Transmigrated as a Peasant Girl with Prophetic Dreams: Using My Space to Become the Richest Person - Chapter 3

Chapter 3: A White Lotus in Public, a Black Lotus in Private

Yang Xue’s hunch was correct. As soon as Wang Dani ran out, she gathered the rest of the Yang family to hold a “trial” over her.

Calling the family wasn’t enough, though. Wang Dani wanted to bring the entire village over so they could witness the “outrageous” and “unfilial” behavior of a granddaughter who dared to strike her grandmother. She wanted to drown Yang Xue in the spittle of public shaming.

“Everyone, come look! A granddaughter hitting her grandmother! There is no justice… Oh, why is my life so bitter?”

Hearing the commotion, Yang Xue walked into the courtyard to find a large crowd already gathered.

The moment Old Man Yang saw her, he barked, “Get over here and kneel down to apologize to your grandmother right now!”

…

The Performance

In an instant, Yang Xue shed her cold, menacing aura. She transformed into a “White Lotus”—a fragile, delicate flower that looked like she might blow away in the slightest breeze.

“Grandpa, what are you saying? I… I don’t know what I did wrong. But if you want me to kneel and apologize to Grandma, I wouldn’t dare disobey.”

As she spoke, Yang Xue moved to kneel, but halfway down, she let her legs give way. She collapsed weakly onto the ground with a soft thud.

She looked up at Old Man Yang and Wang Dani with terrified eyes. “Grandpa, Grandma, I’m sorry! I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean it, I wanted to kneel…”

Her voice trembled. “But… but my head still hurts from where Grandma hit me. And Grandma held me under the river water… I have a fever, and it hasn’t gone down yet.”

“Grandpa, Grandma, I really didn’t mean it. Please don’t hit me anymore! I’ll be good, I’ll listen! I’ll do any chore you want…”

She began to sob. “Please, just don’t hit me anymore!”

Wang Dani pointed at her, stammering in disbelief, “You… you… you!”

The Yang family hadn’t really believed Yang Xue would actually hit Wang Dani anyway; they just wanted to use her “slacking off” as an excuse to discipline her. As for the villagers, they believed it even less. Everyone knew Yang Xue was the “pitiful worm” of the family—timid and easily bullied. How could such a girl ever lay a hand on her grandmother?

“Old Lady Wang, just let the girl go,” someone from the crowd shouted.

“Exactly. Even if you don’t like this granddaughter, you shouldn’t make up lies to ruin her reputation.”

“A granddaughter hitting her grandmother? That’s a crime that leads to jail! Don’t be so cruel, Old Lady Wang.”

Suddenly, the tide of sympathy turned against Wang Dani. The old woman felt like she couldn’t catch her breath. “There’s no justice! She hit me! Am I not allowed to seek fairness? Heavens, open your eyes and see!”

No one noticed the subtle smirk playing on the corners of Yang Xue’s mouth. She wanted Wang Dani to know: from now on, even if she did something to the old woman, no one would ever believe it.

…

Backing into a Corner

Old Man Yang felt humiliated. He glared at the wailing Wang Dani, cursing her inwardly for being brainless. If she wanted to punish the girl, why choose such an unbelievable excuse?

Wang Dani was now like a “mute eating bitter melon”—she had the grievance but no way to voice it.

“Fine,” Old Man Yang muttered. “Xue’er, you’re sick. Go back to your room and rest. Your grandmother is just… confused.”

“Grandpa, I don’t need to rest. It’s just a headache and a fever, it won’t stop me from working. I’ll go to work right now, just please ask Grandma not to be angry.”

Old Man Yang nearly choked. If he didn’t know his granddaughter so well, he would have suspected she was doing this on purpose.

“It’s fine. Go lie down. Get better first.”

“But, Grandma…”

Yang Xue’s continued “devotion” made the villagers gossip even more about the cruelty of the old couple.

Wang Dani’s fingers shook as she pointed at Yang Xue. “You brat! What are you pretending for? You clearly hit me! Fine, if you won’t admit it, I’ll beat the truth out of you!”

She rolled up her sleeves to rush at Yang Xue, but Old Man Yang barked a sharp command to stop her. With so many witnesses, this old woman really had no sense of optics.

“Enough! Xue’er, I’ve decided. Go inside and rest.”

Yang Xue stole a timid glance at Wang Dani before whispering, “Okay… I’ll do as Grandpa says.”

…

Planning for the Flood

After Yang Xue went inside, Old Man Yang dismissed the neighbors with a fake smile.

Wang Dani was fuming. “Old man! You’re just letting that ‘money-loser’ go?”

He glared at her. “What else was I supposed to do in front of everyone?”

“She hit me! It’s against the laws of nature! What are you afraid of?”

Old Man Yang gave her a meaningful look. “Did she really hit you? Next time you want to deal with her, find a better excuse.”

Wang Dani felt like she was going to cough up blood. She really had been hit! Why did no one believe her?

Inside the room, Yang Xue heard the conversation in the yard and sneered. Outside, the family members were already discussing how to “properly” bully her branch of the family once the doors were closed.

Yang Xue lay back on the bed. She wasn’t just idling; she was calculating how to survive the coming flood.

If she and her immediate family (Yang San’s branch) suddenly fled to the mountains with food, they would face massive trouble once the water receded and they returned. But if she warned the village, they would think she was crazy. Explaining how she knew was an even bigger headache.

Forget it, she thought. I’ll just focus on getting my parents and siblings to the mountains. I’ll deal with the aftermath when it happens.

She stood up and looked at the sky. She knew a flood was coming, but she didn’t know exactly when. Since the “dream” had occurred, it had to be soon. She needed an excuse to get her father, Yang San, and the rest of them up the mountain immediately.

As she walked toward the fields to find them, neighbors stopped her along the way.

“Xue’er, are you feeling better? Why are you out? Did that grandmother of yours force you to work again?”

“Poor girl. Old Man Yang said you should rest, why are you out here?”

“Sigh, that Wang Dani is a monster. How could she bear to mistreat such a good granddaughter?”

Yang Xue just lowered her head and kept walking, her mind already deep in the mountains.