It was not that everyone was cold-hearted, but they were not well-off. They all had elderly parents and young children to support, and they also rented land from the gentry.
If there was a natural disaster or man-made disaster, they would be so poor that they would have to sell their children.
They really didn’t have that much sympathy to spend so much money on other people’s children.
If it was just an occasional help, they believed no one in the village would object. But to pay so much silver, even Li Xu, who cared about the brother and sister the most, would find it difficult to say so.
Thirty-three taels!
This might be the largest number that the villagers had ever seen in their lives.
“Uncles and aunts, please save my sister. I will work like a slave to return the money to you.”
The fall just now was not light. Yu Yan felt dull pain all over his body, but it was nothing compared to the pain in his heart.
He knelt on the ground and kowtowed to the elders in the room. He kowtowed heavily, and his forehead soon became purple with blood.
“Brother.”
Ah Wu knew that this must be very painful, so she hugged her brother and placed her little hand on his forehead.
But Yu Yan, who had always loved her, now acted like a madman. Not only did he kowtow himself, but he also grabbed her hand.
Ah Wu staggered to her knees.
“Xiao Wu, please beg the uncles and aunts.”
Yu Yan turned his head away and dared not look at his sister. He held her head and pressed it to the ground again and again.
Ah Wu burst into tears the moment she felt the pain, but she didn’t cry out loud. The only reaction in her heart was that her brother kowtowed so hard just now, it must have been very painful.
“What are you doing, kid?”
The Village Chief sighed and stepped forward to stop Yu Yan’s action.
“What do you think?”
As he got older, his heart softened. He really couldn’t bear to see this sensible child lose his sister, nor could he bear to see Yu Wu being sold into a dirty place like this.
“Village Chief, it’s not that I don’t want to help the two children, but my eldest son is already 21 this year. My family has finally saved enough money to marry him off. I also have three sons.”
It was not that they didn’t want to help, but they couldn’t.
The woman who spoke was from a poor family. It took her many years to get the money for her son to get married. For this reason, her eldest son had to wait until he was 21 years old.
If she lent the money, when would her children be able to marry their wives, and when would she be able to hold her grandchildren?
“I have already lent two taels of silver to Mrs. Yu.”
“My family doesn’t have any money either.”
“I can lend two hundred coins, but no more.”
…
Many people silently avoided Yu Yan’s burning gaze.
It was not that they didn’t have good intentions. It was all because of poverty.
“Mrs. Yu has really done a great sin.”
Someone sighed, and the atmosphere exploded instantly.
Everyone criticized Mrs. Yu who had already been buried. They wanted to drag her body out of the grave and whip her in the sun.
Yu Yan hugged his sister tightly. The fire in his eyes gradually extinguished.
“Xiao Yan, don’t blame us. There’s really nothing we can do.”
The Village Chief looked at the villagers who were shirking their responsibility and felt bitter in his heart, but at this moment, he could only tell Yu Yan the result truthfully.
“The day after tomorrow, that person the day after tomorrow…”
The Village Chief wanted to say that that person would come to the village the day after tomorrow to take Yu Wu away, but when the words came to his lips, he couldn’t bear to poke the scars of the two children.
“Take Xiao Wu to eat something delicious these next two days.”
He patted Yu Yan’s shoulder, covered his face, and left in shame.
“Hey—”
The people present looked at the Village Chief’s back and then at the children who were hugging each other tightly, like little animals licking each other’s wounds.
They also felt a little ashamed.
Although it was not their fault, they always felt guilty for no reason.
First, one person followed the Village Chief and left. Then, two or three more people followed. Slowly, almost everyone in the room left.
Li Xu hesitated for a long time. She really liked Yu Wu, a girl, but let alone thirty-three taels, all her belongings were only a fraction of this.
Guilt swallowed Li Xu like a tide. She didn’t have the courage to look directly at the eyes of the brother and sister.
In the end, Li Xu left.
She planned to slaughter the old hen at home so that Xiao Wu could at least have a good meal before she was taken away.
“Uncle Niu.”
Just when everyone was about to leave, Yu Yan let go of his sister’s hand, rushed to the yard, and called a short but very strong man.
The man called Uncle Niu was a little hesitant.
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Sena Rachma On [QTC] MBDT Chapter 1085