Educated Youth in the Countryside: She is the Village's Embroidery Queen!-Chapter 262: Scent of Blood

Yi Chichi and her friends arrived early; at that time, apart from a limited number of participating teams, there was no one else to be seen in the commune.

She left the post office for the competition site, only to find she couldn’t locate the Kao Shan Village team.

There was a sea of people, voices filled the air, people were everywhere, and conversation buzzed all around.

The participating teams, surrounded by the crowd, were all dressed in vibrant reds and greens, full of spirit and energy, their bright colors brimming with festive joy, especially those whose vigorous and spirited demeanor seemed eager to soar to the skies.

"Ready—go!"

At that moment, a man in painted face and stilts tossed the red cloth in his hand, and the piercing sound of the suona resounded above.

Then came cymbals, gongs and drums, their sounds reverberating mightily to the heavens.

Young women, brides, men, and lads all joined in with fervor. Instantly, Yi Chichi, who was left outside the crowd despite all her efforts, could see nothing but colorful ribbons and fans flying in the air.

"Good, do it again!"

Someone cheered loudly; all Yi Chichi could see were heads and the stilt-walkers as she listened to the crowd’s applause, hopping around like a restless monkey trying to catch a glimpse of the performance inside.

In the end, all that hopping was in vain—the crowd was just too dense, and everyone was constantly moving. Besides being carried along by the flow, cheering with the atmosphere, she saw nothing of the performance from start to finish.

It was a perfectly wasted watch.

When the team moved to another street, she withdrew from the crowd, ready to leave, when someone called her name.

"Chichi!"

Yi Chichi turned her head following the sound, and saw Liu Xiaocao with a short haircut running towards her, her previously thin face now plump and looking quite prosperous.

Her eyes overflowed with the joy of seeing a familiar person.

Yi Chichi’s eyes widened abruptly, "Xiao Cao!"

"It’s me!"

Liu Xiaocao ran up to her with a smile, "Long time no see."

Indeed, it had been quite a while.

Since returning from the island, this was Yi Chichi’s first time seeing Liu Xiaocao.

She looked behind Liu Xiaocao but didn’t see Qian Ping’an.

"Is Mr. Qian not here?"

"He’s at home taking care of the child!"

She said, pulling Yi Chichi along, "Come on, come to my house for a meal."

Yi Chichi didn’t want to go; her relationship with Xiaocao wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t close enough to visit like that.

The main issue was that she didn’t have enough money or tickets in her pocket to buy gifts for a visit.

So, she smiled and found an excuse to decline.

"Maybe another day, I’m in a rush to get back."

"In a rush?"

Liu Xiaocao paused in her steps, turning to look at her with a face full of doubt.

Yi Chichi nodded, "I have something to do at the commune today and things to attend to back home – really, I do."

Hearing this, Liu Xiaocao couldn’t insist and had to let go somewhat regretfully, "I wanted to show you my child."

"There will be a chance."

"Right," she nodded with a smile, "I’ll be returning to Kao Shan Village after New Year’s."

"Staying permanently?"

The casual question led Liu Xiaocao to open up, talking about taking the child back to her parents to show off.

Wanting to ask if they regretted how they once treated her.

And to thank Captain Uncle and others for their care back then, bringing gifts along.

Nothing prepared for her parents—focusing on a sense of, ’I’ve succeeded, and you’ll just have to watch’ as revenge.

Yi Chichi listened and said nothing; expectations give rise to grudges, which lead to vengeful thoughts.

She understood Liu Xiaocao’s actions, but didn’t support them.

Nor did she plan to persuade her—such profound words for shallow acquaintance were unwarranted.

So, she made no comment on Liu Xiaocao’s words, only saying, "You can find me for a visit when you’re back."

"Great, I’ll find you at the clinic then."

"...Fine."

Anyway, if she couldn’t find her at the clinic, she’d end up at the house naturally, no need to specify further.

After bidding farewell to Liu Xiaocao, Yi Chichi walked with a light step back to Kao Shan Village.

As she neared the big village bend, two figures suddenly dashed out from the woods nearby.

A tall and short youth with shifty looks, clearly not good people.

Perhaps they didn’t expect to encounter someone on the road; seeing Yi Chichi, they faltered for a moment.

Then—

"Hey there, which family are you with, sister?!"

The tall youth’s eyes lit up upon seeing Yi Chichi’s appearance, greeting her with feigned politeness, his eyes inspecting her like searchlights.

Making Yi Chichi’s anger rise, though her face remained calm, "Move aside."

She lifted a foot to leave when a breeze carried a faint scent of blood through the air.

Blood scent?

She squinted, scrutinizing the youth’s attire.

Dog fur hat, wolfskin coat, heavy cotton pants, deer leather shoes—several spots on the dirty wolfskin coat were noticeably damp.

The color... unmistakably bloodstains.

Wondering whether it was human or animal blood?

She pondered quietly, looking emotionless and unnerving, yet the youths weren’t scared.

"Not going anywhere!"

The short youth reached out towards her with a laugh; Yi Chichi stepped back and with a flick of her wrist, a silver needle punctured his wrist joint like lightning.

Feeling coolness and tingling in his wrist, the short youth froze, robotically looking at his wrist, the silver needle trembling in the wind was intimidating.

"Damn, you actually stuck me?!"

What girl carries needles around.

He raised a hand to pull it out but noticed his hand felt odd where the needle stuck, almost numb.

Tentatively moving it, realizing there was truly no sensation.

His face went dark and he looked up at Yi Chichi with fierce eyes.

"What did you do to my hand?"

Yi Chichi hadn’t responded when the tall youth sneered, "Just a needle prick, Gouzi, no need to act so menacing."

His words laced with mockery, he patted the short youth’s shoulder, "Listen to your brother, treat the pretty sister nice and gen—"

"Gentle your mom; my hand feels dead, you know?"

The short youth burst into anger, shoving him away with his good left hand, glaring daggers at Yi Chichi, "You better answer quick, or I can’t guarantee you’ll leave alive."

Threat of death?

Yi Chichi chuckled, "So, you plan to kill me?"

The tall youth advised, "Sister, you seem smart; this isn’t the time to be a hero. Beg for mercy so my bro and I can have a laugh, and it’s done. Otherwise, today next year might be your death anniversary."

Yi Chichi looked at the sky, dark and seemingly about to snow.

Then at the old woods nearby, its towering trees and deep snow, indeed a good place to bury someone.

Plus the blood scent...

Best just knock them down.

"Let me show you a magic trick."

"What..." the words hardly left their lips when the youths saw her hand wave, fine powder scattering in the wind, its pungent smell inhaled deeply as they breathed.

Then—

"Achoo, achoo..."