Lin Ruoxi walked into the chicken coop and skillfully retrieved a few fresh eggs.
But soon, she shook her head as if unsatisfied. Turning, she scanned the yard, and her gaze landed on a large rooster.
The rooster was currently puffing out its chest and patrolling its territory, occasionally shooting a proud look at Da Huang as if mocking him for being a single dog while it had several hens for wives.
It was, however, completely unaware of the fate that awaited it.
It should have lived for a few more months, until the day someone rode a motorcycle into the village to buy chickens, and it would have been sold to a poultry dealer.
But now, thanks to Xue Rui's arrival, it was about to be reincarnated ahead of schedule.
Lin Ruoxi's hand rose and the knife fell. The rooster died with its eyes open.
Lin Ruoxi's chicken-killing technique was a bit rusty, but it definitely wasn't her first time.
There was no panic or reluctance in her eyes, and the knife strike was decisive.
GULP. Xue Rui swallowed hard.
'What is Lin Ruoxi doing? Killing a chicken?'
'Why kill a chicken right now, of all times?'
'Is she trying to warn me?'
'That even though I'm staying at her house, I shouldn't get any funny ideas?'
'Or else I'll end up like that rooster?'
In truth, Xue Rui's guilty conscience was getting the better of him, and he didn't grasp the situation at first.
That silly girl, Lin Ruoxi, just wanted to cook the best thing she had for Xue Rui.
Even with its head halfway separated from its body, the rooster was still twitching. Lin Ruoxi held it down with her slender hands, draining its blood.
Bright red blood splashed out of the iron basin, spattering her face.
Only when the rooster stopped moving completely did Lin Ruoxi breathe a sigh of relief and wipe her forehead with her hand.
But she didn't realize her hand and face were both stained with blood, and the image she presented at that moment was far from elegant.
Xue Rui's pupils contracted sharply. Lin Ruoxi, at this moment, reminded him of the scene from his past life when she had fallen from a building.
"I can't delay any longer..." Xue Rui muttered.
"Oh... I'll go pluck it now. It won't take long."
Lin Ruoxi thought Xue Rui was rushing her to cook.
"I'm going to take a walk around the village. You can start cooking."
Xue Rui said to Lin Ruoxi and headed for the "intelligence department" at the village entrance.
It wasn't that he didn't want to help, but the kitchenware here was too primitive. Besides, with Lin Ruoxi's advanced skills, he couldn't be of much help anyway, aside from adding some firewood to the stove.
In fact, since his father was a chef, Xue Rui knew a thing or two about cooking himself, but he usually worked with pre-processed ingredients.
This entire process, from living creature to finished dish, was a bit much for him.
Moreover, the sight of Lin Ruoxi's blood-streaked face made him deeply uncomfortable. He needed to get out for a walk.
"She can grow vegetables, knead dough, and even kill a chicken... To think someone like that actually exists," Xue Rui mused.
He thought her type had gone extinct, but here he'd actually met one. And the most important part was, she was also incredibly beautiful.
For some reason, his thoughts drifted to Gu Muxue. If you handed Gu Muxue a kitchen knife and told her to kill a chicken, she'd probably be scared to tears...
A short walk brought him to the "intelligence department" at the village entrance.
A group of old men were sitting on stone stools, with some on chairs they had brought themselves. They were leisurely enjoying the breeze, with burning mugwort sticks placed around them to repel mosquitoes.
"Uncles, what's all the chatter about?" Xue Rui greeted the villagers warmly.
"Here, have a smoke." Xue Rui was very down-to-earth. He pulled out a pack of soft-pack Chunghwas and offered one to each person.
He pretended to light one for himself as well, but for the most part, he just let it burn quietly in his hand, occasionally taking a puff and blowing the smoke out through his nose.
He wasn't a smoker, but he always carried cigarettes with him, as they were an excellent social tool.
As long as you enthusiastically lit up with the people around you, the initial distance and wariness would dissipate along with the curling smoke.
"A young kid like you should smoke less," an old man said, taking a deep drag and savoring the cigarette he normally couldn't afford.
"You're right, sir." Xue Rui obediently stamped out the cigarette butt.
Xue Rui felt the atmosphere was right and finally spoke up:
"I'm here from the school to do a home visit. I was also hoping to ask about Lin Ruoxi's family situation."
No one was surprised. At Xue Rui's age and wearing a uniform, his identity was obvious at a glance.
"Xixi's grades are great! Even back in the village elementary school, she was at the top of her class," one of the old men said.
"Old man, didn't you used to say girls only do well in elementary school and fall behind in middle school?"
An old woman shot back disapprovingly while munching on an apple.
"That depends on the person. Xixi is different."
"That's not what you said back then."
...
The villagers were truly enthusiastic. Xue Rui had barely started the topic, and they were already arguing amongst themselves.
"Uncles, I'm here to ask about her family situation, not her grades."
"Oh, her family..."
"The poor child. Lost her mother when she was young, and that bastard beat her every day to vent his anger."
"Wicked people get their comeuppance. See? Didn't he get hit by a car and die last year?"
"I think Xixi has a bad fate. She brought misfortune that led to her mother's death, and then her father's."
"Don't talk nonsense, old lady! What era is this? Still spouting that superstitious drivel. Be careful Xixi doesn't hear you!"
A middle-aged man passing by with a hoe on his shoulder rebuked her.
Xue Rui thought the man had a point. He handed him a cigarette and promptly lit it for him.
The man took a few puffs, glanced at the uniform Xue Rui was wearing, and said, "The villagers look after Xixi for the most part, but there are some with bad intentions."
"There are people like that?" A cold glint flashed in Xue Rui's eyes.
"They don't dare bully her to her face, just do sneaky things behind her back. To hell with their ancestors!"
The man had a blunt personality and yelled the curse loudly, as if afraid certain people wouldn't hear.
...
The "intelligence department" was truly lively. Xue Rui ended up shooting the breeze with them for over an hour.
It was only when he saw Lin Ruoxi standing blankly in the alley waiting for him that he finally bid the villagers farewell.
Lin Ruoxi had originally wanted to drop out after middle school, but the villagers and her teachers talked her out of it. They told her that since she was under sixteen, she'd be considered child labor, and no one would hire her. Only then did she obediently enroll in high school.
Combined with the information Xue Rui had gathered from the school, a fuller picture of the girl's past began to form.
She had always been an outstanding student, yet was introverted and, against all odds, warm-hearted.
Because Lin Ruoxi's score on the high school entrance exam was extremely high—top ten in the entire district and more than eighty points above the cutoff for Hedong Second Middle School—the school not only waived all her tuition and fees but also gave her an additional twenty-thousand-yuan scholarship every year.
Why hadn't Lin Ruoxi gone to a better high school? It was probably because Hedong Second offered her money.
However, the old woman in Lin Ruoxi's family was in poor health—a walking medicine cabinet. All that money was just a drop in the bucket, barely enough to keep them afloat.
Outstanding grades, a tragic family, and exceptional looks...
With all these factors combined, all she would have to do is cry a few tear-streaked cries for the camera of public opinion, and kind-hearted people would surely donate money and goods. She would never have to worry about food or drink for the rest of her life.
But with Lin Ruoxi's proud personality, even if she knew this, she would never do such a thing.
And as for why Lin Ruoxi had committed suicide, he now had a rough idea.
'The problem lies with the old woman.'
Xue Rui sighed. He had learned from some of the other old women that Lin Ruoxi's grandmother often talked to herself.
She would mutter things like, "Being alive is just a curse, I'm only a burden," "Why aren't I dead yet," and "My son... find the medicine..."
The walk out had been just a few steps, but the walk back felt like scaling an insurmountable peak. At its summit were dark thunderclouds, and strong winds howled all around, making every step feel exceptionally heavy.
In a daze, a slender figure appeared on the summit, wreathed in a hazy, dawn-like glow. She was like a celestial maiden descended to the mortal world, scattering the thunderstorms.
That figure smiled faintly at him. "You're back. Let's eat."