The First Chapter: The Karmic Debt

  When the child woke up, she found that it was another warm morning. She was alone at home. The meal was already prepared on the table. She rubbed her sleepy eyes and saw a note under the plate, which was written by Li Chao.

  "Sister, I'm going to help Ruo Yun's family pick grapes. Mom asked you to buy a pack of laundry detergent and wash the school uniforms. I'll have lunch at Ruo Yun's house and won't be back until then."

  Li Chao

  After finishing dinner, she tidied up the house and locked the door. She was preparing to go to the market, which was still some distance from home, to buy laundry detergent. As she looked up at the sky, it was a bright and cloudless day with only the sun's eternal smile in the air...

  "Auntie, give me a packet of washing powder." La'er handed the brand new 10 yuan note to the plump woman in the shop.

  "Oh, it's Lu'er! How come you haven't come to our house to play for a long time? Xiao Xuan was originally going to go to your house later, but her grandmother took her and her brother to the Fourth Street and they came back in the afternoon."

  "Got it, Auntie."

  The woman who is speaking is the mother of Shen Xiao Xuan and Shen Kai.

  Shen Kai and Xiao Xuan are siblings, and like Luo Er, they are students of Xingyi High School. Shen Kai is in the 7th class of the science department in the third year of high school, which is a top class, and because of his grades and relationships, he has also become the president of the student union of Xing Middle School. Xiao Xuan, on the other hand, is in the same class as Luo Er, in the 7th class of the liberal arts department in the third year of high school, which is also a famous class for talented girls at Xing Middle School.

  Xiaoxuan grew up with Luoer since childhood, and the relationship between their families was originally good. So Xiaoxuan's relationship with Luoer was even more like close sisters, perhaps because of her brother, because Luoer had already determined the image of the white knight in her heart - Shen Kai, a gentle, meticulous, considerate and sunny science student.

  Shen Kai has been tall since he was a kid, and now he's around 183 cm. His slender figure is perfect for playing basketball, and his popular long hair style adds to his handsome and sunny appearance. Shen Kai's family has always had good living conditions, and his mother used to be the director of Xingzhong Primary School, so Shen Kai and Xiao Xuan seem to have a natural talent for learning - they can answer questions without even looking at them. Their relationships with others are also very good, and their family takes care of Luo Er's family in every possible way.

  "Son, school is about to start soon, how's your homework review going?"

  "It's okay! Hehe~" Luo Er still showed great respect towards Shen Mama.

  "You've worked hard, and after Kai Kai and Xiao Xuan start school, you must help each other and strive for all three of you to get into the same school. That way, you'll have company when you're studying away from home, and your mom will be at ease."

  "Uh-huh, I know, I'll work hard to get into the same university as Xiao Xuan!" Actually, it's more like Luo'er really wants to attend the same university as Shen Kai.

  Suddenly, a large patch of dark clouds appeared in the southwest sky, and the shadow of the dark clouds enveloped Luo Er's body. Luo Er looked up at the sky, "Auntie, it seems like the weather is going to change?"

  Xiaoxuan's mother also poked her head out to look at the sky, and was puzzled. "It can't be, the sun is still shining brightly! In the past, old people often said that a clear sky with thunder is nothing to worry about, it's just the heavens clearing their throat. But if the weather changes suddenly, then it must be the matchmaker at work!"

  As soon as the words fell, dark clouds filled the entire sky, and the sun accompanied by his smile also gradually disappeared without a trace. A loud thunder burst out in the sky, and the north wind responded at the first time, pulling its throat with a roar, making people's body involuntarily tremble with cold.

  The young man couldn't help but be amused by the huge difference between the two. "Haha, the White Snake and Xu Xian's story is just a myth about snake spirits, how can it be true? Heaven won't bother with such trivial matters. Hong Niang, what are you even busy with? But if the weather really changes, I should head back."

  "It looks like there might be a heavy rain, you come in first, after the rain stops, you can leave, hurry up, come in!" Shen's mother anxiously closed the window and opened the door.

  "No, the raisins my mom dried yesterday are still hanging on the iron wire in the yard. If it rains, they'll all be ruined. Auntie, I'm leaving!" After finishing speaking, the child turned around and ran back along the original path.

  The heavy rain poured down, wetting the small dirt road. The puddles on the road were filled with water in an instant, and the entire road became muddy and impassable. Lu'er walked against the north wind, taking one difficult step after another, and couldn't help but mutter to herself: "What's good about being thin? A little wind blows and I'm unstable, unlike those chubby girls who can still leave footprints in the wind and rain, at least they don't need to bring a rope when going out!"

  After passing the large canal in front, it's not far from home. La'er clenched his teeth and finally approached the last sign of the road - Hongxing Canal. This large canal was built by the Red Army when they first entered Xinjiang to solve the problem of lack of water for farming, benefiting many families who couldn't harvest crops due to lack of water. To commemorate this, people call it Hongxing Canal. Calculating from now, this canal has a history of 50 or 60 years.

  But it was right in front of this old ditch that Luo'er stopped in her tracks.

  In the past, people used to lay three large wooden planks on top of this ditch as a temporary small bridge. But today, perhaps because the north wind was too fierce, one of the planks had already been washed away by the water and drifted far away. The other two planks were struggling hard against the north wind in their final battle, from time to time, the plank was blown up by the north wind and then heavily thrown down, splashing water flowers and mud spots stained the white skirt that Lai Er's heart loved.

  Luo Er didn't dare to move forward, not because she was timid. Normally when crossing this ditch, everyone would be extremely cautious, but today, if she took one wrong step, she would fall into the ditch and the rapid water flow would mercilessly sweep her away, making it impossible for her to climb back up! Although she had countless complaints and grievances about this world, cherishing her life was her first and foremost warning to herself.

  Luo Er knew that the water of Hong Xing Qu was notoriously icy, even in the scorching summer it would numb your hands. Even if she were lucky enough to get out of the water, she would still fall ill, because Ruo Yun's eldest uncle was the one who repaired Hong Xing Qu back then and spent too much time in the water, which led to rheumatoid arthritis. When the pain acted up, it was more unbearable than being cut by a knife.

  Rainwater poured down from the top of her head, and at this time, she was already shivering with cold. She put the laundry detergent on her chest, hoping to warm up a bit. The small bag could at least block some wind. Her hand still tightly clenched the change she had found back, unsure whether it was fear of the money getting wet or the cold that made her clench her fist.

  She stood there blankly in the rain, wondering whether she should go back to Xiao Xuan's house to avoid this fierce storm.

  Suddenly, Luo'er vaguely heard two people's footsteps approaching with the sound behind him.

  "Hey, Lu Xiansheng, you're out in this heavy rain, what's wrong with you?" The tone was full of discontent and disdain.

  "No problem, it's just that I've never seen such a big rain, it's simply too beautiful! Look, especially the Tian Shan! It's so beautiful, I want to take more photos quickly, this is a gift from God for us." Another person excitedly shouted.

  "Just take a photo here, why are you running forward non-stop? Aren't you afraid that the wind will get stronger and blow you all the way back home?"

  "Blown back home? Just in time, I don't even need to buy a ticket! Haha, but look at my body, does it look like it can be blown away by the wind? What a joke!" The hearty laughter continues.

  "It's really depressing, I'm freezing to death! Are you going to die or not, monster? Can't you feel the temperature at all? Don't you think it's cold and windy?"

  "It's no use, you go back first, I can still hold on for a while. Don't bother about me anymore!"

  "Huh? What did you say? I didn't quite catch that..."

  Before long, the two boys who were talking ran past Lao Er's side one after another, seemingly crossing the wooden bridge with ease.

  For some reason, after about two or three minutes, the two boys turned back and stopped beside Lao Er.

  The rain was so heavy that it blurred Lier's eyes, and her eyelashes still fell with a few small raindrops from time to time. She felt the breathing of the two people, but couldn't see their faces clearly. Lier wanted to ask something, but she couldn't make a sound, she could only feel that her teeth were chattering, and her tongue wanted to curl up.

  "Why don't you just go? It's freezing standing here! Are you afraid to go over? I can carry you on my back!" The boy holding the digital camera shouted at her.

  "Thank you, no need! I can do it myself." Lu'er gritted her teeth, her voice still trembling.

  "Don't be shy! Look at you, you're all wet and shivering, but still talking tough." Another boy looked at Luo Er and then turned to the one holding the camera and said: "Xuan Sheng, I finally understand what they mean by 'a woman's words are not her heart'. Haha...". His laughter was unpleasant, perhaps mixed with too much of the stormy weather.

  "Mind your own business, I can handle it myself!" Luo Er was a bit annoyed because she hated it when boys commented on girls. She thought they weren't worthy! Wiping away the raindrops from her eyes, she took a closer look at what the two of them were wearing. Those were indeed top-notch brands! Especially those leather sandals - genuine leather sandals! Even on this muddy road, they still shone brightly, as if showing off their hefty price tag. And what was she wearing? Cloth sandals! The coarse linen color and style had long been obscured by mud...

  "What are you thinking? I can carry you over!" It was still that boy with a camera.

  "I've said it many times, no need! Thank you!"

  "Hmm, you're upset, so just go first, we'll follow behind, this bridge doesn't seem very sturdy either, just in case!" He seemed to have thought it through. At least, Luo Er thought he was much more elegant than the other boy.

  The child carefully placed his foot on the slightly larger wooden board, moving slowly and cautiously. The two boys followed closely behind, as if protecting Princess Diana...