In no time, a big, plump gray rabbit was passed between the vines in the forest and finally delivered into Su Qing's hands.
Holding the big gray rabbit by its ears, Su Qing grinned from ear to ear. 'This is great. I finally have some meat.'
But then, a very practical problem occurred to Su Qing.
'I have no good reason to cook this rabbit right now. The original owner of this body, though strong, was quiet and withdrawn. She never caught any game from the mountains. If I bring a rabbit home to cook on the second day after officially separating from the Old Su Family... forget about how suspicious it would look, I'm afraid even the villagers who support me would start to have a problem with it.'
'After all, in this day and age, every family is short on meat and oil. A young girl who just separated from her family to live alone suddenly brings home meat to eat... who wouldn't gossip?'
'Even sharing it with the villagers isn't realistic. This wild rabbit is plump, but it can't weigh more than six or seven pounds. Lihua Village has at least thirty or forty households. How could one rabbit be enough to share among them?'
'And if I were to get a couple more rabbits... forget it. That would be even more suspicious.'
At this thought, Su Qing sighed. She looked up at the sky; it was getting late. There wasn't enough time to deal with the rabbit here on the mountain. 'Forget it. I'll find some time tomorrow to go to the county town, sell off the things I gathered today, and see if I can get something to eat.'
Su Qing tied up the rabbit, stuffed it into the very bottom of the basket on her back, and headed down the mountain. By the time she entered Lihua Village, it was about dinnertime for most families. Su Qing had thought she wouldn't run into many people, but when she was still a ways from home, she heard a buzz of voices up ahead.
Su Qing raised an eyebrow. 'What's going on now?'
"Su Qing, you wretched girl! Open this door right now!" Immediately after, Su Qing heard Tian Aixiang's voice, along with the sound of someone repeatedly pounding on the door.
'Heh, so they've come looking for trouble.'
Su Qing quickened her pace and saw a circle of villagers gathered in front of her gate. Many of them were still holding their rice bowls, obviously eating while enjoying the spectacle.
Old Su stood there fuming, one hand on her hip, while Tian Aixiang was still hammering on the gate, screaming curses into the yard.
As for Su Lihui, he was leaning against Old Su, snot and tears streaming down his face as he wailed and cried out in pain.
"What's going on here?" Su Qing's voice rang out from behind the crowd, startling everyone. Turning around, they saw her standing there with a large basket on her back, staring at them with a completely baffled expression.
"Su Qing, you're back." Seeing her, Aunt Tao hurried to her side and whispered, "Your grandma and your third aunt are here to cause trouble for you again."
Before Aunt Tao could finish, Tian Aixiang was already lunging at Su Qing. "Su Qing, you little bitch! Look what you did to my Lihui! I'm telling you, this isn't over! If you don't get on your knees and apologize to my Lihui, and pay for his medical treatment, I'll make sure you never know a moment of peace!"
Su Qing planned to slowly change her public persona from the one the original owner had, so she couldn't afford to be aggressive right now. Seeing Tian Aixiang lunge at her, she quickly dodged back. "Third Aunt, what are you talking about? When did I hit Lihui?"
"Hey now, you stop that!" The villagers of Lihua Village were now naturally on Su Qing's side. Seeing Tian Aixiang try to hit Su Qing, a few of the other women quickly stepped in to block her. "Take a look at that girl Su Qing—she's all sallow and skinny! Your Lihui is tall and strong. How could she possibly beat him? Use your head, will you? Don't just believe everything your precious Lihui says. What, have you gotten addicted to bullying her after all these years? She's already living on her own, why are you still coming to her home to torment her?"
"Bullshit!" Tian Aixiang stomped her foot in fury. "My Lihui said it was this wretched girl who hit him, and my Lihui never lies!"
The crowd couldn't help but scoff. 'Her Lihui never lies? Only the Old Su Family would be foolish enough to believe that.'
"It's always 'my Lihui, my Lihui'," Aunt Tao said, shielding Su Qing from Tian Aixiang. "What's next? If your Lihui says a fart smells sweet, are you going to stick your nose in for a whiff?"
"HAHAHAHAHA..." At Aunt Tao's words, the crowd roared with laughter.
Tian Aixiang shot Aunt Tao a venomous glare. "I'm not talking to you."
Then, Tian Aixiang turned her vicious glare on Su Qing. "Su Qing, tell me. Why did you hit Lihui? He's your own cousin! How could you bring yourself to strike him?"
Su Qing looked utterly aggrieved. "I didn't hit him."
"You did hit me!" Su Lihui, leaning against Old Su, was in so much pain he could barely stand. Seeing Su Qing flatly deny it sent him into a rage. "You whipped me with a tree branch! The marks are still there!"
After saying his piece, Su Lihui started wailing to Old Su, "Grandma, my whole body aches."
"You heartless brat! Look what you've done to our Lihui!" Old Su's heart ached for her grandson. She carefully rolled up Su Lihui's sleeve and shouted at Su Qing, "Look at this! Just you look... Huh?"
All the villagers craned their necks to look at Su Lihui's arm. But now, there wasn't the slightest wound on it. Not just no wound—there wasn't even a red mark.
Old Su was stunned. When Su Lihui had come home, she had clearly seen red marks on his arm. There were tons of them, covering his skin. How could they be gone now?
Refusing to believe her eyes, Old Su even rubbed his arm with her hand, causing Su Lihui to yelp in pain. "AHH! Grandma, don't touch it! It hurts so much!"
"HAHAHAHAHA!" The villagers howled with laughter. "Keep pretending! Go on, keep it up!"
'Not a single red mark on him, but he's putting on a convincing act.'
Su Qing laughed inwardly. 'I planned this all along. Did they really think I'd leave them any evidence?'
Outwardly, however, Su Qing spoke with a choked voice, "Grandma, where is Lihui hurt? You can't keep doing this, constantly framing me. Wasn't trying to ruin my reputation yesterday enough? Are you going to keep at it today?"
As she spoke, she bit the tip of her tongue, forcing a few tears to well up in her eyes.
This sight made Aunt Tao's heart ache with pity. "Su Qing, dear, don't be afraid. We're here. Your grandma and the others won't get away with falsely accusing you."
"You did hit me!" Su Lihui was absolutely furious. He stared hard at his own arm—there were definitely red marks before, so where did they go? "Don't deny it! My whole body still hurts!"
Hearing Su Lihui say he was in pain, Old Su forgot all about the red marks. She screamed at Su Qing, "You wretched brat! Would our Lihui lie? He said you hit him, so you must have! You're not getting away with this today! You have to pay for Lihui's medical fees! I'm your grandmother, so you have to listen to me! Otherwise, you're being unfilial!"
Someone in the crowd snickered. "So, Lihui's grandma, how much money are you trying to get out of Su Qing?"