1864-chapter-38
Qing Shu walked to the door and was shocked when she saw the little boy standing outside.
This young boy was dressed in ragged clothes with barely any color left, his face gaunt, his eye sockets deep, and his eyes unusually large. His arms were as thin as bamboo poles, and his thighs were even thinner than corn stalks. If not for his eyes moving, Qing Shu would have suspected that he was a skeleton rather than a person.
Wei shi shouted, “Hurry up and leave! This isn’t a place for you.”
The little boy seemed not to understand Wei shi’s words and said, “Rice dumplings, fragrant.”
Qing Shu instantly understood that the aroma of the rice dumplings had attracted the boy.
Wei shi picked up a broom from the corner and threatened, “If you don’t leave now, I’ll hit you.”
Seeing that Wei shi was really going to lay hands on the little boy, Qing Shu couldn’t bear it and said, “Second aunt, he just wants some food. Let’s give him some.”
Wei shi retorted, “Do you know what you’re saying? This person is a harbinger of bad luck. We can’t have any association with him, or we’ll be unlucky.”
Qing Shu didn’t believe this at all, but she didn’t want to argue with Wei shi. She simply said to the little boy, “Wait here; I’ll get you some.”
Saying this, Qing Shu turned and went to the kitchen.
Qing Shu fetched a handful of freshly steaming rice dumplings from the kitchen and handed them to the little boy at the door. “Take these and eat.”
Wei shi was extremely annoyed and said, “Do you know who he is? You dare to give him so many meat dumplings?” Giving one would have been enough, but she had given him seven or eight, this extravagant girl.
There was a set quantity of dumplings made, and Qing Shu casually gave away seven or eight, which meant they would have to eat less later.
Qing Shu chuckled. “It’s just a few rice dumplings; it’s not like it’s anything precious.”
Seeing her appearing so rich and generous, Wei shi was infuriated to the core. This wretched girl’s attitude and speech had become increasingly abrasive.
When Qing Shu returned to ask for more rice dumplings, Zhang Qiaoqiao asked, “Didn’t you take a handful just now?”
“I gave it to someone,” Qing Shu replied.
Wei shi said, “Do you know who she gave the rice dumplings to? She gave them to that ominous star.”
Zhang Qiaoqiao was shocked and asked, “Why did you give the rice dumplings to him?”
Qing Shu felt that these people were too heartless. The boy was just a poor child, but everyone treated him like a ferocious beast.
Wei shi scolded her, “You are too reckless. Do you know who he is? He’s an ominous star, and anyone who associates with him will have bad luck.”
They called him an ominous star because he was a “coffin child.” A coffin child is someone born inside a coffin. Such individuals are considered inauspicious and are believed to bring misfortune to others.
Zhang Qiaoqiao explained, “He caused his own mother’s death before he was even born. His father consulted a fortune teller, and she said he was an ominous star. Anyone close to him would die. His father intended to abandon him on a mountain, but his grandparents couldn’t bear to do it. The next day, his grandfather was killed by a wild boar while collecting firewood on the mountain.”
Qing Shu couldn’t help but scoff, “And you believe what that fortune teller said? She called me a demon and nearly killed me.”
It seemed that this old fortune teller had caused harm to many people, and Qing Shu was just one of them.
Zhang Qiaoqiao continued, “Qing Shu, this child is truly peculiar. A ruffian once hit him, and when he went home, he fell into a ditch and died. Several children in the village bullied him, and when they went home, they all developed high fevers… There have been countless incidents like these.”
Qing Shu actually thought that this boy was lucky. After all, those who harmed him seemed to face misfortune themselves.
Zhang Qiaoqiao advised, “Qing Shu, I know you have a kind heart, but you have to be careful about who you help. This person is not to be trifled with. You should keep your distance.”
Qing Shu still didn’t believe all this, saying, “It’s just a coincidence.”
Zhang Qiaoqiao said sternly, “Regardless of whether it’s a coincidence or not, you mustn’t get involved with him. Qing Shu, even if you’re not afraid, you should think about your mother. She’s pregnant, and we can’t afford any mistakes.”
Qing Shu assured, “I’ll be back in the county in a couple of days. I won’t have any association with him.”
Hearing this, Zhang Qiaoqiao finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Back in the room, when Qing Shu suggested going for a walk, her mother, Gu Xian, declined, saying she wasn’t hungry and that Qing Shu should eat the rice dumplings herself.
Qing Shu grabbed two rice dumplings and began to eat them. She found them delicious—soft, chewy, and sweet.
As she was about to eat her second dumpling, she heard her mother, Gu Xian, scream.
Qing Shu dropped the dumpling and rushed outside.
Seeing her mother standing in the yard seemingly unharmed, Qing Shu asked, “Mother, what happened?”
Other female family members had also gathered outside. Old Master Lin and his son were not present; they had taken Lin Lezhu and Lin Lewei1 to pay respects at the ancestral graves.
Gu Xian, clutching her belly, said with lingering fear, “I slipped on a stone just now.”
Qing Shu turned pale.
Wei shi, upon hearing this, turned to Qing Shu and said, “I told you not to get involved with that ominous star, but you didn’t believe me. Now, you’ve almost caused your mother to fall. She’s over six months pregnant now, and we can’t afford any accidents.”
Gu Xian, somewhat puzzled, asked, “What ominous star are you talking about?”
She had been so absorbed in her sewing earlier that she had no idea what had happened outside.
Wei shi briefly recounted the incident, saying, “We’ve all told her not to associate with that ominous star, but she wouldn’t listen.”
Qing Shu argued, “I didn’t even touch him. How could I have brought bad luck upon myself?”
Wei shi retorted, “Your mother was almost harmed because of you, and you still won’t repent? Are you waiting for your actions to lead to her death?”
Qing Shu had already suspected that Gu Xian’s previous difficult childbirth, which had nearly cost her life, was orchestrated by the Lin family. Wei shi’s words struck a nerve. “You’re saying I’ll harm my mother? I have to ask, how did a stone suddenly appear in our courtyard?”
Old Madam Lin, with an unpleasant expression, scolded her, “Is this how you speak to your elders? You’re yelling like this.” She was thoroughly irritated with Qing Shu, but Gu Xian’s protection made it difficult for her to take action.
Qing Shu was about to refute Old Madam Lin when she saw Gu Xian’s stern glare. She had to swallow her words.