Chapter 48: System, Tree Climbing, Can You Handle This?

Chou Youyou lowered her eyes with a guilty conscience, her messy hair slipping down to cleverly conceal the shock and doubt hidden deep within her gaze.

She clearly remembered that at this time in her past life, it was precisely the beginning of the old Jiang family's decline.

Back then, after Aunt Jiang Hua returned, although Jiang Jing had already regained consciousness, he was discharged and returned to the village not long after, passing away merely days later.

Ever since then, unending disasters had plagued the old Jiang family, with members either dying or going missing.

Especially the old Jiang family's youngest granddaughter, who was so young yet went to act as a child bride for someone in the Education Committee just to help her mother—who had a problematic background—escape judgment.

However, subsequent unexpected twists and turns still resulted in Lin Ya being caught. During the trial, unable to bear the humiliation, Lin Ya passed away. The youngest grandson's whereabouts became unknown, and the eldest grandson went to the town. As for anything beyond that, Chou Youyou knew nothing at all.

For at that time, she had been imprisoned in a cellar, and it was not until the eldest of the Jiang family returned that she was rescued by him. By then, it was already the nineteen-eighties.

He had saved her. Originally, seeing that the eldest of the Jiang family was living alone and pitifully, she had wanted to offer herself in marriage to repay the debt of saving her life.

Yet by then, she had been tortured beyond recognition, her body ruined and incapable of childbearing, making her feel unworthy of him.

Right now, however, she had only just suffered a single assault; her body should still be undamaged, leaving the possibility of childbearing open.

As someone influenced by modern thoughts, she no longer clung to notions of purity. Her mind was entirely set on leaving behind an offspring for her benefactor and continuing his bloodline, which would also count as repaying his kindness.

While she was lost in these hazy thoughts, her gaze suddenly collided with a pair of black eyes as clear as spring water, and in an instant, all the swirling trains of thought in her mind came to an abrupt halt.

That's right, she had forgotten about another change in the old Jiang family—this little girl before her was someone she had never heard of in her past life.

She had only ever heard that her benefactor once had a daughter, also named Jiang Xiaxia.

Yet didn't that child pass away prematurely long ago?

Not knowing where she had gone wrong, Chou Youyou steadied her mind, slowly raised her head to look at Jiang Hua, and explained in a hoarse voice: "It was all that child Meili. She ran over to my place every other day, complaining every time we met that she was often left hungry, and saying that her grandmother always scolded and hit her.

"Hearing it didn't sit well with me either, so I comforted her, saying that elders educating children are mostly like that, and not to take it too heart. Who could have known she would tell me that such things never happened in your household, that she admired your children from the bottom of her heart, and even said she dreamed of being your child.

"At the time, I merely made an offhand remark, saying that back during the war years, heroes in the village sacrificed themselves, and their righteousness moved everyone, so other people's children were treated just like their own. Who would have thought she would take it seriously and... and stir up such a huge misunderstanding?"

At the back, Liu Jinhua let out a fierce spit and was about to speak when Jiang Hua pressed down on her wrist.

Jiang Hua looked at Chou Youyou and asked, "So you never said anything about my eldest and third sons dying?"

Chou Youyou hurriedly shook her head, eagerly explaining, "Your two sons are great heroes who protect our country and our people. How could I possibly curse them to death?"

Thinking about how she would soon join the old Jiang family, Chou Youyou's gaze toward Jiang Hua was filled with ingratiation as she continued: "Auntie Hua, don't worry too much either! Soldiers protect the country; even if they can't be reached right now, it doesn't necessarily mean they're missing. Perhaps they're carrying out a secret mission and are temporarily unable to contact home. As long as we wait patiently, they will definitely return safely!"

Jiang Hua had originally been pondering privately about the girl's background and how she could utter such words.

Yet upon hearing Chou Youyou's words clearly referring to her eldest son, her expression changed drastically. Releasing Xiaxia's hand, she took a decisive, sweeping step forward and single-handedly pinned Chou Youyou fiercely to the ground with a reverse hold.

Seeing her grandmother's sequence of neat and decisive movements, Jiang Xiaxia's eyes instantly lit up. Was this the signal that physical action was permitted?

Before anyone else could react, her small body moved with agility and speed matching Jiang Hua's, darting straight in front of Jiang Dalin.

Jiang Dalin instinctively released his grip on Li Chaosheng. At that exact moment, Jiang Xiaxia abruptly raised her small foot and kicked forcefully toward the head Li Chaosheng had just lifted.

With a dull thud, Li Chaosheng's newly raised head crashed straight down to the ground, having an intimate collision with the earth. His eyes rolled back, and he lost consciousness completely, fainting on the spot.

"You people, the people of Xiangyang Production Brigade are simply outrageous!"

"We're going to report this to the Public Security Bureau! Right now! This is murder! Murder!"

"That's right, we have to save our team leader! Let's go together! Do they really dare to kill all of us?"

A group of dozens of educated youths, arm in arm, ran menacingly toward the outside of the village together.

Seeing this, Jiang Dalin slapped his own thigh hard and let out an "Aiya": "Auntie Hua, what are you doing? Why—why did you act even faster than Xiaxia?"

Hearing this, Jiang Xiaxia felt somewhat uncomfortable inside, shooting a sinister, sidelong glance at Jiang Dalin.

She wasn't someone who loved fighting or showing off her might; why did he make it sound like she particularly enjoyed beating people up?

Like her grandfather, she had always advocated reasoning with people through virtue!

Jiang Dalin had no mind to pay attention to her at the moment. While speaking, he prepared to run off and chase after those educated youths.

Liu Jinhua was quick-eyed and fast-handed, hurriedly grabbing hold of him: "Chase them for what? Those scoundrels, wearing hardly any clothes, will come scurrying back frozen within half the distance! If you chase after them, you'll just wear yourself out for nothing and waste your effort!"

Jiang Dalin thought about it carefully and decided Liu Jinhua made complete sense. He spun around on his heel and ran straight up to Jiang Hua: "Auntie Hua, what on earth is going on here?"

Jiang Hua pondered for a moment, then raised her hand and delivered a fierce chop to the back of Chou Youyou's neck.

With a loud thump, Jiang Dalin watched as yet another educated youth collapsed stiffly into unconsciousness right before his eyes.

Jiang Hua's expression was as solemn as if covered by a layer of frost as she said resolutely, "Dalin, I seriously suspect this girl is a spy. Hurry up and find my third son, tell him to come over immediately, without delaying a single second!"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Dalin's naturally honest face instantly drained of all color. His expression tightened, and he turned and bolted away at a dead sprint toward where Jiang Jing was located.

Over here, watching her grandmother laboriously pinning Chou Youyou down, Jiang Xiaxia felt her heart ache with sympathy.

She couldn't bear to let her grandma keep her back bent pressing someone down.

First, she gave the unconscious Li Chaosheng lying on the ground a little kick with her small foot. Seeing no reaction and confirming he wouldn't wake up anytime soon, she reassuringly broke into a trot, pattering forward: "Da-da-da."

In recent years, with the educated youths having just arrived in the countryside, they did not yet know each other well, and everyone harbored a degree of defense and vigilance. The place where the educated youths lived—the so-called educated youth dormitories—was located in a few vacant houses near the foot of the village mountain.

The direction Jiang Xiaxia was running toward was precisely the mountain.

Watching with his own eyes as the little girl overtook him and ran in the wrong direction, Jiang Dalin felt his heart tighten. He hurriedly reached out to grab her back, shouting loudly: "Xiaxia, you're running the wrong way! Your third uncle isn't over there!"

Sensing someone attempting to grab her from behind, Jiang Xiaxia made her little legs churn even faster.

With a speed visible to the human eye yet incomprehensible, she quickly ran to the foot of the mountain, agilely scrambled up a withered tree with a nearly bare top, bounced twice on a branch, and asked in a crisp voice, "Can you handle this?"

Wang Lianjun, who was secretly conversing with Xia Ming up in the tree: "..."

Would it still be acceptable to say no at this moment?