Chapter 166: The Little Fool in the Group Favorite Story – 9

Xie Hui abruptly turned around and saw the little one headfirst in the field, with only two legs kicking in the air.

After a moment of shock, he quickly ran over and pulled him out.

“Waaah, waaah, Daddy…”

Looking at the dirty little one clinging to his neck and crying, Xie Hui took a deep breath to suppress his anger.

Sometimes, it’s understandable why parents get so irritable. With such a foolish child, even he couldn’t hold back his temper.

Xie Hui glanced at the unfinished work in the field, then at the little one who had barely managed to wipe the mud off his face with tears, and decided to take him home first.

Once home, he sat Ning Ning on a bench in the yard and went to boil some hot water.

While the water was heating, Xie Hui fetched clean clothes.

Ning Ning, sitting on the bench, kept wiping his tears with the back of his hand, while his other hand rested obediently on his knee.

He seemed to realize he had done something wrong. Since entering the house, apart from wiping his tears, his movements were very gentle.

While helping him bathe, Xie Hui looked at the anxious little face watching him and helplessly pinched his nose, whispering:

“Will you dare to do it again next time?”

He had just finished venting his anger on the Old Madam, and now this little guy had truly tested his patience.

Because he had fallen headfirst, his head was also dirty. After bathing him, Xie Hui washed his hair as well, then dried it with a cloth. The weather was warm, even a bit hot, so there was no fear of catching a cold. Holding his hand, they headed back.

The work in the field was still unfinished, and Ning Ning, knowing he was wrong, hurried along with his short legs.

On the way to the field, an old woman stopped Xie Hui.

“Xie Hui, why don’t you ever listen? Going against Heaven’s Favored Daughter, how many lives do you have?”

“Look at you, you just bullied Lili, and now your son fell into the field.”

“Your son is already a fool, you should just apologize to your niece. If Lili isn’t angry, maybe Heaven will spare you!”

Xie Hui immediately recognized the schadenfreude in the old woman’s eyes. Not to mention he never intended to apologize to Xie Kangli, he didn’t believe this was retribution at all.

“Oh, have you never tripped before? Or do you think you’ve done something wrong and Heaven is punishing you?”

The old woman’s smile froze instantly.

During the busy farming season, everyone was quite occupied, and with some uneven ground, who hadn’t tripped in a hurry?

“Have your kids never been mischievous?”

After saying this, Xie Hui led his son around her and continued on his way.

He didn’t want to waste his working time on such an old woman.

That evening, during dinner in the village, someone brought up the incident. Many people felt that Xie Hui had changed.

“Even if Xie Ning is a fool, he’s still their own son. How could they let others bully him?”

“Even if Xie Hui seemed quite honest before, anyone pushed to the limit would react the same way.”

Though Xie Hui had indeed changed, most people thought it was understandable.

Who could bear to see their child bullied?

Moreover, the villagers had witnessed Xie Kangli bullying Xie Ning, which was indeed unreasonable, but they refrained from speaking up because everyone said she was Heaven’s Favored Daughter.

Even if they disapproved, they dared not voice it.

After discussing this, the eldest daughter-in-law of the family lowered her voice and curiously asked:

“Mother, do you think… the reason Xie Ning’s child fell into the field today was because he offended Heaven’s Favored Daughter?”

This old woman, who had a good relationship with the village chief’s wife and a similar personality, rolled her eyes at the question.

She hadn’t truly believed it before, but it had unsettled her.

Recently, for some unknown reason, that feeling of apprehension had faded, and she no longer avoided the topic.

“Who would believe that if you said it out loud? Which of our children hasn’t fallen into the field?”

Especially those who had just learned to walk, when busy, no one could watch them all the time, so they took them to the fields.

In their village, children who hadn’t fallen into the fields were as rare as phoenix feathers.

It was just that Xie Hui’s child, perhaps because he was a bit foolish, fell headfirst.

The old woman recalled the conversation she had with the village chief’s wife while picking vegetables and shared it with her daughter-in-law.

“If she were truly Heaven’s Favored Daughter, wouldn’t a bolt of lightning strike down anyone who offended her? Look at how old Xie Kangli is now, has anything like that happened?”

“Don’t talk about tripping because of offending her; plenty of people trip without offending her.”

Such conversations became more common in the village, and more people began to doubt Xie Kangli’s identity as a lucky star.

If she were truly a lucky star, why was she born into a farming family? And why, despite her age, hadn’t the Xie Family built a grand house?

It was clear that this lucky star title was undeserved.

After finishing his work in the field, Xie Hui went to chop wood and unexpectedly found many common herbs.

These herbs could be found elsewhere, and occasionally, villagers would gather some to sell when not busy.

The prices offered by the medical hall were low, only enough to slightly supplement household expenses.

To gather firewood, Xie Hui had visited most of the nearby hills, often taking his son along.

There were no wild beasts on the mountain, and unless you ventured deep into the forest, even birds were scarce, having been hunted clean.

After a rain, Xie Hui saw many herbs on the mountain. When he found mountain goods, he would collect them, dry them, and sell them for some extra money.

After the rain, there were also many mushrooms on the mountain. Xie Hui picked some he recognized and put them in his basket.

He didn’t feel comfortable leaving Ning Ning at home, nor did he want to impose on the village chief’s family for help.

After a few visits, once he was familiar with the route and confirmed it was safe, Xie Hui would take him along.

With no one to help care for him, he had to work a bit harder himself.

Last time, when it rained and he couldn’t work outside, Xie Hui even made a small basket for Ning Ning so he could carry flowers and plants he liked when they went up the mountain.

The Client had learned about these things to supplement household income when there was nothing else to do in the county.

Because the things Xie Hui crafted were so intricate, the village chief’s eldest son even paid him to make two baskets.

In the Client’s memory, Xie Kangli had found valuable herbs, but Xie Hui never thought of taking them.

Finding them was a matter of fate, and if he did find them, he wouldn’t miss the opportunity.

Previously, Xie Hui noticed that the ordinary herbs on this hill grew much better than those on other hills.

After a rain, he unexpectedly found several uncommon herbs, which immediately aroused his suspicion.

This time, Xie Hui ventured into a bamboo grove and discovered many purple mushrooms.

These mushrooms were non-toxic and, when cooked with eggs, tasted delicious.

Initially, Ning Ning preferred pretty flowers, but after Xie Hui made mushroom soup once, Ning Ning started looking for mushrooms every time they went up the mountain.

Xie Hui let him pick the mushrooms and put them in his basket while he inspected the area.

As they descended the mountain, Xie Hui unexpectedly spotted a ginseng plant behind a dead tree.

At first, Xie Hui only found it familiar. He had already walked past when Ning Ning broke free from his hand and ran back to pick the mushrooms near the ginseng.

These mushrooms had a good texture and were Ning Ning’s favorite.

Having not found any mushrooms earlier, Ning Ning’s lips had been pouting on the way down.

With no choice, Xie Hui accompanied him, watching him use his little hands to pick mushrooms, and only then did he notice the plant beside them.

The moment he saw it, he instinctively couldn’t believe it, but then he squatted down to examine it.

After careful identification, he confirmed it was indeed wild ginseng, at least two hundred years old.

Instinctively, Xie Hui felt this was the ginseng Xie Kangli had found in the original storyline.

With this thought, Xie Hui decisively dug up the wild ginseng.

Since it was still growing on the mountain, it was ownerless, and whoever found it could claim it.

As Xie Hui dug it up and descended the mountain, he saw his son happily bouncing along with a basket full of mushrooms and couldn’t help but smile.

After the rain, many people went mushroom picking, and Xie Hui greeted several on the way home.

Once home, Ning Ning sat on his little bench and began sorting the mushrooms.

Though the little one was clumsy in other areas, he was quite smart when it came to food. Xie Hui had only needed to explain once about which mushrooms were safe, and Ning Ning remembered it well.

Now, Xie Hui no longer hoped for him to get better, accepting everything about him with a calm heart.

Ning Ning sat in the yard, sorting the mushrooms, placing the flowers he had gathered aside. His small hands were nimble, cleaning off leaves and dirt from the mushrooms.

He placed the clean mushrooms in a basket with practiced ease.

Inside the house, Xie Hui carefully examined the wild ginseng again.

In the Client’s memory, this wild ginseng had significant value.

While others praised Xie Kangli for her generosity in offering the ginseng, Xie Hui, after analyzing the situation, found her actions despicable.

“System, did you forget to give me the plot of this world?”

“Understood, Host, transmitting the plot now—”