Chapter 78

Chapter 78

Ye Jinmeng didn't know where she was. Before her eyes was a shabby little mud hut, with a few scattered households nearby, surrounded by towering mountains.

It seemed to be winter, with a thin layer of snow on the ground. In the courtyard, there was a little girl, probably around ten years old, whose clothes were patched all over, squatting and washing clothes. Ye Jinmeng had never seen this girl before and didn't recognize her.

The water looked cold, and the girl's hands were covered in chilblains.

Ye Jinmeng felt compassion and walked over, wanting to warm the girl's hands with her own. But to her surprise, her hands passed right through the girl's body, unable to make contact.

"Am I dead now?" Ye Jinmeng wondered.

"You good-for-nothing girl, hurry up and make some food! Do you want to starve your brother and me to death?" a shrill voice suddenly rang out.

Before Ye Jinmeng could process what was happening, an old woman, probably in her sixties, emerged from the hut.

"Washing clothes at such a snail's pace! Hurry up and make some food first, then you can wash clothes later! You're such a useless waste of money!"

The old woman glared at the girl with threatening eyes, making Ye Jinmeng roll her eyes repeatedly in outrage.

The obedient girl put down the clothes she was washing and ran over to the makeshift stove, starting a fire to boil noodles.

"Grandma, I'm so hungry. Has my sister not made the food yet?" A boy who looked about five or six years old snuggled up to the old woman, who had suddenly transformed into a picture of tenderness despite her earlier ferocity.

"Oh, my little darling, the food will be ready soon. Go inside quickly, it's cold out here!"

The boy's clothes, though not brand new, had no patches, and the old woman's clothes only had a patch or two. But the girl's clothes seemed to be entirely made up of patches sewn together.

Ye Jinmeng finally understood - this old woman valued her grandson over her granddaughter, treating the boy like a treasure and the girl like dirt. It was the first time she had witnessed such a scene.Discover new chapters at novelhall.com

"I really can't fathom why, even though she's a woman herself, she can't show a little kindness to the girl?"

As much as Ye Jinmeng wanted to help the poor girl, she was powerless, for no one could perceive her existence.

The scene then shifted, and Ye Jinmeng found herself in the same courtyard, now draped with white cloth.

The woman sighed.

"Your grandmother just called me earlier. She said she's already found you a good match, from a well-off family who paid a sizeable dowry. Although, um... the groom might have some intellectual disabilities, but he'll definitely not mistreat you."

Ye Jinmeng listened to the woman's words, her eyes practically rolling into the back of her head as she gasped for air in outrage.

"Ahhh, what kind of people are these!"

"Ahhh, this girl is so pitiful, being treated like a servant from a young age, then sent to a factory to earn money, and now being sold off as a bride to an idiot!"

"Ahhh, is there no police officer who can intervene? This is infuriating!"

Ye Jinmeng watched as the girl's hands, hanging at her sides, clenched into tight fists, but she remained silent with her head bowed.

"Ahhh, quick, leave this place! Definitely don't go back!"

Ye Jinmeng shouted at the girl with all her might, but it was no use. She paced back and forth frantically, gasping for air from her rage.

Ye Jinmeng clutched her chest tightly. "Ahh, I can't take it anymore, I'm in so much pain from the anger... Ahh... Am I dying... I never imagined I'd be killed by rage..."

"It hurts... so painful..."

"Jinmeng, Jinmeng..."

Ye Jinmeng thought she heard Shu Ning's voice as the pain in her chest made it hard for her to breathe.

Slowly opening her eyes, everything was a blinding white.

Ye Jinmeng felt like crying - had she really died and gone to heaven?

"Jinmeng, you're awake, Jinmeng..." Shu Ning's face suddenly appeared before her, filled with relief.

Ye Jinmeng's vision finally focused. It was just Shu Ning after all. Phew, it seemed she hadn't died yet.