Aunt Zhao's Misfortune: Karma Comes Calling

As Aunt Zhao walked home alone, still miffed by her encounter with the Shen family, she stumbled upon an unexpected sight: a group of boars!

The village, nestled amidst mountains, often played host to wild animals like boars and pheasants. Here they were, a mother boar and her piglets, happily munching on wild vegetation at the field's edge, their curly tails wagging in contentment.

Aunt Zhao's eyes gleamed with excitement. This was a rare opportunity for a delicious meal. If she could capture one of these boars, she'd have enough meat to feast on for days. And with so many little piglets around, she reckoned it wouldn't be too hard to nab one.

Quietly, Aunt Zhao adjusted her steps, careful not to startle the boars as she passed by with her basket of seedlings.

As Aunt Zhao drew closer, she slung her basket off her back, preparing to lunge for one of the piglets. But to her surprise, the little pig was nimble and darted away, leaving her grasping at thin air. Momentum carried her forward, and with a resounding "puff!" she tumbled into the paddy field, splattering mud everywhere and leaving herself thoroughly drenched and embarrassed.

Letting out a shriek, Aunt Zhao scrambled to her feet, hastily wiping mud from her face. Only then did she realize the wild boar and her piglets had already scampered off.

Cursing her luck under her breath, Aunt Zhao felt thoroughly humiliated.

Back on the path, Mrs. Li observed the scene with a mixture of amusement and schadenfreude. Leading the two children over, she offered, "Aunt Zhao, looks like you've taken a tumble! Need a hand?"

As the Li family approached, Aunt Zhao's face contorted with anger, and she spat out a bitter retort: "Weasel greeting the chicken, showing false kindness!"

Mrs. Li shook her head disapprovingly. "Why insult yourself like that? Show some respect! And be more careful when you walk. Falling into a field like this is one thing, but what if it's a well or a ditch next time? No one might be able to save you then!"

Aunt Zhao's response was a string of vulgarities, causing Mrs. Li to cover Fu Bao's ears, shielding her from the profanity.

Even Mrs. Li, known for her sharp tongue, was taken aback. Unlike Aunt Zhao's indiscriminate cursing, her own scoldings were directed at individuals, not their entire lineage. Li Xiaolei, incensed, charged forward and shoved Aunt Zhao, causing her to tumble back into the field, crushing several newly planted seedlings in the process.

At this point, it seemed inevitable that Aunt Zhao would have to seek compensation.

"You... you... you lot!" Aunt Zhao hurled a few more choice words before she suddenly felt a sharp pain in her leg. Hastily lifting it, she discovered it was infested with several leeches!

"Ahh!" She shrieked, shaking her leg vigorously in an attempt to dislodge the bloodsuckers.

But the leeches weren't so easily deterred. Despite her frantic movements, they remained stubbornly attached, greedily feasting on her blood.

"Oh, Aunt Zhao, you'd better head back and fetch some salt. With so many leeches, it'll be quite the ordeal!" Mrs. Li clucked sympathetically, privately musing that Aunt Zhao's misfortune was a clear indication of her bad luck. Yet, having berated her earlier, Mrs. Li found it difficult to muster any genuine sympathy.