Xiao Yuxi's hands were indeed feeling a little painful at this moment. The powder's effect exceeded her expectations, making her regret for acting so rashly.
"Xi'er, what's happened to your hands?" Zhou Anran approached her daughter worriedly.
"Elder Sister, are you alright?" Xiao Yuyan's concerned eyes landed on her sister's hands. She wanted to grab Xiao Yuxi's hands to check them for herself but she was worried her sister might feel pain from the force.
Helpless, Xiao Yuxi knew that she couldn't hide anything from her mother and sister anymore. At this moment, the three of them were also keenly aware that besides themselves, others also heard Xiao Qingya's inner thoughts.
"Let me see your hands, Elder Sister," Xiao Yuyan was quite quick-witted. "What if it gets scalded?"
Xiao Yuxi hurriedly shook her head. "No, don't touch it."
She wasn't sure whether it was contagious or not. Even if it wasn't, she didn't want to risk it still. There might be some powder that was sticking to her skin. What if the powder gets to Xiao Yuyan's fair skin?
Under her mother and sisters' gaze, she finally unwrapped her own hands, revealing reddish skins with some blisters. Their expressions became grave.
The condition seemed somewhat serious.
"Let's go to Physician Li's house," Zhou Anran decided almost instantly.
Xiao Yuxi hurriedly shook her head. She understood their current predicament. They no longer had a lot of money for their daily meals, not to mention money to pay Physician Li.
"No need, Mother. It will get better on its own." She consoled them. "I don't feel that comfortable. It's just that I touched the hot side of the iron pot and it startled me."
No matter how they persuaded Xiao Yuxi to get treatment from Physician Li, she stubbornly refused. Zhou Anran sighed. Who does her daughter take after for her to be this stubborn?
Finally, they gave up, but they still emphasized that they would invite Physician Li again if she didn't get better soon. Xiao Yuxi immediately agreed. She was quite confident in her body recovery.
Meanwhile, Xiao Qingya finally could take a look at the System's shop, wanting to find something for her eldest sister. Unfortunately, her eager heart was soon doused with cold water.
The items are all so expensive!
[Look, even after I deduct the points to pay our debts, you can't still buy anything.] The System muttered. Nonetheless, it still felt a little guilty at taking the little one's points to pay their debts without consulting her first.
Xiao Qingya had been a little heartbroken, thinking she might have lost the chance to help her sister without the points. However, looking at the rows of excellent yet expensive items in the System's shop, she fell silent.
She was still too poor to afford any of them.
Her little face was full of frowns. Changing the plot wasn't an easy feat considering her current situation, and the reward was also quite pitiful.
She wasn't even confident she could get another chance in changing the plot again. The little one was immersed in her own thoughts that they didn't notice the meaningful glances in her mother and sisters' eyes.
At night, Xiao Qingya slept early just like usual. Even after she awakened her consciousness, her routine still didn't change. Slowly, Zhou Anran exited the room.
"Do you two also notice something unusual with Little Ya?" Zhou Anran opened the conversation with her twin daughters. Xiao Fenghao was in another room, carving some wooden toys they could sell.
Xiao Yuxi and Xiao Yuyan exchanged glances.
"Mother, I seem to hear Little Ya's inner mind," Xiao Yuxi said after some hesitation. Xiao Yuyan nodded furiously, confirming her sister's words.
They looked at each other's expressions with widened eyes.
"You two also heard it," Zhou Anran muttered with a complicated look on her face. She was extremely worried. Originally, it was fine that only she could hear it—and of course, the family too since Xiao Qingya's brothers and sisters also loved her very much.
But… what if others also could hear it?
Most people were extremely superstitious. They believed that natural disasters were the signs that God was angry or some kind of curse. Lately, the weather wasn't favorable; a lot of crops were failing.
In other provinces, drought and famine also raged, causing suffering for common people.
Xiao Qingya's case was definitely too strange. If people heard her thoughts too and they brand her as a witch or calamity that had caused the disaster—what should they do?
There was also the problem of their family's future plot, which didn't seem to be simple. The System by Xiao Qingya's side had emphasized its complication.
They needed to figure everything out.
"Don't tell anyone about Little Ya's ability," Zhou Anran pressed, looking through her daughters' eyes with seriousness.
Noticing the worry in their mother's eyes, Xiao Yuxi and Xiao Yuyan nodded.
"Mother, since we can hear Little Ya's thoughts, can others hear it too?" Xiao Yuyan clenched her fingers on the edge of her clothes.
Xiao Yuxi blinked and muttered, "It will be great if it's just us females…"
Their words brought Zhou Anran a flash of inspiration. "Should we try it on your second brother after Little Ya is awake tomorrow?"
Xiao Fenghao was still guilty of his reckless action which had caused his youngest sister some pain, so he subconsciously avoided her for now. He couldn't face her.
The others also noticed it, but they didn't do anything and just let him sort his thoughts first. When he was ready, he would definitely accompany Xiao Qingya again. After all, no one could resist their obedient and cute youngest member.
However, now it seemed that they had to push for him to face Xiao Qingya sooner. They wanted to make sure how many people could hear Xiao Qingya's thoughts so that they could take precaution.
That night, they discussed a lot of things. In the end, they agreed to have someone to accompany Xiao Qingya all the time. They wanted to make sure they wouldn't miss any important information related to their plot.
"Mother, it's best if we don't let Grandma visit again," Xiao Yuxi bluntly said.
Zhou Anran bit her lip and sighed. "You come inside and rest. Your hands must be hurting."
Xiao Yuxi pursed her lips and didn't say anything further. She wanted to say something more, but Xiao Yuyan tugged on her clothes, so she could only restrain herself.
"Then, I will go to sleep first. Remember to take a rest too, Mother, Yan'er." She exhaled deeply and went to her room, which she shared with her twin sister.
Zhou Anran was still helping her daughter to make a new batch of scented sachets. She was a little absentminded. It wouldn't be a lie that Xiao Yuxi's words had bothered her.
After her husband was gone, their lives had become incredibly difficult. At this moment, she suddenly missed him deeply.
"Mother, you must go to rest first. I will finish the rest," Xiao Yuyan softly told their mother. Zhou Anran's movement had become more sluggish; her yawn showed just how tired she was.
"Once we get the money from selling the scented sachets, we will invite Physician Li to take a look at Elder Sister's hands," she said with determination.