章 6: Chapter 006: I am Not a Thief
Ji Xinhe blinked, "What medicine? I don't quite understand."
Xiao Bei was also confused, staring blankly at Ji Dong.
Ji Dong's face darkened, "So you won't tell me the truth? I'm your brother, are you still hiding things from me? Others didn't hear it, but I did. Lady Ding said you took a medicinal concoction. What was it?"
Seeing Ji Dong's expression, Ji Xinhe figured he probably knew something. She couldn't hide it now and had to come clean: "She brought me a bowl of chicken soup early this morning, saying it was for my health. After I drank it, she took me to a cabin at the foot of the mountain. I guess that potion was an aphrodisiac..."
Ji Xinhe didn't dare to say it was an aphrodisiac, she feared Ji Dong would ask in detail how she managed to counteract it, something she wanted to remain buried forever.
Indeed, Ji Dong's face turned ashen after hearing this. The cabin at the foot of the mountain wasn't it the place where Lady Ding initially took them to search for something?
That place was locked, and he found it suspicious at the time. The man known as Porky San was confined inside. One didn't need to think hard to figure Lady Ding's intentions.
Ji Dong suddenly stood up, ready to burst out, "I knew she was up to no good! She wants to betroth you to that scoundrel Porky San against your will, and she even stooped so low to do this!"
Ji Xinhe hurriedly grabbed Ji Dong, "Brother, you can't confront her over this."
Ji Dong was livid and turned to Ji Xinhe saying, "Are you still defending Lady Ding? How can you be such a fool! She's trying to sell you off!"
Ji Xinhe was taken aback, and then she remembered that the original owner of her body indeed had a "deep mother-daughter bond" with Lady Ding. The key point is that she was indeed a little naive. If Lady Ding sweet-talked her into something, the body's original owner would simply accept it, even though her brother often warned her to be careful of Lady Ding. She was always defending Lady Ding unwillingly, and that's why she fell for Lady Ding's scheme so easily this time.
No wonder Ji Dong was so angry. He must've thought she was going to defend Lady Ding again.
Even Xiao Bei grabbed her sleeve and said, "She's evil. She nearly ruined you, sister. Don't believe her!"
Ji Xinhe felt a lump in her throat. Whether it was the childlike reminder from Xiao Bei or Ji Dong's fiery anger, she could feel their genuine concern for her. It had been a long time since she experienced such sincere emotions. In her previous life, she had been an orphan from memory, often faced with the coldness and numbness of death, and seldom felt such emotions.
Ji Xinhe pulled at the corners of her mouth: "Of course, I don't trust her, nor am I defending her. She plotted against me so cruelly this time, it's too late for me to even hate her."
Ji Dong looked surprised for a moment, this was the first time he heard Ji Xinhe say such words. His face softens. "Then why did you stop me from going to her for an explanation?"
Ji Xinhe scoffed, "We certainly need to settle the score, and we need to make her pay for both the capital and the interests!"
Ji Dong and Xiao Bei both seemed stunned, looking at the cold-faced girl in front of them, they seemed somewhat unfamiliar.
Ji Xinhe noticed her moment of lapse and quickly brought up a gentle smile, "Seeking her now won't do us any good. She would deny everything, and she must've gotten rid of the chicken soup she drugged. Then she and Porky San would get their stories straight, and we would have no proof. If you confront her now, she might even turn the tables on you. Besides, my reputation is also at stake."
Ji Dong looked at Ji Xinhe's gentle smile and finally pulled himself together, thinking that he must've been seeing things earlier. He nodded in agreement, "Indeed, your reputation is of the utmost importance."
"We must plan this out more carefully." Ji Xinhe smirked, revealing a touch of mystery and danger.
Ji Dong slammed a fist on the table: "Don't worry; I'll make sure you get justice!"
Ji Xinhe had suffered a head injury, and speaking a lot made her dizzy. Seeing that she wasn't feeling well, Ji Dong quickly helped her to lie down: "You should get some rest, take care of your body."
"Mm."
"Sister is weak. I'll fetch an egg for you to eat!" Xiao Bei said before toddling off.
Ji Dong also left, Ji Xinhe lay down and closed her eyes, but she wasn't sleeping. Instead, she was carefully sorting through the memory of the body she now occupied and analyzing her current situation. From the time she woke up to now, everything had been so rushed, and she hadn't had time to thoroughly think about it.
She's not yet 15 years old, and she'll probably be old enough to marry in a month or two. Her birth mother Wang Shi passed away too soon. She died shortly after giving birth to Xiao Bei. Less than a month after Wang Shi's death, her father married Lady Ding, who was also a widow. Her family had all died, leaving only her and her daughter, Xiulan. Lady Ding brought her daughter with her when she got married, so Xiulan took their father's surname and was now called, Ji Xiulan. She's also 16 now.
To curry favor with Lady Ding, Ji Dashan treated Ji Xiulan as his own and cherished her more than his own blood daughter.
Thinking of her terrible father, Ji Dashan, Ji Xinhe felt a chill. He was completely manipulated by Lady Ding. All day long, he let his wife do as she pleased and she treated her adopted daughter better than his own children. He barely cared for them at all.
The Ji family wasn't poor in the village. Look at the golden hairpin worth three silvers on Lady Ding's head. But where did she, Ji Dong and Xiao Bei live?
What was even more infuriating was that the wealth of the Ji family was actually all earned by her birth mother, Wang Shi, when she was alive. Wang Shi was selected by a wealthy family to be their wet nurse. She also helped out around their house on weekdays, earning three silvers and occasional tips a month because she was favored by the nobility. All the assets of the Ji family were saved by her mother.
Now everything has been taken away by Ji Dashan to please Lady Ding. If Wang Shi looks down from heaven and sees her children suffering like this, she might not rest in peace.
It was all in the past, but now that she has taken over Ji Xinhe's body, she must avenge her, no matter what!
Porky San...
Ji Xinhe narrowed her eyes and began to scheme in her heart.
Just as she was thinking, a commotion suddenly broke out outside.
"You shameless little thief, stealing from your own home now, how can the Ji family have a prodigal son like you!" Lady Ding's shrill voice was heard, followed by Xiao Bei's wailing.
"I didn't steal, I'm not a thief, you're making things up!"
"Heh, you still deny it? The chicken egg is right here in your hand, caught with the evidence, and you still dare to argue!"
"I didn't steal, I didn't steal, Boo hoo hoo." Xiao Bei was crying hard.
Ji Xinhe's heart skipped a beat. She hurriedly got out of bed to see what was happening.
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