A Woman Never Seen Before

"At the time, we did hear Sun Wu's cries for help inside the house, but coming out of the house and crawling through the dog hole took time, so we could only climb up the wall. That spot was completely blocked by the willow tree. All I could see was the color of that woman's clothes tangled up with Sun Wu's."

Wen Dian had already laid out every detail she could see with hands and feet.

If they asked any more, she'd probably have to make it up.

"Then Uncle Cai and the others came over from the other side, and that woman ran off. No idea where she went—she entered a blind spot."

Uncle Cai nodded in agreement with Wen Dian's words.

At the time, he had indeed looked up and seen Wen Dian and Guo Mu hiding on the wall, not daring to make a sound.

When they learned Sun Wu was dead, their expressions were full of shock.

Even after hearing the whole story, Zheng Wuyou still couldn't understand.

Could it be that the short woman's silence was because she was truly crazy?

She could understand that at the time, the short woman saw her own kin perish before her eyes, couldn't bear the blow, and fell into silence.

But she had no reason to kill Sun Wu.

Miao Laisheng still kept a cold face, arms crossed over his chest, half his body leaning against the doorframe.

As if this matter was of no concern to him.

Seeing the topic among the group come to an end.

"The helpers should be starting work." Miao Laisheng's eyes dropped, glancing at the watch hand's movement.

He turned around indifferently and left the wooden house, heading toward Old Zhu's place.

"Is this guy really that cold-blooded?" Hu Yu stared in surprise at the back of the navy blue pajamas, which seemed utterly unconcerned, standing on the same level as Zheng Wuyou as she condemned this heartless man.

Zheng Wuyou shrugged helplessly.

Between her brows, it was unclear who she was expressing helplessness toward.

It felt like one puzzle after another appeared before her under the list's guidance.

"Push the list progress first."

Zheng Wuyou straightened her pajamas and followed behind Miao Laisheng toward Old Zhu's place.

It was just noon now, and from the direction of Old Zhu's kitchen, wisps of cooking smoke rose.

When they gradually gathered in front of Old Zhu's main hall.

The old woman who had driven everyone away with a carrying pole yesterday was sitting in the yard full of red-cloth tables.

In her withered right hand, she held a tobacco pipe, her expression stern as she faced the group in a standoff.

A brightly colored rooster walked past their feet as if nothing was wrong.

Chasing after its wriggling lunch.

Seeing the group return empty-handed, the middle-aged man only ordered them to keep searching in the afternoon.

Then he arranged for them to sit opposite the old woman.

"A bunch of useless trash."

The old woman knocked the ash from her pipe onto the ground, her yellowed, broken teeth unable to hold back a single word.

Every word she spoke was always about driving others.

"You... damn it, old hag!" Hu Yu had long been fed up with this old woman's attitude.

Getting scolded for no reason yesterday was bad enough.

And now today she gets told off again...

As if anyone wanted to help in the first place!

If she's so anxious, why doesn't she go look herself!

Uncle Cai, who was good at reading the room, quickly pulled Hu Yu's sleeve, signaling her to calm down. "It's not easy to start a conflict in a strange place!"

Zheng Wuyou could catch the meaning in Uncle Cai's words.

This was on someone else's turf. No matter how stifling it got, if you picked a fight with the homeowner, the whole neighborhood would come to help.

It was no different from meeting a black bear in the wild.

Even though the three of them knew the 'friendly' fellow villagers didn't dare come out.

"What! The helpers have a temper now? If you've got the guts, give the money back!" The old woman suddenly slapped the table with a crisp crack, sending ripples through the freshly served vegetable soup.

"Mother! Don't be angry, you'll hurt yourself." A middle-aged woman none of them had ever seen before, her face sallow and gaunt, held a bowl of freshly cooked rice porridge in both hands.

Her fingertips were clearly red from the heat, yet she set it on the table as if nothing had happened.

On her hunched back, she carried a basket, and a child about one year old peeked out curiously from inside.

"Slut, why did you drag the kid out here! Didn't I tell you there were outsiders around!" The old woman seemed very displeased with this woman's appearance. She picked up her tobacco pipe, not caring whether the tip was still lit.

Under everyone's shocked gaze, she swung it heavily onto the woman's arm.

Sparks landed on her bony arm, and the woman flinched back in pain.

"Youcai went to the outhouse. I was afraid Mother might go hungry."

The woman seemed afraid of being seen through; her fearful state lasted only a few seconds before she recovered. "I... I'll go back right away."

After casually arranging the bowls and chopsticks on the table as if nothing had happened, the woman bent over and backed away.

Like a maidservant sold into slavery in ancient times.

"Can't birth a boy with a dick between his legs, just eats all day! Wasting food!" The old woman muttered to herself as she pulled the rice porridge closer.

Spittle sprayed into the porridge. Wen Dian felt nauseated.

The old woman paid no mind to the rapidly rising disbelief and hatred in these people's eyes.

The middle-aged man seemed to be the Youcai the woman had mentioned. He walked over from the direction of the Backyard, lightly holding his stomach. "Stomach's acting up a bit. Mother, let's eat."

As he spoke, he kept watching the old woman's reaction.

Seeing that his mother was focused on eating her rice porridge and had no time to scold him, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

"Who told you to sneak food in the Backyard? Serves you right for having an upset stomach!" The old woman downed a bowl of rice porridge.

As if saying one less word would cost her a pound of flesh.

"Mother... you... you knew!" A flicker of fear passed through the middle-aged man's eyes. The hand holding his chopsticks froze mid-air.

"Marry her in tomorrow, but you just had to taste meat today! If she doesn't birth a boy with a dick this time, don't even think about touching those filthy things again!" The old woman slammed her chopsticks heavily against the bowl's rim, showing no restraint in front of everyone present. "That Slut doesn't deserve to eat at the table. Don't let her eat tonight. She eats way too much all day!"

The old woman's mouth never stopped. After eating, she didn't even wipe her lips.

There were even bits of unchewed greens stuck between her teeth.

She picked up the tobacco pipe from the table, clasped her hands behind her back, and returned to the Main Hall.

Leaving everyone to exchange glances with the middle-aged man, who kept nodding.

The middle-aged man gave an embarrassed, simple-minded smile and continued picking at the greens on the plate.

Too inhuman.

Zheng Wuyou felt deeply unsettled. Clearly, this was just a fictional world, a world created by the nightmare...

But when she heard the words coming out of that old woman's mouth...

She unconsciously clenched her fists.

That scene just now seemed tailor-made to push the plot forward.

Although Hu Yu and the others were filled with righteous indignation, their minds were otherwise a complete blank.

Because this segment hadn't mentioned the bride.

Nor had it mentioned the most important hairpin.

It seemed to have nothing to do with the tasks on the List.

Without needing words, everyone unanimously and tacitly shut their mouths and quickly gulped down the porridge-like rice gruel in their bowls.

None of the people present were fools, and the middle-aged man's behavior didn't exactly paint him as a good person.

So naturally, some things were better left unsaid in front of him.

Only Zheng Wuyou and Miao Laisheng knew.

The weight of the phrase [The Zhu family's words are all untrustworthy] was truly growing.