Chapter 47: “a Billion Percent Unlucky”
“Lili, are you full?” Lu Baozhen’s voice full of childishness echoed in the quiet “new” room.
The earthen wall was pasted with big red wedding characters, the bed was very red, covered with a dragon and phoenix matching quilt, that quilt looked like it had been used many times, with patches on it.
The little girl sat cross-legged on the bed, with two small braids, wearing a big red cotton cloth round-neck shirt.
She was talking to her own hand.
“No.” The black carp spoke, also a child’s voice, like that of a five- or six-year-old child, but indistinguishable as male or female.
“What to do then?” Lu Baozhen’s little face scrunched up, very worried.
“Go find Gu Da Zai and Gu Er Zai.” The black carp said, “If accepted by any one person in that family, I can give you everything you want.”
To impress the innocent human cub, its tone took on a seductive meaning: “Piles of White Rabbit Toffee, countless skirts, pretty hairpins, whatever you want, I’ll give it to you.”
Lu Baozhen wanted it all.
But.
She drooped her head, pouted her mouth and said, “Big Brother Da Zai and Second Brother Er Zai ignore me completely.”
The black carp was stumped.
Giving the human cub chicken blood: “You have to try hard.”
Lu Baozhen didn’t understand, propping her chin, asked puzzledly: “How to try hard?”
The mark on the tiger’s mouth of her hand shook repeatedly, greatly stimulating a certain carp.
Communicating with human cubs was really exhausting.
“Take the initiative to play with them.”
Lu Baozhen’s head drooped even lower, on the verge of tears from sadness, aggrievedly said: “Big Brother Da Zai and Second Brother Er Zai run away when they see me, I can’t catch up to them.”
The black carp fell silent.
Lu Baozhen didn’t want to disappoint her good friend, and said again: “Can’t you eat my stepmother’s luck?”
“…”
After tonight, your stepmother’s forehead will be dark, what luck would she have left.
“Your stepmother is about to become a harbinger of misfortune, she’s useless now.” The black carp said hair-raising words in a sweet and soft child’s voice.
It continued: “The people with the best luck in the whole village are the Gu Family’s Third Branch, you must become friends with them, otherwise the sweet candy, pretty skirts and hairpins will all be gone.”
Lu Baozhen looked down at her fingers, her voice tinged with a crying tone: “But I don’t know what to do.”
The black carp had no patience to coax children, threatening: “If you can’t do it, I’ll go find other friends.”
After saying that, it directly went invisible.
“Lili!” Lu Baozhen shouted.
No response.
After a while, she wiped her tears and sobbed: “I will become friends with Big Brother Da Zai and Second Brother Er Zai, Lili can only be good to me.”
The black carp was very satisfied, its figure flashed by.
In an instant, a White Rabbit Toffee appeared in front of Lu Baozhen.
“It’s White Rabbit!” Lu Baozhen’s watery eyes showed surprise.
She shouted joyfully: “Lili.”
The black carp didn’t respond again, but Lu Baozhen became even more determined to become friends with Da Zai Er Zai, to help Lili find “food”.
Thinking of Gu Mu’s miserable appearance, the little girl didn’t feel afraid, and even giggled out loud.
Those who don’t fulfill her wishes will be punished.
“Lili, thank you for helping me vent my anger.”
It was about Gu Mu refusing her and getting punished.
The black carp said softly: “We are good friends.”
Saying the softest and cutest words, it opened its big black little mouth.
Ah bah ah bah, meal time.
Lin Zhao didn’t know all this yet, but after awakening, she knew how evil Lu Baozhen was—that was the epitome of those who follow me prosper, those who defy me perish.
Whoever makes her unhappy, she makes them unlucky.
What Lin Zhao found strange was, how did Lu Baozhen make people who didn’t like her unlucky?
Da Zai was learning characters with his mother, no one answered when he asked a question, he looked up and saw his mother lost in thought, put down the character card, and asked: “Mom, what’s wrong?”
“Cub, do you know who your grandma saw before she got injured? Or who she talked to?” Lin Zhao originally wanted to ask Gu Mu another day, but couldn’t control her curiosity.
Moreover.
With such a dangerous person lurking around, her heart couldn’t settle.
Da Zai thought carefully, saw Er Zai sneaking spicy strips, directly confiscated them, with serious brows and eyes: “Er Zai, Mom is asking, you think too.”
Er Zai was a little friend who could multitask, sneaking spicy strips without ignoring Mom, knowing what Lin Zhao just asked.
He quickly stuffed the just-taken-out spicy strips into his mouth, and sucked his hand hard.
“Mom wanted to know why not ask me earlier, I know.” He said crisply.
Lin Zhao’s expression lit up, “Tell me quickly.”
Er Zai said: “It was Lu Baozhen.”
It really was her!!
Lin Zhao’s eyes flashed with realization, and asked again: “Your grandma told you?”
“Someone saw it.” Er Zai said.
His fair and tender little face showed a trace of disgust, “Mom, do you think Lu Baozhen is the harbinger of misfortune that Chang Sheng’s mom said, that everyone who gets close to her will have bad luck?”
Lin Zhao: “Hm?”
She remembered the original book saying that Lu Baozhen was a treasure, able to bring good luck to people.
How did she become a harbinger of misfortune in Er Zai’s mouth?!
Er Zai puffed his cheeks, indignantly said: “Whether she is a harbinger of misfortune or not, I hate her anyway!”
“It must be her who made my grandma bleed! I hate her so much!” Er Zai thought Lu Baozhen caused Gu Mu’s injury, hating her immensely.
“It’s not exactly…” Afraid the two little friends would be superstitious, Lin Zhao wanted to explain more, but was interrupted by the talkative Er Zai.
The little guy hummed twice before continuing: “She asked my grandma why my brother and I didn’t go to her house, and if she could play with us, my grandma knew my brother and I don’t like playing with her, so she said another day, then my grandma fell.”
At this point, Er Zai sighed heavily, feeling bad and wanting to eat another spicy strip.
“If I had gone with my grandma, it would have been fine, if I had gone with her, my grandma definitely wouldn’t have fallen.”
He, a manly man, would definitely protect his grandma well.
Lin Zhao sensed something was off.
She asked thoughtfully: “Wait, you said she asked your grandma if she could play with you guys?”
Da Zai said: “That’s what my grandma said! I remember too!”
“Mom, is there something wrong?”
There was something wrong!
Very wrong!
Village kids wanting to find playmates would just go directly, why bother asking the parents if they could?
Weird.
Really weird.
Lin Zhao’s mind turned quickly, suddenly catching something, her eyes brightening astonishingly.
Could it be because she wanted something from Da Zai Er Zai, and the threshold was… Gu Mu’s agreement?
This guess was a bit far-fetched, but Lin Zhao felt it made sense; she had the big turntable, it wasn’t strange for Lu Baozhen to have bizarre opportunities.
In that case, some outrageous plots in the original book made sense.
“Mom?” Da Zai tilted his head and called Mom.
Lin Zhao kissed her eldest son hard, her expression lighthearted: “You guys really helped Mom a lot.”
Da Zai’s fair little face flushed red, ah, Mom really likes him.
Lin Zhao turned her head and saw Er Zai’s oily little hand reaching for the open mouth of the spicy strips again.
“Gu Er Zai!”
No child isn’t afraid when parents call their full name.
Er Zai quickly retracted his hand, sat up straight, eyes dodging, looking at the roof, the bed, the cabinet, just not looking at his mom.
“…” Playing ostrich couldn’t be clearer.
“No more eating today.” Lin Zhao didn’t confiscate the spicy strips, glaring at Er Zai, “Especially you, Gu Er Zai, if your throat hurts you’ll suffer, don’t cry then.”
At this moment, Er Zai thought spicy strips were the best thing in the world, the little guy licked his lips, hissed twice, and softened his voice to act cute.
“I’m not afraid of a sore throat, Mom let me eat one more, please~~”
“Take back your acting cute! Useless!” Lin Zhao refused with a smile, sealed the remaining half pack of spicy strips, and gave it to Da Zai: “Da Zai, as agreed, you and your brother each half, Er Zai ate half, this remaining half is yours, time to sleep, eat tomorrow, okay?”
Da Zai took it, smiled: “Okay, thanks Mom.”
Lin Zhao touched his head, “Go wash with your brother, time to sleep.”
Er Zai and his brother went out of the room, heads drooping, his tiny back somehow exuding a pitiful vibe.
The five-and-a-half-year-old gluttonous little friend experienced regret for the first time in his life, just thinking about no spicy strips tomorrow made him feel bad.
“Whimper, whimper, whimper!!”
Lin Zhao went out to the outhouse, heard these three heavy, emotionless whimpers, and couldn’t help but laugh and cry.
If you can’t whimper properly, don’t.
She held back her laughter and went to the outhouse.
Da Zai glanced at Mom’s disappearing back, pulled his brother’s hand, and whispered: “We’ll eat together tomorrow.”
Seeing Er Zai about to speak, he quickly raised his index finger to his lips and shushed.
Er Zai imitated his brother and shushed, eyes lighting up with laughter, also whispered: “Thanks bro, one is enough for me.”
He looked regretful, “I won’t be greedy anymore.”
“Mm.” Da Zai said, “Listen to Mom, don’t make Mom angry.”
“Yeah.”
–
The next day, Lin Zhao sent the children to the old house and rode her bike to work.
She had just left not long ago when the Lu Family became lively.
Yuan Bao ran to the Gu Family Old House to call people, “Twins, there’s excitement, wanna go see?”
Er Zai loved joining in the fun most, dashed out of the house, sandals almost sparking.
A few steps from the door, he heard Yuan Bao say: “Today’s fun is courtesy of the Lu Family, hurry hurry, let’s go claim spots, or we won’t beat those adults.”
Hearing this, Er Zai clamped his legs for an emergency brake, shoe sole skidding half a meter on the dirt, body tilting forward, arms flailing like a windmill, somehow stretching himself into a slanted rock sugar gourd stick.
He straightened up abruptly.
Waved at Yuan Bao.
“You go, I’m not going.”
Yuan Bao surprised: “Why?”
“Pah!” Er Zai imitated the grandpa at the village entrance and spat, “The Lu Family caused my grandma to get injured and bleed, we have a grudge with them, not watching their excitement.”
“…Okay.” Yuan Bao said disappointedly.
Anxious to see the fun, ran off quickly, shouting while running: “Er Zai wait, I’ll tell you after I see!”
Er Zai tiptoed, waved vigorously: “I’ll wait for you.”
At this time, the Lu Family.
Su Yuxian sat disheveled on the ground, hugging her bleeding foot, hair disheveled, staring at the condescending sister-in-law, eyes full of humiliation.
“What are you looking at! Vicious woman, my brother shouldn’t have married you, on the first day you want to starve your parents-in-law, starve the sister-in-law and Baozhen, you have such a poisonous heart!” Lu Xiao Gu immediately pinned a pot of shit on Su Yuxian’s head.
Lu Mu slapped her thigh and sang opera, wailing to the sky.
“My life is bitter, the daughters-in-law I get are worse than the last, the previous one was sickly, now this one is fine before marriage, but on the first day smashes plates and bowls.”
Heartbrokenly picking up porcelain bowl fragments, tears streaming.
“The family only has that many bowls, two smashed just this morning, two, no bowls how to eat meals in the future…”
Her performance was so entertaining, the Lu Family neighbors couldn’t hold it, burst out laughing.
Instantly attracting everyone’s attention.
The young man scratched his head, offered an idea: “It’s not like we can’t eat, one person eats then the next, same, same.”
After speaking, quietly shrank back.
Su Yuxian was also aggrieved, “I didn’t do it on purpose, would I deliberately smash bowls?”
“That’s not certain!” Lu Xiao Gu hugged her chest, high and sharp cheekbones, eyes flashing cunningly from time to time, looking hard to get along with.
“Maybe you don’t want to cook, deliberately smashed the bowls.”
The more she thought the angrier, she looked at Lu Yizhou, stomped angrily, “Bro, look at the wife you married, dares to waste on the first day, quickly divorce her!”
“Shut up!” Lu Yizhou scolded.
He was a soldier, knew more than villagers, knew divorce was feudal remnant, can’t say it.
“What divorce, it’s new society now.” Lu Yizhou said solemnly.
Then scooped up Su Yuxian by the waist, put her on the stool.
“This is your sister-in-law, restrain yourself.” He looked at his little sister, expression warning.
Su Yuxian looked at Lu Yizhou, full of emotion, still pretending magnanimity, “Yizhou, I’m fine, little sister was careless too, today’s thing is my fault, I didn’t hold the bowls and chopsticks well.”
Lu Xiao Gu was very angry, gritted teeth: “Pretending what, it is your fault.”
Her mom said the new bowls at home were for her dowry, Su Yuxian smashed two, so she had to take out two new ones, losing two.
Thinking of this, Lu Xiao Gu wanted to gouge out Su Yuxian’s heart.
Dowry is a girl’s confidence!
Su Yuxian lowered her head, like a bullied package.
The onlookers not only watched, but muttered opinions.
“This Yuxian sister-in-law is really formidable, she won’t have good days ahead.”
“What’s wrong with Yuxian, she really didn’t do it on purpose? Never heard her smash bowls at Su Family before.”
“The Lu Family boy is good, treats his wife well, as expected of the promising youth who left the village, heard he became an officer, Yuxian is fortunate.”
…
Villagers didn’t know to quiet down, whispering but voices not small.
Su Yuxian vaguely heard some, corners of mouth hooked a satisfied smile.
Before the smile fully formed, heard the person closest to her say: “Is this Su Family girl a bit unlucky?”
As soon as this was said, around the Brigade Leader’s Wife, there was a moment of quiet.
Everyone looked at her, with tell-me-more expressions.
“Yesterday she got married, Yuan Shan’s mom got injured, went back miserably; last night wedding night, she cut her own foot with the kitchen knife, heard the toe almost got chopped off; today, smashed several bowls again…” The Brigade Leader’s Wife cracked open-skinned pumpkin seeds, face full of excitement knowing some secret.
“Which family’s new daughter-in-law is so unlucky, this one is probably number one in the whole commune.”
Others thought she made sense, yeah it seems so.
“The Su Family daughter has really bad luck.”
Another said: “No matter, Baozhen has good luck, heard she can pick up money walking on the road, Su Family daughter having rotten luck shouldn’t be a big deal.”
At this point.
“Bang!” a sound.
The stool Su Yuxian sat on exploded into fragments, she fell butt-first to the ground, mouth emitting a sharp wail.
“Ah……!!”
The onlookers looked at each other.
Seems, a bit unlucky huh.
