Xiuhua’s face was flushed red on the cold, pale mountain, her forehead drenched in sweat. She kept her eyes downcast and refused to budge. Li Xiu’e had no choice but to reach out to search her, but the moment she touched Xiuhua, the latter swiftly dodged—only for her “handkerchief” to fall to the ground on its own. Li Xiu’e stared at the ground in disbelief before raising her head to ask Xiuhua, “How could you do this? I’ve been kind enough to take care of you and help you earn money. How could you pull such a stunt?”
Liansheng let out a cold snort, his hands tucked into his sleeves, his voice deep and heavy. “Li Xiu’e, is this how you help Jicheng and his wife? You should be grateful for how they’ve looked after you all this time. Yet here you are, mindlessly egged on by others, being played for a fool without even realizing it. If she can steal this today, she’ll empty the whole mountain tomorrow. Greedy and dishonest—Jicheng never wanted to agree to this in the first place, which is why he didn’t show up. I’ve been handling this, and after waiting all these days, the truth finally came out.”
Li Xiu’e’s face burned with shame and embarrassment, her expression shifting instantly. “Xiuhua, I thought of you as a true sister, which is why I never left you out of anything. Did you know? I had to swallow my pride just to tag along this time. Why couldn’t you think of me? How am I supposed to face them now? How could you even think of taking something so valuable?”
Xiuhua took two steps back, humiliated in front of everyone, and lashed out recklessly. “It’s just one ginseng root—what’s the big deal if I took it? I found it, so it’s mine. Li Xiu’e, can’t you grow a backbone? Why should they rake in all the money? If this mountain belongs to your Chunfu, then it’s yours too. If it were me, I’d be living in luxury by now, not putting up with others’ nonsense. I’ve had enough of you. Give me the ginseng, and don’t bother inviting me back—I won’t come even if you beg.”
Li Xiu’e’s lips trembled. “So you’ve had this planned all along. That story about selling the ginseng tomorrow and visiting distant relatives was all a lie. Xiuhua, after all these years of friendship, I never thought you’d do this. Oh, now I get it—all those times you egged me on to do this or that, you were just looking to profit, weren’t you? All that talk about how once Jicheng and his wife left, we could get the mountain back from the capital and make my Zhang Tong a young master—you were just lining your own pockets. You knew I wouldn’t hold it against you. How could you be so calculating?”
Xiuhua lunged forward to snatch the ginseng, but when she saw Li Xiu’e hand it to Liansheng instead, her eyes turned red with fury. “Li Xiu’e, you’re nothing but a coward. You don’t even fight for the things that could make you rich—no wonder you’re stuck freezing on this mountain, living a miserable life. I’ve been sick of you for ages, always bragging about how wonderful your Chunmu was. Well, look at you now—he’s in the grave, so who’s laughing? And you’re still worrying about Chunfu and Jicheng—do they even need you? You can’t even make decisions about the smallest things. I’m embarrassed for you. Fine, keep it if you want. Jicheng’s making blood money, hoarding what belongs to everyone else. Let’s see how long his luck lasts.”
Li Xiu’e shook violently under Xiuhua’s incoherent barrage of accusations. “Xiuhua, how can you be so heartless? Back when your family was so poor you couldn’t even put food on the table, I was the one who lent you grain. I went hungry that day, not eating a single bite, and Chunmu didn’t get enough either. If I’d known you’d turn out like this, I’d have fed it to the dogs rather than give it to an ingrate like you. I hate myself for being so stupid. I should’ve seen it when you used ‘helping me teach Chunfu a lesson’ as an excuse to vent your own anger. Your heart’s been rotten for a long time. That you’d say such things over a single ginseng root—I must’ve been blind to treat you with such sincerity all these years.”
Listening to this, it became clear—Xiuhua’s ambitions were far from small. She’d befriended Li Xiu’e, sweet-talking her, all to get a cut of Jicheng’s wealth. If Jicheng had truly left the capital and entrusted everything to Li Xiu’e, Xiuhua’s scheming would’ve drained it all into her own pockets in no time. A country woman with no education, yet her greed knew no bounds. If she’d been a man, who knows how far she’d have gone? Even a man like Liansheng wouldn’t dare think of swindling others out of their wealth so brazenly. This woman was downright terrifying.
With her long-hidden intentions exposed and the crowd’s disdain weighing on her, Xiuhua finally snapped out of it, realizing the enormity of her mistake. She turned and fled in a hurry. Li Xiu’e forced a strained smile. “I’ll head back too. Sorry for the trouble, Liansheng.”
Liansheng sighed. “What trouble? Back when Jicheng and I picked people, we chose the hardworking and honest ones. You’re family—no one could’ve turned you away. But that lackey of yours? One look and I knew what she was up to. Xiu’e, listen to me as an elder—open your eyes wider from now on. Xiuhua’s the type who’s always looking for advantages and gossiping about others. Which village woman doesn’t avoid her? Yet you kept clinging to her. It’s time you learned your lesson. Alright, everyone, let’s head back.”
Liansheng later recounted the incident to Jicheng, who gave a bitter smile. “Chunfu predicted Xiuhua wouldn’t behave. Maybe it’s for the best—better to find out early than suffer a bigger loss later.”
“Honestly, your sister-in-law’s less sensible than her own son. She’s only getting more confused with age.”
After exchanging a few more words with Liansheng, Jicheng hurried back inside upon hearing Nianian’s cries—the child had woken up needing to pee but had already wet Chunfu’s clothes. Chunfu cleaned the child before motioning for Jicheng to watch over him while she changed and started preparing dinner. When Jicheng mentioned his sister-in-law’s situation, she sighed. “I used to wonder how my clever brother ended up with a wife like her. She didn’t give me much trouble before, but whenever Xiuhua whispered in her ear, she’d come after me. It’s all in the past, but this time, I won’t let it slide so easily. She’s gotten off too lightly.”
Jicheng laid the now-sleeping Nianian down and chuckled at Chunfu. “Why waste energy on her? Stay home—I’ll handle the payback.”
Tiezhu was a decent man, well-liked in the village, always ready to lend a hand when needed. No one usually spoke ill of his wife, but now, someone couldn’t resist asking, “Your Xiuhua’s been helping out at Jicheng’s place lately—must’ve earned a pretty penny, eh? Even if she doesn’t go back, it’s no loss.”
Tiezhu suddenly remembered Xiuhua had still been lazing in bed when he left. Shaking his head, he said, “I don’t know much about her doings. She mentioned finding work a while back, but I didn’t pay it much mind—since when could she hold down a job? Must be done now, so no need to go back, right?”
The man waved a hand. “Tiezhu, no offense, but you’d better rein in your wife. Word is Liansheng kicked her out—she dug up some ginseng on the mountain and tried to pocket it, then had a huge fight with Li Xiu’e. That’s just wrong. Sure, folks in the village aren’t thrilled about Jicheng’s wealth, but ginseng’s a rare thing. Can’t blame them for being furious.”
Tiezhu’s temper flared. This woman was determined to shame them. He’d turned a blind eye before, but now she’d crossed the line into outright theft. Storming home, he bellowed before even entering, “Xiuhua, get out here now!”
Xiuhua had just woken up and finished combing her hair. Annoyed by Tiezhu’s shouting, she snapped, “What is it? Yelling like a madman this early?” The moment she stepped outside, a slap struck her face. Pain flared as she shrieked, “Tiezhu, have you lost your mind? What’d you hit me for?”
“I’ll be damned if you don’t drag our family’s name through the mud. I’ve ignored your gossiping and troublemaking, but now you’ve stooped to stealing?”
Xiuhua’s own resentment, bottled up all night, finally erupted. “You dare scold me? Everything I did was for this family! If you were any kind of man, we wouldn’t be living on dry buns and gruel. Why should I suffer this humiliation? My life’s been misery since marrying you. If you don’t care about me, what’s wrong with finding my own happiness?”
“Our family’s been honest for generations. We eat well when we can, and make do when we can’t. You haven’t starved yet, have you? Comparing yourself to others? You think I’m useless? Well, I think you’re ugly and petty—should I go find another woman like you? Xiuhua, don’t forget your place. Reach too high, and you’ll choke.”
Xiuhua scoffed. “Stay out of my way. If I can earn money, that’s my business. Keep your nose out of it. If it weren’t for Liansheng meddling, I’d be rolling in silver by now.”
Tiezhu had no patience left. “Stop deluding yourself. From now on, you stay home. If I catch you scheming again, don’t blame me for what happens. All day, no real work—just shady plots. Don’t embarrass me further.”
Even if Tiezhu hadn’t forbidden it, Xiuhua had no face left to show in public. After the fallout with Li Xiu’e and the village learning of her theft, those who already looked down on her would now avoid her entirely. This had to be Liansheng’s doing—spreading gossip like a fishwife. What kind of man did that?
Li Xiu’e, nursing her wounds, rarely mingled with the village women afterward. She stayed home, either talking to Chunmu or thinking of ways to provide for Zhang Tong. Her son’s diligence earned constant praise from his teacher, bringing her pride as a mother. In the end, she realized—investing in her own child was the only sure bet. What good were close ties with outsiders? Even iron couldn’t withstand a knife in the back. She’d treated Xiuhua like a sister, and what had it gotten her? Xiuhua throwing Chunmu in her face—didn’t she know he was the last person Li Xiu’e wanted dragged into this?
Now, at last, she understood how insufferable she herself had been. They say you’re judged by the company you keep—she’d been just as selfish and greedy as Xiuhua. That day, seeing Xiuhua’s repulsive behavior, it hit her: wasn’t she the same? In the end, she’d only been fooling herself.
She couldn’t face Chunfu and Jicheng anymore. Looking back, how ridiculous her past schemes seemed—why would their wealth ever fall to her? They had children; inheritance was only natural. All her plotting had made her the village joke.
Better to live quietly from now on—for her son’s sake, and for Chunfu’s memory.
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