"Excuse me, madam."
Song Qingchao wiped her face and patted Song Qingmu's shoulder.
"Move aside."
"Elder sister, are you alright?" he asked, his tone full of concern, but he shot a fierce glare at the newcomer.
The newcomer was a woman about thirty years old, hands on her hips with a ferocious expression, carrying a waterskin.
"Who are you calling madam? How can a young girl have such a wicked heart?"
She raised her hand to strike Song Qingmu with the waterskin.
But Song Qingchao caught her wrist, "You arrive and immediately start scolding. Do you know what we siblings have done to offend you?"
She struggled to control her emotions, doing her best to suppress the urge to snap the person in front of her.
But the jade bracelet on her wrist pulsed with a faint red, and her heart ached with a subtle pain.
"What have I done to offend you?" Seeing Song Qingmu remain silent, the madam's boldness increased. "My husband was merely ill, and with some rest, he would have recovered. But it's all your fault!"
She began to cry, her anger escalating. "You bullied my Zhe'er, thinking she was too young and ignorant, and gave her dirty water. Not only that, but you made her dig water from the mud to drink!"
Her cries grew more intense, gradually drawing the attention of the resting crowd.
Even worse, as if they hadn't walked all day and weren't tired, people crossed their arms and came over to watch the spectacle, pointing and whispering.
"Our whole family thought some kind person saw our plight and gave us some water. We drank it with grateful hearts!"
The woman then plopped down onto the ground and began to throw a tantrum. "But who could have imagined! My husband vomited blood within a few hours of drinking that water, and my son has had stomach trouble all day!"
Song Qingchao and Song Qingmu watched the woman's outburst, their faces darkening.
It seemed they had helped an ungrateful wretch.
"Don't talk nonsense," Song Qingmu said, her voice cold.
The woman looked up at her and immediately escalated her tantrum.
Her wailing was more grating than a pig being slaughtered.
Song Qingchao had remained silent, watching the woman's clown-like performance with indifference.
Confused noises began to erupt from the surroundings.
"Drinking the water from the congee each day, we can barely hold on. Giving dirty water is like trying to kill people!"
"The young girl is quite pretty, how can her heart be so black?"
"We can't say that either. She was just trying to be kind."
"In my opinion, it was probably intentional. Food is limited on this journey. If more people die, the remaining ones can eat their fill, right?"
As soon as this person spoke, everyone fell silent.
They all understood this logic, of course.
Because after a few days of travel, there had been deaths in the group. After the deaths, their congee became thicker.
Song Qingchao, who had been silent until now, chuckled.
She released her grip on the woman and stood there, clear and resolute.
"Dead people? Is it that good?"
Song Qingchao swept her gaze across each face.
Those looking down, those looking up, those staring intently – all harbored their own hidden motives.
"Mama! Mama!"
A small figure, like a bean sprout, cried as it pushed through the crowd and hugged the tantrum-throwing woman's arm. "Let's go home. This has nothing to do with older sister."
"You ungrateful brat!" The woman pushed Liu Zhe'er away. "Useless girl, get away! If it weren't for you, wouldn't your father and brother be so sick?"
Liu Zhe'er quickly knelt and crawled towards the woman, protesting, "I told you we should boil it before drinking, but you said it wasn't necessary!"
"You clearly wanted to harm my brother!" The woman grabbed one of Liu Zhe'er's coiled buns. "You troublesome thing! If it weren't for you, why would your brother have an upset stomach?"
Liu Zhe'er sobbed uncontrollably but dared not retort. She worried that one more word would earn her a slap.
But the woman grew increasingly aggressive, even reaching out to strike the frail Liu Zhe'er with the waterskin in front of everyone.
Finally, Song Qingchao couldn't stand it any longer.
The siblings exchanged glances. Song Qingchao scooped up Liu Zhe'er, while Song Qingmu restrained the troublemaking woman.
The woman cried out "Ouch, ouch, ouch!" but her language remained foul.
"Are you done talking?"
Song Qingchao looked at the woman as if she were already dead.
"I'm not done!" The woman struggled fiercely but was ultimately outmatched in strength. She glanced around at the crowd, her boldness returning. "Tell me, how do we settle this? My husband and child are both down because of your water!"
Song Qingchao held Liu Zhe'er's trembling body. "How do you want to settle it?"
The woman snorted and dropped the waterskin.
"This waterskin is dirty now. I want your clean one."
With a fierce move, she pulled her hand back and rubbed her reddened wrist. "And I want all the steamed buns and herbs you've received these past few days, and the doctor who comes every morning must also see my husband and child!"
"You're asking for quite a lot."
Song Qingmu couldn't help but sneer. She turned and returned to Song Qingchao's side.
"I agree to your terms," Song Qingchao said softly, gently brushing away Liu Zhe'er's tears. Then, she cast a cold glance at the woman. "But I have a condition."
"What condition?" The woman crossed her arms, her eyes darting quickly.
"I want Zhe'er."
Upon hearing this, the woman's tense expression instantly relaxed.
She had only been trying her luck, hoping to get a few steamed buns, and she was satisfied. She hadn't expected this young lady of the household to be so easily bullied, to the point of not even wanting a doctor for the sake of a useless girl.
"Fine, I agree."
Song Qingchao nodded, but the usually obedient Liu Zhe'er suddenly let go of her hand and ran back to the woman's side.
"Mama, don't you want Zhe'er anymore? Zhe'er is very good, Zhe'er won't eat half of her steamed buns, she'll give them all to brother."
She sobbed, gasping for breath. "Mama, please don't abandon Zhe'er, and don't bully older sister. It was Zhe'er who begged older sister for water, it's not older sister's fault. Please don't ask older sister for things."
Liu Zhe'er desperately tugged at the woman's trouser leg.
"Brother and sister are both very weak. They need a doctor. We can't snatch children, Mama!"
"Brother got a stomachache because he ate too much, and Father fell. This has nothing to do with older sister. Can we please not bully older sister, Mama!"
The woman's face turned a shade of liver-red. She scanned the crowd, whose expressions had now changed. She quickly and ruthlessly pushed her daughter away and then began to wail loudly herself.
"Everyone, please judge me! I, Hu Shi, married into the Liu family and have devoted myself to caring for my husband and children. Even when we were exiled and our property confiscated, I never abandoned them. Now, my own daughter, whom I raised with hardship, has sided with outsiders to bully me, her mother! What have I done wrong? It's all for this family!"
"Enough."
Song Qingchao spoke softly from behind.
She picked up Liu Zhe'er from behind and placed her in Song Qingmu's arms. "Zhe'er, don't cry."
"Sister, I'm sorry."
The childish voice made Song Qingchao smile. She ruffled her hair. "It's alright, you and brother wait for me."
Song Qingchao turned around.
The upturned corner of her mouth instantly fell, and her eyes filled with a killing intent.
She squatted in front of the woman and, with a "smack," slapped her directly across the face.
This slap carried her full force.
The clear jade bracelet turned blood red.
Had she not held the woman's shoulders, she would have likely been sent flying a considerable distance.
The woman clutched her face, trembling, and tried to retreat.
But Song Qingchao firmly held her in place.
"Don't be afraid, I'm just here to judge you."
She lifted her kind and gentle face, her complexion pale, with a smile that seemed to curve upwards.
"You said you didn't know what you did wrong? Let me tell you."