C7 Fall into the Water

"What do you suggest we do?"

Xiaofeng's eyes darted around thoughtfully. "Well, if she loses the clothes and the washbasin, wouldn't that be worse than just getting them dirty?"

Exactly!

Their mom would be furious, and even their grandparents might punish her!

Not just her, but the other two as well. Just imagining the three sisters getting in trouble made Xiaofeng grin with delight.

She stuck her tongue out at Xiaoqiu, grabbed a piece of clothing, and dashed outside!

Xiaoqiu was stunned for a moment, then hurriedly followed with the washbasin. If the clothes were lost, they'd definitely get scolded again!

Behind them, Xiaofeng watched their retreating figures with a deep, thoughtful gaze.

One running, the other chasing, they quickly reached the riverbank!

Xiaohua stood by the river, triumphantly holding the clothes high. "Mute, if I throw these clothes away, Mom will definitely punish you. This is her favorite outfit!"

Xiaoqiu shook her head, eyes filled with worry.

Though Xiaohua was only seven, she'd been raised to be quite mischievous, often playing pranks and bullying them. Now that she had the clothes, she wasn't about to give them back easily!

That outfit was one their second aunt had spent fifty cents on in town. If it got ruined, there'd be big trouble!

"Uh... ah..."

"You can't even speak clearly! Just mumbling and stammering!" Xiaohua laughed mockingly, tossing the clothes into the river with force.

Xiaoqiu's face turned pale as she hurriedly chased after the drifting clothes. After a struggle, she managed to retrieve them, wiping the sweat from her forehead.

But Xiaohua was already clutching the wooden basin, shaking his head in disbelief. The more anxious she got, the more delighted he seemed, determined to make her pay for earlier grievances.

He threw all the clothes from the basin into the river, even tossing the basin itself. "Go ahead, try to fetch them!"

As the clothes floated away, she knew she'd be in trouble when she got home.

Laughing, he followed Xiaoqiu, grabbing her arm to prevent her from retrieving the clothes. The river wasn't wide, but it was deep and fast-moving. In no time, several pieces of clothing had disappeared.

Panicked, Xiaoqiu pushed Xiaohua away, her urgency giving her unexpected strength, and he fell over completely.

Landing awkwardly on the grass, Xiaohua got up with mud on his hands and his new clothes soaked.

Mute!

He was determined to get back at her.

As he tried to get up, he slipped and tumbled headfirst into the river.

Startled, she frantically grabbed at the grass around her, but it was too fragile to hold onto. She was about to fall into the river!

"Help me..." Shi Xiaohua cried out in terror as she faced the rushing river. With a splash, she fell in!

They were upstream, where the water was fast and deep. Shi Xiaohua flailed a few times, swallowing a lot of water, and eventually, she was completely submerged.

Meanwhile, Shi Xiaoqiu was unaware that her cousin had slipped into the water. She chased after the clothes and wooden basin downstream to the shallow area, where she took off her shoes and retrieved them, taking the chance to wash the clothes clean.

Looking back to where they came from, she couldn't see Shi Xiaohua. He was mischievous by nature, so she figured he must have run off to play somewhere.

She intended to head back, but considering Shi Xiaohua was still young and the upstream water was deep, she decided to go look for him, carrying the basin with her.

Back at home, the two sisters waited for Shi Xiaoqiu, growing anxious as time passed. She wasn't the type to dawdle, and there weren't many clothes to wash this time, so she should have been back by now.

"Maybe she's already done and is in the backyard. Let's go check," Shi Xiaodong suggested.

The sisters went to the backyard, finding it empty except for a single piece of clothing hanging alone on the wooden rack, already half-dry.

It looks like the clothes have been hanging here for a while!

"Sis, I saw Grandma give the clothes to our sister this morning. Why are they still here? And where is she?"

Xiaoqiu felt a growing unease as she loosened her grip on the clothes. If her sister had returned, she should have been back by now. She wouldn't have just washed one piece and left the rest behind!

The clothes in this yard were always washed by the three sisters. No one else would touch them!

Looking around, she spotted a slingshot on the ground. It belonged to Xiaohua, her mischievous young cousin. Despite his age, his nature could already be described as cruel!

Could Xiaoqiu have been bullied?

Her eyelashes fluttered slightly. "Xiaodong, stay at home and don't go anywhere. I'm going to check by the river!"