C10 Kindness Was Just on the Surface

In rural areas, many people hold on to old beliefs. They replace the ashes in the family incense burner and place them under bamboo, sometimes even hanging bags of paper money on the bamboo, a practice known as "sending away bad luck." Unfortunately, this seems to have backfired on them.

From a feng shui perspective, it's best if the front door doesn't face anything directly. These bamboo plants, especially the one growing at an angle, are quite problematic. Sheng Nanzhen noticed someone had even hung a bag of chicken blood on the bamboo.

She frowned slightly. A person's health can be significantly influenced by the feng shui of their home, and this situation affects not just the home's feng shui but the family's luck as well. In feng shui, the north side of a house represents the Kan trigram, associated with water. If there's a missing corner or an external negative influence, someone in the family is bound to fall ill. No wonder there's been a string of health issues in the household.

Moreover, she discovered that this particular setup could lead to kidney and urinary problems, which explained her swelling. Sheng Nanzhen didn't touch the bamboo but headed inside.

Her family was quite traditional, and above the door hung a Bagua mirror, a common practice in Azure Mountain Village. When Sheng Nanzhen moved a chair, it startled Miao Xiu.

"Nanzhen, what are you doing?"

"Mom, our mirror is in the wrong place."

"Isn't the Bagua mirror supposed to be inside?"

Sheng Nanzhen quickly hung the octagonal mirror outside. She stepped down from the chair, dusted off her hands, and said, "Mom, don't touch this mirror anymore."

Miao Xiu didn't really mind whether it was hung inside or outside. In Azure Mountain Village, it was customary to hang such a thing when building a house, so naturally, their family followed suit.

"Wash your hands; it's time for dinner."

The dinner table had only two dishes: a plate of pickled vegetables and a bowl of greens, with no meat. Only the second and fifth brothers were home; the eldest, Sheng Nanshui, had already left to pick up his bride.

Sheng Zhenbei said, "I heard Tianjiao had an accident and went to the city hospital."

Miao Xiu sighed inwardly. Sheng Tianjiao's family had money, so they could go to the city hospital for any issue. Their family, on the other hand, had to make do with the local clinic for Laosan's foot.

Out loud, she said, "Tianjiao is such a kind-hearted child. How could something happen to her all of a sudden?"

Sheng Nanzhen replied, "Mom, sometimes kindness is just a facade."

Miao Xiu was taken aback and asked, "What do you mean?"

The second brother asked, "Did you have a disagreement?"

Back then, it was Sheng Tianjiao who came running for help; otherwise, they wouldn't have known their sister had fallen into the river.

"Second Brother, I didn't fall into the water by myself that day; someone pushed me."

"What?"

Not just Sheng Nancun, even Sheng Zhenbei was so shocked he put down his chopsticks.

Nanzhen said, "I only know someone pushed me, but I don't know who it was, so I can't accuse anyone without proof."

"Who else was around you that day?" Zhenbei asked.

"Dad, I'll find out who it was myself." Revenge is best served personally.

Hearing his daughter, Zhenbei nodded.

"You..." Miao Xiu started to speak but then stopped.

"Mom, what's wrong?"

"You and Yang Shuxian..."

"Mom, there was never anything between us. I just thought he looked decent from afar, but up close, he's really not."

"That's good," Miao Xiu sighed with relief. Their family was full of sons, and if their daughter liked an orphan, it couldn't be helped. But if she didn't, even better.

But is it true?

Didn't she almost lose her life because she went to see Yang Shuxian? Otherwise, how did she end up falling into the river?

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