Daily Life in the Countryside After Being Reborn-Chapter 6: Turn the tables on somebody

Southwest China is a region populated by minority ethnic groups, with the Han people living a meager existence like ants squeezed into crevices. Ge Village is a small mountain village that can barely be found as a black dot on the market map. The Han residents here, with little land and no special skills, appear even weaker compared to the neighboring Miao Village that has been dwelling in the Southwest for generations.

The East Miao Village camp near Ge Village only has around five thousand people but is a renowned settlement far and wide. East Miao Village has three treasures, first silver, second tobacco, and third, Gu poison. Speaking of silver, one cannot fail to mention a person. That person is Li Quqi, the most famous silver craftsman in Miao Village.

If you flip back through the old almanacs stored away by the village elders, all the way back to the Tang Dynasty of China, you will find that Li Quqi's ancestors were imperial silversmiths for the Nan Zhao royal family of the Tang Dynasty, sharing the same surname with the Emperors.

At the turn of the century, China's royal family, along with the Braid Party, was blasted to ashes by gunfire, but those craftsmen who had some connection with the royal family all became national treasures.

Li Quqi of East Miao Village is such a national treasure-level craftsman. With his expertise in silver making, he has been to Beijing, served as a delegate of the National People's Congress representing minority groups, and even participated in international silver jewelry competitions.

Such a golden phoenix was Li Quqi, buried deep in the mountains; and the rumor had it that Zhu Xiaoxian thoughtlessly injured Li Ye on the head. Li Ye is the only male heir in the direct line of the current generation of the Li Family. To put it plainly, Zhu Xiaoxian today had assaulted the future national treasure-level master silver craftsman.

Fortunately, the Miao Family isn't Tibetan, otherwise, in the one-story house of the Zhu Family, there wouldn't just be over ten fierce Han men but also over ten Tibetan knives. What color the knife comes out after a white knife goes in, Fu Zi, who adores peace, wouldn't care to describe.

When the village chief of Ge Village heard the news, he was discussing this year's reduced autumn harvest at the village Party Secretary's house. He rushed over to the Zhu Family in ten minutes, panting heavily.

As previously mentioned, Li Quqi is a national treasure-level silver craftsman, and in this day and age, besides wild pandas, national treasures generally don't stay in the mountains. Li Quqi wasn't in the village at the moment, so the one who led the people over was Li Ye's uncle by marriage, Yibar.

"Don't damage the harmony, have a smoke, smoke." The village chief patted his pocket, pulled out a pack of cigarettes, looked around at the people inside the house, feeling slightly distressed because that pack of cigarettes was a gift from his eldest daughter during the New Year.

He handed a cigarette to the Miao people in front of him, but the Miao people, sticking to tradition, smoked their own home-cured tobacco leaves, so his offer was misjudged.

"Sister-in-law Lian, don't just stand there, pour some tea. Have some tea to smooth things over, then we can talk." The village chief barely dare to breathe, as he pondered how to send this crowd away.

"That won't be necessary," the leading Yibar, whose Mandarin was not fluent, pointed at Xiao Xian and said, "Our Miao people believe in cause and effect. There's no need for more words; whatever injury our Yezi has suffered, that girl must suffer the same."

The village chief found this difficult to consent to and was hesitating when Elder Zhu Shijun entered. He paid no mind to the Miao people, instead walking straight to Xiao Xian's side.

"Xiao Xian, tell me what happened?" Zhu Shijun had returned early today and had seen a few children from the nearby Miao villages running out of the village shouting, "Yezi's head was cracked open by Zhu Xiaoxian."

Zhu Shijun had seen the group of children that ran out. Ge Village was close to Miao Village, and there were constant year-round disputes over farmland and water sources between the two villages, with children from both often playing together. One of the children who caused Xiao Xian to come home crying not long ago was reportedly a child from the Miao family.

Yezi's uncle Yibar pushed his nephew forward, "Yezi says you Han people are sly. Go on, Yezi, you tell them." Yezi opened his mouth as if to speak but felt a chill when he saw the elder who had just entered staring at him. Yezi had never seen such a gaze and shivered involuntarily, swallowing his words back.

Elder Zhu Shijun swept his gaze over everyone in the room, and the officialdom borne of decades subdued the dozen Miao men, who all lowered their backs, remained silent, and glanced around at each other.

"What else could have happened? It was just that boy cursing your granddaughter, calling her a parentless wild child and you an exiled corrupt official. I couldn't stand it, so I sought justice on behalf of Heaven and gave him a kick. Who knew he couldn't take a hit?" Zhu Xiaoxian muttered to herself, growing more confident the more she thought about it. She glanced at the group of Miao people and then at Zhu Shijun's stern face.

Then, with her small mouth pouting, out popped five words: "He tried to pull down my pants."

Yezi was startled when he got smacked in the forehead with a fan palm from Yibar, "Nice job, kid, with the great deed you've done." As his nephew's uncle, how could he not know about those mischievous acts? Yet he hadn't expected the boy to dare pull down a little girl's pants. Lifting a skirt is one thing, but to have the gall to pull down her trousers! Behaving like a hooligan as a child, would he grow up to rebel?

The Miao people sitting on the long bench couldn't sit still anymore. This meant that they were the ones in the wrong.

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Li Ye's face flushed red, stammering as he tried to justify himself, but as a Miao lad who had yet to reach full stature, how could he admit in front of his uncle and clansmen that a six-year-old girl had pulled down his pants? His struggle to hold it in nearly caused his small nose to crook from the lack of air.

Zhu Xiaoxian also struggled, but what she was holding back was the laugh that threatened to burst from her throat; the corners of her mouth twitching.

After listening to the proceedings, the village chief exhaled in relief and played the peacemaker, offering some surface-level excuses about children not knowing any better. Zhu Shijun didn't say anything more, eyeing the starkly different expressions of the two children with a glint of sharpness in his eyes.

After the Miao family had left, Zhu Shijun instructed Sister-in-law Lian to prepare lunch, and she went out with a tray of shucked corn kernels to rinse.

The water well without a wooden bucket made squeaking hand-pump noises in the morning, followed by the sound of gushing water. Xiao Xian was curious about everything in this new world. Just as she was about to step outside to look, she heard the elderly Zhu Shi's scolding voice: "Xiao Xian, come here."

In the dining room, the long benches for hosting guests had been moved aside. Zhu Shi held a bamboo branch he had snapped off from a broom. The sight of the object in Zhu Shi's hand made Zhu Xiaoxian's legs go weak – the posture was just too similar to her master, Yun Qing.

Master Yun Qing prided himself on being a good master who never "excessively punished" his disciples, hence he never used firewood or thick sticks; those could damage the flesh and bones, and if a disciple were crippled, he'd have to use magic to heal them, which was not cost-effective. The most commonly used were special bamboo branches from the Yunteng Sect; they were painful enough on the flesh but didn't damage the tendons or bones. After being spanked, the punished one would just "whine" for an evening but be as lively as a dragon the next day.

"Grandpa," Zhu Xiao rolled her eyes. The old man was wiser than those Miao people and saw through her lie. The truth could not be concealed, so she reluctantly lifted her leg, showing her calf, and "thump" knelt beside Zhu Shi.

"What does Grandpa always tell you, not to lie," Zhu Shi said, then fiercely swung the bamboo branch downwards.

"Swish, swish, swish," several rapid sounds followed; Zhu Xiao raised her head, her voice hoarse. The bamboo branch in Zhu Shi's hand kept swinging down, but not onto her body, instead onto his own hand. As the bamboo branch forcefully struck down, more and more red marks appeared on his arm.

"To not teach is Grandpa's fault, Grandpa didn't discipline you properly, I've let down your parents," the old man Zhu Shi chastised himself while fiercely hitting his own arm. He couldn't bear to hit Xiao Xian but also couldn't let her slander others recklessly.

"Grandpa, don't be mad, Xiao Xian was wrong. Xiao Xian will go apologize tomorrow," Zhou Xiaoxian, who had grown up amidst Master Yun Qing's scolding and had never cried before, now burst into tears. The old man truly cared for her. Xiao Xian quickly stood up, snatching the bamboo branch from the old man's hand. She was wrong, truly wrong.

Poor Xiao Xian had met her match in Zhu Shi, who possessed a hundred times more emotional intelligence than Master Yun Qing – the combination of his sternness and tenderness immediately made her surrender.

"Xiao Xian, it's good that you recognize your mistake. Xiao Xian, is your foot... all better?" Zhu Shi saw Zhu Xiaoxian walking normally, threw aside the bamboo branch in his hand, and checked it, hardly believing it was true.

Sister-in-law Lian heard the commotion and came back, also clicking her tongue in amazement at the confirmation of Xiao Xian's leg, with both adults at a loss for an explanation.

To prevent idle gossip among the villagers, Zhu Shi had to come up with a reason. He claimed that Xiao Xian wasn't born a cripple; instead, she had caught a fever when she was born, which wasn't cared for properly, causing her leg bones to curl up. No treatment had worked until today, when the fight accidentally straightened out her limbs.

Sister-in-law Lian prepared a delicious meal of tender corn pancakes for the grandfather and grandchild, and they enjoyed a joyous dinner together.