Chapter 2: Is Xiao Fu Bao Disliked? The Whole City Loves Me With Their Lives
Chapter 2: Life Was Stolen
As soon as Suisui heard the voice, she closed her eyes in fear. A ghost! There was a ghost in the chicken coop! Suisui was terrified but too scared to leave. She kept her eyes tightly shut, curling up and holding herself tightly, looking small, pitiful, and helpless in the corner.
The system, observing her, felt even more heartbroken. "Suisui, don’t be scared. I’m a little friend from another world. My name is Lele."
Another world? Is that the underworld? Suisui thought, confirming to herself that it was indeed a ghost! It took the system half a day to finally convince Suisui that it wasn’t a ghost but a friend who could keep her company.
The Growth Happiness System was designed to be a companion, ensuring children’s physical and mental well-being so they could have a happy and fulfilling childhood.
"If you follow Lele every day, learning, playing games, and completing your daily tasks, in the evening, a nice auntie or uncle will tell you a bedtime story to help you sleep."
When the system mentioned this, it felt a bit guilty. The person telling the story at night was chosen randomly and could range from an ordinary person to a legendary historical figure. But Suisui, who had just been comforted, didn’t need to be scared.
A bedtime story? Suisui had never heard of such a thing before. The system explained it to her, and she learned that happy children get to listen to stories before they sleep. She was a little envious. Suisui bit her dry lips, her beautiful almond-shaped eyes blinking very slowly.
To be honest, Suisui wanted that kind of companionship. She wanted a bedtime story. She wanted a friend. She wanted... a home. But she didn’t dare say it out loud.
She had no father, her mother had died early, and her uncle’s family didn’t treat her well. But she had nowhere else to go. Suisui didn’t know what happiness was, or what warmth felt like. She only knew she was still alive, and that should be good enough, right?
Listening to this little child trying to convince herself, the system was so angry it could grind its teeth. If it had a physical form or other abilities, it would’ve loved to go out and teach that family a lesson!
How could anyone be so cruel to such an adorable little girl? The system held back its frustration, not wanting to scare Suisui, and continued to speak in a gentle voice to comfort her.
Meanwhile, after a bumpy journey, the servants of the Jin Yang Marquis Household finally arrived in the village, almost bursting with anger at the rough roads. But what could they do? The old lady had been sleeping poorly lately, and the women in the household were all desperate to help her find peace of mind.
The head maid of the Jin Yang Marchioness, Aunt Guo, and the maid of Concubine Su, Aunt Ma, had won the opportunity to make themselves useful by coming to pick someone up. The two had always competed with each other in the household, but on this journey, they found some common ground.
What good could come from bringing a girl back from such a desolate place? If it weren’t for the old lady... Thinking of the old lady, both maids gritted their teeth and swallowed their grievances. However, their haughty postures and disdainful glances made their contempt clear.
As for whether they were picking up Suisui or Chen Yueyao, what difference did it make? Both were just country bumpkins. Bringing back one of them would be enough to fulfill their duty. After all, they were from the Marquis household. Would these villagers dare try to deceive them?
Chen Yueyao was unhappy with the attitude of the two maids, but she was currently weak and couldn’t do anything. She thought to herself, "Once I return to the Marquis household and become the young mistress, I’ll make sure to discipline these servants!"
As the carriage rolled away, Tian Cuihua still found it hard to believe that everything had gone so smoothly. This reminded her of the time when Chen Yueyao was born, and she had gritted her teeth and spent ten copper coins to have a scholar name the child. It seemed that the child really was destined for greatness!
Thinking about what Chen Yueyao had said before leaving, about how she would take care of her family once she established herself in the Marquis household, Tian Cuihua’s heart was filled with warmth. But she hadn’t forgotten Chen Yueyao’s repeated instructions: get rid of Suisui!
Tian Cuihua planned to tie Suisui up and throw her on the back mountain when the fields were quiet during midday. Tomorrow morning, they could just say the child had gone missing and report it to the village head to have her name removed from the registry.
At this moment, Tian Cuihua was especially grateful that Suisui’s household registration was under her family’s name. Even if the Marquis household became suspicious later on, there would be nothing to trace back to them.
But whenever she thought about how she had given away the jade pendant left by her sister-in-law earlier to make the recognition believable, Tian Cuihua couldn’t help but feel a pang of heartache.
Damn that worthless Suisui!
By noon, the villagers were home for their rest, and many were curious about the elegant carriage. Some people came over to inquire, and those who had seen the commotion in the morning exchanged stories.
Tian Cuihua told them that it was Suisui’s father’s people who had come to pick her up. Most of the villagers knew that Suisui was the child her sister-in-law had brought back. But they hadn’t seen who actually boarded the carriage, so they had no reason to doubt what Tian Cuihua said.
As for removing Suisui’s name from the registry? Tian Cuihua would say that Suisui had been jealous of Yueyao’s name, and as a caring aunt, she had taken it upon herself to give it to Suisui.
The villagers were shocked, realizing that Chen Sanniang, who had given birth out of wedlock, had indeed climbed the social ladder. After the villagers left, Tian Cuihua exchanged a glance with Chen Dalan, who understood immediately and went to the chicken coop with a rope.
Suisui was listening to Lele sing a children’s song when a large hand grabbed her by the ankle and dragged her out. Before she could react, she was tied up tightly, and a dirty rag was stuffed into her mouth. Her eyes widened in horror, and despite her fear of being beaten, she struggled violently.
Annoyed by her resistance, Chen Dalan slapped the back of Suisui’s neck hard. Suisui felt dizzy again, and her struggles weakened.
The couple cursed and carried her to the back mountain, but didn’t dare go too far. They found a secluded spot in a mountain hollow, dumped her there, and ran back as quickly as they could. After all, there really were wolves in the mountains, and they didn’t want to stay longer than necessary.
Suisui’s mouth was gagged, and she couldn’t cry out. Dizzy and desperate, she wriggled and squirmed, hoping her uncle and aunt would take her back. She was terrified of wolves and of dying.
Her muffled cries seemed to be pleading: she would work harder, eat less, and be obedient, just don’t leave her behind. She was scared. Scared of wolves and scared of dying.
After struggling for a long time, Suisui’s hands and feet were deeply bruised by the rough rope, but it didn’t bring her heartless uncle and aunt back.
Tears blurred her vision, and the pain in her limbs slowly registered in her mind. Suisui thought, “Am I going to die? Probably, right?”
But she had just made a friend. She hadn’t even heard a bedtime story yet...
Thinking of these things, Suisui cried even harder. Exhausted from crying, she thought of trying to roll down the mountain. Maybe, if her uncle’s family didn’t want her, she could go live in the abandoned hut at the edge of the village.
As she wriggled her body, trying to find the right angle to roll, she saw something floating in front of her.
Bang! A loud noise erupted, kicking up a cloud of dust.
The dust made Suisui’s tears fall even more, and through the haze, she faintly saw what seemed to be... a person?
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