Zhao Xinnuan's hair was dry and yellow, cut into a bob that barely reached her ears. She wore clothes that had belonged to Zhao Zhili.
She was so thin, she looked like a disproportionate child. Seeing Zhao Zhili return, her expression was blank.
The past three years had been too difficult; she had almost forgotten what good days were like, and could only sustain herself by clinging to memories.
Soon, Jun Jiuli and the others returned as well. Zhao Chenguang collapsed onto the bed, exhausted, and refused to interact with his family.
The room was terrifyingly quiet. Jun Jiuli kept sighing, and her family felt as if they were steeped in bitter water whenever they heard her voice.
"Oh dear, son, what happened to your hand?"
Zhao Zhili hid his hand behind his back. "Mom, I'm fine. I just accidentally scraped it a little. It doesn't hurt, you don't need to worry about me."
"Wuwuwu, I'm sorry, it's all my fault. Mom shouldn't have let you go to work. Mom didn't protect you well."
Zhao Zhili knew his mother was concerned about him, but for some inexplicable reason, he felt annoyed and wanted Jun Jiuli to shut up.
He said with a slightly sharp tone, "Mom, stop crying. This isn't your fault."
Jun Jiuli wiped her tears. "Okay, Mom won't cry. It's just that I'm useless. I can't get justice for my son."
Jun Jiuli covered her mouth with her hand, tears still falling in large drops. She looked at Zhao Zhili with a heartache.
"Why are you yelling at your mom? Your mom is worried about you. Have you become so ignorant as you've grown older?"
Zhao Chenguang roared, his eyes wide, as if he was about to rush over and hit Zhao Zhili.
Jun Jiuli quickly stood up and blocked him. "Don't scold the child. It's my fault. The child has suffered too much injustice with us."
The last sentence broke Zhao Chenguang's composure. He sank back onto the bed helplessly, covering his head and slowly calming his emotions.
"Alas, I've failed you all. I've dragged you down."
Life continued to be difficult. Zhao Xinnuan also had to participate in labor. Although the scorekeeper intentionally manipulated things, they didn't dare to go too far.
After all, the Zhao family was working with great effort. They couldn't let them starve to death. He quietly calculated in his heart, ensuring that after balancing, the Zhao family could survive.
There was only so much land and so much work. Without the Zhao family, the work would still have to be done. Fewer people sharing the grain would have made everyone incredibly happy.
If the Zhao family was allowed to live even a little better, there would always be people in the village who felt unbalanced and would cause trouble.
Recently, many people who had been sent down had been rehabilitated. The villagers also became more polite to the Zhao family, no longer daring to tamper with their work points.
Children were sternly admonished by their parents, told not to bully the Zhao family's children anymore.
However, some children were inherently rebellious. When someone they had bullied for years suddenly told them that they were not to be trifled with, they would only feel indignant and resentful.
They found like-minded companions and ganged up to gang up on the Zhao siblings.
Zhao Zhili had been waiting for this day for a long time, having learned from letters that his paternal grandparents had returned to the capital.
Now that the situation had improved, even items sent by his maternal grandparents could reach them.
With backing, he had nothing to fear. Furthermore, he was only 15 years old. Even if his father couldn't return, he dared to take action.
The lives they had lived when he was young were likely things these people had never even seen. He had long understood the importance of power.
A dozen or so children of the same age didn't notice anything amiss. They swaggered and led the Zhao siblings to the small riverbank.
"Hmph, what do you mean 'don't mess with us'? Aren't you still obedient like dogs? We tell you where to go, and you go, hahaha~"
"They're a young master, aren't they? Hahaha~"
"Pah, a young master still has to farm with us. What's there to be proud of? If our village wasn't kind-hearted, your whole family would have starved to death long ago."
"Young master, bark like a dog for us, or my fist won't have eyes, hahaha."
"Little girl, you said you don't like me, but I'm going to let you taste my power today."
"Wang Ergou, you're something else! If she becomes a young lady in the future, you can get a stable job in the city, right? Hahaha~"
Zhao Xinnuan cowered behind Zhao Zhili, scared. "Brother, I'm scared."
"Don't be afraid. With me here, they can't touch you."
"Tsk tsk tsk, why are you putting on an act? Who do you think you are? You're going to be a young master, but you're still carrying a basket on your back. Is it possible your family has no hope?"
"I think he's not a good person. There must be a reason for him to be in our area. Such social parasites should be taught a lesson by us to temper their arrogance."
As the group spoke, they narrowed their circle. Someone was preparing to kick Zhao Zhili.
"It must feel great to see the young master kneel before me."
When they got a little closer, Zhao Zhili sprinkled the powder he was holding around. Everyone in the group, including Zhao Xinnuan, got a little on them.
He had discovered this when he went digging for wild vegetables with Jun Jiuli. Snakes seemed very interested in this grass.
He collected a little every time he went out and tried to catch snakes whenever he encountered them, secretly raising them outside. Now, they were finally useful.
He first spread the rumor that he was afraid of water. He never played near any ditches, and over time, everyone believed it.
If these people wanted to teach him a lesson, they would definitely choose this place. He had calculated everything.
"What the hell is this stuff? It got into my eyes. Zhao Zhili, we won't let you off today."
"Damn it, I'm not done with you. I'm going to shove your head into the water. Let's see if you're still so arrogant."
As they spoke, the group charged towards him. He grabbed Zhao Xinnuan and skillfully dodged, causing several of them to collide.
This basket was something he made himself. It had a tight-fitting lid. He tied a vine to the handle of the lid.
He threw the basket into the crowd and yanked the vine. More than a dozen snakes emerged, of all colors.
By this time, he had already led Zhao Xinnuan to the riverbank. When those people saw the snakes, they prepared to flee.
The snakes seemed to have been starved for a long time, incredibly excited by the sight of something they liked, and quickly identified their targets.
"Xinnuan, hurry and crouch down to wet your whole body."
"Okay, got it."