Chapter Eleven: There, I'll Send You Off

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Watching one after another, Bai Mianmian was nearly at a loss. At this moment, the shaman surrounded by the crowd noticed something amiss. The people who had been staring at her now turned their heads away.

“Make way, make way,” Jinhua Granny said without asking. She took direct action. The tightly packed crowd parted like a tide. In the blink of an eye, a woman dressed in bright red, adorned with large flowers in her hair—far more flamboyant than any matchmaker in dramas—stood before Bai Mianmian. Her dislikable, slant-eyed gaze scanned Bai Mianmian from head to toe.

“Whose child are you? You can even accept their kowtowing?”

“How could I not? If they’re willing to kowtow, I’m willing to accept it.”

“…This young lady has quite the mouth. Whose child are you? I’ll have to talk to your parents later.”

“My father’s dead, and my mother remarried. If you want to talk, speak with my grandfather or uncles. No need to look for my father.”

“…Whose child are you?”

Bai Mianmian’s ability to speak so fluently surprised Jinhua Granny. She had only intended to subtly warn the girl but now wanted to confront someone directly. She had never met anyone who dared to look her straight in the eye and talk back. In the whole village and surrounding areas, who hadn’t heard of her? Who wasn’t cautious and respectful?

“I’m from the Bai family. Bai Fu, who came looking for you this morning, is my eldest uncle,” Bai Mianmian said as her gaze swept toward the crowd.

Xiao Zhou, who had been tiptoeing to get a better look, accidentally met her gaze. Instantly, that feeling of her soul being dominated swept through her entire body.

“My eldest uncle’s youngest brother isn’t here, so speak to my grandfather instead. He’s right over there.”

“…What kind of deity has possessed this body!”

That old woman really knew how to act. Before she could regain composure, Jinhua Granny thrust the ritual instrument she held toward Bai Mianmian’s face. Bai Mianmian didn’t hold back and kicked her. After all, she wasn’t afraid of gaining a reputation for even hitting a shaman when her own elders had already been struck.

“Who dares to make a move?”

Just as the shaman raised her hand to shout, Bai Mianmian bellowed, “Whoever dares help her, I’ll go to their house. I want to see what she can do to me!”

The wise trust themselves; the foolish trust spirits. In this vast Hexi Village, hardly anyone was educated. Naturally, Bai Mianmian’s sudden change could only be explained one way.

“You brat, watch me!”

Before she finished speaking, Jinhua Granny was kicked again. This kick was vicious, making the old woman kneel and tremble on the ground.

“Are you putting on a show pretending to be a spirit, or just entertaining us with your tricks?”

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“If you dare say it, I dare beat you until you don’t know north from south,” Bai Mianmian said, towering above her.

Jinhua Granny endured the pain before raising her hand to call for help from the villagers. Whispers and rustling followed. The crowd that had been tightly surrounding the two stepped back, leaving ample space for a confrontation.

“Jinhua Granny, it’s not that we don’t want to help, but we’re really afraid!”

“Jinhua Granny, it seems only you can handle this. Are you really the genuine article, or just a fake like others say?”

“I—I didn’t say anything bad about you.”

“I’m not close to her. If there’s a grievance, direct it properly.”

Those who looked to Jinhua Granny spoke flatteringly, while those who met Bai Mianmian’s gaze tried to distance themselves. When the two locked eyes again, one sneered hastily, the other looked remorseful and guilty.

Jinhua Granny was no true shaman, just someone skilled in pretending to possess supernatural power. But now, she had no choice but to act for real. Struggling to her feet, she made as if to start her ritual.

Bai Mianmian tilted her head back at a forty-five-degree angle. It wasn’t that she lacked respect for herself, but she understood her own necessity.

“Do you really think this old woman can’t catch you? Let me tell you, I have a skill that’s famous in every village within ten miles.”

Her gaze dropped. Bai Mianmian, looking up as she spoke, radiated an overwhelming pressure.

“Try and catch me.”

“You—you—”

Jinhua Granny’s face darkened further. If this young girl really was from the Bai family, such a commanding aura could not exist.

“Jinhua Granny, stop your tricks,” a weak yet persistent voice called from behind the crowd.

Old Village Chief Zhang soon stepped forward. Supported by his second son, he staggered but remained resolute with each step. Compared to the heroine, her family was no luckier—waking up early but still affected by the medicine.

“Jinhua Granny isn’t pretending. My girl really has something possessing her. Brother Fengxian, it’s your family’s business if you don’t believe it, but you can’t stop us from dealing with ours,” Old Bai shouted from the back of the crowd.

He feared Bai Mianmian might attack him and also feared the village chief stopping Jinhua Granny.

As for the Zhou family and others— they had already fled.

“Old Brother, your child’s possessed by something bad. I have to go back and prepare some ritual tools to deal with it,” Jinhua Granny said, hoping to slip away before Old Bai could stop her.

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At first, Old Bai didn’t think much and nodded repeatedly. Only after Jinhua Granny packed up and left did he realize what had happened—mainly because of the pitying looks from the villagers.

“The Zhang family is busy. Grandpa, let’s not disturb them and go home first.”

Her smiling face made the old village chief look both adorable and obedient.

Old Bai, however, saw things differently. After hesitating for a few seconds, he said, “Brother Fengxian, this really isn’t my second daughter. She wouldn’t be so bold. If she really were possessed…”

“Bai Shu!” Old Village Chief Zhang warned sharply, “I know you don’t like your second wife’s children. But how can you say such things as a grandfather? You’re breaking the children’s hearts!”

“No, it’s not my second daughter. My second daughter is filial and obedient. She wouldn’t do such things—hit grandma or uncles…”

“Not your second daughter? Then she’s mine! I wish she were.”

“...Then you can have her,” Old Bai said without hesitation.

Everyone else was puzzled by that offer.

“Since he likes her, I’ll give her to you. From now on, she’s a member of the Zhang family.”

In an instant, Old Bai confirmed everyone’s suspicions. The old village chief nearly laughed in exasperation.

“If you believe in the Zhang family from now on, remember this—don’t come back. We have no food or money left. They’re different; they have many people and plenty of money.”

Fearing the old village chief might return the girl, Old Bai ran off right after speaking. The chief was left speechless. It took him several deep breaths to calm down. Yet when he looked at Bai Mianmian, his expression softened with sympathy.

“Child, don’t blame your grandfather. These days are hard for every family. To face a thief is simply hard to accept!”

“Mm, I understand. I won’t bother you anymore,” Bai Mianmian said with a faint smile and turned to go home.

She hadn’t gone far when the Zhang family’s gate exploded with commotion. Some said she truly had a problem, some lamented the Bai family’s misfortune, others pitied the original owner. All sorts of voices filled the air.

“Nonsense! Children shouldn’t speak of monsters and spirits. When things happen, don’t just jump to ghosts and gods. Do ghosts eat grain? Do ghosts use silver?”

“But that second daughter of the Bai family is truly different. The other children from the Bai family’s second branch are always meek and timid, but today’s girl could easily pass for a lady from the city. Though dressed in rags, she…” Granny Xu searched for words. She wouldn’t admit that she had almost been frightened out of her wits by a little girl pretending to be a fraud.