Chapter 112: Wouldn’t Embroidery Be Better?
Chen Hu leaned in and whispered, "For real? On our side, Uncle Ma and I worked together and only managed to kill two wolves."
Zhang Ze said, "How could it be fake? I saw it with my own eyes."
"She took a long knife, cut down one wolf, and then used some kind of hidden weapon to kill another."
Chen Hu clicked his tongue. "My goodness. And here I thought the little girl looked so delicate."
Su Chen watched Gu Fei, lost in thought.
Gu Fei stood up, intending to change her clothes. Lian’er quickly got to her feet. "I’ll go heat some water for you, Miss."
Mrs. Chen’s expression darkened. Annoyed with herself for not thinking of it sooner, she turned to Gu Qing and the others. "Are you all stupid? Seeing your sister in this state, did you have to wait for me to tell you what to do? Hurry up and boil some water so she can wash up!"
Gu Qing hurried to the mule cart to get a bucket, Gu Erlang set up the pot, and Gu Sanlang added firewood. Lian’er couldn’t even get a hand in to help.
Xing’er watched from the side, full of envy. ’It’s so nice to have brothers. What’s the use of having sisters? They all get married and move away, and you never even get to see them.’
The water was hot in no time. Gu Fei washed her hair first—she had to, as it was matted with wolf blood.
After washing her hair, Gu Fei slipped into the mule cart. Lan Zhi followed her in, and Lian’er brought a basin of hot water, placing it inside.
Lan Zhi lowered the curtain flap and helped Gu Fei take off her clothes.
Just moments ago, she had been watching Little Fei through a gap between someone’s legs, terrified something would happen to her. When she saw Little Fei take that long knife and charge the wolf, her heart had leapt into her throat.
As she helped Gu Fei remove her bloodstained clothes, Lan Zhi grumbled, "Don’t do this kind of thing ever again. Let the men handle it. You’re a young lady. Isn’t it better to just do some embroidery?"
Gu Fei gave a wry smile. "I don’t want to, but I have no choice."
’She had to protect her family.’
’In truth, she was incredibly tired of this life-or-death struggle, of fighting with knives and guns. She just wanted to stay at home every day, doted on by her parents and brothers.’
Lian’er wrung out a cloth and began to wash Gu Fei. Gu Fei said softly, "It will be soon. Once we reach the south, we can live a quiet and peaceful life."
Lian’er said suddenly, "Miss Xiao Fei, why don’t you teach me martial arts? Once I learn, I can protect you."
Gu Fei smiled at her. "These skills of mine... I don’t even know how to teach them."
’They were all forged on the brink of life and death. There are no techniques or stances, just killing people... oh, no, killing zombies.’
Seeing Lian’er’s disappointment, Gu Fei smiled and said, "How about this? I’ll teach you how to read."
Lian’er wrung out the cloth again. As she continued to wash Gu Fei, she asked, "What’s the use of knowing how to read?"
Lan Zhi, who was nearby, chimed in, "It’s very useful! You can write letters and read books. Of course, the most important thing is that reading helps you understand reason."
Lian’er shook her head. "I have no use for any of that."
’Who would she write letters to? There was no one left in her family.’
Gu Fei thought for a moment. "Well then, how about I teach you accounting? Of course, you’ll still need to recognize some simple words for that."
’Lian’er felt too embarrassed to refuse again. Although she had no interest in reading or accounting, if her miss wanted her to learn, then learn she would.’
Gu Fei finished washing herself and changed into her other outfit—an apricot-yellow jacket with a light green skirt. It was one of only two she owned, and Mrs. Chen had washed it a few days ago when they’d had water.
Lan Zhi took a cloth and tried to twist the water from Gu Fei’s hair, but after a few tries, it was still damp. Gu Fei took her hair back. "Don’t worry about it. I’ll just go dry it by the fire."
Lan Zhi quickly pulled her back. "There are so many people out there! How can you appear before them with your hair unbound?"