"Xiao Hua, what are you spacing out for! Quickly go dig some wild vegetables!"

A broken basket was thrown at his feet, and a piece of sharp wood inside jumped out, hitting Feng Hua's frostbitten foot. It was piercing pain. Shu Qu Lou ()

Those who have been bedridden for a long time know that even in dreams, the pain persists. That's because the pain is real.

Aren't you dead yet? Did you think you'd make it through this rescue? Just stop trying, let go. You're going to die anyway, so why bother suffering in life anymore?

Humph! Isn't this just putting on a show of filial piety for the sake of appearances? Doing it for the company's subordinates to see, so it benefits your succession later?

Hmph! I really want to tell them not to waste their time with the will, because it's already written! All of my assets are donated. Even the company shares are divided equally among all employees!

It also set a precedent.

Anyway, whoever it's left to, it won't be left to these nephews and nieces with wolfish ambitions.

"Bang!" Someone slammed a heavy blow into his head, sending Feng Hua sprawling to the ground. His arm got pinned under a rock, and the pain immediately robbed him of all sensation.

"You lazy good-for-nothing! Get out there and dig some vegetables! If you don't fill a basket, don't even think about dinner tonight!"

Feng Hua looked up blankly at the speaker. It was an elderly, frail woman. Although many years had passed, Feng Hua recognized her instantly.

This is it! That's been dead for decades!

People really do see the dead before they die, it's not just a myth.

Looking at Feng Hua, one pair of eyes stared straight ahead, making the person feel a chill down their spine. Old Mrs. Feng went up and kicked her with both feet: "Dead girl, are you trying to die?" Today, even if you dug up vegetables, you won't get any dinner!

Feng Hua was furious all of a sudden! Even after death, he still wanted to bully people? Before, because he was young and couldn't fight back, and later because of some so-called morality. Now that everyone is dead, who cares about him anymore!

Feng Hua grabbed the willow basket beside her, and with a rush, she pounced on Old Madam Feng, knocking her to the ground. Then, she raised the basket and began beating her!

Alas, being young and still hungry, he was weak and lacked the power to kill. Nonetheless, Old Mrs. Feng cried out like a pig being slaughtered.

All the neighbors came out to watch the commotion, but no one came up to try and stop it.

"Ouch! This old lady got beaten up! Still by young Hua! It's like she came out from the west side!"

"Either that dog bites or not, look at this Xia Hua. Among her seven sisters at home, she's the most honest. She never fights back even when scolded. But today, she's trying to beat the old lady to death!"

After finishing, he clicked his tongue twice but showed no intention of moving forward. He was completely detached from the matter and acted as if it had nothing to do with him. Moreover, this old woman was truly unpleasant.

To be honest, that old lady deserves it too. Even though every family treats their children differently, no one compares to the Old Feng family. I heard that each child is only allowed to drink rice congee and nothing else!

"That is, I saw your Dahua and Erhua digging vegetables outside and eating them without washing. It's really not a good sight."

Many villagers gathered together to gossip about the Feng family's affairs, but not a single person came forward to mediate.

Feng Hua smashed it twice more, but she was completely out of strength. She couldn't even lift the basket, let alone hit anything.

The old lady rolled over, knocking over Feng Hua and charging toward him, ready to fight back.

Feng Hua, seeing the situation was dire, mustered his last bit of strength and quickly scrambled to his feet and ran away.

Grandma chased for a few steps, but couldn't catch up. These days, everyone is struggling to eat enough, and even talking takes effort. Who has the energy to run around aimlessly?

"You little wretch! If you have any guts, don't come back! I'll kill you! You bastard, you little runt!" Old Madam Wang was furious and cursed at the door nonstop. The world is upside down! They dare to defy me! None of them will get away with this today!

Fei Hua ran all the way to the meadow outside the village, collapsed on the ground as soon as she arrived, she was totally exhausted.

Although outwardly he appeared pleased, deep down he was filled with a dark joy. As a child, he had been bullied and beaten, starved of food and verbally abused. Now that he had achieved success, he reveled in his power, acting like a tyrant. If things didn't go his way, he would throw tantrums, rolling around and wailing at his doorstep or the entrance of his workplace, claiming how unfilial everyone was. He even went so far as to write letters to the newspaper, publicly shaming his family and bringing disgrace upon them.

That's a relief!

Feng Hua let out a sigh of relief and looked around. It was the meadow of her hometown, the paradise of her childhood. She didn't expect to be able to see it one last time before she died. It was considered a blessing.

Born in the year of the nation's founding, life has been tough ever since I can remember. Apart from last year when we ate at a communal dining hall and actually got a decent meal, most other times, all I think about every day is what to eat.

...and the only source is this meadow.

There is a big river running outside their village. The riverside is all land that cannot be farmed, so it is overgrown with wild grasses, and where there are grasses, there are wild vegetables, and even wild ducks.

Those people can't catch them, but sometimes they get lucky and find a few wild eggs! That's enough to be happy for a long time.

Thinking of those bittersweet memories from childhood, Feng Hua smiled.

Let's take a last stroll through this meadow.

Feng Hua walked with a stagger, but her steps were light and cheerful as she went deep into the meadow. She didn't know that a stealthy shadow was following her all along.

In my dream, it should have been early spring. The grass had just sprouted new buds, and there were still patches of snow and ice on the ground. I just tried it; stepping into the ground, it was still icy cold.

Feng Hua carefully, step by step, trampled down the grass and then walked forward on top of it.

On the road, I would pick a leaf from any edible wild plant I saw and taste it to see if it tasted the same as when I was a child.

"Wow! A mountain carrot!" Feng Hua exclaimed in surprise.

This thing looks a bit like carrots, sweet potatoes, and ginseng all combined, so it's also called mountain sweet potato or leaf ginseng.

It's tough to chew, only those with a strong appetite would eat it. Growing up, I didn't realize how valuable it was; it's the king of mountain vegetables! It can strengthen your body, tonify vital energy and moisten the lungs. It's usually exported. In fact, it's becoming so rare that it's being protected as a species. Most people can hardly get their hands on it these days.

Feng Hua carefully dug it out, what a big one!

Before I could even feel the joy, a tremendous force suddenly struck me, throwing me to the muddy ground. A pair of hands clamped tightly around my neck!

This scene, the nightmare reappears! This is a nightmare I can never forget!

That year was when I was 11 years old, and it was spring. While picking wild vegetables in the meadow, I was caught by Ma Dabo, a local idler. He intended to kill me. Later, people speculated that he planned to eat me after killing me.

Of course, these big guns wouldn't admit it out loud; they never admit to anything like that!

Because

The hands on his neck suddenly loosened, and the sound of fighting came from behind. One punch after another landed, beating Ma Dabo until he cried for his father and mother.

Feng Hua bit down hard, until he saw blood. He gripped tightly with his hand, squeezing the frostbite on his hand, refusing to faint! This time, he absolutely couldn't faint!

Change this nightmare! Change that terrible ending! Even if it's just in a dream!