Translator: Lonelytree
As Xiao Lingyu passed through the town, she discovered there was a group of people working on the road from the Taoyuan Village to the town.
Mother Xiao looked at them and smiled. "That young man, Gong Tianhao, is really not bad. He said that he would build a road for us, but I didn't expect him to go to work so quickly."
Father Xiao said, "He's doing a good deed. The road is instrumental to a good economy. This means that life at Taoyuan Village will get better. In the future, it'll be more convenient for us to travel. After this road is built, more vegetables and fruits can be sold, and they won't be left to rot in the fields. It was so wasteful."
Mother Xiao smiled. "That's right. After all, Taoyuan Village gets its namesake from peaches. Many villagers grow peaches, and they are crispy and sweet.
"However, due to traffic reasons, other than one or two families who could afford to drive to the city, others could only sell their harvest around the village. Naturally, the sales won't be good since many villagers have their own peach trees." The peach sellers calculated the price of gasoline, it wouldn't make up for the profit. No one was willing to do business that would make them lose money. However, now that the road was getting fixed, they'd get more business opportunities in the future.
When Xiao Lingyu brought her parents home, she saw many villagers with smiles on their faces.
"Village chief, Chengbang, where are you going?" They bumped into the village chief and Xiao Chengbang on the road.
The village chief said with a smile, "The construction team has arrived. We're going to see if there's anything we can help with. We are also sending them some tea and food."
"Zhengyang, Qiuying, you're back."The village chief asked, "Are you alright?"
Father Xiao smiled and said, "I'm fine. After a quick rest, I can get back to work."
Xiao Lingyu immediately cut in. "Dad, the doctor said that you have to rest for at least half a year. Mom, you have to monitor Dad in the future! Don't let him do any heavy task." Most hard workers couldn't sit idle, Father Xiao was no exception. It was also because of Father Xiao's diligence that their family life got better.
Mother Xiao smiled, "Yes, I'll definitely monitor him closely."
Xiao Chengbang laughed, "Zhengyang, you have to listen to your wife and daughter. You need to rest. You can work when you're allowed to."
"That's right!" The village chief chimed in, "Zhengyang, Qiuying, go back and rest well. Qiuying has quite serious injuries too. You should hurry and go back home. Chengbang and I will send these things over to the construction crew."
When Xiao Lingyu and her parents arrived home, it was lunchtime. As they were about to enter the courtyard, Liu Chunjiao ran over with a brazier. She said loudly, "Wait, second brother, sister-in-law! You have to step over this brazier to chase away the bad luck!" This was a custom in the countryside. They believed that stepping over a brazier would leave bad luck outside.
The three walked over to the brazier and entered the front yard.
Liu Chunjiao said excitedly, "Second brother and sister-in-law, you're finally back. It's wonderful to see you back safely. I've already prepared the meal. Let's eat first."
"Dad, you can't eat spicy food yet. You need to eat something light." Xiao Lingyu stopped Father Xiao from picking up the spicy chicken. Father Xiao didn't have any dietary preference, except he adored spicy food. He couldn't survive without spices.
When he was at the hospital, they didn't give him any spicy food. Now that he was home, he thought he was allowed to eat spicy things again. But his daughter stopped him.
Father Xiao pleaded, "Yu 'Er, I'll only take one bite. Just one bite. I haven't had any spicy food for so long. I just want to eat a little bit."
"No. Dad, you can eat whatever you want when you are recovered." Xiao Lingyu said seriously, "But not now!"
Xiao Lingyu's father immediately pouted. "I'll only have half a piece, no, wait, a quarter! Just give me something to relieve my itch!"
"No!" Xiao Lingyu said firmly, "Dad, you should eat this instead, it'll be good for your recovery." Xiao Lingyu served him the stir-fried pork liver and garlic sprouts.
"Dear, pork liver replenishes blood. You've lost so much blood, so you must eat more." Mother Xiao smiled and placed another piece of pork liver in her husband's bowl.
Father Xiao looked at the non-spicy liver and frowned. Then, he moved the pieces from his plate into Mother Xiao's plate. He said, "Dear, you've lost plenty of blood too."
Mother Xiao, "..."
Xiao Lingyu, "..."
"Haha..."
Other than the fact Father Xiao didn't get to have his spicy food, the lunch was enjoyable.
At dinner, the villagers close to Xiao Zhengyang's family arrived. Of course, they didn't come empty-handed. Some brought eggs, others brought old hens, and some carried white sugars and fruits.
"Zhengyang and Qiuying, we knew you were injured but we didn't know you'd need surgery. When we heard about it, we were shocked and worried." Zhou Yan said, "It's good that you're back safely." In the countryside, as long as someone was involved in surgeries, they felt things were extremely dangerous.
Xiao Taiyang said, "Most of the village was worried about you. Thankfully, you're back safe."
Xiao Zhengyang said gratefully, "Thank you for your concern. Speaking of injuries, I still have to thank everyone for extending a helping hand. Otherwise, I might really die that night."
Mother Xiao also said, "I also need to thank everyone. If you didn't help to stop those people, I really didn't know what would've happened."
Xiao Lingyu stood up and bowed to all the uncles and aunties. She said gratefully, "Uncles and Aunties, thank you for your help. Otherwise, the consequences would be unbearable. I couldn't imagine what I'd do if something happened to Dad."
"Lingyu, you're being too polite." Zhou Yan said kindly, "Do you think we're going to stand there and watch your father get beaten up? We are from the same village, so naturally, we need to help each other."
"That's right, Lingyu." The other concurred, "As neighbors, we can't just watch them assault your parents like that."
Xiao Lingyu nodded. "No matter what, I will always remember this kindness. If you need my help in the future, please do ask."
"Lingyu, you're too kind!" Many people were quite happy when they heard that. For them, Xiao Lingyu was cultured, knowledgeable, and had a wide range of friends. There was a high chance they would need her help in the future.
Then, Xiao Lingyu asked, "Village chief, who else is injured in the fight?"
Village Chief frowned, "Lingyu, why do you want to know that?"
Xiao Lingyu smiled. "I'm grateful for their help. I have to help pay the medical expenses for the injured villagers. I will visit them tomorrow and thank them in person."
The village chief said happily, "Lingyu, you have such a good heart. I'll ask around and give you the list tomorrow."
There were people injured in the brawl. As Xiao Lingyu said, she was grateful for their help. She had to thank them. For those injured to save her parents, she should pay their medical fees. It was the least she could do.
Xiao Lingyu nodded. "I'll have to trouble you again then, village chief." Technically, this was her family's business but she didn't have time to visit the families one by one.
The village chief guffawed, "This is nothing."
At that moment, Mother Xiao said, "Village chief, this is a big incident that happened this time. I really need to thank the villagers. My family is finally safe and sound, but..." She paused as her expression turned stern and cold, "I do remember the villagers who were there to fan the flames. Since the village chief and many people are here tonight, I will clarify things. In the future, these few families are not allowed to come to pick Little Light's manure anymore. They are not going to gain any favor from my family."
Mother Xiao wanted the people present to spread this news to her.
"I know who those families are. I hope they know their position and don't be shameless to come to take advantage of my family anymore!" Mother Xiao added, "I don't want to fuss over small conflicts, but this time, they have gone overboard. They tarnished my Yu 'Er's reputation. I will not tolerate that. They have been benefiting from my family, but they still want to slander my family. Do they think we're a family of fools?"
Back then, if those people didn't mention the other men who came to visit Xiao Lingyu, Chen Dahua, and Lan Erying wouldn't have so many things to say.
These horrible people wanted to make Xiao Lingyu into an indecent, shameless slut. It was too much.
Mother Xiao didn't want to argue with these people, it was meaningless. The Xiao Family was the richest family in Taoyuan Village. They had contracted land and bought a car. The other villagers would have more favors to ask of them.
"You're right. Those people are too much!" Zhou Yan said indignantly, "Qiuying, as long as they still want their face, they won't dare come here again!"
That night, many villagers were present, and they knew who the instigators were.
The village chief added, "Alright!"
Every village always had a few bad seeds.