My humble days in ancient times

Xu Ruyi was anxious: "If you didn't take it, then who did? Do you dare to swear to heaven?"

Xu Dayan hesitated now and swore that she had never done that before in her life.

Xu Ruyi sneered, "Whoever took it, God knows, the mountain gods know, and Guanyin Bodhisattva knows. Since you didn't take it, swear an oath. If you did, your whole family would die miserably, you wouldn't be able to marry, and you wouldn't be able to have children."

Xu Dayan was stunned: She dared not make such a vicious oath.

Seeing Xu Dayan hesitate, someone in the crowd started to make a noise, saying, "Since you didn't take it, then swear. After all, if you haven't done anything wrong, you won't be alarmed if someone knocks on your door in the middle of the night."

Xu Ruyi took out her silver hairpin and said to the villagers who were watching the excitement, "Please look, I bought two of these hairpins, exactly the same, one for me and one for my sister, both with butterfly patterns."

Xu Ruyi held the hairpins in her palm, showing them to the assembled villagers one by one. She said, "I bought them at a silver shop in the county town, for a hundred coins each. They're not particularly valuable, but it's unreasonable to claim something belonging to someone else as your own."

The villagers looked at the hairpin carefully, as if it were gold, and they didn't want to miss it.

Xu Dayan looked at the villagers and Xu Ruyi who were watching the fun, feeling so hateful that she wished they would disappear from her sight immediately.

Xu Ruyi waved the hairpin in front of Xu Dayan and said, "One hundred coins can show your character. It's really worth it."

Xu Dayan was so angry that she wanted to tear Xu Ruyi's mouth apart.

Xu Ruyi continued to sneer, "Xu Dayan, I'll give you a chance. If you take out the hairpin now, I won't bother with you. If you don't take it, it doesn't matter either. Just swear an oath and I'll leave immediately."

Xu Dayan was in a dilemma. If she didn't take out the hairpin, she would have to swear an oath. If she did, she would have to admit she was a thief. No, no, no, Xu Dayan was feeling uneasy.

Xu Dayan thought it over again and again, then said, "Since you think I took it, I swear. I, Xu Dayan, swear that if I take Xu Ruyuan's hairpin, I will be struck by lightning and die a miserable death. Is that all right?"

Xu Ruyuan was angry: "Who asked you to swear, you bad woman, give me back my hairpin."

Xu Ruyi said to Xu Dayan, "You are really great." Then she took Xu Ruyuan away.

On the way, Xu Ruyuan asked, "Sister, after all this trouble, I still can't get the hairpin back. Is it all in vain?"

Xu Ruyi smiled and said, "How can it be a waste of effort? First of all, we went to ask for it. It shows our attitude and that we are not afraid of anything. Secondly, if many villagers know about her character, maybe they will not make the same mistake as us."

Xu Ruyuan lowered her head: "Sister, I was wrong. I shouldn't have worn the hairpin."

Xu Ruyi touched her head and said, "Are you still blaming me for buying the hairpin? Ruyi, we are not wrong. The one who stole the hairpin is wrong. Our mistake is that we trusted others too much, thinking that everyone is a good person and would not take other people's things."

When the two sisters returned home, Xu Qinghe came back with wild vegetables on his back. He was very angry when he heard about it.

Xu Ruyi advised him not to get angry, saying that it was worth spending a hundred coins to get to know a person clearly.

Xu Dayan didn't feel sad or ashamed at all after Xu Ruyi left. Looking at the silver hairpin, her heart was filled with joy.

On her way back from visiting a friend, Luo Daying met some villagers who were watching the fun. The villagers told her about Xu Ruyi and Xu Ruyuan coming to their house to ask for the hairpin. Luo Daying insisted: "My daughter would never take someone else's things."

The villagers hurriedly said, "Yes, yes, Dayan also swore a solemn oath." Then they left.

Luo Daying came back and saw the hairpin in Xu Dayan's hand and asked, "Where did you get the hairpin?"

Xu Dayan said she picked it up.

Luo Daying already understood what was going on, but she didn't criticize her or educate her, and she didn't say anything.

This incident quickly spread throughout the village. Huang Guiyun was overjoyed when she heard about it. She told everyone she met how fiercely Xu Ruyi and Xu Dayan argued. In short, she said, "Xu Ruyi is too aggressive. Don't arrange marriages for her in the future."

That day, Huang Guiyun was chatting with someone and was saying bad things about Xu Ruyi.

Huang Guiyun said in high spirits: "You don't know, that girl is very good at quarreling. I can't win over her, nor can Wang Erdan and Xu Dayan. That girl is very smart. You say that a man like Wang Erdan was strangled by a little girl and asked for twenty taels of silver. Oh, I don't even have such ability! Our Xujia Village has such a crazy girl. Oh, I don't know what kind of man will marry her in the future." After that, Huang Guiyun covered his mouth with one hand and laughed.

Auntie Pang joked, "She won't have trouble finding a husband. Many children in the village like her! Besides, Ruyi is pretty and can make money. I'm just afraid she's picky and doesn't like anyone else!"

Huang Guiyun asked: "Those little kids like her storytelling, so of course they like her. As for the future, it's a pity that she has a poor brain and has gone crazy..." Huang Guiyun wanted to make the fact that Xu Ruyi had gone crazy a fact, and it would be best if more people knew about it.

When Aunt Pang and other villagers heard that Xu Ruyi had gone crazy, they didn't know what to say because they had heard many people talk about it.

Huang Guiyun continued, "There is a silly child in my mother's family, but I don't know if Xu Ru is willing..."

At this time, Xu Ruyi came over from a distance. She saw a few people sitting under the tree at Aunt Pang's house, chatting, and she saw Huang Guiyun. She had a loud voice, and Xu Ruyi could hear what she said from a distance.

Auntie Pang greeted him, "What are you busy with, Miss Xu?"

Xu Ruyi smiled and said, "Nothing, just wandering around the village!"

Xu Ruyi walked over and sat down, thinking to himself: You keep saying bad things about me, I will watch you in front of you and see what you have to say.

Huang Guiyun rolled her eyes when she saw Xu Ruyi sitting down, then she shut up reluctantly.

Xu Ruyi asked Auntie Pang, "Auntie Pang, have you harvested the wheat yet?"

Auntie Pang always smiled and said, "It's harvested. Now we are busy plowing the land and preparing to plant rice!"

Xu Ruyi nodded.

Usually, Xu Ruyi and his sister are busy setting up stalls and are unwilling to visit neighbors, so they rarely interact with the villagers.

Auntie Pang caught her for the rare opportunity and asked, "What happened between you and Xu Dayan?"

Xu Ruyi fiddled with the hairpin on her head and said, "I bought two identical hairpins. My sister wore one to Xu Dayan's house to play. Xu Dayan took it off to look at it, and then replaced it with a wooden hairpin. When my sister came home, I found it and asked her to give it back!"

"Oh I see."

Everyone couldn't help but look at the hairpin on Xu Ruyi's head. It was silver, but many people in the village only had wooden hairpins. The butterfly pattern on it was lifelike, and the more you looked at it, the more beautiful it became. At one hundred wen, many people in the village would have to spend money to get married to buy such a silver hairpin.

Then look at Xu Ruyi, dressed in a goose-yellow dress embroidered with delicate floral patterns. Her delicate face is as rosy as a ripe peach. Her skin is as white as snow, delicate and smooth, radiating a captivating glow. And on her feet are a pair of brand new cloth shoes, with meticulous stitching and intricate, lifelike patterns embroidered on the uppers.

Xu Ruyi stood out from the crowd sitting next to them, like a dazzling flower. They were merely green leaves.

Their clothes, including Huang Guiyun's, were all patched and wrinkled, but Xu Ruyi's clothes were new, clean, and beautiful.

Huang Guiyun didn't look into Xu Ruyi's eyes, but only looked at her clothes: Wow, it looks pretty good.

Auntie Pang also carefully examined Xu Ruyi's clothes and praised her, "She is dressed very nicely. She will definitely be a great beauty in the future."

"That's right, you and your sister will both be beautiful women in the future." Others couldn't help but praise her.

Xu Ruyi stood up, turned around, and said, "Of course." Then he said goodbye to everyone and left.

"You're such a beauty, you're praising yourself, aren't you ashamed?" Huang Guiyun imitated Xu Ruyi and spun around: "Oh, I feel dizzy..."