You're Going to Get Beaten Again

The adults who saw this all felt the corners of their mouths twitch.

You little brats! Do you really think meat doesn't count as food?

Li Qingyue did not accept it right away. Instead, she looked toward the village elder. Only after he nodded did she reach out her small, fair hands and accept the pieces of roast meat.

Without standing on ceremony, she sat on the ground and began eating in big bites.

The flavor was a hundred thousand miles behind the roast meat from her previous life, but it still filled her mouth with a lingering fragrance.

Even her fair little face became smeared with grease.

The sounds of chewing and swallowing accompanied the rise and fall of her slender, pale throat.

At the sight, every child in the group swallowed.

Five or six pieces of roast meat, each the size of a small forearm, disappeared into Li Qingyue's stomach in no time.

The Kunpeng Devouring technique began circulating instinctively.

After finishing, she did not forget to suck the grease from her fingers.

Then her beautiful eyes turned toward the older children again.

They were called older children, but every one of them was taller than her, sturdy and dark-skinned, yet still possessed a child's innocence.

They probably were not very old.

"Still hungry? I'll get you some more!"

One child jumped up happily, as though fetching roast meat for the girl before him was something wonderful in itself.

"Don't bother! I'll get it!"

The other children hurried to their feet and raced toward the bonfire, each afraid of falling behind.

Watching from a distance, the adults felt the corners of their mouths twitch again.

Have all these boys gone mad?

Why are they all buzzing around that little girl?

They've even given away all their meat.

Fortunately, the whole village had gathered today, and there was meat enough for everyone.

Otherwise, they really would have wanted to give these little monkeys a few resounding slaps.

Then everyone's gaze turned toward the village elder.

How can you afford to raise a little girl who eats this much?

The village elder's face twitched slightly too, but he said nothing. Instead, he handed the girl his own roast meat as well.

He sighed softly to himself. How long must she have gone hungry to end up like this?

"Thank you, Grandpa!"

Her voice rang out, cool and extraordinarily pleasant.

Her first words since entering the village instantly made everyone turn to look.

It was so lovely.

Clear and crisp, it sounded even lovelier than the calls of the birds that occasionally flew through the village.

The boys now stared at Li Qingyue in disbelief.

They did not understand anything else; they only felt that once they heard her voice, they wanted to hear it again.

"Meat! Here's your meat!"

The boys came running back, scrambling to hand Li Qingyue their meat.

They looked as though they were terrified she might refuse it.

Watching this scene, the adults silently lowered their heads and took off their shoes.

Tonight, they had to teach these children that meat counted as food too.

Inside the village elder's house, Li Qingyue lay on a hard bed built from stacked stones, covered with a thin animal-hide blanket. A faint smile crossed her face.

She had never noticed before how reassuring a village like this could be, untouched by the world's strife.

But a moment later, cries rose from every corner of the village.

"Waaah... why are you hitting me?"

"I'm your father! I'll hit my son whenever I please!"

"You're being unreasonable!"

"Reason? I'm the reason!"

"..."

Crying, running footsteps, and a jumble of noise filled the little village without pause.

Li Qingyue even heard loud wails mixed with heavy footsteps passing around the house.

These beatings could chase the children from the eastern end of the village all the way to the western end.

What a lively scene.

"Was it my fault?"

Li Qingyue tilted her head, her beautiful eyes blinking in the darkness.

"Then I'll eat a little less next time!"

After a long silence, Li Qingyue murmured softly.

Standing at the doorway, just about to enter, Shí Pánshān paused.

He stood there for a long while before turning to leave.

Only a quiet sigh remained behind.

He had intended to come in and explain a few things about the village to Li Qingyue.

But hearing that considerate murmur, he suddenly felt that such a thoughtful little girl would be able to live well here even if he said nothing.

Early the next morning, all sorts of delicious aromas spread through the village again.

Li Qingyue got up early and thoughtfully followed the village elder around, helping with the chores.

Chopping firewood, tending the fire, and carrying water into the house-she kept busy all morning.

The bone broth in the clay pot had already simmered to a milky white.

Its rich, meaty fragrance made one's mouth water.

"Time to eat!"

The village elder divided the bone broth between two large clay bowls, giving one more and the other less.

He pushed the fuller bowl toward Li Qingyue and handed her a coarse flatbread.

Seeing this, Li Qingyue fell briefly silent. While the village elder's back was turned, she switched the two bowls, then carried hers outside.

When the village elder turned back and saw his bowl brimming with bone broth and several meaty bones, he froze.

He walked to the doorway, only to see Li Qingyue standing far away, gnawing at a bone, drinking broth, and eating her flatbread in large mouthfuls.

She seemed to be savoring a delicacy she had not tasted in a very long time.

Shaking his head slightly, the village elder returned quite a few of the meaty bones from his bowl to the clay pot.

Only then did he begin eating slowly.

They generally did not eat in the morning. The villagers only had breakfast when a hunt had brought back something.

Even then, they did not eat much. A stomach three-tenths full was enough.

"Over there!"

A group of children emerged from their homes carrying large clay bowls too, looking around in the morning light.

Upon spotting Li Qingyue, they instinctively started toward her, then rather sheepishly tried to hide their bruised, swollen faces.

"Shi Yue, there you are! We cooked meat this morning. I'll give you a piece!"

One child spoke up, placed a palm-sized chunk of meat in Li Qingyue's bowl, and grinned foolishly at her.

"My family cooked some too!"

"I've got some as well!"

Seven or eight children gathered around Li Qingyue, placing piece after piece of meat into her bowl.

In just a few moments, what had been half a bowl of broth had become a towering mound.

At the sight, Li Qingyue raised her head and looked over their faces one by one again.

That made them hurriedly cover their bruises.

"Thank you, everyone!"

Facing the sunlight, Li Qingyue smiled at them in thanks.

Whatever else might happen, she ought to return their kindness with a smile.

But seeing that smile in the sunlight, her skin seeming to glow, the children all froze before breaking into foolish grins.

It was as though flowers had bloomed all over them.

None of them noticed the gazes directed their way from a distance.

With expressions of bitter anguish, the watching adults reached for the rattan switches beside them.

They looked ready to put righteousness above family ties.

It was not that they were stingy. They simply felt that eating so much would do little good for such a frail girl.

Their own children, on the other hand, were at the age when their bodies and strength were growing.

As long as they ate their fill and trained their strength, they were sure to become capable hunters someday and keep the village from going hungry again.

In fact, although they beat their children, they had never uttered a single word forbidding them from giving the girl meat.

They knew too that, starved as she was, she probably had not eaten her fill in a very long time.

"I'll deal with you lot later!"

The adults gritted their teeth and silently returned a few pieces of meat from their bowls to the pot.

The children were the future. At their own age, it was already difficult to grow any stronger.

Eating a little less would not hurt them.

Looking at the foolishly grinning children, Li Qingyue lowered her head slightly and took big bites of meat.

But inwardly, she sighed. You're going to get beaten again.

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