Chapter 49: Backlash of Fortune

Chapter 49: Chapter 49: Backlash of Fortune

Deng Yuyuan’s eyes fell on the hairpin.

She had carved it herself. To avoid exposing her true identity, she had even used a different carving technique.

The man in black wouldn’t ask such a question without reason; there had to be a flaw somewhere. She wondered, "Has he been to Dazhang Village, or is he a local there?"

"No, I bought it from someone else. I don’t have such skillful hands," Deng Yuyuan replied, deflecting his probe while subtly praising her own work.

The man in black didn’t press the matter. Any further questioning would have been impolite.

The disguised old woman before him contrasted so drastically with Deng Yuyuan’s actual appearance that he never connected the two. He was merely pondering whether Deng Yuyuan herself had any dealings in the black market and how deep her involvement went. He simply mentioned that this type of hairpin was exquisitely crafted with an ingenious design. Furthermore, it was easy to store and transport. Although the material wasn’t premium, it was durable enough to sell quite well. He suggested she acquire more of them.

Deng Yuyuan nodded nonchalantly. As a modern woman who loved browsing online shopping sites, she had seen countless hairpin styles. Simply replicating those online designs was enough to create trendy, novel items in the eyes of people from this era.

Thanks to the man in black, although she made a little less money, she saved a tremendous amount of effort. Deng Yuyuan removed her disguise early and returned to the hospital to keep Gou Ya company while the girl received her IV drip.

The third day passed in this manner.

The blood tests and X-rays all showed good results. Deng Yuyuan asked the doctor to prescribe some tonic formulas to help the girl recover her strength. Lugging a pile of medicine, she took Gou Ya to buy a clay pot for brewing the herbs. Along the way, she conveniently purchased some peach cakes, orange-slice candies, fruit drops, animal crackers, egg rolls, and sunflower seeds.

Even the most stern and ill-tempered salespeople would beam with joy upon encountering such a beautiful and generous customer like Deng Yuyuan.

She pondered that Tuantuan was also due for her vaccinations at the hospital. When the time came, she would bring Tuantuan along to buy some new clothes and toys. There was a photo studio in town; they definitely needed to take a mother-daughter portrait together.

"You can’t eat any of these snacks, or you’ll get sick. How about I make you some lean pork and vegetable porridge when we get back?" Deng Yuyuan said, looking down at Gou Ya, who was walking ahead of her, HUFFING AND PUFFING as she hugged the clay pot.

Today was the final day of the IV treatment. Since they needed the doctor to do a follow-up examination before prescribing the final dosage, they couldn’t prearrange a pickup time with the ox cart driver. It would cost extra money to have the cart wait nearby. Feeling much better, Gou Ya stubbornly refused to spend money on the ox cart. She insisted that Deng Yuyuan could take it if she wanted, but she would just walk back. After all, one less passenger meant less money spent.

Gou Ya had already cost Deng Yuyuan a lot of money. Even though Deng Yuyuan didn’t mind, the little girl grew increasingly terrified. What if she was abandoned in the future for being too expensive to raise? Besides, she had been spending every day in town, resting constantly apart from doing a few morning chores. Her aunt had once said that lazy, expensive children would only be thrown into the deep ravines to feed the wild wolves.

Whenever Deng Yuyuan wasn’t looking, Gou Ya would frequently steal glances at her expression, trying to guess if she was getting impatient with her today. But from her low vantage point, she could only see Deng Yuyuan, who remained breathtakingly beautiful even from such an unflattering angle. Her long, snow-white neck and her sharp, delicate jawline looked like a divine masterpiece crafted by the Creator.

Today, Deng Yuyuan was still patiently keeping the child company.

How could Deng Yuyuan possibly agree to Gou Ya’s devilish idea—riding the ox cart herself while making a child recovering from a severe illness walk all the way back? Since the child truly didn’t want to take the cart, Deng Yuyuan simply decided to walk with her. She even wore a bamboo basket on her back; if Gou Ya couldn’t walk any further, she could just scoop her up and carry her the rest of the way.

Hearing Deng Yuyuan say that she wouldn’t be able to eat a single bite of the snacks, Gou Ya paused, her little heart overwhelmed with emotion once again. She had never even considered that Deng Yuyuan might share the purchased snacks with her. She was already used to receiving absolutely nothing.

Yet Deng Yuyuan had not only thought about sharing, but was also worrying about her health! How could she be worthy of such tremendous kindness? Her mother was a fool who never cared for her. Growing up, Gou Ya had scavenged for food in the fields and sometimes even had to steal dog food to survive. At first, she used to envy the other children, but later on, all she cared about was surviving to see the next day.

She dared not think about anything else. For a bite to eat, just to stay alive, she would do anything. Unfortunately, she was still too young, and no man was willing to take her in and provide for her.

Deng Yuyuan had no idea that Gou Ya was experiencing such a rich inner monologue. Seeing the girl stay silent, she assumed the child was sulking.

"After we finish brewing the herbal medicine, this clay pot can be used to make pigeon soup. How about I treat you to some pigeon soup then?" Deng Yuyuan offered, her own mouth watering at the thought.

Gou Ya nodded enthusiastically. She loved drinking soup more than anything. People might lie about giving her rice or dishes, but offers of soup were usually true, and even a watery broth tasted delicious to her.

They had one less IV bottle to get through today, so they arrived home just in time for dinner.

Tuantuan was resting in Zhao Erdong’s arms, her bright eyes fixed on Deng Yuyuan. The moment their eyes met, Deng Yuyuan immediately dropped her bamboo basket and ran forward. Her tone was so exaggerated that anyone could tell she was putting on a show.

"Tuantuan, Mommy missed you to death! Every single moment, every passing second, Mommy loves her little baby so much!" She planted a kiss on Tuantuan’s left cheek, and then another on her right.

The little infant didn’t understand that her mother was acting. She only knew she loved it, giggling, "HEE HEE HEE," and pointing to her own mouth, "AH! AH!"

Deng Yuyuan obediently leaned her face in, and Tuantuan gave her mother a big, sloppy kiss. The baby was absolutely delighted, wiggling her little bottom happily in Zhao Erdong’s arms.

Attempting to get close to her future little husband, Gou Ya praised, "Everyone in the village says Fubao is better-looking than Tuantuan, but I think Tuantuan is the cutest and the most blessed."

She wondered in disbelief, "?!! Does this little vicious supporting character already know how to launch an instant attack?"

Tuantuan looked at her curiously. It was the big sister she liked! She began waving her arms and kicking her legs in excitement again.

Gou Ya walked toward Tuantuan. She had only taken a few steps before tripping over flat ground and eating dirt. Because her mind was still fixated on not breaking the clay pot, she ended up in a comical posture—face planted in the dirt, both hands holding the pot high toward the sky.

See? This was the karma for speaking ill of the female lead.

Deng Yuyuan found it both exasperating and amusing, yet she secretly breathed a sigh of relief. The backlash from the female lead’s "blessed aura" came in two forms: one was immediate bad luck, which passed as soon as the person made a fool of themselves. The other, and the most fatal kind, was encountering a disaster in major events where a single detail determines ruin, much like the missing horseshoe nail that cost Napoleon his empire.

"If you’re going to praise Tuantuan, just praise Tuantuan. Why drag someone else into it?" Deng Yuyuan said, her tone laced with frustration over the girl’s failure to meet expectations.

As soon as those words were spoken, Gou Ya, who had just slightly raised her head, immediately ducked it back down into the dirt. Her entire body trembled as fragmented apologies slipped from her lips. Only her hands, still holding the clay pot aloft, remained perfectly steady.

She wondered, "Why is her reaction so extreme?"

Deng Yuyuan paused in surprise. Suddenly remembering the harsh environment Gou Ya had grown up in, she realized she had misspoken. She stepped forward and pulled Gou Ya up from the ground, teasing gently, "You’re just like Tuantuan. Whenever you feel wronged, you just curl up. Come, let Auntie check if you’re hurt."