At the crossroads where Ji Feiyu often set up her orange stall, there came another orange - selling girl. This girl was extremely good - looking, eloquent, and knew well how to do business. So on the very first day she arrived, she snatched all of Ji Feiyu's customers.
Ji Feiyu was not convinced. She went there again the next day and even shouted the slogan of selling at rock - bottom prices. However, that girl also announced a discount and claimed that her oranges were clearly better than Ji Feiyu's. So after passers - by saw their looks, they all flocked to the "Orange Beauty". Ji Feiyu was very sad about this.
On the third day, Ji Feiyu said her oranges were free. But no one believed her and dared to come and take them. At that time, the girl had sold out all her oranges. Seeing that there was no one around, she asked Ji Feiyu, "I heard your oranges are free?"
Ji Feiyu nodded. "Isn't it written there?"
"Okay, then I'll take them all!"
Ji Feiyu:???
Then Ji Feiyu watched helplessly as the Orange Beauty carried away all her oranges and continued to sell them. She finally couldn't bear it anymore and ran back to Xinghua Village in tears.
Hua Hudie seemed to be enjoying the show. He said indifferently, "I've long told you not to get involved in business. There are so many people and gossips at the crossroads. You'd better go home obediently and help me dry the herbs."
When he said this, he was lying on a bamboo recliner in the yard, closing his eyes and basking in the sun.
Ji Feiyu was already angry. Seeing that he didn't even comfort her, she threw an orange at his chest and then stormed into her room.
Outside the house, Hua Hudie's pained cry rang out. "Yu'er, I'm so innocent. Why did you hit me?"
Ji Feiyu thought that she must find a way to drive away the Orange Beauty.
Just like this, Ji Feiyu stayed at home sulking for a few days and didn't go out to sell oranges.
There was a time when she didn't think looks were that important, nor did she feel complacent about her good appearance. But through this incident, she suddenly realized that she had been living in bliss but didn't know it.
There are many hard - working people in this world. In the end, because they look ordinary, they have one less chance than those with equal ability but better looks.
Ji Feiyu was lying on the bamboo recliner in the yard, looking at the orange in her hand and deep in thought. She let out a sigh.
During the days Ji Feiyu was at home, she occupied Hua Hudie's bamboo recliner and drove him to grind the herbs.
It was afternoon at this moment. The sun was warm and gentle. Ji Feiyu was lying lazily on the bamboo recliner, using an orange to block the glaring sun. She thought it would be perfect if someone could come and massage her shoulders at this moment.
Ji Feiyu looked back at Hua Hudie who was grinding herbs in the room. Suddenly, she seemed to think of something. She took the orange and went out.
Sure enough, when life is too boring, it's not good. It will make her want to do something naughty.
Today, Ji Feiyu arrived at her stall much later than usual. Just as she put down the bag of oranges in her hand, she noticed that the Orange Beauty glanced at her intentionally or unintentionally. At this moment, the girl was fanning herself with a silk handkerchief. Her charming appearance was very alluring.
Ji Feiyu gave her a smile and then silently set up her stall. After a while, just as Ji Feiyu was about to strike up a conversation, she felt the ground vibrating faintly. She pricked up her ears and seemed to feel that a lot of people were riding horses towards them.
Although there were often fast - riding horses passing by on this road, it was the first time she had heard so many horses running together.
Before Ji Feiyu could be alert, she saw from afar a group of officers and soldiers galloping towards them. But obviously, there were fewer horses than the hoofbeats she had just heard, which meant this was just one of the teams.
Ji Feiyu didn't expect that after three or four months, someone from the imperial city would come looking for her. She naturally didn't know that at first, Jinse had been mistakenly identified as her corpse, nor did she know that after being sad for a while, Yong Yaxuan had been reported by the imperial guards that there was one less corpse among the registered people in the cold palace. So Yong Yaxuan, holding on to the last hope, ordered people to secretly search for her whereabouts. The search in the past two or three months mainly focused on the new - comers in each town and village. Unfortunately, now they just came to check the place where she was.
She was just thinking whether she should hurry home when the group of people had already arrived in front of her. The leader, seeing the stalls by the road, slowed down his horse and shouted to the people behind, "Take a break here. Eat a couple of fruits before we go."
Uh... Did they take a fancy to her oranges? If she packed up her stall at this time, would she be suspected? While Ji Feiyu was hesitating, she heard the Orange Beauty call out, "Sir, come to my side. My oranges are sweet."
Ji Feiyu thought it would be inappropriate for a businessperson not to greet them, so she also insincerely shouted, "Sir, come to my place. My oranges are better than hers."
However, it was obvious that men were visual animals. So they quickly made a judgment based on appearance and crowded towards the Orange Beauty. Ji Feiyu silently sighed, found a stone by the roadside and sat down, thinking whether she should go and inform Hua Hudie.
Unexpectedly, just as she was distracted, there was a commotion on the Orange Beauty's side. She suddenly came back to her senses and heard the Orange Beauty shout, "Sir, don't!"
She turned her head and just saw those officers and soldiers molesting the girl. "Hey, let the sir touch you. You won't die!"
After saying that, he reached out his hand towards the girl's face.
The Orange Beauty struggled and accidentally pushed the officer. But unexpectedly, she was directly grabbed by the hand and pulled to his side for caressing. "Oh, you're so shy. Why don't you follow the sir today! Hahaha!"
After saying that, he threw the Orange Beauty to a subordinate beside him and laughed loudly. "Take her away!"
Huh, were these people really under the rule of the Great Yong? How could they molest a good - looking woman in broad daylight?
Just as Ji Feiyu was thinking whether she should step forward to help, she noticed someone looking at her and winking at the officer.
The officer glanced at her and nodded to them. Then two officers and soldiers walked towards her.
Ji Feiyu thought to herself: No way! She didn't even cause trouble on purpose, yet they still came to pick on her!
Just as she was thinking whether she should run away, one of the officers and soldiers waved his hand and started to drive the onlookers away. "What are you looking at! What are you looking at! Get out of here!"
The other officer and soldier directly took away the bag of oranges she had set out.
Only then did Ji Feiyu notice that when they were molesting the Orange Beauty just now, they had trampled all the oranges during the pushing and shoving.
Seeing that she still didn't leave, the man stepped forward and gave her a hard push on the chest. Ji Feiyu staggered and almost fell. She was immediately enraged.
— No one had ever been so disrespectful to her chest!
If this can be tolerated, what cannot? Originally, she didn't want to cause trouble, but these people had bullied her too much.
So Ji Feiyu straightened up, grabbed the man's collar and slapped him hard. "Pervert, where did you just put your hand?"
The man was stunned by this slap. Obviously, he didn't expect that a country woman would dare to attack him.
But before he could react, the man behind him who had taken her oranges reacted. He put down the oranges and walked towards her. "Damn it, this shrew is asking for death."
Seeing this, Ji Feiyu quickly took a step back. In a hurry, she accidentally stepped on a thick branch.
It seemed that the conflict was inevitable. Looking at the two men approaching her, Ji Feiyu picked up the branch and started beating them wildly. "I'll teach you a lesson for pushing me, for taking my oranges, for bullying me. I'll beat you to death today!"