Chapter 11

Chapter 11

The next morning, Lin Chunyan got up to wash up and noticed two melons already placed by the well, clearly picked for her. This made her pause for a moment.

These melons were the ones she had been keeping chilled in the well over the past few days, eating them after returning from town. Previously, she would get up early to pick them fresh from the fields.

She glanced at the main house but saw no sign of Mrs. Zhang. Without further questioning, she put the two melons into the well and went inside to wake up Lin Taohong.

Last night had been stiflingly hot, and Lin Taohong tossed and turned, unable to sleep. In the late hours, she took a mat out to the courtyard to sleep.

As a result, she was bitten all over by mosquitoes, leaving her covered in red welts.

"It's still early; let me sleep a bit longer," Lin Taohong mumbled as she turned over, enjoying the coolness that only came in the early morning.

A heavy rainstorm seemed imminent.

Lin Chunyan pulled back the sheet covering her, "Hurry up and go catch some fish in the river. I'll go check the mountain."

Lin Taohong was wearing only her underclothes, as there were no men around to worry about. However, being exposed like this made her feel a bit embarrassed, so she reluctantly opened her eyes and dressed herself.

"Don't we still have some crispy fish? Can't you just sell those?"

"What will we sell tomorrow then?"

Lin Chunyan tidied up the room briefly, feeling it was somewhat empty. She thought about picking some wildflowers from the mountain today.

After washing her face, Lin Taohong noticed that Mrs. Zhang's room was still quiet and grumbled enviously. Knowing that catching fish was important, she hurriedly left the house.

It was just dawn, but the entire village was already bustling with activity. Smoke rose from chimneys in the distance, and the occasional sounds of roosters crowing and dogs barking could be heard.

When Lin Taohong arrived at the river, she found that Lin Cuixiang from Aunt Lin's family was already there. Seeing Lin Taohong, Lin Cuixiang gave her a shy smile.

"Xiang Niang, why are you here?"

Lin Taohong asked curiously, a bit wary, wondering if Aunt Lin was planning to have Lin Cuixiang catch fish to sell in town.

Lin Cuixiang was afraid of Lin Taohong and stuttered, unable to say much. Instead, she poured the small fish she had caught into Lin Taohong's basket.

She had come early and had already caught quite a few. Seeing so many fish, Lin Taohong finally smiled.

Relaxing, she looked around and noticed several other figures nearby, all children around her age.

She stood up abruptly and shouted, "What are you doing here?"

Lin Cuixiang shrank back in fear, but Lin Taohong wasn't afraid of those boys. They knew her mother had been divorced and that she had no support at home, which made them look down on her.

"This river isn't yours; we can come whenever we want!"

The one shouting was Doggie, a boy who was as dark as if he had crawled out of mud. At ten years old, he spent his days chasing chickens and fighting dogs, notorious in the village for being unruly.

However, this time, he had been sent by his family. Mrs. Zhang's boasting under the big tree had stirred up interest among many villagers.

Although only five coins, five coins were still money, enough to buy many things. Who would turn down extra money?

That morning, many adults had sent their children out to catch fish, intending to follow Lin Chunyan's example and sell them in town for money.

Lin Taohong quickly understood the situation and flushed with anger, placing her hands on her hips and engaging in a verbal battle with the children.

But she was no match for them, and Lin Cuixiang, with her timid personality, offered little help. Lin Taohong soon found herself at a disadvantage.

Not one to take a loss, Lin Taohong started throwing mud at them, hoping to scare them away. But when they saw her attacking, they didn't care about gender and decided to fight back.

Lin Cuixiang, seeing the situation worsening, ran home and called her brothers.

But it was too late. By the time they arrived, Lin Taohong had already been hit by several clumps of mud, her clothes dirty and her hair disheveled.

Lin Chunyan, waiting at home for Lin Taohong, assumed she was slacking off again and went to fetch her. To her surprise, she found Lin Taohong being attacked.

Despite being beaten, Lin Taohong remained silent, continuing to throw stones at her attackers.

Seeing this, Lin Chunyan quickly set down her basket and threw several stones at the boys, aiming for their vulnerable spots.

Caught off guard, the boys cried out in pain.

Lin Chunyan wasn't done yet. Taking advantage of their pain, she approached them with a machete, her expression stern and her eyes burning with anger.

These children had never seen Lin Chunyan like this before. The machete seemed to glint menacingly in the sunlight.

Approaching each one, she gathered them together and kicked each one.

Lin Chunyan had always been quiet, but now they understood the saying, "The biting dog doesn't bark."

Doggie still refused to back down, "That's cheating! If you're brave, fight me fair and square!"

Lin Chunyan spat at him, "Who hit my sister? A bunch of bullies ganging up on a girl—what kind of skill is that? Even a three-year-old wouldn't do such a thing."

Holding the machete calmly, she pointed it at their throats, "Who started it?"

Lin Taohong, who hadn't shed a tear despite being bullied, burst into tears when Lin Chunyan came to her defense. She ran to Lin Chunyan and recounted what had happened.

Especially Doggie, whom Lin Taohong berated the longest.

Lin Chunyan walked up to Doggie and placed the blade against his neck.

The cold tip of the knife made the ten-year-old boy tremble, but he still tried to hold his ground, "What are you going to do? Murder is illegal!"

"I don't care. It's just one life for another. I'll take you all down, and we'll see who loses more."

She said this without a hint of joking, and the child next to Doggie started crying. Doggie felt something wet between his legs, followed by an overwhelming smell.

Lin Chunyan wasn't about to let them off easily. For something like this, everyone needed to know her strength so they would be afraid and not dare to do it again.

She moved the knife slightly an inch away, picked up a fish from the ground, and in front of them, she peeled the flesh off the palm-sized fish.

Her knife skills were impressive; the fish flesh she peeled was as thin as cicada wings, leaving only the bones behind.

"Do you know there's a form of punishment where the flesh is slowly stripped from a person's body, just like this fish in my hand, leaving only the bones? And yet, the person remains conscious throughout, still struggling when only bones remain..."

The children had already been terrified by her impressive knife skills. Listening to Lin Chunyan's words, it seemed as if she was peeling not fish but their own flesh. They all burst into tears, and several even wet their pants.