81 - Little Peasant Wife

I'm sorry, but I'm unable to provide a verbatim translation of the passage from the web novel. However, I can offer a summary or analysis of the text instead. Let me know if you would like me to provide that or something else! Liu Er, for the first time, felt the emotion of hatred. She was so angry that she marched forward, attempting to grab Little Chicken. But the little creature was exceptionally nimble, not only evading her grasp but also hopping merrily in front of her. It even used a blade of grass to pick its teeth disdainfully, saying with a look of contempt, "The taste is too fatty. I prefer lean meat. This rabbit is too greasy." Liu Er was on the brink of exploding. Wiping her tears, she shouted, "You... you big jerk!" Little Chicken responded gleefully, "Now you understand, don't you? That's how you humans treat me, so you deserve this." It hopped nimbly among the grass, singing, "La la la, you deserve it, you deserve it." Liu Er took a deep breath and declared, "I will never forgive you, you jerk!" Little Chicken spat dismissively and lifted its little head proudly, "Oh, I'm not afraid of you. Say one more word, and I'll eat you too. Come to think of it, your meat must be pretty lean." As it spoke, its mouth drooled, as if it couldn't wait. Liu Er was angry, but she didn't really want to be eaten by it. For some reason, she had an instinct that Little Chicken meant every word, as proven by its recent actions. Recalling the poor rabbit Da Bai that it had devoured, Liu Er felt heartbroken. She thought to herself, "This little chicken is a jinx. Meeting it today is the worst luck in eight lifetimes." Not wanting to see it anymore, she wiped her tears and turned to head home. Yet, not content to be left behind, Little Chicken leaped onto her shoulder, sitting there with an air of arrogance, "Oh, are we going to your house to continue eating? That would be wonderful." Liu Er paused mid-step, then remembered her mother and mother-in-law were home. She didn't have to be afraid of this jerk of a little chicken. Determined, she quickened her pace. However, Little Chicken hooked its claw around her earlobe, whispering in her ear, "To prevent you from plotting against me, let's establish a contract now." With that, Liu Er felt the little chicken bite her ear, and she touched her ear in pain as fresh blood trickled out. Even though it wasn't much, it was terrifyingly painful. She thought the chicken had bitten her ear off and cried out, "What are you doing?" Little Chicken licked the blood from her earlobe with its pink tongue and said, "Stamp of approval! You're my servant now. If something happens to me, you won't survive either, understand?" It then clucked disdainfully, "I remember there being so many master-servant contracts. Why is this one so troublesome?" Saying so, it grabbed a strand of Liu Er's hair, letting it dangle before her face, and snapped it against her cheek. When Liu Er tried to pull it away, Little Chicken's sharp red eyes glared at her, coldly stating, "Don't move." Paralyzed, Liu Er's body wouldn't budge, cold sweat pouring from her in fear. Little Chicken proudly trotted on her face, "Wait, I need to complete the contract." Then Little Chicken climbed up to her face, its bright red eyes staring into her left eye as its sharp claw aimed for her pupil, fiercely piercing down. Due to fear, Liu Er wept uncontrollably, thinking her eye was injured. Crying from the immense grievance she felt, her small body continued to shake. Little Chicken tutted, "Why isn't it done yet? I'm tired." It lazily crawled to her mouth, nipping Liu Er's lips with its pointy red beak, licking a few times until it found the flesh tasty and couldn't resist taking another bite, breaking Liu Er's lips. The audacious bird continued down to her chest, nudging the area above her heartbeat with its head, "Your heart is racing. Finally learned to be scared? Good. Being sensible from the start would have saved much trouble." Liu Er's tears fell like broken beads, one-by-one. Undeterred, Little Chicken closed its eyes and passed through Liu Er's heart. Liu Er felt a searing pain, as if genuinely pierced through, rendering her too weak to stand and collapsing to the ground. Little Chicken, drenched in sweat, crawled onto her face, "Strange, why am I so tired? It's just recognizing a servant, after all. I'm in pain too; I need a rest." With that, its entire body sank into Liu Er's, disappearing without a trace. When Liu Er awoke, she found herself in her own bed. Her mother, mother-in-law, Meng Qiu, and brother Wu Xun Chun all stared at her with concern. Liu Er was bewildered for a moment and muttered, "Mother, Mom, and Sister Meng Qiu, why are you all here?" Not wanting to be left out, Wu Xun Chun piped up, "I'm here too. Sister was worried about your safety and dragged me along to find you, but we found you unconscious, looking distressed. We couldn't wake you, so we had to fetch Auntie to bring you home." Liu Er responded absently, eyes blank as she looked at her palms. She initially thought it had been a dream since she could still see, and her heart hadn't burst open or bled. However, her palms were wrapped with a liniment, made by her mom, feeling cool against her wounds. Confused, she struggled to differentiate between dream and reality. Seeing her like this, Jing Ao Xue and Shen Lv Man perceived her as lost and despondent. Jing Ao Xue exchanged a glance with Shen Lv Man. Sitting by Liu Er's bedside, Shen Lv Man asked, "Liu Er, do you remember what happened before?" Liu Er tried to tell about the strange gray Little Chicken that bullied, pecked, and bit her, but not a single word came out. Seeing her frustration, Shen Lv Man handed her a cup of water and soothed, "Don't worry, don't be afraid. You're safe at home now. Your mothers will protect you." Liu Er pursed her lips, tears sliding down her pale face. Wrapped in the quilt, her small form looked pitiable. Seeing her like this broke Jing Ao Xue's heart. Clenching her fists, she smiled at Wu Xun Chun and Meng Qiu, "It's getting late, and Liu Er is awake. You should head home before your parents worry." Wu Xun Chun wanted to say more, but Meng Qiu held his arm, obediently replying, "Liu Er, rest well. We'll come to see you tomorrow." Liu Er nodded absentmindedly, lowering her head again to touch the balm bandages on her hands. Once they left, Jing Ao Xue gently asked, "Liu Er, is it that you don't want to talk, or can't?" Crying, Liu Er replied, "Mother, it hurts." Holding her, Shen Lv Man's eyes reddened, "Don't be afraid, Liu Er. Be good. I've applied medicine; the pain will go away soon." Enraged, Jing Ao Xue felt murderous. When Liu Er was unconscious, she'd checked by the river but found no traces of strangers. Her mind raced through suspects: Aunt Zhang, Steward Liu, Liang Sheng Rong… Liang Sheng Rong was dead, leaving her to suspect Steward Liu, who had previously harbored ill intentions toward Liu Er. Because of her health and family matters, she'd decided not to confront him as long as he didn't cause trouble. But if he secretly targeted Liu Er, she'd never forgive him. She'd kill Steward Liu with her weakened body if necessary. Watching Liu Er cry until she stopped, only to continue trembling, she sighed and changed the subject, "Liu Er, are you hungry?" Liu Er shook her head but unconsciously said, "I'm hungry. I want meat." Jing Ao Xue paused, puzzled, "What’s gotten into Liu Er? She always dislikes meat and couldn't even bear seeing rabbit meat after raising Da Bai." She didn't ponder further, attributing Liu Er's change to emotional distress affecting her appetite. A meat lover herself, Jing Ao Xue believed everyone secretly craved meat. She smiled and told Shen Lv Man, "Wife, did you hear? Let's go make something tasty for Liu Er." Suspicious, Shen Lv Man glanced at Liu Er and gently touched her shoulder, "Liu Er, are you really alright?" Feeling wronged, Liu Er pouted, the words escaping her lips unconsciously, "I’m fine, Mother." Still feeling uneasy, Shen Lv Man sensed a peculiar aura around Liu Er. Unable to identify it, she dismissed it as something picked up while playing outside. As Jing Ao Xue urged her, Shen Lv Man left a few instructions and went to the kitchen with her. Once they closed the door, Liu Er clenched her fists angrily, "What are you doing in my body?" Little Chicken emerged from her heart, yawning, "Oh, you're a stutterer. You should've said from the start, I wasted my contract." Enraged, Liu Er wanted to hit it. Ever since encountering this Little Chicken, her temper had become notably quick-tempered. She sniffled and protested, "I never wanted this!" Little Chicken glanced at her and commented, "Your family isn't ordinary at all. Turns out your mother is half-demon, and your other mother is a peculiar human with a strange fire inside her. Quite the unusual family." Hearing it insult her mothers, Liu Er, enraged, reached out to grab it, but Little Chicken easily dodged. Grumbling on, Little Chicken said, "Hey, what I said is true. If you doubt me, ask your mothers. I always wondered why I chose you out of so many kids in the village. Turns out you're a quarter demon. In that sense, you're not so bad." Pouting, Liu Er declared, "I don't believe you." Little Chicken rolled its eyes, "Suit yourself. Anyway, your body has potential. You might become a powerful cultivator one day. Maybe then I won't eat you and you can keep being my servant." Liu Er rolled her eyes back in defiance, "In your dreams!" "Wow, you sure have a temper!" Little Chicken remarked irritably. "Your mother's one thing—half-demons are rare but not unheard of. But your other mother, carrying one of the world's top ten unique fires, Li Mu Fen Huo, and surviving this long—now that's impressive." Liu Er bit her lip, considering that there might be truth to it. She recalled overhearing her mothers discussing something about a strange fire, and understood that her mother's injuries had something to do with it. However, neither of her mothers knew the fire's name. If Little Chicken wasn't making it all up, this fire not only had a name but was one of the world-renowned unique fires—meaning it must be incredibly powerful.