Chapter 4: The Sparrow Takes Over the Magpie's Nest

"The village chief and Secretary Wang are here!"

Before She Yuqi could even speak, the surrounding crowd scattered in an instant.

"What on earth happened?"

"It was Jiang Bei's old ox; somehow its rope came loose, and it went berserk, charging at everyone it saw. If Jiang Bei hadn't arrived in time, there might have been several lives lost," some villagers explained with nervous expressions.

Behind the village chief and Secretary Wang stood several sturdy men in their early twenties, each holding a sharp wood-cutting blade, their expressions fierce. These were clearly the men the village leaders had called for backup.

"Why do you look so familiar, girl?" The village chief adjusted his cuffs, looked at the still-shaken She Yuqi, and blurted out. "Oh, I remember now! Are you She Jun's eldest daughter? She Yuqi, and your younger sister is She Xiaoxiao?"

She Yuqi finally recovered from the shock and nodded, telling the chief, "She Jun is my father."

"Hmm... are you planning to stay here permanently?"

"That's right," She Yuqi answered crisply.

The village chief clasped his hands behind his back, his words carrying a hidden meaning. "My Xiaogou Village is a poor and desolate place; I’m afraid it’s too small to accommodate a 'big Buddha' like you. This incident was that boy Jiang Bei's fault—you should hurry up and take your people back to the Old Han family's place."

The village chief’s expression was sour. He had only just become chief this year, and his seat wasn't even warm yet. He couldn't afford to have someone with a tarnished reputation like She Yuqi return and ruin the village's name.

She Yuqi straightened her posture and said in a relaxed tone, "Village Chief, I recall that my father once lent your family a basket of eggs. What’s the matter? Now that you’re the village chief, do you want to turn your back on your debts?"

"Don't spout nonsense; I returned those a long time ago." The village chief instinctively glanced at Secretary Wang, who was standing silently to the side. It was said that Secretary Wang had been transferred from the county and had a mysterious background, but the village chief knew he was a man of some influence. If the Secretary were to find out about his shady dealings, would he report him? If he did, his whole family would be ruined.

Secretary Wang was a pot-bellied, bald middle-aged man. He kept his hands in his pockets and spoke to the nervous village chief: "Since the young lady has returned, let's not get involved in this. Just return the basket of eggs you owe her."

"Yes, yes, of course. I just forgot about it earlier." The village chief offered a series of excuses, then watched as Secretary Wang departed.

Fortunately, the Secretary hadn't pressed the issue. But what if he reported him behind his back? The village chief took off his hat and glared viciously at She Yuqi. "I intended to return them to your family, but the three of you left Xiaogou Village so long ago. I thought I'd return them when we met again, but after all these years, how could I remember so clearly?"

"If you're short on cash, Village Chief, you don't have to return them just yet." A grin tugged at the corner of She Yuqi's mouth. A pure, radiant smile bloomed on her face like a flower in spring, adding a touch of playfulness and charm to her appearance.

"You!"

The village chief was amused despite himself. So that was her game. Trading a basket of eggs for a favor—it was a bargain. As long as She Yuqi didn't accept the eggs, the village chief would have to keep worrying about how to repay the debt. Who said She Jun's children were fools? To him, they were sharper than anyone.

"Everyone, disperse!" After chasing away the onlookers, the village chief hurried off, leaving only She Yuqi and Jiang Bei behind. A tall, thin figure and a petite one stood together, forming a harmonious silhouette.

"Take this ring; consider it compensation for the emotional distress," Jiang Bei said. His voice was low and resonant, like frost in deep winter or the scorching sun of midsummer—steady yet slightly cold.

A silver ring appeared in She Yuqi's hand. She instinctively grabbed Jiang Bei’s arm. "This compensation is too valuable; I can't accept it. You should take it back." Although she was short on money, she wasn't a greedy person. What was hers, she would take, but what wasn't, she wouldn't touch even if her life depended on it.

Jiang Bei looked deeply at the hand gripping his arm, his brows furrowing involuntarily.

"I'm sorry." She Yuqi was sensitive; though he hadn't spoken, she noticed the slight displeasure and repulsion in his eyes and apologized quickly.

Jiang Bei said nothing more. He turned and walked away, leading his old ox. "This ring must be important to you," She Yuqi shouted. "I'll keep it for now. If you feel uneasy about it, you can trade something else for it when you have the money."

She Yuqi’s gaze seemed enchanted, glued to the tall figure as it gradually faded into the distance.

"Big sister, why didn't that big brother say anything?"

"He’s probably just the quiet type. Anyway, are you alright? Did you get hurt anywhere?"

She Xiaoxiao rubbed her back absentmindedly. It was too dark to see anything, so she shook her head. "I'm fine, really! I'm perfectly okay. Big sister, let's go home; my stomach is rumbling!"

It was the first time the little girl had mentioned being hungry. She Yuqi smiled, took Xiaoxiao's hand, and walked straight toward the dilapidated adobe house by the river at the edge of the village.

To her surprise, the adobe house didn't look as weathered by time as she had expected; it was actually in better condition than in the original owner's memories. At the very least, it was airtight, so it wouldn't be too cold when they went up the mountain to cut firewood for the stove in winter.

"Quack, quack!"

The sound of ducks caught their attention. Xiaoxiao pointed toward the chicken coop. "Whose ducks and chickens are those? Did we go to the wrong house?"

Because the houses by the river were damp, freezing in winter and infested with mosquitoes in summer, almost no one wanted to live there. Yet, the area around the coop was clean, and the poultry were plump and healthy, clearly tended to by someone regularly.

The sisters tidied up the house, their stomachs rumbling in unison.

She Yuqi pondered for a moment and asked, "Xiaoxiao, do you want to eat meat?"