One of the children saw her, smiled, and said, "Good afternoon, Elder Sister Yixin."
Looking at the little girl smiling at her cutely, Duan Yixin smiled back and said, "Good afternoon, little sister."
The little girl overheard what happened to Duan Yixin this morning from her parents' conversation and asked while staring at Duan Yixin with her large eyes, "Elder Sister Yixin, are you feeling unwell?"
Hearing the worry in the little girl's tone, Duan Yixin raised her eyebrows slightly. She squatted down, looked at the little girl, and said with a smile, "I'm fine. Do we know each other, little sister?"
The little girl nodded and said, "Um. Elder Sister Yixin, you often play with us and share interesting things with us. Can't you really remember anything?"
As the little girl stared at her, other children stopped picking up firewood and came. Being stared at by five pairs of eyes at the same time, Duan Yixin felt a little bit guilty.
She patted the little girl's head gently, nodded, and said softly, "Mhm. I'm sorry that your elder sister Yixin was gone."
The children looked at each other and then patted her hands. Duan Yixin smiled when she saw these children, who looked no more than seven years old, patting her with an expression that seemed to tell her that everything would be alright.
After a while, a boy who looked to be the oldest said, "Elder Sister Yixin, my name is Feng Yifeng, but you can call me Xiaofeng."
He patted the little girl's head and said, "This is Xixi."
Xiaofeng pointed to the other two boys and said, "This is Xiaodong and Pengpeng."
Before he could introduce the other little girl, she said, "My name is Li Xilei. Everyone calls me Xiaolei, and I am as strong as thunder!"
Duan Yixin looked at the children and thought they were like a bunch of cute little radishes. She smiled at the children and said, "Nice to meet you. My name is Duan Yixin."
Xiaolei laughed and said, "Elder Sister Yixin, we know your name."
After talking to the children for a while, she stood up and said, "Elder sister still has to collect firewood and find food. Let's chat again next time. Be careful on your way home."
The children looked at her worriedly but nodded and said goodbye. After separating from the children, Duan Yixin walked along the small path while picking up dry leaves and broken branches. After the bamboo basket was half filled with dried leaves and branches, she heard something and stopped on her track.
There was only silence there as no one was around. Duan Yixin stood there and focused her ears to hear the sound. After a while, she heard the sound of trickling water. She opened her eyes and walked in the direction of the water sound.
Five minutes later, the sound of water became louder, and she stopped. Looking around, she didn't see any paths other than the small path. After thinking about it, she decided to push away the bushes.
As soon as she emerged from the bushes, she saw a wide river with shallow water. As she neared the river, her eyes saw something. Duan Yixin was a little surprised when she looked at the big black mussels on the riverbed.
She put down the bamboo basket, bent down, and picked up a large black mussel. After taking a closer look, Duan Yixin was sure that this was really a freshwater pearl mussel.
In her original world, this kind of freshwater pearl mussel has become extinct due to pollution and human exploitation. The reason for the exploitation is that the natural pearls produced by this species of freshwater pearl mussel can be used to make cosmetics, medicines, and jewelry.
Due to the rarity of natural pearls, they are always sold at sky-high prices and are widely sought after by wealthy people. Duan Yixin looked at the river bed covered with countless freshwater pearl mussels and fell into silence.
After a moment of silence, she thought: 'Just looking at the number of freshwater pearl mussels in this section of the river, it seems that the people living in this area didn't know the use of pearls. If that's the case, then there should be no problem for me to harvest some pearls.'
After making her decision, she searched the warehouse and took out a set of surgery tools and a small plier. She carefully opened the mussels with the pliers and then looked inside.
Looking into the clam, she saw many pearls of various shapes and colors. She then uses surgery clamps to carefully take out those pearls from the mussel without damaging the inside of the mussel.
Although this process takes more time than the usual practice of prying open and killing the mussels to harvest the pearls, Duan Yixin prefers this method of harvesting pearls. Because of her life experience in the original world, she knows how precious the life of every species is. Therefore, she will not kill unless necessary or forced by the situation.
It took more than twenty minutes to take out all the pearls from the mussel. Looking at the pearls in a wooden box taken out from the warehouse, Duan Yixin couldn't hide her smile. Judging from the size and number of pearls, it is estimated that this mussel is at least thirty to forty years old.
After making sure the mussel was unharmed, she returned it to the riverbed and took another mussel. When she finally filled the wooden box with pearls of different sizes and colors, Duan Yixin's stomach growled. She hadn't eaten lunch, and she felt like her front belly was sticking to her back.
Putting the box of pearls, a set of surgical tools, and the small pliers into the warehouse, she went to the river to wash her hands. While washing her hands, she saw many fish swimming in the river. There are also freshwater species, such as clams and shrimps.
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Looking at the abundant natural resources in front of her, Duan Yixin wondered why the villagers never harvest these things. Although she was curious, her first priority now is to fill her stomach.
After cleaning her hands, she went to a nearby tree to pick a few large leaves, then squatted by the river and started picking clams and shrimp. After collecting enough food for three meals, she wrapped them in the large leaves and carefully placed them in a bamboo basket. She then carried the bamboo basket and walked back home.
When the sun was slightly slanted to the west, Duan Yixin pushed open the low wooden door. As soon as she walked into the front yard, she saw two middle-aged women and a middle-aged man sitting on wooden stools.
She frowned slightly, looked at them, and asked, "Who are you? Don't you know that trespassing on private property is a crime?"
After listening to her words, the thin middle-aged woman glared at Duan Yixin and said angrily, "Presumptuous! Is this how you talk to your elders?"
Duan Yixin doesn't like her at first glance and only looks at her silently for a long time. Feeling the pressure coming from her, the middle-aged woman subconsciously took a step back. When she realized that she was afraid of Duan Yixin, her face turned red with embarrassment and anger.
She slammed her palms on the old wooden table, pointed at Duan Yixin, turned to look at the middle-aged man, and said, "Look! This is your Duan family teaching?! Don't you care about your rebellious niece?!"
Listening to the words of this thin middle-aged woman, Duan Yixin looked at the middle-aged man. Looking at him carefully, she noticed that she and he had a slight resemblance. If he didn't look like he was in his early sixties, he would be quite good-looking.
Placing the bamboo basket on the ground, Duan Yixin looked at the middle-aged man and said calmly, "I don't know who you three are, but before I report to the village chief, please leave my house."
After Duan Yixin finished speaking, the middle-aged man frowned. He glanced at the bamboo basket and saw that there were only dry leaves and branches inside, so he looked away.
With a smile on his face, he said, "Xin Niang, uncle heard that you lost your memory after a head injury yesterday. I came with your aunt to see if you are alright."
After speaking, he observed Duan Yixin's expression and saw that her pale face was devoid of feeling. He thought for a few seconds, then cleared his throat.
He sighed and said, "Since you have really lost your memory, then let uncle tell you about our relationship. I am your mother's elder brother, and my name is Duan Sida. This is my wife, Zhao Xiaohua, and you should call her aunt."
He gestured to the fat middle-aged woman and said with a smile, "And this is Matchmaker Li."
Duan Yixin looked at the fat middle-aged woman after Duan Sida finished the introduction. Matchmaker Li was wearing a bright red dress, and her greasy hair was shaped in a high bun and decorated with a big flower. Her wrinkled face was covered with thick white powder.
Looking at her appearance, Duan Yixin thought that Matchmaker Li was not wearing makeup but was wearing a mask. Judging from how she was dressed and how Duan Sida addressed her as 'Matchmaker Li', Duan Yixin could guess the reason why these people came to visit her uninvited.
Seeing her expressionlessly staring at Matchmaker Li, Duan Sida thought to himself, 'This damn girl really changed after losing her memory. I had to get this deal done quickly before she caught up with anything.'
When he makes a plan to plot against Duan Yixin, Madam Duan sees her husband just staring at Duan Yixin without saying anything after introducing the three of them. Madam Duan was afraid of delaying Matchmaker Li's task, so she pinched her husband's waist.
Being pinched in the soft meat around his waist, Duan Sida hissed in pain and glared at his wife. Seeing his wife keep winking at him while glancing at Matchmaker Li, Duan Sida remembered the reason why they came to visit his niece.
He quickly showed a smile befitting an elder and said, "Xin Niang, uncle knows that you have lost your memory. After your grandfather passed away, we also separated the family. But no matter what, as your elder, your uncle still has to take care of you on behalf of your late mother."
As a scientist, Duan Yixin's observation and deduction abilities are first-rate. Under her keen eyes and quick mind, Duan Sida's poor performance is clear at a glance. Duan Yixin raised the corners of her mouth slightly when she saw the woman who was supposed to be her aunt glancing at Matchmaker Li anxiously.
'So they really here to force me to get married. The other party should give them a lot of money to make them so anxious. The likelihood that they have already spent the money is also very high.'
Thinking about this, she looked at Duan Sida and his wife, and the smile on her lips curved up more.
After a moment of silence, Duan Yixin carried the bamboo basket and walked to the woodshed while saying, "If you want me to get married, then go back to your home and sleep earlier today. The door is open, so please leave."
Leaving these words behind, she ignored the three of them and walked into the woodshed.
After a moment of silence, Matchmaker Li looked at Duan Sida and asked doubtfully, "Does she just say that we were daydreaming and chase us away?"
Duan Sida and his wife looked at each other hesitantly, then Duan Sida looked at Matchmaker Li and replied, "... It seems so."
After unloading the dry leaves and branches, Duan Yixin brought the clams and shrimp to the well.
When she came out, she heard Matchmaker Li slamming the table and saying angrily, "I don't care! If you can't give me a bride, then give me back the bride price! Otherwise, I will report to Master Chen! See if you can still live to spend the money! Hmph!"
After shouting threats directly at Duan Sida's face, Matchmaker Li left angrily.
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