The Blessed Farm Girl Has a Spatial Storage-Chapter 379: Extra II_2

When I strongly demanded Tongtong perform an autopsy on my father, my brother suddenly changed his tune and began to oppose me.

His opposition inevitably made me think of Ding Xiang, whom my brother treasured as if she were a precious gem.

It's not that I look down on her, but she possesses neither cleverness nor genuine innocence. Even in terms of scheming and strategy, she is no match for me. Yet, her ambition and cunning are as plain as day, almost written on her face.

Everyone could see it clearly except for my brother, who was utterly captivated by her.

His opposition only deepened my suspicions. So, I secretly arranged with Tongtong to investigate in the middle of the night. But to our surprise, Father's corpse disappeared at that very moment.

After that, a series of events unfolded in quick succession, like a tumultuous dream.

To uncover the cause of my father's death and to thwart my Uncle's ambition, I agreed to marry the Young Master of the Bai Clan. In return, my Uncle cured my illness.

On our wedding day, I saw Zhao Yu. He had overheard that the Young Master of the Bai Clan and I would be sleeping in separate rooms, and he left with a smile on his face.

Thinking of the perilous plan ahead, a sudden and unexpected sense of calm washed over me. Before, I had always been pessimistic, as if each day I were merely waiting for death's arrival. But from the moment I learned that my father truly loved me, and that a young man was willing to sacrifice his life for me, I suddenly found peace and began to hope for a brighter future.

But misfortune always arrives so swiftly. We had planned everything, anticipated various possibilities, yet we still could not defy the whims of fate. Just as we were on the verge of thwarting my Uncle's conspiracy and claiming victory, disaster struck.

Ding Xiang used my father as bait to lure me away. I knew her seeking me out at such a time meant treachery, but I also knew the disappearance of Father's corpse was undoubtedly connected to her.

And just as I suspected, she led me to Father's corpse!

Previously, I had harbored much resentment towards my father. But upon learning of the many things he had secretly done for me, that resentment dissolved. Father did love me; it was our inability to communicate that caused the misunderstandings to deepen. Therefore, finding his corpse and laying him to rest was the final act of filial piety I could perform for him.

Eager to recover my 'father's' remains, I failed to notice Ding Xiang's subtle movements. As I approached Father's corpse, a large net suddenly fell from the sky.

Fortunately, I reacted swiftly and dodged it, but I couldn't evade the second trap. I was poisoned and subsequently thrown off a cliff by Ding Xiang. She left me there, expecting wild beasts to devour me and thus destroy all evidence.

Luckily, my life did not end there. A hermit living in the mountains rescued me. However, the process of counteracting the poison disfigured my face.

During my time in the mountains, I knew Zhao Yu was searching for me, but I dared not reveal myself. It wasn't that I feared he would reject me upon seeing my disfigured appearance; on the contrary, I knew he would insist on marrying me. But I could not bear for him to see me in my imperfect state.

So, I remained in the mountains for several years. Only after my face was restored did I finally emerge.

Yet, the poison was not completely eradicated. The hermit told me I would not live past forty. But I had a vengeance to exact, a score to settle!

「 」

When I saw Ding Xiang again, the fear and terror on her face brought me a sliver of satisfaction. But was fear enough? Not nearly. She conspired with my Uncle to murder my father and then poisoned me. I would settle these scores, one by one. What awaited her was the full force of my burning rage.

Witnessing me verbally humiliate Ding Xiang, my brother looked heartbroken. He said I had changed, that I was no longer his gentle sister. I let out a cold laugh.

Trapped deep in the mountains, I endured the bone-scraping agony of detoxification day and night. That pain, searing every inch of me, was etched into my very bones. How could I possibly remain gentle? The daily torment was almost unbearable; I survived by constantly reliving the moments I shared with Zhao Yu. When I emerged, I swore an oath: Ding Xiang would suffer every bit of the pain I had endured.

My brother truly loved Ding Xiang. Upon learning of all her wicked deeds, a cascade of emotions—disappointment, pity, and more—flashed across his face, yet he could never bring himself to raise his sword against her.

Ultimately, he merely presented her with divorce papers and expelled her from the household.

But how could that be enough? I had to take matters into my own hands.

What I never expected was that, in the end, my brother would sacrifice his own life for such a woman. He died by Ding Xiang's blade.

Even in his final moments, he looked at me with a glimmer of hope, pleading for me to spare Ding Xiang's life and merely banish her from the residence.

After all those years of his devotion, one would think even a heart of stone like Ding Xiang's would have thawed. The only person in this world who truly loved her was dead—killed by her own hand. And even as he died, he pleaded for her. Finally, Ding Xiang felt remorse.

After enduring a series of torments, she eventually descended into madness.

Seeing Ding Xiang, now utterly mad, day after day, I eventually honored my brother's dying wish. I released her from the manor, leaving her to fend for herself in the outside world.

A madwoman would naturally not have an easy life.

Later, I heard that Ding Xiang had bumped into a street ruffian, was severely beaten, and subsequently died from her injuries.

I sighed, my gaze shifting to the child in my arms. Smiling at Tongtong, who was munching on sunflower seeds beside me, I said, "He's so adorable, so soft. How about I look after him for a few days?"

Tongtong laughed. "I can't bear to be separated from Shun'er for even a moment! If you want to hold a baby so badly, you should hurry up and have one with my brother."

I fell silent.

The residual poison still courses through my veins. I don't want to burden Zhao Yu.

Tongtong seemed to sense my hesitation. She sighed and said, "Don't worry about 'burdening' him or not. You can see how utterly devoted my brother is to you. If you don't marry him, he'll probably be alone for the rest of his life. You feel you'd be a burden to him because of your condition, but he'd be burdened by loneliness without you. Since there's an 'involvement' of sorts either way, isn't it better to cherish the time you have and spend it happily together?"

As Tongtong was leaving, she sighed again, patted my hand, and said, "No one truly knows how long a life will last, or whether misfortune or pleasant surprises will arrive first. It's impossible for anyone to say for certain.

"Look, we all face that final day eventually. If you spend every day just fixated on that, isn't life rather dull? Why not cherish the present, fully enjoy the time you have now, and make it meaningful?"

Pondering Tongtong's words, I stood dazed for a long moment, then suddenly, a laugh escaped me.

Look at me, I'm still not as clear-sighted as Tongtong.

Taking a deep breath, a slight smile touched my lips. I turned to the maidservant beside me and said, "Go and invite Young Master Zhao. Tell him... tell him that this young lady has just completed a new painting of wild geese and would like to invite him to appreciate it with her..."