry to cut ties with me. How ruthless.¡± Chapter 17 Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations ¡°Don¡¯t be ridiculous. Get out of here. I¡¯ll get the goods from your place later. I want two today.¡± He Xiao also stopped fooling around and carried Chen Baiyi into the room, then placed her on the bed. ¡°Rest well. I¡¯ll get someone to send it over later. You were tired last night.¡± After saying that, He Xiao kissed Chen Baiyi¡¯s forehead and left. Chen Baiyi realized in hindsight that He Xiao had flirted with her. Her face blushed and she cursed silently, ¡°B*stard!¡± After finally sending He Xiao away, Chen Baiyi tidied herself up. The lackey that He Xiao called last time was here. ¡°Miss Chen, here are your two pig heads.¡± Chen Baiyi was shocked to see him arrive so quickly. She knew that it was He Xiao who told him to do so, and she thanked him. The lackey smiled and said, ¡°It¡¯s all Brother Xiao¡¯s idea. Don¡¯t thank me. Miss Chen, thank Brother Xiao.¡± Chen Baiyi smiled and didn¡¯t say anything. After sending him off, she entered the door to prepare the braised pig head meat. Before she returned last night, she had bought condiments at the market, so she didn¡¯t have to trouble Auntie Lin today. Chen Baiyi began to braise the pig head meat like she did yesterday. She removed the hair, removed the bones, and marinated it. In one go, she worked until the afternoon. When she was hungry, she found something to fill her stomach. Since she could earn money again, Chen Baiyi was invigorated. She had made an extra pig head today. If she could sell all of it, she would earn even more money. After she was ready, Chen Baiyi went straight to the market. When she arrived at the market, there were already people at the place where she stayed yesterday. She could only find a new spot. After setting up the stall, she started shouting, ¡°Pig head meat, I¡¯m selling braised pig head meat.¡± Many people came when they heard her voice. ¡°You¡¯re finally here. Hurry up and give me some.¡± When Chen Baiyi saw that today¡¯s business was better than yesterday¡¯s, she was both happy and relieved. She was happy that this business was indeed profitable. She was glad that she had made an extra one. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I made more today.¡± In a few hours, the two pig¡¯s heads were sold out. Chen Baiyi walked home happily with the money. Before she reached the door, she heard a commotion. Chen Baiyi did not notice it at first, but the closer she got to the house, the louder the commotion became. She saw that there were many people surrounding her door! What was going on? Someone saw Chen Baiyi and shouted, ¡°Chen Baiyi is back!¡± ¡°This lady is so young. How did she kill so many people?!¡± The people around were discussing animatedly. When Chen Baiyi heard this person¡¯s words, a bad feeling welled up in her heart. However, she still suppressed the panic and asked calmly, ¡°Why are you guys surrounding my door?¡± When they heard Chen Baiyi¡¯s voice, everyone automatically made way for her. Chen Baiyi walked forward. She did not know if it was her imagination, but she realized that everyone seemed to be unwilling to touch her and was staying far away from her. When she reached the door, Chen Baiyi saw a person leaning against the cart and crying. There was a person lying on the cart, and that person seemed to be dead. When the person who was crying saw that Chen Baiyi had returned, the person pointed at her agitatedly and scolded, ¡°My family member died after eating the pig head meat you made yesterday. You¡¯re a jinx. Not only do you jinx people to death, but even the meat you make also jinx people to death.¡± ¡°You jinx, you¡¯ll die a horrible death¡­¡± The person felt that just scolding her wasn¡¯t enough. The person wanted to hit Chen Baiyi, but because the person could not stand steadily, the person was supported by a passerby. Chapter 18 Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations After they saw that this person was crying so miserably and after they heard his words, the discussions became louder. ¡°Could Chen Baiyi really be a jinx?!¡± ¡°All the people who were engaged to her are dead. There were a total of three people. It¡¯s okay if it happened once or twice, but if it¡¯s the same for the third time, isn¡¯t that a little ridiculous? Other than her being a jinx, what other explanation is there?¡± ¡°Is it possible that if we get close to her, we will also become unlucky¡­¡± Someone raised this doubt. When everyone heard this, they immediately took a step back in unison. They were afraid that if they got too close to Chen Baiyi, they would become unlucky. Seeing everyone¡¯s actions, Chen Baiyi heaved a sigh. She didn¡¯t want to bear this accusation anymore. Chen Baiyi took this opportunity to resolve this matter and said to everyone solemnly, ¡°I will give everyone an explanation for this matter. However, I¡¯m not a jinx. Someone deliberately spread the news that I¡¯m a jinx. If you guys don¡¯t believe me, you guys can wait here. I¡¯ll find someone.¡± When they saw that Chen Baiyi was very serious, everyone¡¯s disdain towards her slowly faded. When they heard her say that someone had done it on purpose, although they still had doubts, they felt a little guilty. The discussion slowly stopped and everyone looked at each other. No one knew who Chen Baiyi was looking for. After a while, Chen Baiyi brought Dog Two over. When everyone saw that it was Dog Two, they shouted, ¡°Dog Two, you have to clarify things. This is no small matter.¡± ¡°Tell us what you know.¡± Dog Two glanced at Chen Baiyi. When he came, Chen Baiyi had already told him about the situation here. Seeing her ugly expression, he thought of her threat last time and chose to tell the truth. ¡°It¡­ It was Chen Xiyue who asked me to do it. She asked me to spread the news that Chen Baiyi was a jinx.¡± ¡°Dog Two, don¡¯t talk nonsense. You have to take responsibility for your own actions. Don¡¯t drag a girl down with you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not lying. It¡¯s true. She gave me five yuan to do it.¡± Seeing that someone was questioning him, Dog Two panicked and immediately argued with him. Seeing that he sounded serious, everyone believed him. When Chen Xiyue, who was hiding in the crowd, heard that Dog Two had actually betrayed her, she wanted to run away. However, she was stopped by the person beside her. ¡°Hey, Chen Xiyue is here.¡± Seeing that Chen Xinyue was here, everyone asked, ¡°Chen Xiyue, is what Dog Two said true?¡± Chen Xinyue definitely wouldn¡¯t admit it. She thought of a countermeasure. She said firmly, ¡°There was no such thing!¡± Then, she changed her tone and pointed at Dog Two. She said aggrievedly, ¡°Dog Two wanted to pursue me. I didn¡¯t agree, so he deliberately framed me.¡± ¡°Nonsense. You were the one who asked me to do it¡­¡± Dog Two panicked. Chen Xinyue was trying to push all the blame onto him! When they saw that the two of them were arguing, no one knew who to believe. However, it was clear that Chen Baiyi¡¯s reputation as a ¡®jinx¡¯ was fake. While the two of them were blaming each other, Chen Baiyi realized that the person on the straw mat seemed to be moving. In order to verify, Chen Baiyi walked to the edge of the straw mat and carefully observed. There really was movement! The crying and Dog Two and Chen Xiyue accusing each other made Chen Baiyi unable to think clearly. She roared, ¡°Stop arguing. He¡¯s still alive!¡± Chapter 19 Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations When everyone heard Chen Baiyi¡¯s words, they were shocked. He was still alive? The person beside him stopped crying and pounced forward to grab Chen Baiyi. ¡°What did you say? You said that he wasn¡¯t dead?¡± Chen Baiyi helped the person up and said seriously, ¡°Really, he can still be saved.¡± At this moment, a rough voice came from outside the crowd. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Everyone looked at the source of the sound. It was He Xiao. When He Xiao saw that everyone was surrounding Chen Baiyi, he knew that it must have something to do with her. He walked forward and asked what had happened. Chen Baiyi quickly told him the current situation in detail, but she omitted the part with Dog Two and Chen Xinyue. When He Xiao heard that the person on the straw mat was ¡°dead¡± after eating her food, but Chen Baiyi said that he had seen him move just now, he immediately guessed what was going on. He picked up the person on the straw mat with one hand and clenched his fist. He pointed one side of his thumb at the person¡¯s abdomen and chest while he clenched his other hand into a fist and quickly pressed it against the person¡¯s abdomen. After repeating this a few times, something flew out of the person¡¯s throat. It was peanuts, an ingredient Chen Baiyi used to make pig¡¯s head meat. After the person spat out the peanuts, he coughed for a while and regained consciousness. Seeing that he was awake, his family member walked to He Xiao. ¡°Thank you, thank you so much.¡± He was about to kneel down when He Xiao grabbed him and pulled him up. After he regained his composure, he wiped his tears and walked to Chen Baiyi. He held Chen Baiyi¡¯s hand. ¡°Baiyi, our family has wronged you. Your stepmother said that the things you cooked were dirty, so she asked us to seek justice from you. That¡¯s why we thought that it was¡­ it was¡­¡± When the person said this, the person felt embarrassed. When Chen Baiyi heard this, she instantly understood that Zhang Xiulan had asked them to come. ¡°The village chief is here,¡± someone shouted from the crowd. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you people? Why are you all gathered at the door of Chen Baiyi¡¯s house? Do you all have nothing to do?¡± After they were reprimanded by the village chief, no one dared to continue watching the commotion. They dispersed. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you two? If you blame your own negligence on the person who sold things to you, who would dare to sell things to your family?¡± ¡°With such unreasonable parents like you guys, since the apple doesn¡¯t fall far from the tree, your son won¡¯t be that smart either. Forget about your youngest son¡¯s internship at the village council. We¡¯ll see about it in the future.¡± ¡°Village Chief, it¡¯s our fault. The two of us were too muddle-headed and believed the rumors, but our son¡­¡± When the two of them heard this, their previous joy disappeared and was replaced by fear. They begged the village chief for mercy. ¡°Stop talking. We¡¯ll see about it later. If there¡¯s nothing else, go back. Don¡¯t keep blocking other people¡¯s door.¡± The village chief left after saying that. The two of them looked at each other with regret. If they had known earlier, they would have investigated clearly first. Now, their son¡¯s future had been ruined by them. It was all because of that despicable Zhang Xiulan that they became like this. They couldn¡¯t let this matter go like this. They had to settle the score with Zhang Xiulan. The two of them found Zhang Xiulan and tried to reason with her. ¡°Zhang Xiulan, you were the one who told me that Chen Baiyi¡¯s food was dirty and that he died after eating it. Now, it seems like you were spouting nonsense. Now, my son can¡¯t intern in the village council anymore. His future is ruined just like that. You have to compensate us.¡± Chapter 20 - Sell It Again Chapter 20 Sell It Again How could Zhang Xiulan have money now? Her son was still in the hospital and she had to spend a lot every day. Thus, she begged them bitterly, ¡°I really don¡¯t have money. My son is sick and is lying in the hospital now. The medical fees are costly. Moreover, if he can¡¯t be treated, he might go blind. You guys are magnanimous people, so don¡¯t lower yourselves to my level.¡± How could the family listen? If Zhang Xiulan had not misled them, this would not have happened. Zhang Xiulan was suffering, but weren¡¯t they also suffering? Their son¡¯s bright future was ruined by them. If Zhang Xiulan did not compensate today, this matter would not be over. ¡°You said that you don¡¯t have money, but your family must have something valuable, right? Then use your family¡¯s things to repay the debt.¡± No matter how Zhang Xiulan begged them, it was useless. Soon, they called people over to move things. Zhang Xiulan watched as the house that was filled with things instantly became empty. She felt extremely regretful. These things were originally hers, but now, she had nothing. It was all Chen Baiyi¡¯s fault. She was the one who caused the trouble. Of course, she would get payback. Zhang Xiulan had another evil idea. Then, she would let Chen Baiyi get engaged again, so she could get the dowry. In the middle of the night, Chen Xiulan found a widower. This person was quite rich, but he was extremely ugly and especially slovenly. He didn¡¯t do any chores at home, and no one liked him. After his wife died, he never remarried. ¡°Do you want to get another wife? I have a daughter who can get married. As long as you give us enough dowry, I will let her marry you.¡± ¡°You¡¯re talking about Chen Baiyi, right? Didn¡¯t you guys sever ties with each other? Would she still listen to you?¡± The news of Chen Baiyi and Zhang Xiulan severing ties had long spread. He was not deaf, so he naturally knew about this. No wonder she wanted to sever ties with her. However, what did this have to do with him? Why would he turn down the chance to get a woman for free? When Zhang Xiulan heard the widower say that the two of them had severed ties, she immediately explained, ¡°My daughter is just hotheaded. She doesn¡¯t want me to interfere, but she¡¯s still a good person at heart. No matter what, I¡¯m her nominal mother. How can she not listen to me? As long as something happens between the two of you, you¡¯ll definitely get her. She¡¯ll already be yours, so why won¡¯t she follow you?¡± Seeing that the widower was a little tempted, Zhang Xiulan struck while the iron was hot. ¡°My daughter is really beautiful. She¡¯s a young lady. If my son wasn¡¯t sick and desperate for money, I wouldn¡¯t have come to you.¡± When the widower heard Zhang Xiulan¡¯s words, he despised her even more. She sold her ex-husband¡¯s daughter for her own son. Although the widower looked down on Zhang Xiulan, he himself was not a good person either. He wanted a wife. If Chen Baiyi wanted to blame someone, she could only blame her stepmother! ¡°How much do you want for the dowry?¡± Zhang Xiulan happily said a number, and the widower gave her the money. Seeing that the widower was so generous, Zhang Xiulan even gave him an idea for free. ¡°As long as you guys have sex, she¡¯ll be your wife.¡± The two of them hit it off. After Zhang Xiulan got the money, she went home happily. When the widower thought about Zhang Xiulan¡¯s words, he couldn¡¯t wait to see the beauty, so he decided to settle the matter tonight. In the middle of the night, the widower quietly opened the tattered door to Chen Baiyi¡¯s courtyard. Because it was an old door, it creaked. Chapter 21 - In Love With Chen Xinyue Chapter 21 In Love With Chen Xinyue When Chen Baiyi heard the sound in the courtyard, she immediately put on her clothes and got up to check. However, she didn¡¯t expect to see the widower at the door. ¡°Who are you? This is my house. You came to the wrong place.¡± That person didn¡¯t listen to her and walked straight to her before reaching out to take off her clothes. Chen Baiyi wouldn¡¯t foolishly wait for him to do so. With her petite figure, she bent down and crawled under the person¡¯s armpit. However, she smelled a foul smell. He probably hadn¡¯t showered in a long time. Chen Baiyi resisted the urge to vomit and tried to run out of the courtyard. How could the widower let her succeed? He caught up to Chen Baiyi in a few steps and tried to cover her mouth. Chen Baiyi suddenly smelled that foul smell again. However, she didn¡¯t care about that now. She bit the hand that the widower tried to cover her mouth with and kicked the widower¡¯s crotch. The widower was in unbearable pain from her kick, but he still didn¡¯t let go of Chen Baiyi. However, he didn¡¯t cover Chen Baiyi¡¯s mouth. Chen Baiyi took the opportunity to shout, ¡°There¡¯s a fire! There¡¯s a fire! Come and put out the fire!¡± After she shouted two to three times, the widower covered Chen Baiyi¡¯s mouth again. However, it was already too late. When the neighbors heard that there was a fire, they all came out to put out the fire. that the situation wasn¡¯t good, the widower let go of Chen Baiyi and ran. Even after Chen Baiyi saw that he had left, she was still in shock. When the neighbor asked Chen Baiyi where the fire was, Chen Baiyi said with an apologetic expression, ¡°I must have been mistaken. I¡¯m sorry, everyone.¡± Seeing that there was nothing wrong, the neighbors didn¡¯t rebuke Chen Baiyi, and they went back to sleep. There was even someone who comforted her. Chen Baiyi felt that it was good that they had such strong awareness. After Chen Baiyi sent the neighbors off and returned to her room, she thought about what had just happened. If she wasn¡¯t quick-witted, that person might have really succeeded tonight. Had she provoked someone recently? Or did that person simply think that she was a weak woman and lived alone, so he came tonight¡­ No matter what the reason was, Chen Baiyi didn¡¯t dare to sleep anymore. She kept her eyes open until dawn. After the widower ran away, he went to find Zhang Xiulan. ¡°Who is it? Why aren¡¯t you sleeping in the middle of the night? What are you clamoring about?¡± When she opened the door and saw that it was the widower, she immediately let him in. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want her anymore. The risk is too high. Return the dowry to me.¡± Zhang Xiulan valued money as much as she valued her life. How could she agree to it? She hurriedly asked the widower what had happened. The widower told her everything that had happened tonight in detail. Zhang Xiulan said to him angrily, ¡°Are you stupid? If you just open the door and enter, there will definitely be a commotion. But then again, that girl is very cunning. You can try again when there¡¯s no one around next time. I won¡¯t return the money to you. Deal with it yourself.¡± Chen Xinyue heard the commotion and went to the courtyard to check. She saw Zhang Xiulan talking to a man and shouted, ¡°Mom, what are you doing here? Who is he?¡± When Zhang Xiulan saw her daughter come out, she was afraid that she would catch the widower¡¯s eye, so she immediately pushed Chen Xinyue back into the room. ¡°There¡¯s a guest at home. Go back and sleep. It¡¯s nothing.¡± When Chen Xinyue heard that she was a guest, she went back to sleep. Under the dim street lamp, the widower saw Chen Xinyue¡¯s appearance clearly and immediately felt that Chen Baiyi wasn¡¯t that attractive anymore. When he went over tonight, he didn¡¯t see Chen Baiyi¡¯s appearance clearly and was even beaten up by her. Even now, he was still hurting. But, he had seen Chen Xinyue¡¯s appearance clearly. Why should he give up what was close and seek what was far away? Anyway, Zhang Xiulan had two daughters, so he could marry whoever he wanted! The widower wasn¡¯t afraid that Zhang Xiulan would be unwilling. Didn¡¯t she say that as long as they had sex, she would have no choice but to be with him? Chapter 22 - Self-defense Chapter 22 Self-defense Chen Baiyi didn¡¯t sleep the entire night. When she woke up in the morning, she didn¡¯t feel energetic at all. She looked like a zombie as she went to get the goods with dark circles under her eyes. When she arrived at the place where Dog Two had brought her last time, she pushed open the door and saw He Xiao. He Xiao saw that Chen Baiyi looked haggard and asked with concern, ¡°What happened last night? You don¡¯t look good.¡± Chen Baiyi didn¡¯t want to have anything to do with him anymore. She had already made things clear last time. Now, they were just business partners. She said perfunctorily, ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I just didn¡¯t sleep well.¡± When she saw He Xiao¡¯s exposed muscles, an idea flashed across her mind. She could ask He Xiao to teach her some self-defense moves! ¡°Can you teach me some self-defense moves?¡± Although He Xiao was surprised that Chen Baiyi would make such a request, he still agreed. ¡°Your body is relatively weak. You can use weapons to protect yourself first.¡± Then, he found a slingshot for Chen Baiyi. ¡°Watch my demonstration first.¡± He Xiao aimed at a bird¡¯s nest on the tree. The bird¡¯s nest fell and the frightened bird that was about to fly away was hit. How accurate! Chen Baiyi sighed to herself. She couldn¡¯t wait to give it a try. ¡°I¡¯ll give instructions while you do it,¡± He Xiao said to Chen Baiyi. ¡°Hold the bow with your right hand and focus with your left eye. Close your right eye when you use your left hand. When you hold the bow with your left hand, close your left eye. Fix it under your eye and maintain your line of sight parallel to the starting point of the string. This way, you can guarantee that you won¡¯t deviate left or right.¡± ¡°The point above and below is the distance between the backhand positioning point and the aiming point. The distance between the positioning point and the eye is equivalent to half of the diameter of the bow gate. As long as the front hand is aimed at the target correctly, it can hit the target.¡± He Xiao explained in detail, and Chen Baiyi understood it immediately. She aimed at the tree and hit the tree branch. ¡°Not bad. You were very accurate.¡± He Xiao didn¡¯t expect Chen Baiyi to be so talented. He only gave a simple explanation, yet she understood it so quickly. As expected of the woman he fancied. Chen Baiyi didn¡¯t expect that she would actually hit the target. When she heard He Xiao praise her, she felt smug, but she still said humbly, ¡°I was just lucky.¡± ¡°Practice a few more times. Your aim will get better and better.¡± He Xiao encouraged her. Chen Baiyi didn¡¯t rest either. She had to practice this. That person didn¡¯t succeed last night, but there was no telling whether or not he gave up on this idea. If he dared to come, she would definitely beat him up. He Xiao was guiding Chen Baiyi the entire time. As long as Chen Baiyi made a mistake, he would immediately correct it for her. Chen Baiyi became more and more proficient in using it. After practicing for a period of time, Chen Baiyi could basically hit the target 8 times out of 10. She was very satisfied with her current results. She had already learned self-defense. If the criminal wanted to hurt her, it would not be so easy. However¡­ Chen Baiyi was also worried about something else. The wall in her courtyard was too short. It was very likely that the person had climbed over the wall last night. No matter what, it was best to be prepared. Seeing that Chen Baiyi looked like she wanted to say something, He Xiao took the initiative to say, ¡°Is there anything else?¡± Since He Xiao asked, Chen Baiyi stopped hiding it. ¡°I also want to buy a batch of red bricks. The wall around my yard is too short and it¡¯s a little dangerous. I want it to be higher and more stable.¡± ¡°Can you buy it?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Chen Baiyi finally relaxed a little when she heard He Xiao agree. Chapter 23 - Promotion Chapter 23 Promotion He Xiao wouldn¡¯t procrastinate on something he promised Chen Baiyi. After Chen Baiyi told him yesterday, he got someone to buy red bricks. He pulled the bricks to Chen Baiyi¡¯s doorstep early in the morning. Knock, knock, knock. ¡°Who is it?¡± Chen Baiyi was shocked to see He Xiao. He arrived so quickly? As expected, He Xiao asked her to open the door and got someone to carry the bricks in. ¡°Thank you. How much does it cost?¡± Chen Baiyi had earned some money from selling pig head meat two days ago. It might not be enough to pay for these bricks, but she still wanted to know how much it was. This way, she would at least have an idea. He Xiao glanced at Chen Baiyi and ignored her. Seeing that He Xiao was ignoring her, Chen Baiyi pursed her lips. If he didn¡¯t want the money, so be it. She wanted to save some money anyway! Building a wall was a huge project. Not to mention Chen Baiyi, but even He Xiao might not be able to finish it today. She had already troubled He Xiao a lot. Even if he wanted to help her, she would be too embarrassed to agree. However, she had already thought of a way, so she let He Xiao leave. ¡°You don¡¯t need my help?¡± ¡°No need. I¡¯ve already hired someone to help me.¡± He Xiao left after hearing that. After sending He Xiao and the others away, Chen Baiyi went to the village to look for help. After she returned from He Xiao¡¯s place yesterday, she told the villagers in advance that she hoped they could help. ce Seeing that it wasn¡¯t easy for a young lady like her to live on her own, the villagers agreed. Soon, Chen Baiyi¡¯s house was filled with people. ¡°Baiyi, how do you want to build this wall?¡± ¡°We¡¯ll do whatever you want!¡± ¡°Thank you, everyone. I just want to build it higher and make this wall stronger.¡± ¡°No problem, leave it to us.¡± Everyone was experienced at building walls. They knew what to do the moment they heard the request. After a few of them finished dividing the work, they began to build the wall with cement. Chen Baiyi didn¡¯t have any money on her, so she decided to cook a meal to thank the villagers. When they were building the wall, she went to prepare lunch. With so many people around today, Chen Baiyi decided to show off her cooking skills. She planned to braise a pig head and let the villagers taste her cooking. Everyone worked together and finished building the wall before noon. Chen Baiyi said to everyone gratefully, ¡°Everyone must be tired. You all know my situation. I can¡¯t pay you guys, so I can only cook a meal to reward everyone. Come to my place for lunch. I¡¯m already done cooking. Please stay. Otherwise, I¡¯ll feel bad.¡± ¡°What are you talking about? We came here willingly to help you. How can we ask for money? Since you¡¯ve prepared it, we won¡¯t let you down. Let¡¯s stay here and eat. We can try your cooking as well.¡± Knowing that it was a gesture of goodwill from Chen Baiyi, the slightly older person asked everyone to stay for the meal. Seeing that everyone had agreed, Chen Baiyi smiled and prepared to serve the dishes. As everyone looked at the dishes Chen Baiyi brought out, they couldn¡¯t help but swallow their saliva. They had been working all morning and were already hungry. Before the dishes were even served, they started eating. As they ate, they said, ¡°Baiyi, I didn¡¯t expect you to cook so well at such a young age. You¡¯re simply a chef!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. These dishes are all very delicious, especially this one. It¡¯s pork, right?¡± ¡°Yes, this dish is pork, but it¡¯s pig head meat. It¡¯s good that you guys like it. I usually make it and sell it on the market. If you guys want to eat it, you can come and look for me there.¡± Chen Baiyi looked at the dish they were praising. It happened to be braised pig head meat, so she took the opportunity to advertise Chapter 24 - Give Money? Steal Money! Chapter 24 Give Money? Steal Money! Chen Baiyi had made a lot of pig head meat. There was still some left after lunch. Chen Baiyi gave a few portions to them to bring home to eat. This was also a form of advertisement. Those people ate and took food from Chen Baiyi¡¯s house. Advertising for her pig head meat would be a piece of cake, so they naturally agreed. That day, news of Chen Baiyi¡¯s pig head meat spread throughout the village. On the way to the hospital, Zhang Xiulan heard two people discussing Chen Baiyi, so she slowed down. ¡°I heard that Chen Baiyi is selling pig head meat at the market. Pork isn¡¯t cheap. How cheap can her pig head meat be? She probably earns a lot of money!¡± ¡°Yes, I heard that she has been selling them for a few days already.¡± ¡°But that pig head meat is really delicious. I wonder how she cooked it. I want to learn from her.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t even think about it. How could she tell you something her livelihood depends on?¡± ¡°True.¡± Zhang Xiulan finished listening to the entire conversation, but what her mind focused on was money. Her eyes lit up. She didn¡¯t expect Chen Baiyi to have such strong money-earning potential. How could someone Chen Baiyi¡¯s age save any money? She might as well give it to her. Coincidentally, her son was in urgent need of money. She definitely wouldn¡¯t give it to her if she asked her directly. Zhang Xiulan thought of a way. It was a dark and windy night-a perfect chance to steal money! If Chen Baiyi didn¡¯t give it to her, she would take it herself. If Chen Baiyi knew that Zhang Xiulan was thinking of this, she definitely would have scolded her for being shameless. In the middle of the night, Zhang Xiulan arrived at the Chen family¡¯s old residence sneakily. After observing for a while, she saw that the door was tightly closed, so she could only climb over the wall. The wall around Chen Baiyi¡¯s courtyard was much higher today. Zhang Xiulan had spent a lot of effort just climbing up it. Just as she was about to go down, she was hit by Chen Baiyi with a slingshot and she let out a cry. When Chen Baiyi heard that it was a woman¡¯s voice, she frowned. Who was it? Ever since the previous incident, Chen Baiyi had been very vigilant when she slept at night. She would wake up at the slightest commotion. Furthermore, the commotion Zhang Xiulan had caused this time wasn¡¯t small. At first, when she heard someone climbing the wall, she thought that it was the lecher from last time. Why was it a woman this time? However, she didn¡¯t stop what she was doing. She shot the slingshots one after another. What good person would climb into someone else¡¯s yard in the middle of the night?! She was obviously up to no good! Chen Baiyi hit her again and again. Zhang Xiulan cried out again and again, but the voice sounded more and more familiar. Chen Baiyi felt as if she had heard it before. It was Zhang Xiulan! Knowing that it was Zhang Xiulan, Chen Baiyi was even more merciless. She definitely didn¡¯t come to give her money. She must be here to steal money instead. Soon, Zhang Xiulan was beaten black and blue under Chen Baiyi¡¯s fierce attacks. In order to stop being beaten, Zhang Xiulan jumped off the wall. She definitely didn¡¯t dare to jump inside, so she could only jump outside the wall. Just as she was about to run, she saw a group of people surrounding her. These people lived near Chen Baiyi¡¯s house. When they heard someone screaming, they went out to take a look. They followed the source of the sound and saw the disheveled Zhang Xiulan outside Chen Baiyi¡¯s house. S When Zhang Xiulan saw that there were a lot people, she wanted to complain. Just as she was about to cry and complain that Chen Baiyi had beaten her, someone ran while shouting from afar, ¡°Zhang Xiulan, Zhang Xiulan, there¡¯s bad news. Your daughter has been raped by the widower from our village. Go back and take a look!¡± When Zhang Xiulan heard that, she stood up in a panic and ran home without even asking for compensation. Chapter 25 - Karma Chapter 25 Karma Zhang Xiulan ran all the way home and saw that the entrance of her house was filled with people. They were whispering and saying nasty things. ¡°Tsk, tsk, tsk. She¡¯s so young yet she¡¯s already so promiscuous. There¡¯s no telling how she¡¯ll be like after she grows up.¡± ¡°Hey, don¡¯t blame it on women whenever something like this happens. In my opinion, that widower is shameless. He¡¯s already so old, but he raped such a young lady.¡± Someone saw that Zhang Xiulan had returned. Seeing that she couldn¡¯t even stand properly and was out of breath, that person immediately came to help her and told her to be mentally prepared. Then, that person told her everything It turned out that the widower had such intentions ever since he saw Chen Xinyue last time. He also thought about how Zhang Xiulan said that the dowry wouldn¡¯t be refunded. How could he be willing to suffer a loss? If Chen Baiyi wouldn¡¯t marry him, he would let Chen Xinyue marry him. So what if Zhang Xiulan refused? This wasn¡¯t something he cared about. Didn¡¯t she say last time that as long as the deed was done, who else could Chen Xinyue be with other than him? Hence, he lurked around the Chen family¡¯s house tonight to take the opportunity to rape her. In the end, he saw Zhang Xiulan sneak out in the middle of the night. The widower was delighted and secretly snuck in. Chen Xinyue was sleeping when she suddenly smelled a foul smell beside her. It seemed like someone was touching her, so she was frightened awake. She didn¡¯t expect to see an extremely ugly widower the moment she opened her eyes. She was so frightened that she wanted to scream, but the widower quickly covered her mouth. No matter how much Chen Xinyue resisted, she couldn¡¯t break free from the widower. No matter how vicious she was, her body was still that of a little girl. How could she resist a man who was already an adult? Her struggle was fruitless, and she was raped by the widower. Later, when the neighbors heard the commotion, they came to check. They found that the door to Zhang Xiulan¡¯s home wasn¡¯t locked. When they pushed open the door, they heard the erotic sounds. The neighbors found it strange. Zhang Xiulan¡¯s husband was dead, and Chen Xinyue didn¡¯t have any boyfriend whatsoever, so how could there be a man¡¯s voice? When the neighbors pushed open the door, the neighbors saw two naked bodies. Everyone present blushed. The two of them acted as if they didn¡¯t hear anyone coming over and continued. The sounds were lewd and shameful. No matter how embarrassed the neighbors were, they couldn¡¯t tolerate it anymore. They shouted at the two of them. At this moment, the two of them seemed to have come back to their senses and stopped moving. They used the blanket to cover their bodies. When Chen Xinyue saw so many people, she felt ashamed and afraid. She buried her face in the blanket and cried. At first, she sobbed softly, but later, she burst into tears. The neighbors looked at each other and loudly asked the widower why he was here. This widower wasn¡¯t afraid of everyone¡¯s criticism at all. He even said in a dignified manner that Zhang Xiulan had betrothed him to Chen Xinyue. When everyone saw that Chen Xinyue was crying so sadly, they naturally didn¡¯t believe his words. However, the widower spoke so confidently that he seemed to be telling the truth. They couldn¡¯t tell if it was true, so they called someone to look for Zhang Xiulan. Some kind-hearted women consoled Chen Xinyue and tried to calm her down. Later, Chen Xinyue slowly calmed down and told her everything When the widower saw that the situation wasn¡¯t good for him, he told them how he laid in ambush and raped Chen Xinyue. When Zhang Xiulan heard what had happened, she was so angry that she panted. She finally calmed down and walked into the room. When she saw Chen Xinyue and the widower lying naked on the bed, she fainted. Chapter 26 - You Reap What You Sow Chapter 26 You Reap What You Sow However, she couldn¡¯t change what had already happened. After Zhang Xiulan woke up, no matter what, she could only marry Chen Xinyue to the widower. She didn¡¯t get the money and even sacrificed her daughter. Zhang Xiulan¡¯s heart ached. It was just that her desire to ask for money had yet to die down. If one plan failed, she would come up with another one. Thus, Zhang Xiulan brought Chen Xinyue to Chen Baiyi¡¯s house. Knock, knock, knock, knock, knock, knock¡­ A hurried knocking sounded at the door. Chen Baiyi frowned in the courtyard. Who knocked like that? How rude. When she opened the door, she felt even more displeased. It was Zhang Xiulan and her daughter. She immediately closed the door. However, she was still a step too slow. Zhang Xiulan stuck her foot in the crack of the door and pounded on the door while shouting, ¡°Open the door! Open the door! You caught my foot.¡± Chen Baiyi was afraid that this was Zhang Xiulan¡¯s trick to extort money, so she opened the door slightly. She asked hostilely, ¡°Why are you looking for me?¡± Zhang Xiulan used her body to squeeze past Chen Baiyi and the door opened. Chen Baiyi was heavily bumped into and she took a few steps back. When she stabilized herself, Zhang Xiulan and Chen Xinyue were already in her courtyard. The moment she entered the courtyard, Zhang Xiulan asked for money. ¡°Your sister is getting married. As her elder sister, shouldn¡¯t you give her some compensation?¡± Pretending to be considerate, she said, ¡°You don¡¯t need to give her too much. Just help her pay for the wedding and buy something as your sister¡¯s dowry.¡± She was indeed here to extort money. When Chen Baiyi saw Zhang Xiulan¡¯s self-righteous expression, she was angered to the point of laughter. How could she have the nerve to say such a thing? She not only brazenly broke into her house, but the moment she opened her mouth, she asked for money. Not to mention dowry and wedding money, she wouldn¡¯t give her a single cent. Without saying a word, she picked up the hoe beside her and said to Zhang Xiulan and her daughter, ¡°Get out. I¡¯ll count to three. Otherwise, don¡¯t blame me for being merciless.¡± Zhang Xiulan felt that Chen Baiyi was just bluffing. She wasn¡¯t afraid at all. She even took a step forward and said provocatively, ¡°Bring it on!¡± When Chen Baiyi saw this, she waved the hoe and jabbed it at Zhang Xiulan as she walked all the way to the door. Zhang Xiulan and Chen Xinyue were caught off guard by Chen Baiyi. Chen Xinyue was even hit by the hoe a few times, but she couldn¡¯t care less in this situation. The matter of her being raped by the widower had already completely ruined her reputation in the village, and she didn¡¯t even dare to leave the house. If her mother hadn¡¯t said that she wanted Chen Baiyi to give them money, she definitely wouldn¡¯t have left the house. That was why she hadn¡¯t said anything today. However, when she saw Chen Baiyi¡¯s stubborn expression, Chen Xinyue finally couldn¡¯t help but say agitatedly, ¡°Chen Baiyi, why won¡¯t you pay? You were supposed to marry him!¡± Her voice was as hoarse as an old woman¡¯s. Chen Baiyi naturally knew about Chen Xinyue and the widower¡¯s scandal. She thought that Zhang Xiulan had ¡°sold¡± Chen Xinyue because she was short of money. But after hearing Chen Xinyue¡¯s words, Chen Baiyi understood that she was the one who was ¡°sold¡±! However, Chen Xinyue was implicated this time. Chen Baiyi was rendered speechless by the two of them. Chen Xinyue even looked like she had been harmed by her. Please, it was Zhang Xiulan who went to look for him. What had it got to do with her? After knowing the whole story, Chen Baiyi felt that it was karma. She mocked Zhang Xiulan and Chen Xinyue, ¡°I¡¯ve said before that you reap what you sow. This is your karma.¡± Chapter 27 - How Could A Man Be Better Than A Career? Chapter 27 How Could A Man Be Better Than A Career? Zhang Xiulan and Chen Xinyue ran away dejectedly after being mocked by Chen Baiyi. Auntie Lin had been listening the entire time. She knew that Chen Baiyi wasn¡¯t at a disadvantage, so she didn¡¯t come out. It wasn¡¯t appropriate for others to interfere in their family¡¯s matters. However, if Chen Baiyi was at a disadvantage, she would interfere no matter what. She naturally heard Zhang Xiulan and Chen Xinyue¡¯s words, and she couldn¡¯t help but despise them. Like mother, like daughter. However, Chen Baiyi was a young lady. It was dangerous for her to live alone. There were always people coming to cause trouble, so Auntie Lin wanted to raise a dog for Chen Baiyi. It would be best if the dog was strong and scary. After a while, Auntie Lin led a large black dog over and knocked on Chen Baiyi¡¯s door. Chen Baiyi looked at the snarling dog behind Auntie Lin in surprise. ¡°Auntie, what are you doing?¡± ¡°This dog is for you. Although it looks fierce, it¡¯s intelligent. It¡¯s also a good watchdog. Go, good dog. From now on, this is your home.¡± Auntie Lin didn¡¯t say anything, but Chen Baiyi already understood. She was very grateful to Auntie Lin. Ever since her mother passed away, no one had cared about her so much. Chen Baiyi accepted Auntie Lin¡¯s good intentions. Once Auntie Lin finished speaking, the dog stopped snarling at her, as if it really understood Auntie Lin¡¯s words. Auntie Lin didn¡¯t stay long. She left after giving the dog to Chen Baiyi. She still had work to do at home. Chen Baiyi was moved and even more determined to treat Auntie Lin and her granddaughter well. After Chen Baiyi left Zhang Xiulan, her life was pretty good. On the other hand, bad incidents happened to Zhang Xiulan one after another. This change reminded them of how Chen Baiyi said that both of Zhang Xiulan¡¯s husband had died. Everyone in the village believed that Zhang Xiulan was the jinx. Chen Baiyi¡¯s pig head meat was selling well, and her life was gradually getting better and better. Seeing that Chen Baiyi¡¯s business was so good, the matchmaker in the village looked for her. Chen Baiyi looked at the woman sitting opposite her. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you be getting married at this age? Your previous fianc¨¦es didn¡¯t have the fortune to marry a good wife like you. Now that everyone knows that it was your stepmother¡¯s fault, they definitely won¡¯t be as biased against you as before.¡± ¡°No need.¡± She had already rejected the sixth matchmaker. She didn¡¯t know what had happened these days. Why were these matchmakers so hung up on her? There were so many bachelors in the village. Why did they only introduce people to her? Of course, Chen Baiyi didn¡¯t know that this was because these matchmakers saw that she had business acumen. If they succeeded, they would definitely get a lot of money. Thus, these people swarmed over. The matchmaker who came this time was known as the best matchmaker in the village. People gave her the nickname ¡°Elder Moon¡±. It was said that as long as she took action, there was no one who didn¡¯t get a spouse. Although her attitude was exactly the same as the previous few people¡¯s, from her enthusiastic demeanor after being rejected by Chen Baiyi, it could be seen that she wasn¡¯t easy to get rid of. ¡°You will definitely like the family I told you about this time. This young man is very ambitious and is filial to his parents. He has a sister at home¡­¡± Chen Baiyi wanted to interrupt her and reject her directly. She didn¡¯t expect the matchmaker to speak nonstop without even giving her a chance to do so. She could only wait for her to finish. No matter how she bragged about that man, she wouldn¡¯t agree. After all, she was a woman with a career now. How could she stop earning money merely for a man? Chapter 28 - Rich Big Shot Chapter 28 Rich Big Shot Chen Baiyi was thinking about going to He Xiao¡¯s place to get the pig head when someone knocked on the door. Chen Baiyi thought that it was another matchmaker again, so she replied, ¡°I¡¯m not going on a blind date.¡± There was a pause, then a young female said, ¡°I¡¯m not a matchmaker.¡± Such a youthful voice indeed didn¡¯t sound like an old woman¡¯s. Chen Baiyi opened the door. She was indeed not a matchmaker. However, she didn¡¯t seem to know her. Fortunately, the person spoke first. ¡°I¡¯m the sister of your blind date.¡± But when she said that, Chen Baiyi was even more confused. When did she get a blind date? She suddenly remembered that ¡°Elder Moon¡± said that one of the men had a sister. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I don¡¯t have a blind date. You must have made a mistake.¡± ¡°I know you. That matchmaker was talking about you.¡± Seeing that the young lady said that she knew her, Chen Baiyi didn¡¯t play dumb and asked directly, ¡°Alright, why are you looking for me? This is purely a misunderstanding. I didn¡¯t¡­¡± ¡°Why won¡¯t you accept my brother? Do you think he¡¯s not worthy of you?¡± What? What did she say? She merely rejected a blind date. Why did it seem like she dumped her brother? ¡°Do you like He Xiao?¡± When she suddenly mentioned He Xiao, Chen Baiyi was stunned. Without waiting for Chen Baiyi to speak, she started speaking From her words, Chen Baiyi understood the reason she came to her door today. She thought that she was defending her brother, but she didn¡¯t expect that she was doing so for her own sake. It turned out that the sister of her blind date was working for He Xiao. She had been in love with He Xiao for a long time. However, He Xiao, who was usually very cold to others, took good care of Chen Baiyi. Therefore, she came to ask her if she liked He Xiao. Chen Baiyi found it funny. It was so convenient for her to ask He Xiao, yet she had to come all the way here to ask her. Did she think she was a pushover? After Chen Baiyi didn¡¯t speak for a long time, the woman couldn¡¯t hold it in anymore. She had said so much, but why did Chen Baiyi refuse to say a single word? Without waiting for Chen Baiyi to answer, she started talking again. ¡°I¡¯m not trying to hurt your feelings, but you¡¯re not worthy of He Xiao. Do you know He Xiao¡¯s identity?¡± He Xiao had some sort of powerful identity? Wasn¡¯t he just a two-tier trafficker? ¡°He Xiao has a gold mine. He¡¯s not the murderer you think he is. He¡¯s a big shot!¡± When the woman said this, she acted as if the gold mine was hers. She even puffed out her chest smugly. She glanced at Chen Baiyi arrogantly and continued, ¡°I¡¯m just an accountant for a small portion of He Xiao¡¯s business. Do you know how much the profit is? I¡¯m afraid that I¡¯ll scare you if I say it¡­¡± When Chen Baiyi heard this number, she was really shocked. He was that rich? However, she didn¡¯t show it on her face and just looked at the woman in front of her calmly. The woman was a little angry. Wasn¡¯t Chen Baiyi going to give up after hearing her reveal so much? Could it be that she was even more unwilling to give up after hearing that He Xiao was rich? That wouldn¡¯t do. The woman was about to say something to ruin Chen Baiyi¡¯s intention to climb up the social ladder when Chen Baiy said, ¡°I know my identity. Do you know your identity?¡± ¡°If I¡¯m not worthy, do you think you¡¯re worthy?¡± The woman was rendered speechless by Chen Baiyi¡¯s question. She couldn¡¯t say anything for a long time. Then, she snorted and left. Chen Baiyi didn¡¯t care about her attitude. She was still shocked by the news that He Xiao was a big shot, but she didn¡¯t show it. Chapter 29 - Endless Orders! Chapter 29 Endless Orders! Chen Baiyi pursed her lips. She had to ask He Xiao. She jogged to He Xiao¡¯s place and barged in without knocking. She saw He Xiao ordering his subordinates around like a boss. Looking at it this way, Chen Baiyi felt that what that woman had said was true, but she still wanted to ask him personally. When those people saw her barge in, they glared at her fiercely. However, Chen Baiyi didn¡¯t notice. She wanted to ask He Xiao if what that woman said was true. When He Xiao saw that Chen Baiyi rushed over to find him, he thought that it was something important. He stopped talking and stood up to calm Chen Baiyi down. He swooped her up in his arms. ¡°Why are you in such a hurry? What happened? Tell me.¡± He Xiao¡¯s concerned tone shocked the people around him. He was behaving too uncharacteristically. He Xiao naturally didn¡¯t care what the others thought. He waved his hand and let them go. Although those people were surprised, they quickly left. Chen Baiyi struggled to get down, so He Xiao put her down. Just as he let go, he heard Chen Baiyi¡¯s questioning voice. ¡°You¡¯re a big shot?¡± Upon hearing Chen Baiyi¡¯s question, He Xiao knew that he couldn¡¯t hide it anymore, but he didn¡¯t want to hide it from her either. ¡°I¡¯m not a big shot, but I do have a gold mine.¡± When Chen Baiyi heard He Xiao¡¯s words, she couldn¡¯t hide the envy on her face. He was so rich! However, it had nothing to do with her. Chen Baiyi knew this clearly. He Xiao was rich, but it was none of her business. He Xiao saw that Chen Baiyi¡¯s expression changed again and again. One moment, she looked envious, the next moment, she looked aloof, and even a little serious. He Xiao felt like laughing, but he didn¡¯t show it. Chen Baiyi said to He Xiao solemnly, ¡°You don¡¯t have to help me buy pig heads in the future.¡± Before He Xiao could ask why, Chen Baiyi ran away again. After running for more than half the way, Chen Baiyi stopped to rest while panting. As she rested, Chen Baiyi pondered over it. There was no way to earn money from selling pig head meat anymore. She had to think of another way. Of course, she wanted to earn money. Besides, she had been in the pig head business for a long time. She had a good reputation, so she felt terrible about giving up this business. However, Chen Baiyi didn¡¯t want to owe He Xiao a favor. In the beginning, she thought that this was what He Xiao did for a living and that he was only helping her bring one or two pig heads along the way. She didn¡¯t expect that he wasn¡¯t a second-tier trafficker, so how could she ask him for help? What should she do? As she walked, Chen Baiyi saw a bamboo forest. She had an idea! She could make bamboo baskets! Chen Baiyi first made one to two of them and used them as test subjects. After they were done, she realized that they could indeed be sold for a profit. The more she made, the more motivated she became. Soon, Chen Baiyi got the hang of it. Not only did she make the bamboo basket sturdy, but she also made some beautiful patterns before she brought them to the market to sell. They were all sold out in an instant, and many people who didn¡¯t get to buy one asked if they could reserve one. When Chen Baiyi saw that business was so good, she was also very happy. Since there was no reason to refuse business, she said that they could reserve it. Originally, everyone wanted to leave after seeing that the bamboo basket had been sold out, but when they heard that they could reserve it, they immediately placed the order and specified the bamboo basket pattern they wanted. Chen Baiyi was tired from writing all the order details, but she still hadn¡¯t finished! Chapter 30 - Make Money Together Chapter 30 Make Money Together Chen Baiyi dragged herself home in exhaustion and excitement. She had yet to count the exact number of orders, but from the few pages, she knew that it must be quite a lot. It would be too slow for her to do it all alone. Why not hire someone to do it? Many women in the village didn¡¯t go out to work. They all washed clothes and cooked at home. They had plenty of free time, so she could hire them to help. When the villagers heard that Chen Baiyi was looking for someone to work for her, they thought that since they had nothing to do at home, they might as well take a look. At the time Chen Baiyi specified, many people came. They stood at the door of Chen Baiyi¡¯s house and talked non-stop. Without them even knocking, Chen Baiyi knew that everyone had arrived. After bringing them in, Chen Baiyi decided to explain the conditions and rules to everyone first in case anything happened in the future. ¡°Since I¡¯m the one who asked everyone to help, we¡¯re business partners now. I¡¯ll teach everyone how to make them for free. I¡¯ll also provide the customer source. The teaching is free, and I¡¯ll take the commission. After everyone makes them, I¡¯ll sell them at the market.¡± Chen Baiyi paused for a moment to let everyone process it before continuing to explain, ¡°Commission is a small portion of the earnings from everyone selling the bamboo baskets that they made, and it is my compensation.¡± ¡°Your salary depends on the number of bamboo baskets that are sold. Every basket counts. When I come back from the market, I will give everyone the money.¡± After she said everything, the villagers discussed it softly, but no one gave an affirmative answer. As Chen Baiyi watched everyone whispering, she said, ¡°If you don¡¯t want to do it, you can go back now. I won¡¯t stop you. We¡¯re all from the same village. I¡¯ve been neighbors with all of you since I was young. I won¡¯t lie to you guys. I want to earn money with everyone.¡± When everyone heard Chen Baiyi say that, they felt less worried. Yes, they were from the same village and they bumped into each other often. Someone asked, ¡°How much can we earn per basket?¡± Chen Baiyi made a gesture and everyone was shocked. Even though the cost and the commission had been deducted, the profits were still considerable. Everyone agreed. Therefore, Chen Baiyi began to teach everyone how to make the bamboo baskets more stable, how to make different patterns, and so on. Most of the people in the village knew how to make bamboo baskets, so the main point was to learn how to make patterns. Soon, everyone mastered it. Chen Baiyi handed the task list to everyone while she watched them make them. If there was anyone who didn¡¯t understand, she would guide them. When Zhang Xiulan found out that Chen Baiyi was teaching the villagers how to make bamboo baskets, she cursed Chen Baiyi for being a traitor. Her family had raised her for so many years, but now that she had the ability to earn money, she actually taught the technique to outsiders. She couldn¡¯t sit still anymore. She went to find Chen Baiyi to argue. Zhang Xiulan found Chen Baiyi and questioned her, ¡°Why did you teach these outsiders how to earn money and even hand all these jobs to them? Isn¡¯t it better to leave moneymaking opportunities for your family?¡± Her voice wasn¡¯t soft, and it had a hint of her unique harshness. The people in the courtyard naturally heard her words. Because she had jeopardized everyone¡¯s interests, everyone glared at Zhang Xiulan. What did Zhang Xiulan mean? What did she mean by leaving it to outsiders? Was Zhang Xiulan supposed to earn all the money alone? Chen Baiyi had already said that everyone should earn the money together. To think that Zhang Xiulan was older than Chen Baiyi yet so selfish in comparison. Zhang Xiulan didn¡¯t expect everyone to be in Chen Baiyi¡¯s courtyard. She knew that she was in the wrong and didn¡¯t dare to speak anymore. Chapter 31 - The Third Time Chapter 31 The Third Time Zhang Xiulan naturally didn¡¯t get anything, so she returned to her house in dejection. When Chen Xinyue saw Zhang Xiulan¡¯s dejected expression, she asked her what had happened. Zhang Xiulan gritted her teeth and told Chen Xinyue what had happened today. Chen Xinyue heard that ever since Chen Baiyi left them, her life had been getting better and better. She had lost her reputation as a jinx. Not long ago, she had earned quite a lot of money from the pig head meat business. Now, she was even the boss of a business. Chen Xinyue felt very upset. However, she still comforted Zhang Xiulan. Zhang Xiulan was deep in thought and didn¡¯t notice what Chen Xinyue said. After seeing Dog Two, Chen Xinyue finally couldn¡¯t help but complain. ¡°Why can Chen Baiyi earn money on her own?¡± ¡°Why am I the one marrying a widower? Chen Baiyi should have married him!¡± ¡°Chen Baiyi is a jinx! Not only did she kill her mother, but she also killed her father! She should die!¡± ¡°It shouldn¡¯t be like this. Chen Baiyi¡¯s life shouldn¡¯t be as good as mine!¡± Dog Two looked at Chen Xinyue¡¯s face, which had become distorted because of jealousy, and felt a little afraid. However, he still remembered how he had been taught a lesson by Chen Baiyi the last time. He had been bullied by a woman. Dog Two couldn¡¯t take this lying down and wanted to teach Chen Baiyi a lesson. When he heard Chen Xinyue say that Chen Baiyi was weaving bamboo baskets, he thought of a brilliant revenge plan. Chen Xinyue knew that Dog Two was planning to cause trouble for Chen Baiyi. She thought that he was doing this for her, so she hid in Dog Two¡¯s arms shyly. That night, Dog Two sneaked to the Chen family¡¯s old residence. He decided to climb over the wall and enter. Then, he would burn Chen Baiyi¡¯s bamboos. He wanted to see how she could earn money without bamboos. He wanted to teach her a lesson and let her know that he wasn¡¯t someone to be trifled with. After all, Dog Two was a hooligan, so he was much more familiar with climbing over the wall than the previous two people. He made very little noise. After coming in, Dog Two leaned against the wall and looked for the bamboos in Chen Baiyi¡¯s yard under the dim moonlight while holding a lighter. After taking a few steps, he saw a black shadow charging at him. Before he could react, he was pounced on by Chen Baiyi¡¯s large black dog. Dog Two kept waving his hands and kicking around. He wanted to chase the large black dog away, but the large black dog wasn¡¯t so easy to chase away. It kept biting Dog Two. Dog Two¡¯s miserable cries came from Chen Baiyi¡¯s courtyard. After Chen Baiyi came out, she saw the large black dog bravely fighting a man. She hurriedly found something to protect herself. When she saw that the large black dog had the upper hand, Chen Baiyi slowly relaxed. In fact, she was even watching the large black dog fight the man. She had been too flustered just now, so she hadn¡¯t seen who it was clearly. Now that she took a closer look, she realized that it was none other than Dog Two, whom she had taught a lesson a while ago! Dog Two didn¡¯t work out or train, so how could he be a match for the tall and mighty black dog? He was quickly bitten until it was covered in wounds. Chen Baiyi was afraid that if the large black dog didn¡¯t stop soon, he would die, so she called the large black dog over. Chen Baiyi looked at the defenseless Dog Two on the ground and wondered why he had come. Then, she saw the big black dog bring the lighter in Dog Two¡¯s hand to her. Wasn¡¯t the place Dog Two lying where she put the bamboos? Chen Baiyi felt extremely angry. She had never taken the initiative to provoke anyone, but they were becoming more and more outrageous without leaving her with a way out. This was the third time they had trespassed into a private residence at night. The first two times, they had escaped. This time, it was all thanks to the large black dog that he had been caught red-handed. Chen Baiyi sneered as she looked at the scarred Dog Two lying on the ground. Chapter 32 - Close The Door And Let The Dogs Out! Chapter 32 Close The Door And Let The Dogs Out! ¡°Get up and don¡¯t play dead, or I¡¯ll release the dog!¡± Hearing Chen Baiyi¡¯s threat, Dog Two immediately got up despite the pain. What a joke. He didn¡¯t want to be bitten by a dog again. The big black dog saw that Dog Two had stood up. It was standing next to Chen Baiyi while growling. There was a gurgling sound in his throat, as if he was threatening him to behave and not play any tricks. Dog Two had just been taught a lesson by the big black dog and was extremely obedient. It didn¡¯t even resist when Chen Baiyi asked it to follow her to the police station. Chen Bai sent Dog Two to the police station and told him everything that had happened that night. When the police saw the wounded Dog Two at first, they thought that he had been bullied. But he had asked for it. Why would he go to a young woman¡¯s house in the middle of the night instead of sleeping? Fortunately, this female comrade had a dog at home. Otherwise, it would be hard to predict who would have suffered. Therefore, the tone of the police question changed from concern to indifference. ¡°What do you have to say for yourself, Comrade?¡± Dog Two knew that the matter could no longer be salvaged. In order to reduce his crimes, he exposed Chen Xinyue and said that she had instructed him to come. Hence, the police went to look for Chen Xinyue. Because Chen Xinyue was married to the widower, Chen Xinyue stayed with the widower at night. The two of them were sleeping soundly when someone knocked on the door and woke them up. The widower opened the door while cursing, but when he realized it was the police, he immediately stopped talking. He had a fake smile on his face and kept calling the police comrades. The police had seen many people like him, so they didn¡¯t care. They asked the widower and Chen Xinyue to clean up and go to the police station. On the way, the widower tried to find out what had happened, but none of them paid him any attention. When they reached the police station, the officers brought them both to Chen Baiyi. Chen Xinyue didn¡¯t know what was going on at first, but when she saw Dog Two, she immediately understood what was going on and thought of a countermeasure. Dog Two repeated what Chen Xinyue had about Chen Baiyi. He even said that Chen Xinyue had instructed him to go to Chen Baiyi¡¯s house at night. ¡°Nonsense. You were the one who wanted to go, not me.¡± ¡°Police comrade, I know nothing.¡± Seeing that Chen Xinyue had retorted, Dog Two took out his phone and found the ambiguous message Chen Xinyue had sent him and the message saying that she wanted to meet him today. This time, the police officer looked at Chen Xinyue strangely. The person beside her was her husband, right? When the widower saw the message on Dog Two¡¯s phone, he was furious. He slapped Chen Xinyue twice in front of the police but still felt that it was not enough to vent his anger. He kicked her again and scolded, ¡°You bitch, haven¡¯t I treated you well? I¡¯ll give you whatever your family wants. I even paid for your brother¡¯s hospitalization. How dare you cheat on me!¡± The policeman immediately stopped the widower in case he had another move. Chen Xinyue bumped into the table and happened to hit the corner of the table. She fell to the floor and shouted, ¡°It hurts, it hurts¡­¡± Within moments, blood began to flow from beneath her. Startled, Chen Baiyi shouted, ¡°She¡¯s bleeding!¡± The police immediately sent her to the hospital. After a diagnosis, they confirmed that Chen Xinyue had miscarried. Chen Xinyue was pregnant and was unconscious. It was impossible for the police to make things difficult for her, so they arrested Dog Two. Chen Baiyi couldn¡¯t possibly do anything to a person who had a miscarriage, so she let Chen Xinyue off. She accepted the police¡¯s punishment for Dog Two and brought the big black dog back to sleep. Chapter 33 - Caught Cheating Chapter 33 Caught Cheating Because of the affair, Chen Xinyue was locked at home by the widower after she was discharged from the hospital. He even chased Zhang Xiulan out. ¡°Look at what your daughter has done. Like mother like daughter. Don¡¯t come to me for money in the future!¡± The widower locked the door with a snap. Zhang Xiulan stood at the door helplessly. Her son¡¯s medical fees were gone, she didn¡¯t have a job, she couldn¡¯t see her daughter, and her son-in-law refused to give her money. What should she do?! Thinking that her son¡¯s future might be ruined, Zhang Xiulan panicked and regretted For her son¡¯s sake, she had no choice but to go that route. Zhang Xiulan didn¡¯t go home immediately after leaving the widower. Instead, she went to another house and knocked on the door. When the person inside saw that it was her, he pulled her in and started kissing and touching Zhang Xiulan after closing the door. Zhang Xiulan felt ashamed and hurriedly stopped him. ¡°What are you doing? Isn¡¯t your wife at home?¡± The man smiled back at her. She could see the look of triumph on his face, but there was still a hint of disdain in his eyes. ¡°Not here. Have you decided since you came today?¡± Zhang Xiulan remained silent. He promised, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t shortchange you.¡± Hearing his guarantee, Zhang Xiulan nodded in embarrassment. The man chuckled and released Zhang Xiulan before telling her to come here tomorrow afternoon. Of course, Zhang Xiulan knew why she was here, but she had no money now and could only rely on the man in front of her. Zhang Xiulan arrived as promised in the afternoon. The man couldn¡¯t wait at all and dragged her towards the room. The two of them soon started lovemaking. The man¡¯s wife had left something behind and come home to get it. When she heard an indescribable sound coming from her room, she leaned over the door and looked. What she saw made her furious. Her husband was fooling around with that woman. She kicked the door open and shouted, ¡°You bitch, how dare you seduce my husband?¡± When the two of them heard this sound, they immediately separated in fright. The man stood by the bed and said, ¡°Wife, listen to me explain.¡± However, when he opened his mouth, he realized that he couldn¡¯t say anything. The woman ignored the man and walked toward Zhang Xiulan. She reached out to grab Zhang Xiulan and said, ¡°B*tch, b*tch, how dare you? You went to find someone else¡¯s husband just because you lost your man? Huh? You¡¯re just a jinx. You¡¯ve already jinxed two husbands to death, yet you still want to harm others?¡± Zhang Xiulan was covered in blood from the woman¡¯s grip, but she didn¡¯t dare to retaliate. She glanced at the man and wanted to ask him for help, but the man turned his head, as if he didn¡¯t see her. When the woman saw that Zhang Xiulan still dared to seduce her husband in front of her, she couldn¡¯t take it anymore. She didn¡¯t care that she was naked and wanted to drag her outside. ¡°Go, you bitch. I want the whole village to know what kind of person you are. Come out!¡± Zhang Xiulan grabbed the bed pole and blanket tightly, but because she had to take money from the man, she didn¡¯t dare to tell anyone about him. She only shouted, ¡°I was wrong. Don¡¯t let me out.¡± The woman wasn¡¯t as strong as Zhang Xiulan. After pulling her for a long time, Zhang Xiulan was still in bed. The woman was so angry that she hit Zhang Xiulan again. When she was tired, she stopped panting and placed her hands on her hips. ¡°It¡¯s fine if I don¡¯t drag you out, but I want compensation.¡± Zhang Xiulan didn¡¯t want to embarrass herself in the village, so she could only agree. Chapter 34 - Make Up Chapter 34 Make Up Not only did Zhang Xiulan not get any money from the man, but she was also blackmailed by the man¡¯s wife. The hospital was already urging her. Zhang Xiulan really had no choice but to make peace with Chen Baiyi. She gritted her teeth and decided to suppress the unwillingness in her heart. She planned to use her sincerity to move Chen Baiyi. Zhang Xiulan found Chen Baiyi and said sincerely, ¡°Baiyi, ever since I married your father, I¡¯ve never treated you well. I know I was wrong. I was wrong in the past. I was blind.¡± ¡°I really want your forgiveness. I know I¡¯ve treated you badly in the past and I regret it. I¡¯ll change. Give me another chance and I¡¯ll definitely not ruin your reputation again.¡± ¡°Forgive me, Baiyi!¡± Chen Baiyi felt uncomfortable hearing Zhang Xiulan¡¯s gentle and even fawning voice. Her eyes were filled with wariness. What was this woman up to now? In order to see what Zhang Xiulan wanted to do, Chen Baiyi decided to play along. So Chen Baiyi pretended to hesitate as she lowered her head, and said weakly, ¡°Do you really want to make up with me?¡± There was even a hint of anticipation in her voice. Zhang Xiulan understood what Chen Baiyi meant and was delighted when she heard her say that. She knew that there was a chance and said anxiously, ¡°Yes, I really know. I won¡¯t do such a thing again.¡± ¡®We¡¯re family. I want the best for you!¡¯ Chen Baiyi was disgusted by Zhang Xiulan¡¯s words. Ever since she moved out, how much trouble had Zhang Xiulan and Chen Xinyue caused her? A few days ago, Zhang Xiulan even climbed the wall in the middle of the night to enter her courtyard. Although Zhang Xiulan said that, she might be scolding her in her heart. However, in order to figure out Zhang Xiulan¡¯s motive, she endured her discomfort and pretended to be puzzled. She asked Zhang Xiulan innocently, ¡°A few days ago, Dog Two said that Chen Xinyue asked him to burn my bamboo? Is this for my own good?¡±. When Zhang Xiulan heard Chen Baiyi¡¯s words, her expression was very stiff. Chen Baiyi was probably not only talking about Chen Xinyue, but also about the widower. However, she still continued to explain shamelessly, ¡°It must be Dog Two talking nonsense. Xiyue is your sister. Why would she harm you? I was the one who did everything in the past. I can guarantee that this will never happen again!¡± Chen Baiyi admired Zhang Xiulan¡¯s expression for a moment before ignoring her. Tsk, she didn¡¯t believe Zhang Xiulan would really treat her as one of her own. She was so anxious to make up with her and even mentioned her fianc¨¦. She definitely didn¡¯t have any good intentions. But she still had to keep up the act, so she nodded with feigned delight and said yes. When Zhang Xiulan heard that Chen Baiyi had relented, she was overjoyed. She couldn¡¯t hide her thoughts anymore. ¡°Alright. Then I¡¯ll introduce you to another one. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll definitely find you a good one this time. I guarantee that you¡¯ll be satisfied.¡± Of course, Chen Baiyi agreed. Zhang Xiulan immediately went to find someone for her. As Zhang Xiulan picked a partner for Chen Baiyi, she made up her mind. This time, she would not be stupid enough to choose a ¡°fianc¨¦¡± who was about to die for Chen Baiyi. Her son¡¯s hospitalization fees depended on this ¡°fianc¨¦¡±. It turned out that Zhang Xiulan wanted to marry Chen Baiyi off again because she was out of money, so that she could get the betrothal money again. Moreover, she planned to choose someone with a good family background so that she could have a stable ¡°cash machine.¡± Chapter 35 - Wife Ran Off With Someone Else Chapter 35 Wife Ran Off With Someone Else Soon, Zhang Xiulan found a suitable candidate. When Chen Baiyi heard this, she thought, ¡°what a coincidence, isn¡¯t it the blind date that was introduced last time?! When Chen Baiyi heard it was him, she thought of the strange woman from last time. How inexplicable. While Chen Baiyi was thinking, this woman started to cause trouble. She heard that Zhang Xiulan seemed to have taken a fancy to her brother and wanted Chen Baiyi to marry him. After the woman learned of the news, she immediately went to look for He Xiao. She wanted He Xiao to see Chen Baiyi¡¯s true colors. This woman kept He Xiao hanging while going on blind dates. What a vixen! He Xiao was dealing with something when his assistant knocked on the door and came in to say that a woman was looking for him. He Xiao thought it was Chen Baiyi and asked him to bring her in. He Xiao looked at the woman in front of him. He had no recollection of her at all. He frowned and was about to ask someone to take her out when she said, ¡°Do you know Chen Baiyi is going on a blind date?¡± When she mentioned Chen Baiyi, He Xiao became interested and waved his assistant away. However, he was not swayed by the woman¡¯s words. He asked, ¡°Who are you? How do you know?¡± The woman was embarrassed by the first question. Why did He Xiao not remember her at all after all these years? He Xiao¡¯s baleful eyes locked on the woman, as if trying to decide if she was telling the truth. A ferocious look crossed the woman¡¯s face, but she recovered quickly. ¡°I¡¯m your accountant. I know about this because¡ª¡± The woman hesitated before deciding to reveal her identity. ¡°Because the person who was betrothed to Chen Baiyi is my brother.¡± When the woman saw that the expression on He Xiao¡¯s face had finally changed, she was both smug and sad. As expected, only Chen Baiyi, that vixen, could make He Xiao feel emotional. He Xiao¡¯s baleful eyes were fixed on the woman in front of him, as if trying to decide if she was telling the truth. If she dared lie to him, she would know the consequences. He raised his chin slightly, indicating that she should continue. The woman was clearly being stared at by He Xiao, but she felt as if a wolf was staring at her, as if she would be torn to pieces if she said a lie. The woman shuddered and steadied herself. ¡°Chen Baiyi has a bad reputation in our village,¡± she said, adding fuel to the flames. ¡°I¡¯ve seen her come to you. I thought you two were dating, but this is the second time she¡¯s been on a blind date with my brother. Chen Baiyi probably wants to marry my brother.¡± ¡°Today, I heard Zhang Xiulan say that she was looking for a marriage partner for Chen Baiyi. It seems that the two of them are already getting married. I just wanted to ask you if the two of you are dating. If so, Chen Baiyi is too ungrateful. She¡¯s two-timing. I don¡¯t want you and my brother to be deceived by her¡­¡± He Xiao slammed the table in anger when he heard the news that Chen Baiyi was getting married. Startled, the woman stopped herself and looked fearfully at He Xiao. He Xiao ignored the woman in front of him. All he could think of now was Chen Baiyi. This damn woman. Why was she so disobedient? She refused to marry him, but she was willing to marry this woman¡¯s brother? He Xiao looked angrily at the woman in front of him and sized her up. Hmph, if his sister was such a piece of trash, then his brother definitely wasn¡¯t any better. He definitely couldn¡¯t compare to him! Besides, she, Chen Baiyi, was already his. Why would she still want to marry someone else? The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. He Xiao decided to look for Chen Baiyi now. If he didn¡¯t go now, his wife would run away with someone else! Chapter 36 - Is That Your HK416? Chapter 36 Is That Your HK416? Chen Baiyi naturally didn¡¯t know what happened to He Xiao, but she was about to get impatient with Zhang Xiulan. However, Zhang Xiulan still nagged in her ear, ¡°Baiyi, this man is really good. He has handsome facial features and is filial. He has a bright future and is very healthy¡­¡± Suddenly, the door to Chen Baiyi¡¯s courtyard was kicked open. Zhang Xiulan¡¯s voice stopped abruptly. The two of them turned around and saw-a man holding a gun! That¡¯s right, this was He Xiao with an HK416 assault rifle! He Xiao took the rifle and slung it over his shoulder. He said to Zhang Xiulan, who was so shocked that her mouth didn¡¯t close in time, ¡°Healthy? I don¡¯t mind Chen Baiyi losing another fianc¨¦!¡± Zhang Xiulan knew He Xiao. Everyone in the village said that he was a murderer. Now that she heard He Xiao say that he wanted to kill someone so openly, with a gun in his hand, she panicked even more. She waved her hand and stammered, ¡°No¡­ no, no, no fianc¨¦.¡± He Xiao was walking towards Chen Baiyi. When Zhang Xiulan saw He Xiao coming over with a gun, her legs went weak and she ran away in fear. Although Chen Baiyi was also frightened by He Xiao, her reaction wasn¡¯t as exaggerated as Zhang Xiulan. She still looked very normal, but her trembling voice still revealed her nervousness. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± He Xiao was expressionless. ¡°Why am I here? What do you think I¡¯m here for?¡± After a pause, he said fiercely, ¡°If I don¡¯t come, my wife will run away with someone else.¡± Although Chen Baiyi was afraid of the gun in He Xiao¡¯s hand, she still retorted, ¡°Who¡¯s your wife? Don¡¯t talk nonsense!¡± He Xiao chuckled and looked at Chen Baiyi lovingly. ¡°Well, I didn¡¯t think it through. Not yet, but soon!¡± ¡°Where¡¯s your household register?¡± ¡°What do you need that for?¡± Chen Baiyi looked at He Xiao warily, determined not to reveal any information. He Xiao picked up Chen Baiyi and carried her into the bedroom. ¡°Do you want to bring it out yourself or should I search it?¡± he asked her. Chen Baiyi saw that He Xiao was determined to get what he wanted and knew that he was telling the truth. He definitely couldn¡¯t be allowed to do the search, so she asked He Xiao to put her down. Facing the door, she went to get it. ¡°What on earth are you going to do?¡± Chen Baiyi showed the household register to He Xiao but refused to give it to him. What a joke, this was very important! He Xiao picked up Chen Baiyi and walked towards the door. Chen Baiyi was speechless after being picked up again. It wasn¡¯t like she didn¡¯t have legs. It wasn¡¯t like she couldn¡¯t walk. Why was he always carrying her? After struggling for a moment and realizing that it was useless, she gave up resisting. He Xiao put Chen Baiyi down and handed the gun to his assistant, who was guarding the door. He half pulled and half carried Chen. After walking like this for a while, Chen Baiyi finally couldn¡¯t take it anymore and asked frantically, ¡°What are you doing? Where are we going?¡± He Xiao replied calmly, ¡°To turn you into my wife.¡± Chen Baiyi thought, ¡°What did that mean?¡± While Chen Baiyi was in a daze, He Xiao had already brought her to the Civil Affairs Bureau in the village. Chen Baiyi looked at the words ¡°Civil Affairs Bureau¡± above her head and finally realized what He Xiao wanted to do¡ªhe wanted to register his marriage with her! Was it too late for her to run? He Xiao grabbed Chen Baiyi¡¯s shoulder and squeezed slightly, warning her not to move. In the end, it was He Xiao who finished all the procedures alone. Chen Baiyi had only gone on stage during the photo shoot. When she finally came back to her senses, He Xiao waved two marriage certificates in front of her and said happily, ¡°You¡¯re my wife now! Chapter 37 - Married Chapter 37 Married Chen Baiyi was inexplicably married and inexplicably sent home by He Xiao. Looking at the group of fierce men in black suits and sunglasses at the door, Chen Baiyi felt that she might not be awake yet. Was this her house? To wake herself up, Chen Baiyi pinched herself and cried out in pain. Now, she was certain that this was no dream. She had just been married, and a group of men was standing in the doorway. When the men in black saw her, they turned to Chen Baiyi in unison and then bowed to her in unison. Everyone was holding something in their hands. Chen Baiyi had never seen such a scene before. She was so frightened that she wanted to take a step back, but He Xiao held her waist and she couldn¡¯t move. He Xiao whispered in Chen Baiyi¡¯s ear, ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid. Look at what they have.¡± Then he faced the man in black and snapped his fingers. After the men in black received instructions, one by one, they handed what they were holding to Chen Bai. Since she wasn¡¯t used to watching a group of fierce men in black walking toward her, it was very intimidating. There were many people, so there were naturally many things. In the end, Chen Baiyi couldn¡¯t carry them all, so He Xiao even helped to bring some. Chen Baiyi looked at the thick stack in her hand and looked up at He Xiao, as if to make sure she could read it. He Xiao smiled evilly at her. Looking at He Xiao¡¯s shiny white teeth, Chen Baiyi curled her lips. She wouldn¡¯t admit that she had indeed been charmed by He Xiao just now! Chen Baiyi calmed down and prepared to take a good look at the things in her hands, but the more she looked at them, the more she couldn¡¯t calm down. What the heck? What were these? It was no wonder that Chen Baiyi was so surprised. These were property deeds, passbooks, stock transfer books, mining certificates for gold mine mountains, and so on. Chen Baiyi looked at the endless string of zeros on the passbook with great unease and became suspicious. The string of numbers seemed to be too big for the passbook. Was this passbook for real? And this property deed was such a thick stack. Had he bought the entire village? Chen Baiyi flipped through it and read the place names. Shanghai, Guangzhou, Beijing. She was shocked! She looked at the stock transfer book again. She couldn¡¯t understand what it said. She only felt that there were very many string of numbers and it looked very impressive. Chen Baiyi was dazzled. Finally, she saw the mining license for the Gold Mine. If she remembered correctly, He Xiao had said that he was the boss of the Gold Mine last time. She knew that mining gold made money, but she didn¡¯t expect it to be so profitable! Chen Baiyi called out to He Xiao. He Xiao turned around and saw Chen Baiyi¡¯s serious expression. He quickly asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Is there something wrong with these things?¡± Chen Bai shook her head impassively. He Xiao thought of one possibility. Surely she didn¡¯t think it was too little? ¡°Tell me honestly. What exactly do you do?¡± He Xiao regained his composure. ¡°Just some small business.¡± Small business? Was this entire stack small business? Chapter 38 - Shopping Spree Chapter 38 Shopping Spree After Chen Baiyi finished reading the ¡°little business,¡± He Xiao got someone to take the things down. ¡°These properties will belong to both of us in the future.¡± Chen Baiyi turned to He Xiao in surprise. He Xiao smiled nonchalantly. ¡°Let¡¯s go. I¡¯ll take you somewhere.¡± ¡°Where are we going?¡± ¡°You¡¯ll find out when you get there.¡± Then, he ¡°pulled¡± Chen Baiyi away. Wasn¡¯t that the way to the market? Chen Baiyi went this way every day when he was doing business and was very familiar with it. He Xiao led Chen Baiyi around and finally stopped in front of a gold shop. ¡°Why did you bring me to the gold shop?¡± ¡°A gift.¡± Chen Baiyi thought, ¡°A gift? What gift?¡± He Xiao did not explain further and entered the gold shop with Chen Baiyi. ¡°Pick whatever you like.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need it. This is too expensive.¡± ¡°Three gold pieces as a marriage gift.¡± ¡°¡­ But¡­¡± ¡°This is my shop,¡± He Xiao said with the air of a rich boss. ¡°It¡¯s just a formality. From now on, these are all yours.¡± This time, Chen Baiyi couldn¡¯t say a word. In order to show that he valued the girl¡¯s family, a man would usually give the bride three gold pieces besides betrothal gifts. No wonder he said it was a gift. That was true. The two of them had even gotten their marriage certificate. The only thing missing from their marriage was the process. Chen Baiyi hesitated for a moment before choosing a set, in case the villagers gossiped. It was better to go through the procedure. After picking out the three gold pieces, He Xiao dragged Chen Baiyi to the supermarket. ¡°As I recall, there was nothing at your house.¡± Chen Baiyi had a bad feeling about this. As it turned out, women¡¯s senses were very accurate. For the rest of the day, He Xiao took her around all the electronic stores. No fridge? Buy it! No air conditioning? Buy! No TV? Buy it! No washing machine? Buy it! He Xiao did not care about Chen Baiyi¡¯s wishes at all. As long as there was nothing, regardless of whether Chen Baiyi could use it or not, he would buy it! This was the first time Chen Baiyi had bought anything like this. He couldn¡¯t help but sigh. Was this the life of the rich? In the end, He Xiao was persuaded by Chen Baiyi to leave. Her house was not big, and she did not know if she could put down so many things. As the two of them walked away, they were followed by a couple of vans carrying their stuff. All the way from the market to Chen Baiyi¡¯s house, the villagers saw this scene. Those who were well-informed already knew that Chen Baiyi and He Xiao had already registered their marriage and even told them about their trip to the gold shop and the market. Word spread like wildfire. Soon, everyone knew that these were the things He Xiao had bought for Chen Baiyi. Many people were watching the commotion near Chen Baiyi¡¯s house. They were envious and jealous when they saw the high-end appliances being moved from the cars to Chen Baiyi¡¯s house. ¡°Auntie Wang, look at that television. It¡¯s moru glass, right? I heard from my relatives who work at home appliances that this one costs more than 3,000 yuan!¡± ¡°Over 3,000 yuan? Why is it so expensive? It can only be used to watch television anyway!¡± ¡°Yeah, and that air conditioner. It¡¯s Haier¡¯s. Do you know how much one of these costs?¡± Auntie Wang widened her eyes and shook her head. This television cost more than 3,000 yuan, so this air conditioner definitely wouldn¡¯t be cheap. ¡°It¡¯s also over three thousand!¡± ¡°More than three thousand, too?¡± The person nodded emphatically. That¡¯s right. The ones that have been moved down are all big brands. From the looks of it, the style should be the latest. It might even be more than the price I estimated!¡¯ The people next to them had heard their conversation and were envious. More than three thousand. What did that mean? No matter how impressive a person in their village was, they would only earn slightly more than 500 yuan a month. They had to spend six months without eating or drinking to buy any of these things! Chapter 39 - Chinese Wedding Chapter 39 Chinese Wedding Although Chen Baiyi had been engaged three times, this was the only time she had really gotten married, so she didn¡¯t understand many of the procedures. Zhang Xiulan was also extremely afraid of He Xiao. She hadn¡¯t seen Chen Baiyi once in so many days, and it was even more impossible for her to ask if there was anything she needed help with. After the two of them had set the wedding date, He Xiao told Chen Baiyi to relax. He would arrange it. He didn¡¯t want to leave any regrets for his and Chen Baiyi¡¯s wedding. The wedding invitations had been sent to everyone in the village. He Xiao had even specially instructed them to hand it over to the man who had gone on two blind dates with Chen Baiyi. The village chief knew about Chen Baiyi¡¯s situation. Her parents had passed away early, and her stepmother wasn¡¯t a good person. Otherwise, this child wouldn¡¯t have cut ties with that family and lived alone. He was afraid that there wouldn¡¯t be many people supporting the bride, so he asked some experienced women to help Chen Baiyi. Because He Xiao¡¯s house was close to Chen Baiyi¡¯s, the pick-up time was set for nine in the morning. However, on the morning of the wedding, Chen Baiyi was still woken up at four o¡¯clock to dress up. The two of them had booked a Chinese-style wedding. It would take some time to braid her hair and put on a phoenix crown. Chen Baiyi forced herself to stay awake as the women and makeup artists fussed over her. By the time the last step was completed, it was already past eight. All she had to do now was wait for the groom to arrive. He Xiao had many buddies, and they came with great fanfare. When he pushed open the door, he saw the bride he had been longing for and a rare smile appeared on his face. He Xiao quickly found the wedding shoes that had been hidden and put them on Chen Baiyi before carrying her onto the bridal sedan. Accompanied by suona and lion dance, the sedan chair began to move. After a loud shout from the sedan driver in front, the eight of them worked together to lift the dumpling sedan chair. Most of the people in the village were already waiting at the wedding venue. The sedan chair arrived shakily. He Xiao walked up and helped Chen Baiyi down. The two of them walked to the master of ceremonies. ¡°The flower hall is decorated with beautiful colors and is filled with joy. Everyone, friends, and relatives¡­ The two of them are a match made in heaven. It is the will of the heavens and a good fate bestowed by the heavens. On behalf of the two newcomers, I thank everyone for coming!¡± ¡°May the bride and groom bow to God! Second, bow to the parents! Husband and wife, bow to each other-get up!¡± Because neither of their parents was present, the two of them drank cross-cupped wine directly. Finally, the host announced that the ceremony was complete! The crowd shouted from below! Applause! Next, it was He Xiao and Chen Baiyi¡¯s turn to toast the guests at each table. They first went to toast the village chief and Auntie Lin¡¯s table. ¡°Thank you for taking the time to attend my wedding. Come, let¡¯s have a drink together!¡± ¡°Baiyi, we¡¯re not good with words. We don¡¯t know how to speak fancy words. We just hope that the two of you can have a long and happy married life!¡± The village chief spoke to Chen Baiyi and He Xiao respectfully on behalf of everyone. Then, he drained his glass. He Xiao followed closely behind. ¡°Thank you, Village Chief! Thank you, everyone!¡± The joyous occasion diluted everyone¡¯s fear of He Xiao¡¯s ¡°murderer¡± identity and they all came up to toast him. Looking at He Xiao¡¯s smiling face and then at the beautiful Chen Baiyi, everyone exclaimed that the two of them were really a match made in heaven! Chapter 40 - Ho Xiao Captured Chapter 40 Ho Xiao Captured Zhang Xiulan didn¡¯t go to Chen Baiyi¡¯s wedding, and she didn¡¯t dare to. The scene of her being scared away by He Xiao with a gun was still vivid in her mind. When she saw the high-end appliances sent to Chen Baiyi¡¯s house, Zhang Xiulan was already filled with envy. These should have been sent to her house. If He Xiao hadn¡¯t caused trouble, Chen Baiyi would have listened to her and married someone else. The betrothal gift and the three pieces of gold would all be for her, Zhang Xiulan. Now, it was He Xiao who was married to Chen Baiyi. Even if she had ten guts, she wouldn¡¯t dare to run to He Xiao and ask for money, let alone the betrothal gift and the three pieces of gold. Seeing the two of them holding a big wedding, the more Zhang Xiulan thought about it, the more upset she felt. The money was confiscated, her son was in the hospital, her daughter was married to a widower, and she couldn¡¯t get the money. If she didn¡¯t have a good life, Chen Baiyi wouldn¡¯t have a good life either! Didn¡¯t everyone in the village say that He Xiao was a ¡°murderer¡±? Weren¡¯t they afraid of getting jinxed at the wedding of a ¡°murderer¡±? Zhang Xiulan suddenly realized something. Didn¡¯t He Xiao come to their village to hide from the police because he had killed someone? Then she would report He Xiao, the murderer. Not only would she be able to get rid of the evil for the people, but she might also be able to get a reward. Most importantly, Zhang Xiulan couldn¡¯t bear to see Chen Baiyi living so well. So Zhang Xiulan went to the police station. ¡°I want to report that there is someone with a gun in our village!¡± ¡°A gun? Are you sure? That¡¯s no small matter. The possession of a firearm is no small crime!¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure. He threatened me with a gun last time! I saw it clearly. It was a gun! And he did a lot of illegal things. Go and arrest him!¡± The police officers followed Zhang Xiulan to the wedding venue with the principle that they would rather catch the wrong person than let someone off. Everyone was drinking happily when they suddenly heard the sound of police sirens. Most of them sobered up. The originally lively wedding suddenly became extremely quiet. Everyone watched as the police walked towards He Xiao. ¡°Are you He Xiao? Someone reported you for possession of guns and doing many illegal things. Please come with us!¡± Everyone had different thoughts when they heard the police say that. The good impression they had of He Xiao immediately dissipated. They watched silently. He Xiao, on the other hand, was calm. ¡°I accept the investigation, but I¡¯d like to speak to my wife.¡± When the policeman saw how cooperative he was, he agreed. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll be fine. My business is all legal. I¡¯ll be back in a minute!¡± He Xiao kissed Chen Baiyi¡¯s forehead and said in a low voice, ¡°Be good and wait for me,¡± before following the policeman. Knowing that the police had arrested He Xiao, Zhang Xiulan was extremely proud. Hmph, no matter how powerful He Xiao was, was he more powerful than the police? She would see how he could threaten her in the future! Zhang Xiulan was already thinking about how to snatch the things in Chen Baiyi¡¯s house. They were all good things and were all new. If she sold them now, she could sell them for a good price. This way, she would obtain her son¡¯s medical fees. Last time, she heard from the villagers that those things added up to at least tens of thousands! Zhang Xiulan had never thought that she would have so much money in her life. Now that the opportunity was right in front of her, she was naturally tempted. It would be best if the police could find out that He Xiao had indeed broken the law. After some time, she could even persuade Chen Baiyi to annul the marriage. This way, she would have a betrothal gift and a stable ATM. Thinking of this, Zhang Xiulan couldn¡¯t help but feel happy.