C8 Death

"Alright!"

Xiaoxia followed the path, hoping to find Xiaoqiu, but instead ran into Xiaofeng. Xiaofeng was the son of the Third Branch, Shi Laizi, and Zhang Rongrong. He was known for being idle and lecherous, and Xiaoxia wasn't thrilled to see him.

"Where are you headed?" Xiaofeng asked, stroking his chin and glancing back slightly.

She didn't have a good impression of him, so she replied coolly, "Even though Dad's gone, I'm still the eldest daughter of the First Branch. By family hierarchy, you should call me cousin."

"You..." Xiaofeng was infuriated. What nonsense hierarchy was this? Not only did he have to acknowledge her, a jinx, as his cousin, but also a kid seven years younger than him as his elder cousin!

He never cared for such hierarchy. "You're looking for Xiaoqiu, right? I just came from the river, and she wasn't there. Who knows, maybe someone told her to sell the clothes and the washbasin, and now she's hiding somewhere counting money!"

"Xiaofeng, you shouldn't make baseless claims. But what were you doing by the river?" Xiaoxia asked suspiciously, noticing the mud on his shoes.

Under her piercing gaze, Xiaofeng felt uneasy. Since when did this jinx have such sharp eyes, as if she could see through all his secrets? "What's it to you? I've finished all my chores, so I can wander around as I please."

He's always been like this, so it's no surprise he's in a bad mood today. Still, something feels off.

If Xiaoqiu isn't by the river doing laundry, where could she be? Raising an eyebrow, she asked, "Are you sure you didn't see Xiaoqiu by the river?"

"Why would I lie to you?" Xiaofeng snapped back.

"Who knows!" Xiaoxia replied lazily. Maybe he wanted Xiaoqiu to get home late and get in trouble. It wouldn't be surprising if he did something like that.

She decided she needed to go check it out herself.

Just as she was about to leave, Xiaofeng grabbed her arm. "Fine, I'll tell you. Xiaohua went with Xiaoqiu, but now I don't know where they are. It's getting dark. We need to find them. If Xiaohua doesn't come back, you and your sister will be the ones in trouble!"

So that's what's going on!

Otherwise, why would he be out here instead of at home?

Even though she really didn't want to go looking, if Xiaohua didn't come back and got hurt, they'd be blamed. Xiaoqiu might even get punished!

Besides, she wanted to teach that little rascal a lesson. At such a young age, he's already turning into a little troublemaker!

In today's terms, you'd say he needs a good talking-to!

They searched everywhere but couldn't find them. The sky was getting darker.

"We should head back now and check at home," Xiaoxia suggested.

"Let's look a little longer. I bet we'll find them soon," Xiaofeng replied.

"Something's not right!"

Xiaoxia glanced at Xiaofeng's expression. Normally, he wouldn't care about Xiaohua's well-being, let alone be out this late searching for someone with her. It seemed like he was trying to delay her, keeping her from going home or heading to the river. Did he know something?

Her unease grew, and she couldn't ignore it any longer. She rushed toward the riverbank.

"Hey, where are you going?" Xiaofeng hurried after her, thinking it should be about time.

A flash of malice crossed his eyes as he followed Xiaoxia.

They followed the river downstream, and in the dim night, they saw a girl kneeling by the water's edge—it was Xiaodong! Xiaoxia ran over, and when she saw the pale, slightly swollen face of Xiaohua in Xiaodong's arms, she froze.

"You... you killed Xiaohua?" Xiaofeng stammered.

As soon as he spoke, Xiaoxia whipped around and glared at him so fiercely that he was left speechless.

Xiaoxia slowly crouched down, trying to keep her voice steady. "Xiaoqiu, don't be afraid. Tell me what happened."

Xiaoqiu finally looked up, shook her head, and pointed to the riverbank.

"Now that Xiaohua is dead, neither of you can escape this," Xiaofeng said, grabbing Xiaohua's body. He took a few steps, then turned back. "Don't even think about running. If you do, Xiaodong is doomed!"

Shi Xiaoxia never intended to run away. If a perfectly healthy person suddenly disappeared, and if she ran, they’d be accused of murder, a stain that would never wash away!

“Don’t be scared. I’ll ask you a question, and you just nod or shake your head,” Shi Xiaoxia coaxed, gesturing with her hands. “Xiaohua, did you fall into the water and drown on your own?”

Shi Xiaoqiu’s eyes brimmed with tears as she nodded quickly. It wasn’t her doing. By the time she found the body, the person was already gone!