Chapter 53: What's Wrong with Your Face?

Gu Xixi glared fiercely at Mu Nan Zhao, then stormed off, saying, "Don't bother me! One cash!"

Mu Nan Zhao watched the woman's swiftly receding back, his face gradually darkening.

One cash? Is that the new nickname she gave him?

Gu Xixi walked alone to the Zhang Family Nursery, originally intending to buy something tasty for Shitou, but now she only had one cash left—what could she buy?

Gu Xixi called out to the street-side vendor Zhang Wang.

A peddler carrying a load passed by, loudly hawking: "Needles and thread, rattle drums, pot ladles, salt jars, fermented bean paste—buy the confrontational flower and girl dolls will bloom smiles; buy a straw hat and you won't get wet in the rain!"

"Crystal-clear crisp rock candy, peanut brittle, rice puff candy, freshly made pine nut candy—if it's not sweet, it's free!"

Gu Xixi, who had already walked past, stopped in her tracks, turned back, and called out to the peddler.

"I want to buy candy, but I only have one cash."

At the Zhang Family Nursery, Gu Xixi knocked for a long time before the door opened.

Shitou opened only a crack in the door, warily peering out, "Who is it?"

Gu Xixi was startled to see Shitou's face bruised in shades of blue and purple, his right eye swollen, and he had to squint hard to see people.

"Shitou, what happened to you?"

Shitou also recognized Gu Xixi, he happily opened the door, "Sister Xixi, it's you! Just now you knocked without saying a word, I thought it was……"

He cut himself off mid-sentence, smiling, "Sister Xixi, come in and have a seat."

Shitou led Gu Xixi inside, chattering happily like a little bird, "Older Brother Chen really is divine—sure enough, it rained the next day, saving me a lot of work."

"This rain soaked through; at least for half a month I won't need to water."

Gu Xixi suddenly stopped, placed her hands on Shitou's shoulders, and turned him to face her.

"What's wrong with your face? Who hit you?"

Gu Xixi's expression turned grave.

Shitou, who had been smiling all over his face, locked eyes with Gu Xixi.

After a moment, he averted his gaze and whispered, trying to cover up, "Nobody, I just was careless……"

Gu Xixi interrupted him, "Do you really think I'd believe that?"

"If you were just careless, how could you end up with injuries all over your face?"

Shitou fell silent for a while, then said, "Sister Xixi, just leave it alone."

"Anyway, I usually stay careful and avoid them; this time I just happened to be unlucky."

Gu Xixi stared at Shitou, unable to speak for a long time.

She recalled what Meng Dangni zi had said—that for Shitou, being despised and even violently bullied might be a common occurrence.

In the center of the nursery stood the Zhang family's house, with stone tables and chairs placed outdoors in front of it.

Gu Xixi pulled Shitou over to sit at the table.

She examined Shitou's injuries—his body and back were covered in bruises big and small.

The wounds on his face were the worst; besides the visible bruising and swelling, his mouth had been split by his teeth, and the soft tissue was scabbed with blood.

The only consolation was that although Shitou's right eye was swollen, it at least hadn't injured the eye itself.

Gu Xixi took out a small bottle of medicine from her satchel, applying it to Shitou while saying:

"This is something I learned from my master; it's the first time I've prepared it myself."

"It's perfect that you're the first to help me test its effectiveness."

Shitou had been staring blankly at Gu Xixi since he sat down; hearing this, he broke into a laugh again.

"Great, from now on whenever you prepare other medicines, I'll be the first to try them for you."

Gu Xixi looked up at him, amused, "Nonsense—medicine must match the ailment; you can't just try anything."

After applying the medicine, Gu Xixi took out a small paper packet from her bag and handed it to Shitou.

"Eat something sweet; maybe it'll ease the bitterness in your heart."

Shitou unfolded the paper packet; inside lay crystals as clear and glittering as crushed ice.

"Rock candy?!" he exclaimed, breaking into a delighted smile.

Gu Xixi said, "I spent all the money I brought today; the last cash only bought this piece of rock candy."

That chunk of rock candy was about the size of an apricot; the peddler had helped break it into small pieces for easier eating.

Shitou pinched a piece of rock candy and popped it into his mouth, smiling happily with squinted eyes, "So sweet, so sweet!"

He held out the paper with both hands toward Gu Xixi, "Sister Xixi, you have some too!"

Gu Xixi knew she couldn't refuse, so she picked out the tiniest fragment, "Mm, sweet!"

The two, one big and one small, sat in the shade of a tree, sharing the flavor of the same piece of candy.

Neither spoke, but both wore relaxed, contented smiles.

After an unknown amount of time, Shitou spoke, "Sister Xixi, I fought back this time because they insulted my father."

The boy gazed at the sky, "My father is certainly no worthless short-lived ghost!"

Gu Xixi suppressed a sour feeling in her nose and said, "Because you fought back this time, they beat you even worse?"

Shitou grinned and nodded proudly.

"I kicked them several times; their buttocks must be sore."

Gu Xixi suddenly thought of a question, "When did you guys fight?"

"This morning," Shitou replied matter-of-factly.

No sooner had he finished speaking than pounding on the door accompanied curses: "A wretched child, born without anyone to discipline!"

"Look! See what they've done to my Da Bao!"

"My Shuanzi's butt is swollen, he's lying on the bed crying, and he even went to see a doctor for medicine—surely we have to pay the medical fees!"

"That's right, the Zhang-surnamed orphan has no parents to pay compensation, so they take his family's tree to settle the debt."

From the sound, there were more than just one or two people.

Gu Xixi and Shitou stared at each other.

Shitou's face turned deathly pale in an instant, his small hand clutching Gu Xixi's sleeve tightly, "Don't go open the door."

"Let's pretend we're not home; they'll leave after they've yelled enough."

Gu Xixi looked at Shitou's frightened appearance, sighed in her heart, after all he was still a six-year-old child.

She gave an easy smile and said, "They started the trouble first; you didn't do anything wrong."

"Now that I'm here, you don't need to hide from them,"

Shitou lifted his head to look at Gu Xixi; she smiled and nodded at him, and his anxious, uneasy heart gradually calmed down.

Gu Xixi took Shitou's small hand and stood up, saying, "I'll go with you, don't be afraid."

Those outside couldn't knock the door open, so they switched to kicking it.

Gu Xixi inside yanked the door hard; the man kicking the door was unprepared, staggered and almost fell.

"You little bastard, you fucking——"

He hadn't finished cursing when he looked up and saw Gu Xixi, a face he had never seen before.

"Who are you? Isn't there no adult in this household?"

Gu Xixi calmly said, "I'm a friend of Zhang Minglei."

"You all are kicking and swearing at a child's doorstep, so rude and lacking discipline—may I ask if your households also have no adults?"

Outside the door were three men and two women, all neighbors from the vicinity.

They didn't know Gu Xixi, and at first they didn't dare to act rashly.

But upon hearing Gu Xixi's mocking words, a tall woman flared with anger and immediately stepped forward a few paces.

"You're not an adult of that household, what right do you have to stand here and speak to us?"

"Hand over that kid quickly."

"What state did he kick my son's butt into? I want to ask him, having caused the death of his own parents, why does he still go out—is he deliberately going to harm others?"