Chapter 43: Making a Wish

Unfortunately, Fang Mingxi couldn’t fulfill this wish. The moment the thought crossed her mind, the wishing talisman remained motionless, completely unchanged.

She immediately realized that her parents’ safety over the next three months had nothing to do with her; wishing for it would be pointless.

Fang Mingxi continued to think. Since she couldn’t ensure her parents’ safety right now, she needed to find a way to make the most of this talisman without wasting it.

According to the hints from the jade pendant, all the visions were too distant; they wouldn’t occur within three months. How could she use the talisman effectively and reasonably?

Furrowing her brows, Fang Mingxi admitted to herself that she couldn’t figure it out. The visions from the jade pendant were far too few.

Other than the two previous visions, the only preview she’d received in the past few months was when she encountered Liu Damazi, which had revealed that he was connected to He Xi’s side.

She knew she wasn’t a soft-hearted person. If Liu Damazi dared to steal her wild chickens, she wouldn’t let him go; she was just waiting for the right moment for revenge.

The bruises on her body, her grandparents’ injuries, and Tang Yao’s reddened arms from being grabbed, these were all debts she hadn’t forgotten.

Using the talisman just to make Liu Damazi suffer would be a waste. Revenge could be taken in many ways, but a supernatural wishing talisman like this wasn’t something she could have at any time.

Fang Mingxi paced around the small, dark room for a long while before a sudden inspiration struck. She slammed her right fist into her left palm.

“Wishing Talisman, I wish for my family’s safety. If possible, I hope our family can reunite sooner rather than later.”

It was a somewhat extravagant wish, vague and undefined.

Fang Mingxi truly had no idea what might happen in the next three months. She could only try this vague wish and hope for the best.

If it succeeded, at least she wouldn’t have to worry about He Xi interfering for the next three months, allowing her to get through this period safely.

Perhaps even family members she hadn’t seen in a while could survive a crisis with the talisman’s help.

Fortunately, the talisman responded. As soon as Fang Mingxi finished speaking, the empty bottle at the center of the talisman was suddenly filled with a cluster of stars that appeared out of nowhere.

The stars overflowed to the bottle’s mouth and were sealed by a cork. The talisman grew heavy in her hand before turning into starlight and vanishing.

It had worked. Fang Mingxi’s heart lifted, but worry followed immediately.

The talisman’s success wasn’t just good news; it meant that the unfortunate events in the next three months would still occur. If they didn’t involve her grandparents, they would at least be closely related to her.

What would happen? Why wasn’t the jade pendant giving any further response?

Fang Mingxi logged off with a troubled expression. When she opened her eyes, she saw Tang Yao sitting at the foot of her bed.

Today, Tang Yao had braided her hair into several small plaits, weaving in a strip of dried grass and flowers they had braided together last summer.

“Xixi, the sun’s already high. If you don’t wake up, I’ll have to drag you out of bed,” Tang Yao teased with a smile.

Fang Mingxi turned toward the glaring sun. It was almost noon.

Her cheeks flushed, and she hurriedly climbed out of bed.

“Older sister, I’m getting up right away.” The talisman’s surprise had made her oversleep.

At the foot of the bed, Fang Mingxi picked up the cotton jacket she had left in her quilt last night. It was the same one she had dirtied on the mountain. After drying for a couple of days, it was completely dry.

A small tear had formed on the back of the jacket, with yellowed cotton peeking out, but it was still wearable.

As soon as she stood up, the cold air hit her, making her shiver several times.

She resisted sneezing, put on her socks and shoes, and followed Tang Yao out the door.

Her grandparents and the others hadn’t returned from gathering firewood on the mountain. For now, it was just Fang Mingxi and Tang Yao at home.

Walking behind Tang Yao, Fang Mingxi noticed the few tears at her elbows and decided to finally fix them with needle and thread that night.

Thanks to the mysterious benefactor, she would always have an excuse to send supplies. Otherwise, she would still be worried about how to get her grandparents to accept them.

Ou Family, Jing City

It was the first day of the Lunar New Year, a time for family reunions, but the Ou family was in a state of panic.

Ou Wenrui looked around the empty house, which didn’t even have a single piece of furniture, then glared at his pale-faced wife, grinding his teeth.

“This is outrageous! These people have gone too far, abusing their power to commit all sorts of wrongs. This is clearly personal revenge! I’m going to report them!”

Ou Wenrui fumed. After the New Year, he and his wife were to be relocated, and yet these people still dared to come and steal things. Truly, when the mighty fall, even dogs dare to bite.

Zhou Yulan sat on a wobbly chair, clutching her chest as she gently tried to calm him.

“Wenrui, there’s nothing we can do about it now. Luckily, all our main assets were dealt with in advance. What they took are just worthless trinkets; the big money is still hidden safely.”

“As long as they didn’t take the important items, no matter how much they shout, they won’t get anything. At most, we’ll just be relocated to the farm.”

Ou Wenrui’s steps faltered. Seeing the worried expression on his wife’s face, he went into the kitchen and returned with a bowl of warm water.

“Yulan, I know this, but when our relatives ran into trouble, I thought these people wouldn’t be so blatant. Yet after lying low for a while, they’ve come after us again.

“And our relatives are completely missing. We don’t even know where they are. If we leave now, no one will be able to trace them in the future.”

Zhou Yulan sipped the warm water and said softly, “I’ve asked trustworthy friends to keep an eye on our relatives. If there’s any news, they’ll send us money or supplies.”

“But we don’t know if they have backup. Everyone is on high alert now; if our friends get dragged into this, it would be disastrous.”

Even the relatives holding positions weren’t safe. People like them, with overseas backgrounds, were even more vulnerable, and their friends had similar backgrounds.

In this situation, all they could do was hope they wouldn’t be wiped out entirely. Otherwise, what would become of their granddaughter?

Zhou Yulan’s heart tightened at the thought of the suddenly missing Xixi.

She and her husband had only one daughter, and their daughter and son-in-law had only one child. Xixi was the only grandchild in both families.

When the incident happened, Zhou Yulan had learned that her relatives had already left Jing City, their whereabouts unknown.

The other party had deliberately kept the news secret. Their people traced it but couldn’t find them, and were even misled to several wrong locations.

If anything happened to Xixi, she couldn’t imagine how she would face her daughter and son-in-law.

Ou Wenrui bent his legs and sat down on the floor.

“Yes, at a time like this, anyone who can help us is truly a friend for life. Let’s hope our luck holds and we can see our granddaughter at least once before we leave, if not again in our lifetime.”

As they spoke, the courtyard gate suddenly swung open.

A team wearing red armbands entered. A middle-aged man with a beard looked at them smugly and smiled.

“Just so you know, your destination has been decided. Our leader has graciously given you time to prepare. Once the New Year is over, you leave immediately.”

Ou Wenrui helped Zhou Yulan to her feet and took out the few remaining large bills in his pocket.

“Captain, may I ask where my wife and I are going? My wife’s health isn’t good. If it’s too cold over there, may I bring extra cotton clothing?”

The man, seeing that they were being reasonable, recalled a suitable address from the list he had seen earlier.

“Maple Leaf Brigade.”