Genius brightened up, and my parents took my little niece to the ancestral hall in the village.

I know, they're going to give a wooden doll.

The first thing the girl drank wasn't breast milk or formula.

It was blood.

My mom took a bottle from the village chief, and the bright red blood reflected the dim light, like the desires buried in people's hearts.

The baby didn't like the taste and cried.

But my mom was unmoved.

She opened the girl's mouth and impatiently called me to help.

"This is a good thing! Ignorant girl!"

"Xiaoman, come here and feed her!"

Trembling, I put the nipple into the baby's mouth.

When the bottle of blood was empty, my little niece was placed on the table, next to a slightly rough wooden doll, but its body was covered with eerie patterns.

The village chief bowed three times to the wooden doll.

"Please bless us, Spirit Doll!"

The highly respected elders in the village were all excited, shouting in unison, "Please bless us, Spirit Doll!"

The child didn't know anything and looked around in confusion.

The village chief took out a sharp dagger and cut her wrist.

The crimson blood dripped onto the wooden doll, and the patterns seemed to come alive, absorbing it all.

The little niece screamed in pain, and I couldn't bear to look.

The people here were used to it and didn't feel any sympathy or pity.

My parents had cold expressions, as if they were dealing with unrelated livestock.

I thought it would end soon, but that wooden doll was an endless abyss.

The baby's cries gradually weakened, and the expectant expressions of the people faded.

"It seems that this girl won't be favored by the Spirit Doll."

The village chief shook his head with disappointment.

Someone spat, "Disturbing dreams early in the morning, so unlucky!"

"Disperse! Let's go home."

The little niece was already lifeless.

She died as a newborn baby without even getting a chance to see the world, without even a name.

"The Lin family should take care of this child."

My parents had terrible expressions. The duck they had caught flew away just like that!

My older brother had already left when the village chief was speaking. He angrily went to confront his sister-in-law.

If they couldn't have a son, having a daughter was useless. It was a waste to indulge her for ten months!

"Hmph! She really doesn't have that fortune."

My mom glanced at the baby's corpse and kicked me in frustration. "You go and throw her into the tower."

I obediently picked up the still warm little niece, lowered my head, and silently shed tears.

I'm sorry, I'm sorry...

I'm useless, I can't save you.

No one noticed that the corners of the wooden doll's vivid lips curled up slightly on the desk.