A master of metaphysics is farming.

The autumn mornings weren't particularly cool, with occasional gentle breezes ruffling strands of hair. Yet, the few people on that small hill felt it was colder than winter.

The big guys that were just noisy are now unusually quiet.

Everyone was shocked by Xiang He's expression; it was one of intense, ruthless seriousness. It felt as if if they were to utter a single wrong word, Xiang He would tear them apart in the next moment…

"He... He girl..."

The hoarse call reached her ears, and Xiang He's eyelashes trembled slightly as she composed herself and smiled, a stark contrast to her fierce demeanor just moments before.

As soon as Xiang He released his grip, Li's legs, which had been lifted up, fell to the ground, and she collapsed to the floor.

"Oh dear, Grandma, please be gentle with me, I really need to weed here."

Xiang He didn't bother to look at Xiang Dayong again, who looked like he had lost his soul. She turned around and helped him up. "Father, are you hurt? If your leg is bad, you should rest. We can manage."

Xiang Dayong didn't know why they looked like that, but he knew it must be related to He Yatou. However, he couldn't bring himself to ask a question, so he could only let her help him to the bedside to sit down.

“Compassion…”

Xiang He let go of her hand, walked outside again, picked up the hoe, and said, "Mother, Father is calling you."

Su, who was in a daze, came back to her senses and paused for a moment before turning around and running into the house.

Xiang He wielded the hoe and brought it down on the weeds, her gaze fixed on the ground without lifting it even slightly. "What, aren't you leaving? Do you really want me to get rid of you too?"

As the first sound of the ground hitting the ground caused the three women in the Li family to tremble slightly. Yu Shi dared not abandon Li Shi, as Li Shi was still in charge of dinner that night.

She hurriedly tugged at Li's arm, "Mother, there's still work to be done in the fields...why don't we...go back first?"

Like a lost soul, Li lost all her strength and let Yu and Xiang Lianhua help her to her feet. But when she saw Xiang He in her rose-red dress, her fierceness returned. "You, you brat, remember this! You won't get away with this next time!"

"Oh, okay." Xiang He waved to them. "Remember to bring a kitchen knife or cleaver next time, I really need one."

"you!"

Li flailed her arms a couple of times, trying to make a scene, but her legs were too weak, and she was being carried by Yu and Xiang Lianhua. She could only twist her way back and yell, "You good-for-nothing! You're going to be the death of me! You just wait!"

Seeing her gritted teeth, Xiang He laughed heartily, "Your legs are so weak from fear, yet you still want to cause trouble? But our whole family is here, and you're welcome to come anytime~"

Li was even more furious. She started cursing, hurling insults at the two people supporting her for dozens of meters, showing no mercy whatsoever.

"You two are useless! Don't you know how to help me beat her up?! You sons of bitches!"

"Grandma, I bit her, but she didn't feel any pain..."

"Then pinch them! What's the use of raising you! You can't help with anything!"

“That girl is incredibly strong! We can’t get her away from us! You were being choked too, weren’t you…”

These words infuriated Li, who spat at Su, "Useless thing!"

"..."

Xiang Lianhua turned her head away, her eyes filled with disgust.

On the other hand, the people below were stunned. They couldn't see Xiang He's face because Li Shi was blocking their view, but the fact that she dared to grab Xiang He by the neck was already quite intimidating, not to mention Li Shi who was being grabbed.

"Clap clap clap!"

A round of applause rang out, and Aunt Si's face was full of joy. "He's amazing! You scared away that old scoundrel. Your family will never suffer any losses in the future!"

"Then I'll have to ask Fourth Aunt to take care of things. When I'm not home, I'll have to trouble Fourth Aunt."

"Hey! What are you saying? I've had my hated that old hag for a long time. I'm so happy to have put an end to her arrogance this time!"

The two chatted casually, while Xiang He kept weeding, and Su Shi hurriedly ran out.

She lifted her sleeve and asked, "Did you bite it? Let your mother take a look."

Xiang He raised her hand to show her, "It doesn't hurt at all through your clothes. Look, it's just a little red mark. You should go to Fourth Aunt's house quickly. I'll watch over things here, nothing will happen."

The worry in Su's eyes lingered, and Fourth Aunt took her hand and led Xiang Yun down the slope.

Before leaving, Madam Su glanced back at Xiang He, her eyes conveying an ambiguous meaning.

Xiang He glanced at her casually and knew what she was thinking. Some things needed to be clarified sooner or later, so she just waited for them to ask first.

"elder sister……"

Xiang He, who had been looking down, paused for a moment. Turning her head, she saw Xiang Yang's worried face. She squatted down and gently pinched Xiang Yang's thin cheek. "What's wrong?"

At this moment, Xiangyang's mind was filled with his sister's fierce expression, but he was not afraid at all, because she was his sister, and on the contrary, he felt... she was very powerful!

Seeing the worry in his eyes replaced by joy, Xiang He smiled too, "Go gather some branches and firewood, let's make a fire and cook some meat!"

Last night, Xiang He asked him to sneak into the kitchen to get some meat. The kid was clever; he stole it and hid it in his blanket, then carried it with him when he left.

The rabbit meat was hunted by Xiang Dayong while he was running in the mountains, and he even injured his hands and legs in the process. Xiang He wouldn't let that family get it for free.

Upon hearing that there was meat to eat, Xiangyang ran off with a beaming smile, shouting, "I'm going right now!"

Seeing him run off into the distance with such joy, Xiang He relaxed a bit, finally getting some peace and quiet. She had to quickly clear the weeds in front of the house, and then figure out a way to repair the house and improve the family's living standards.

"But... what should I do to make money?"

Xiang He gazed down at the golden expanse below, his finger lightly tapping the handle in thought.

"Catching ghosts? Telling fortunes?" Xiang He glanced down at herself, her lips twitching. "This petite frame, and she's just a village girl... no one would believe that, right...?"

I'm extremely distressed; it's a bit difficult to use my best skills here...

"He... He girl..."

Xiang Dayong's voice came from inside the house again. Xiang He put aside her worries and turned to go in. "What's wrong, Father? Are you feeling unwell?"

Xiang Dayong slowly shook his head, his gaze fixed on Xiang He's face, never looking away.

Seeing him like this, Xiang He didn't say anything, but simply lifted his trouser leg to check the injury. The wound wrapped in white cloth was oozing red, so it looked like it needed to be dressed.

"Father, shall I change your dressing?"

Xiang Dayong remained silent. Xiang He took out a bundle from the side. There were only two doses of the cheapest herbs left in it. If they were used to replace his hands and feet today, there would be none left to replace them tomorrow.

"Father, after I finish my work, I'll go to the back mountain to look for these herbs. We only have one hundred coins, which isn't enough to buy your medicine."

Xiang He didn't wait for him to reply and started changing the dressing on her own.

There was a long scratch on my foot. Fortunately, it didn't damage any tendons or bones, but superficial wounds are more troublesome. If it gets infected due to lack of hygiene, it will cause a lot of problems later.

"Father, if you hurt me, just say so, or you can slap my hand."

She skillfully changed the dressings and bandaged the wounds. There weren't many white cloths left, so she had to use them sparingly. She also changed the dressings on Xiang Dayong's hand wounds, packed up her things, and sat down by the bed.

Looking at Xiang Dayong with a calm gaze, she asked, "Father, is there anything you want to ask?"

It was this look in his eyes that made Xiang Dayong's heart tremble, as if a dull ache was churning within him...

He opened his mouth, then closed it again, his eyes brimming with sorrow, and finally asked the question—

"He...He...where did He go...?"