Chapter 446: Chapter 446: Apologizing Through Tears Chapter 446: Chapter 446: Apologizing Through Tears Little Taotie and Xiao Lingzhi held hands, their backs pressed against a wall, with nowhere left to escape.
Just a mont ago, when the boy’s grandmother, mother, and all his aunts had been chasing Little Taotie, Little Taotie and Xiao Lingzhi had split up and run.
After finally finding each other again, Little Taotie realized that a group of people were chasing after Xiao Lingzhi and had no choice but to keep running while holding onto her hand.
Now the won had left, and were replaced by the boy’s grandfather, father, uncles—the n and several other villagers who loved a commotion.
It was the first ti Xiao Lingzhi had encountered such a situation. Her back against the irregular, cold wall, her usually cheerful voice trembled, “What do we do, there’s nowhere to run.”
Little Taotie pursed her lips tightly, her small body trembling, her eyes clouded over with mories…
This wasn’t the first ti Little Taotie had experienced such an ordeal.
She had faced similar situations before in the mountain village where she had grown up.
Zhang Cuilian would beat and scold her for no reason, and because of the rumor that she was Broom Star, the other children in the village didn’t like her either. They would mock her, calling her Broom Star, the annoying ghost nobody liked.
There were also mischievous, naughty children in the village who took pleasure in bullying her.
These naughty children would surround her thin, small form, throwing cow dung at her, pelting her with rotten vegetables.
Having seen on TV that released prisoners would beat themselves with polo leaves to ward off bad luck, they mimicked this by slapping her with rotten vegetable leaves, shouting that they were purging her of bad vibes.
Although the leaves didn’t really hurt compared to Zhang Cuilian’s slaps, which were but a slight discomfort.
Yet, the mockery, the constant cries of “Broom Star,” left deep, indelible scars on the young Little Taotie.
Smothered in cow dung and rotten vegetables, she would return ho in a sorry state, only to be t not with concern from her parents but with curses and beatings from Zhang Cuilian.
Thankfully, her grandfather ca in ti to stop Zhang Cuilian from beating her to death.
Her grandfather was not like her older brother who had told her to retaliate tenfold if bullied.
Instead, he just sighed and advised her to endure, to avoid going out to play, to take a detour whenever she saw those children, not to provoke them.
Feeling incredibly wronged, Little Taotie asked, “What did I do wrong? Why doesn’t anyone like ?”
Her grandfather did not answer but rely patted her back silently to comfort her.
She cried for a long ti in her grandfather’s embrace but heeded his advice, avoiding provoking them, walking away whenever she saw them.
Yet, even if she took detours, even if she endured, those bad children would not leave her alone; they went around the village looking for her, blocking her path, chasing her!
She escaped ti and again, but eventually, she would get caught.
This ti, it seed they were angry because she always got away, making them search for too long—this ti, they didn’t just throw cow dung at her but ordered her to eat it!
In the village, cow dung was a treasure.
So people used dried cow dung as fuel to smoke at, a flavor beloved by many.
After ferntation, cow dung could also beco high-quality organic fertilizer, very valuable, fetching a high price from buyers.
In the eyes of the bad children, making Little Taotie eat cow dung was elevating her; she dared not refuse.
So soone proposed prying Little Taotie’s mouth open and forcing it in!
She desperately rembered her grandfather’s words to endure! But this ti, she couldn’t hold back; she fiercely pushed the boy trying to pry open her mouth. The boy tripped over a stone, fell, and hit his head on a tree, bleeding imdiately!
The bad children scattered, running to the boy’s house to tattle.
Little Taotie was terrified, running all the way ho.
It wasn’t long before she heard a harsh banging on the door.
It was the boy’s family mbers coming to settle scores!
Even though it was the bad children who had forced her to eat cow dung, and he had fallen on his own after she pushed him, those people ca accusing her of breaking the boy’s head with a rock.
Zhang Cuilian imdiately grabbed her, beating her in front of them to appease their anger.
Her grandfather rushed over to interfere but only told her to apologize, to quickly apologize.
It seed that only an apology could appease everything, could make those people forgive her.
eting her grandfather’s pleading eyes, she felt terrible inside, feeling it was not her fault—why should she apologize?
Stubbornly, she shook her head, her mouth clamped shut, refusing to apologize.
The more she resisted, the more ferociously Zhang Cuilian beat her!
Her grandfather repeatedly urged, whispering in her ear ti and again, urging her to apologize quickly. If she did not apologize, Zhang Cuilian would break her head on the spot to pacify those people.
Looking into her grandfather’s tear-filled eyes, she reluctantly bowed her head, crying and apologizing to those people.
The more humiliated she felt inside, the louder she cried, “I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I’m sorry!” She shouted until her voice was nearly gone.
Her grandfather also kept apologizing, while Zhang Cuilian’s hand never stopped, her palm fiercely slapping her back.
The physical pain and the emotional tornt deeply ingrained in her that she must not fight back against the village children—no matter how bullied she felt, she must not retaliate!
Yet later, her older brother would ti and again teach her the opposite, that she must not allow herself to be bullied, that if bullied, she should fight back—pay it back tenfold!
She gradually forgot everything about the village.
But at this mont, surrounded by so many nacing villagers, it felt as though she was back on that day!
Back to the day when she was forced to apologize, the day she was brutally beaten!
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