Chapter 14: The Young Hooligan

"She Yuqi is actually dead!"

"Quick, call the village's barefoot doctor! Maybe he can still snatch her back from the hands of the King of Hell!"

Upon hearing this, Old Madam Han and Li Ying were so terrified they nearly wet their pants.

They were finished! Everyone had seen that it was their badgering that had caused She Yuqi's death!

Inside her spatial dimension, She Yuqi watched this farce with amusement. She had originally thought this plan was a bit risky, but she knew the people of the Han family would never stop until they reached their goal. Rather than being entangled with them endlessly, it was better to play a ruthless hand; at the very least, it would keep them quiet for a while. As long as it didn't exceed twenty-four hours, she could return to her body at any time.

What She Yuqi didn't expect was that the usually critical and shrewish Auntie Wang would suddenly erupt in fury upon seeing that she had been "scared to death."

"You bunch of bastards! You've driven her to her death, are you satisfied now?"

"If anything happens to She Yuqi, you'll all be eating prison food!"

"Ah! No! Mother, this... this..."

Old Madam Han rolled her eyes back and fainted on the spot. This time, it was for real.

"Ah! Mother, wake up! Don't leave me all alone!" Li Ying sobbed heart-wrenchingly while shaking the old woman’s body.

Even the village chief, who had always looked down on She Yuqi, was so angry his beard trembled. He berated Li Ying, "There isn't a single good person in the Han family! At a time like this, you aren't worried about your own kin, but are here crying and wailing because you're afraid of going to jail!"

"If she's really gone, there's a child left with no one to look after her! You have to pay compensation!"

"That's right, pay up!"

The villagers of Xiaogou Village stood in an unusually united front on She Yuqi's side. One by one, they grabbed shovels and surrounded the sobbing Li Ying. The situation was such that if Li Ying dared to say a word of refusal, she would likely be swarmed by the villagers.

Staring into so many hostile eyes, Li Ying felt a chill run through her. To appease the crowd, she tremblingly fished fifty yuan out of Old Madam Han's pockets.

Auntie Wang lunged forward, snatched the money, and stuffed it into the hands of the heartbroken Xiaoxiao. "It's alright, child, don't cry. Auntie is here for you."

Li Ying's heart was bleeding. That fifty yuan was the family's last lifeline after they had been robbed recently. Old Madam Han had kept most of the money on her person to avoid theft, but now that it was gone, how would they survive?

Xiaoxiao clutched the fifty yuan tightly, head bowed, tears dripping onto her hands like broken pearls, looking even more pitiful. The villagers became even more incensed, and Li Ying did not escape a beating before the Han family finally arrived to drag the two women away. Had the Han family men not fled quickly, they likely would have been soundly thrashed as well.

When Han Xiangxiang heard the news of She Yuqi's death, she felt both angry and amused. She was angry that the gossiping women of Xiaogou Village had helped She Yuqi rob her grandmother of fifty yuan, but amused that with She Yuqi dead, she could finally be with Qitian openly! However, the situation was tense, and she wasn't foolish enough to demand the money back just yet.

"She Yuqi, you better pray you never wake up, otherwise..." A touch of malice flashed in Han Xiangxiang's clear, innocent eyes.

...

Before long, the barefoot doctor arrived belatedly.

"The person is inside."

The doctor, thin and short, and roughly the same age as the village chief, walked in with a solemn expression, sat on the edge of the *kang*, and began taking She Yuqi’s pulse.

Inside the supermarket dimension, She Yuqi had been snacking until her belly was round, and she was currently doing stretches. "Wow, finally, I can go out!"

Seizing the moment, she returned her consciousness to her body.

The doctor wiped a bead of sweat from his forehead, observing her complexion while applying acupuncture needles. When She Yuqi’s eyelashes fluttered and her slender fingers twitched, the doctor felt his spirits soar, and his needlework became more precise. Finally, as the last needle was placed, She Yuqi slowly opened her eyes.

"She's awake! Thank goodness! This is truly a miraculous doctor!" The village chief was ecstatic. Everyone looked at She Yuqi, and the doctor’s eyebrows finally relaxed. He felt quite pleased with himself, believing he had saved her, and chuckled. "Alright, waking up means this girl has great fortune."

"But getting so angry is bad for the body. You must not get so worked up next time!"

"Thank you, Doctor," She Yuqi said.

"Sister!" Xiaoxiao rushed over to hug her. The two sisters embraced, weeping, a scene that moved everyone to tears.

"Since she's fine, it's getting late. Let's talk about anything else tomorrow. Everyone is exhausted, so let's all head home." She Yuqi paid the doctor his fee. Since he couldn't have come for nothing, the village chief sent him off, and the villagers dispersed.

Auntie Wang was about to leave with a satisfied smirk when She Yuqi called out to her.

"Auntie, don't leave just yet."

Auntie Wang turned around, frowning in annoyance. "What for? I need to go home and cook; you've already delayed me!"

"Hey? Don't pull me!"

"Are you okay? Did you lose your mind after walking through the gates of hell?"

She Yuqi giggled and pulled Auntie Wang to sit on the *kang*, unfazed by her teasing. "Eat at my place today, don't be a stranger."

"No... you..." Auntie Wang was at a loss; she could barely recognize She Yuqi and couldn't even form a coherent sentence. "I'm saying you just woke up and need to rest, or else you'll kick the bucket again. What will your sister do?"

She Yuqi’s mouth twitched. Why couldn't this woman say something nice? Yet, she wasn't angry; instead, she felt a flicker of warmth. After all, when she was "dying," a stranger had stood up for her. This kindness was something She Yuqi would always remember.

"Thank you, I'm fine." Her eyes were filled with sincerity and gratitude.

Auntie Wang lowered her head, feeling a bit embarrassed. She softened her voice and said genuinely, "I've done some bad things to you in the past, but I won't anymore. I'm sorry."

"I'm braising pork tonight. Do you like it sweet or salty..."

Auntie Wang was stunned by the casual question, then replied happily, "I'm not picky, either way is fine."

"Got it." She Yuqi gave her an "OK" gesture and headed into the kitchen.

Auntie Wang, unable to sit still, felt guilty seeing a woman who had just "recovered" from death cooking for her. She followed She Yuqi into the kitchen, washing dishes, sweeping, and tending the fire.

Under the hazy moonlight, She Yuqi brought out a large plate of succulent, fragrant braised pork. Auntie Wang and Xiaoxiao’s eyes lit up, and they immediately grabbed a piece. The pork belly was perfection—the fat wasn't greasy, and the lean meat wasn't dry; it was unforgettable.

The three of them enjoyed the meal immensely, and Auntie Wang’s favorability toward She Yuqi soared. They were soon chatting about everything! She Yuqi couldn't help but sigh: *It really is true that you don't make friends without fighting!*

The Han family, however, was in for a miserable time...

On a dark and windy night, just as the Han family was sleeping soundly, someone used marbles to smash every single one of their windows into pieces!

...

"You go sell your eggs; I'll watch over Xiaoxiao for you."

"That would be too much trouble for you, Auntie!"

Auntie Wang glared. "Don't be so formal with me! Hurry up, if you dawdle... all the good spots will be taken by others!"

She Yuqi gave Xiaoxiao a few instructions and set off on her bicycle. With the New Year approaching and her home smashed to pieces by the Han family, she needed money for everything.

As she rode, she saw the village chief standing at the entrance of the village. Before she could even ask, he began gossiping impatiently.

"Guess what happened to the Han family last night?"

"Village Chief, stop keeping me in suspense. If you don't say it, I'm leaving..."

"Hey, hey, don't go! Why are you in such a rush?" The village chief chuckled helplessly. "Someone used a slingshot to smash the Han family's windows. Old Madam Han is sick in bed. Their eldest daughter-in-law, Liu Cuihua, is so furious she's been swearing in Xiaohua Village that if she finds out who did it, she'll make their whole family suffer!"

"Do you know who it was, Village Chief?" She Yuqi curled her lips, her earlier gloom replaced by schadenfreude as she probed.

The village chief shook his head. "How would I know? But you had trouble yesterday, and the Han family suffered today. Could it be... that you took revenge?"

"Village Chief, don't frame me! I'm so innocent; how could I do something like that?"

"You? Innocent?" The village chief curled his lip. "If you ask me, if it wasn't you... it was a friend taking revenge on your behalf. Think it over."

He walked away with his hands behind his back, looking back at She Yuqi’s bicycle every few steps.

...

She Yuqi tried to recall the original owner's friends, but it was tragic—she had almost no friends in either Xiaohua or Xiaogou Village. If there was anyone, she used to be able to talk to Han Xiangxiang. But now that She Yuqi had transmigrated, she saw clearly that Han Xiangxiang never treated her as a friend—she was just a two-faced "green tea" bitch.

So who could it be? Surely not Auntie Wang? Auntie Wang was righteous, but smashing the Han family's windows in the middle of the night was impossible for her. She stopped thinking about it; her head was about to explode.

When She Yuqi arrived in the county, her stall was already surrounded by people looking to buy eggs.

"Are they still 0.2 jiao each?"

She Yuqi smiled and nodded. "That's right, the eggs are absolutely fresh, buy with confidence."

The crowd looked delighted. "I want twenty..."

"Me too, I want ten. Little girl, you're selling these too cheap. Can you even make a profit?"

As she weighed the eggs, She Yuqi replied, "Not much profit, just enough to fill my belly. My family is so poor we're struggling to survive, so I desperately need the money. Otherwise, I wouldn't sell them so cheap. After all, eggs don't fall from the sky; they take effort."

The greed in the crowd’s eyes faded, replaced by sympathy and admiration. "That's true, eggs don't just fall from the sky..."

She Yuqi just smiled. In fact, her eggs were basically falling from the sky, as the dimension provided enough for her to eat for a lifetime. There was no risk of losing money! But she wasn't foolish enough to say that. In this day and age, one shouldn't flaunt their wealth.

Soon, the two baskets of eggs were sold out. A clear, pleasant child’s voice rang out.

"Big Sister, why didn't you bring Xiaoxiao with you to sell eggs today?"

Wang Ruoruo was about the same age as Xiaoxiao, but much taller. Xiaoxiao was malnourished, but Ruoruo was chubby and confident, clearly a girl raised in luxury.

She Yuqi raised an eyebrow. "Xiaoxiao didn't come today."

"Oh." Ruoruo lowered her head, her tone losing its cheer.

She Yuqi felt a pang of regret. Xiaoxiao was quiet and well-behaved; it was hard for her to make friends, and she really hoped she and the bubbly Ruoruo could stay close. But Xiaogou Village was too far from the county.

After comforting the little girl, She Yuqi rode her bicycle around the county.

"Sister, how much for your hens?"

"Little girl, you have such a sweet mouth. I'm over fifty, calling me 'sister' makes me shy..." The woman selling chickens smiled until her eyes turned into slits.

She Yuqi said earnestly, "Oh, if you hadn't said that, I would have thought you were only in your early thirties."

"Oh my, you are such a delightful girl! These hens are 1.3 yuan a catty. Each one is a bit over a catty. They're a little thin, but it's winter, and they've been laying eggs and fighting the cold, so losing some weight is normal. But I like you, I'll pick out the fatter ones for you."

"Sister, I'll buy six. Can you give them to me for 1.2 a catty?"

"This..."

Seeing her hesitate, She Yuqi raised her eyebrows and covered her mouth in surprise. "Oh! Sister, what do you use on your face?!"

"What's wrong?" The chicken seller was startled and quickly covered her face.

She Yuqi smiled and gently touched the woman's cheek, exclaiming, "Wow! Your skin is so smooth, just like a freshly peeled hard-boiled egg!"

The seller was completely won over by the flattery. People had buttered her up to haggle before, but it was always so fake. She Yuqi’s compliments were different—they were一套一套的 (smooth and creative). Sometimes, being a smooth talker really is a powerful skill.

"Alright, I'll catch them for you."

She Yuqi watched as the woman picked out the largest hens in the cage. She sighed inwardly; back in the day, she was the one being complimented like this, and she had naturally learned the art.

The six hens cost 7.2 yuan. Afterward, she bought some daily necessities at the supply and marketing cooperative. Her heart ached as she watched the money in her wallet dwindle. In a secluded spot, she tucked the goods into her dimension. She couldn't put the live hens in there, so she tied them to the back of her bike and headed for Xiaogou Village.

The sky turned gloomy, and soon goose-feather-sized snowflakes began to fall. She Yuqi couldn't ride fast, and the delay meant that by the time it was pitch black, she still hadn't reached the village.

As she passed a wasteland, several drunk thugs blocked her path.

"Oh ho, what a pretty girl! Let the brothers have some fun with you!"

There were five or six of them, all burly. Just as She Yuqi was about to resist, a thug emerged from behind and tackled her to the ground, leaving her completely immobilized.