Pang Dashan and his men came crashing into the dilapidated temple with force, not only vandalizing the place but also stealing many daily necessities.
Jiang Sheng was first furious - who was so blind that they would dare bully even her Jiang girl?
But then she began feeling relieved.
Relieved that she had taken all the silver coins from under the Buddha's feet to buy the donkey cart.
Relieved that she had taken elder brother Xu Mo away on the donkey cart she had bought.
Jiang Sheng dared not imagine what could have happened to Xu Mo and Jin Douzi if she had not happened to buy the donkey cart.
Just then, Fang Heng came back carrying Xu Mo. Seeing the mess in the dilapidated temple, he was silent for a moment as killing intent brewed in his eyes.
"What happened here?" Zheng Ruqian and Wen Zhiyun came in last and cried out, "Who did this, who?"
Xu Mo frowned. "Put me down first."
Although Fang Heng was not tired, he was still just a child and could not keep carrying him.
Jiang Sheng quickly tidied up the straw and tattered quilts.
Xu Mo sat down slowly, regaining his scholarly composure. "Have you offended anyone recently?"
Too many to count.
Jiang Sheng could not count on her fingers.
Since she could remember, she had been wandering alone. At first, some people would give her a bite to eat, but later she had to fend for herself through deception, theft, and tricks. Most families' dogs in the village had their food stolen by Jiang Sheng at some point.
Jiang Sheng was not of good temper either. If hit, she would hit back. If scolded, she would retort. If things got out of hand, she would sneakily throw a couple of rocks into their backyard latrines. As long as she ran fast enough, they could never catch her.
Speaking of recently, there was a Zhou Zhijiang.
"It probably wasn't a villager." Fang Heng said slowly. "They still need Little Four to treat illnesses."
"Then who could it be?" Jiang Sheng did not understand.
The siblings looked at each other, still unable to figure it out. It was Zheng Ruqian with the better memory. "Didn't we just meet elder brother San, and there was someone who robbed our money and made elder brother San teach him a lesson?"
Jiang Sheng's eyes lit up sharply. "It's him, it must be him. Even if others trashed the temple, they wouldn't covet those pots and pans."
Only a beggar like Pang Dashan would even steal quilts.
That shameless thing!
He must have held a grudge after being beaten last time but didn't dare retaliate openly with Fang Heng around. So he had followed them and vandalized the place when they were away.
Jiang Sheng was furious. When she had been alone, she had never feared Pang Dashan. Now with so many elder brothers backing her, she would be ashamed if Pang Dashan got to bully her! Her name would have to be written backwards!
"Big brother, second brother, third brother, fourth brother." Jiang Sheng shouted. "Let's go take our things back!"
Those supplies were important for making it through the winter.
Especially the pots and pans. They embodied Wen Zhiyun's longing for his parents. There was no reason to let someone like Pang Dashan have them.
"Let's go." Fang Heng was most decisive. He picked up a wrist-thick stick and charged out of the temple.
Zheng Ruqian was also righteous, picking up a brick to follow closely.
Wen Zhiyun looked left and right but could not find a stick. The brick was too heavy to lift. Frowning, he took out two palm-length silver needles from the medicine box.
The three brothers along with Jiang Sheng boarded the donkey cart with gusto.
Having just sat down on the cotton mattress, Xu Mo touched his forehead with one hand. "Wait for me."
Fang Heng hesitated, then quickly went back to carry the eldest brother onto the donkey cart.
Jiang Sheng took the chance to hide the cotton clothes she had bought under some straw on the surface. That way no one could steal them even if they came back.
After closing the door of the temple, the five siblings returned to town.
Speaking of which, Jiang Sheng and Pang Dashan did have some history.
When Jiang Sheng was five, she had met a nine-year-old boy. Both were destitute and alone, so they called each other siblings and huddled together for warmth.
The older boy always took good care of Jiang Sheng, giving her the best food and clothing he could get. For half a year, Jiang Sheng thought she finally had a brother and was no longer alone.
But then Pang Dashan stopped them. He said the boy had good potential and was well suited to join the "Beggars' Sect", with the only requirement being that he discard Jiang Sheng, this little deadweight.
The boy hesitated for a long time. Bringing Jiang Sheng along made it hard for him to get enough to eat, but abandoning her went against his conscience.
Swayed by Pang Dashan's persuasion, the boy finally hardened his heart. He stuffed Jiang Sheng with a hot steamed bun and ran away in the middle of the night.
Ever since then, Jiang Sheng had no brother.
She wandered alone silently, avoiding the Beggars' Sect even when bullied by them.
When she picked up Zheng Ruqian, Jiang Sheng worried that this brother would also abandon her after being seduced away by Pang Dashan.
But seeing Zheng Ruqian's snot and tears mixed together as he cried, Jiang Sheng's heart softened again.
Later when she met Xu Mo, Fang Heng, Wen Zhiyun, seeing how smart, calm and hardworking they were, seeing the temple slowly become more like a home, Jiang Sheng finally felt reassured.
Such outstanding brothers surely wouldn't be snatched away by Pang Dashan, right?
But she hadn't expected that scoundrel to raid and plunder them.
Jiang Sheng harbored both new and old grudges and wished she could tie Pang Dashan up and give him a beating.
Guided by old memories, she led her four brothers to Pang Dashan's old haunt - a dilapidated cave.
"This is it." Jiang Sheng tattled to third brother. "Pang Dashan lives here."
Fang Heng tied the old donkey and picked up the long stick to lead the way in.
Zheng Ruqian followed closely with the brick in hand.
Wen Zhiyun pursed his lips and brought up the rear, clutching a silver needle in each hand.
Jiang Sheng made to run after them but suddenly remembered Xu Mo still on the cart. She hurriedly turned back just in time to see Xu Mo waving his hand.
"Go on. If my legs were healthy, I would certainly join you." He said.
They had been too used to his composure and forgotten Xu Mo was just an eleven-year-old child after all.
He too had hot blood and got into fights to stand up for his little sister.
Jiang Sheng bared her teeth in a grin and charged into the cave.
But in just that brief moment she had been delayed, the battle inside was already over.
Second brother was holding the brick with mouth agape while fourth brother's silver needles hadn't even made an appearance. Third brother alone had knocked Pang Dashan and his two followers out with the stick.
The seventeen or eighteen-year-old Pang Dashan had nearly peed his pants, cowering and shaking as he pleaded, "Don't hit me, don't hit me! I'll return all your things, give them all back!"
Fang Heng just coldly snorted without responding.
Zheng Ruqian quickly rushed to find their belongings.
The pots and pans were still there and were loaded onto the donkey cart. The cotton clothes were also there and were taken back.
Only the two bedding rolls from the clinic were missing.
Fang Heng stepped on Pang Dashan's hand, making him shriek in pain. "They're next door, next door!"
Jiang Sheng rushed out of the cave and discovered an even smaller one nearby. Inside were a few children, probably new beggar recruits taken in by Pang Dashan. They looked young, lying tattered and emaciated on the straw, deep asleep.
They must have not eaten for a long time, their stomachs growling as their mouths unconsciously moved...
The two bedding rolls were covering them now, but Jiang Sheng could not bring herself to take them back.
She too had been cold and hungry before, nearly freezing to death.
The nine-year-old boy taken away by Pang Dashan had died in the snow that cold winter without any clothes to wear.
With his dying breath, his last words to Jiang Sheng were: Take my clothes.
Take them and stay warm. That way you can survive.
Jiang Sheng had cried as her tears froze into ice droplets. She felt like she could no longer stand, her fingers stiffening as her breath lost warmth.
Later, Auntie Zhang had brought her back, given her hot soup and tattered clothes, and helped her find the dilapidated temple to live in.
That was how Jiang Sheng had survived until now.
