WBSGVS Chapter 104

But what good is it to have strength now?

Qingli was well aware that her body wasn’t strong enough. She could take on this little girl, but against the Tang family’s men and women combined, she didn’t stand a chance.

Without saying a word, she ran straight back to her room.

Tang Tiantian, unwilling to let it go, stomped her feet angrily at the doorway and shouted in her crisp, commanding voice, “Third Girl! Get out here!”

Finally, Grandma Tang heard the commotion and yelled, “What’s going on? What happened?”

“Nothing happened, just dumping the bathwater!” Tang Ersong replied hastily as he stepped out, personally taking the bathwater to dispose of it.

Tang Tiantian huffed and puffed but said nothing more. Though she was annoyed, the bathwater was eventually taken care of. She strutted around the yard with her hands on her hips and threatened from outside Ersong’s door, “Third Girl, you’re not allowed to play with me anymore!”

Tang Tiantian was the village’s ringleader among the children, partly because she always had delicious treats. The original Qingli had stuck with her to sneak some of those goodies, and so did the other kids for the same reason.

This kind of threat might work on an average child, but Qingli didn’t react at all.

Tang Tiantian grew even angrier and ran over to kick the door. But under her second brother’s disapproving glare as he returned from dumping the water, she stuck out her tongue, wobbled her head defiantly, and ran off.

Tang Ersong shook his head, set down the washbasin, and returned to his room. He knew his daughter wasn’t asleep yet, so he spoke softly. “Third Girl, next time your little aunt asks you to dump water, just do it, alright? If you don’t help out with anything, your grandma won’t like you.”

Qingli kept her eyes shut and said nothing.

Seeing this, Tang Ersong’s patience snapped. He widened his eyes in mock anger, preparing to give her a light swat on the rear. Before he could, his wife, now awake, swatted his hand aside and scolded in a hushed voice, “Enough already! The Third Girl got beaten up this afternoon and skipped lunch. You’re still thinking of hitting her?”

Tang Ersong chuckled awkwardly. “I was just trying to teach her. This kid’s too disobedient. I wasn’t going to hit her.”

Li Lanhua sighed in frustration. “Tiantian is only two months younger than Third Girl. If she wants the water dumped, why can’t she do it herself? Why does she have to call Third Girl?”

Tang Ersong frowned. “Tiantian’s been spoiled by Grandma, sure. But if Third Girl keeps acting like this, Grandma will dislike her even more. We don’t have a son, after all…”

Hearing this, Li Lanhua’s expression turned guilty. She blamed herself for not being able to bear a son. Grandma often called her a “useless hen,” which stung her deeply. She pressed her lips together and said no more.

Qingli, feigning sleep, kept her breathing steady. Assuming she was truly asleep, Tang Ersong decided to drop the matter. Wiping his face, he muttered, “Let’s just sleep.”

“I haven’t washed yet!” Li Lanhua exclaimed, hurrying out of the room.

In the 1960s, there wasn’t much entertainment. During busy farming seasons, there was plenty of work to be done at home. Some idle villagers would chat outside in the cool evening air, but most turned in early.

Before long, the entire village went dark. Anyone needing to use the bathroom had to do so in total darkness.

Qingli, though well-rested from her afternoon nap, forced herself to fall asleep that night.

She needed to recover quickly, at least enough to be able to retaliate against Tang Tiantian and still make a clean getaway.

The next morning, the adults headed out to work as usual. Early in the day, Grandma Tang’s voice echoed through the courtyard as she barked orders: “First Girl, make sure to do the laundry. Second Girl, help out. Third Girl, clean up the yard. Fourth Girl…”

Everyone, boys and girls alike, was given chores. The tasks were numerous but not overly taxing. Only Tang Tiantian and the toddler-aged grandson had nothing to do.

Qingli got up but headed to eat breakfast first.

Breakfast consisted of watery porridge from a large communal pot. The rice had been cooked to the point where it dissolved into the liquid, but at least it filled the stomach.

After finishing her meal, Qingli slipped away and headed toward the mountain.

By this time, the grass around the base of the mountain had already been cleared by the villagers, leaving the area bare and easy to traverse. It was nothing like the overgrown, abandoned land she remembered from the 21st century when everyone had flocked to the cities.

She wore straw sandals, but her feet were accustomed to them and didn’t feel uncomfortable.

It took her almost half an hour to reach the mountain base, even with her brisk pace. The mountain was off-limits for the most part, as there were rumors of wild boars, tigers, and poisonous insects in the area. Additionally, any game found, such as wild chickens or rabbits, was considered state property. Getting caught hunting would lead to severe punishment.

However, no one paid much attention to a small child wandering into the mountain.

She climbed up, the dense forest quickly obscuring the view of the village below. Halfway up, the air turned noticeably cooler, and the village disappeared.

Qingli rested for a moment before continuing her ascent.

She was scouting the area.

At the same time, she searched for medicinal herbs. During this era, pharmacies still accepted raw herbs like cicada molts, which were used in traditional Chinese medicine. However, gathering them was labor-intensive, and the best season for it wouldn’t come until July through September.

Qingli spent half the day wandering the mountain. Near noon, she unexpectedly discovered a cave.

Although it was desolate, unused for ages, and located in an extremely remote area, its very isolation made it hard for others to discover.

Qingli placed the herbs she had collected on her way there into the cave and quickly ran back.

The trip up the mountain had taken nearly an hour, but the return felt like it was barely half that time. Once again, she managed to get to the canteen ahead of everyone else for lunch.

After eating quickly, she hurried back home.

Grandma Tang, Qian Guiying, led her daughter and a small army of her four sons, their wives, and children to the communal canteen for lunch.

The entire brigade often worked together, and even though not all were from the same village, they all knew one another. Seeing such a large family, someone couldn’t help but admire, “Guiying, you’re so blessed! Such a big family—it’s so impressive!”

“Hahaha,” Qian Guiying beamed with pride and laughed. “That’s right. But let me tell you, raising kids back then was tough. Nearly starved us to death. These four debt collectors—each one ate so much! If it wasn’t because no one wanted them back then, I might have sold them!”

The word “sold” didn’t faze anyone, and some even grew more envious.

“Come on, you say that now, but you wouldn’t have gone through with it. Look at them now—how much work they can do! Even in a fight, your family is tougher than anyone else’s!”

“Exactly! A household of ten-plus people—I can’t imagine how many work points you rack up in a year!”

“Of course, that’s as it should be,” Qian Guiying said, her eyes sweeping over her four sons. When her gaze landed on the youngest, it held a hint of disdain. “Don’t be fooled by how good things seem now. Each one of them has driven me crazy at some point. Ah, children truly are life’s greatest debts.”

“Oh, don’t say that, elder sister. I haven’t seen a family with sons as filial as yours!” remarked a middle-aged woman, whose own sons were known for being idle, with a touch of envy in her voice.

Qian Guiying, bolstered by others’ admiration, continued to complain as she walked. “Filial, my foot! Can’t even get San Ya to pour water without a fuss. Kids these days—each generation is worse than the last!”

Walking silently behind her, Tang Ersong lowered his head guiltily, doing his best to stay unnoticed.

“Oh? That little girl’s that headstrong?” The other woman seemed surprised. San Ya had always seemed like a quiet and well-behaved child.

Qian Guiying sneered, “It’s not just her—the whole lot of them in the youngest branch of the family. Raising them for all these years, and now I even have to help feed their kids!”

The other woman wisely said nothing.

From what she’d seen, the youngest couple wasn’t any less hardworking than the other three brothers. They consistently earned their share of work points, and raising two kids didn’t seem like a challenge, especially with communal meals.

In contrast, Qian Guiying’s daughter seemed to eat better than all her grandsons combined.

Qian Guiying was too caught up in her grievances to notice the change in expression of the woman she was speaking to. She kept complaining until they reached the canteen, where she immediately stopped and stepped into the line. “Sister, give me an extra serving today—I worked so hard this morning!”

The woman serving food rolled her eyes and snapped, “Everyone wants extra. What about the rest of the brigade? Should they go hungry?”

Qian Guiying pouted but relented. “Fine, fine. But my granddaughter hasn’t come to eat yet. Can you give her share to Tiantian instead?”

“San Ya already came and ate,” the woman said flatly, handing over the food and nudging Qian Guiying to move along.

“What? That little wretch came to eat ahead of us again? What does a useless girl like her need so much food for?!” Qian Guiying’s anger flared, and she cursed under her breath before turning to her second daughter-in-law, Li Lanhua. “Look at the kind of daughter you raised! Worthless!”

Li Lanhua, who had been bracing herself, sighed in relief knowing her daughter had already eaten and didn’t dare argue. She hung her head low and stayed silent as her mother-in-law raged.

Tang Tiantian, however, was annoyed by the commotion and loudly complained, “Mom, stop yelling! You’re so noisy!”

Qian Guiying pursed her lips, grumbled a few more words under her breath, and finally fell silent.

Li Lanhua felt a brief flash of gratitude toward Tiantian, only for it to vanish when Tiantian smugly added, “Why yell at Mom? It’s not her fault San Ya’s just lying around at home!”

Li Lanhua’s stomach sank as she glanced nervously at her mother-in-law.

Sure enough, Qian Guiying’s face lit up with fresh fury. “Oh, that’s right! San Ya’s just lazing about! When I get back, I’ll teach her a lesson!”

Li Lanhua’s heart clenched. She rushed through her meal without tasting a bite, already planning how to shield her daughter from her mother-in-law’s wrath later. If it came to it, she’d just take the beating herself.

As the Tang family finished eating and headed home, Qian Guiying’s simmering anger boiled over when she called for San Ya and got no response. She stormed to the second son’s house, flung open the door, and raised her hand to strike, only for her granddaughter to dart out past her like a flash.

“Where do you think you’re going?!” Qian Guiying screamed, chasing after the girl in a fury.

To her shock, San Ya didn’t run away but made a beeline toward Tang Tiantian, who had been watching smugly from the sidelines.

“San Ya, have you lost your mind?!” Qian Guiying bellowed, her voice filled with both anger and panic.

Her shouts startled the others in the courtyard, but they didn’t faze San Ya.

Caught completely off guard, Tang Tiantian could only gape as San Ya lunged at her. Instead of a punch, San Ya used the momentum to land a solid kick squarely on Tiantian’s chest.

Tiantian let out a shrill scream of pain, stumbling backward and landing hard on the ground. Tears streamed down her face as she clutched her chest in shock and agony.

“Tiantian!” Qian Guiying shrieked, rushing over to help her daughter up. Fury blazing in her eyes, she scanned the courtyard, ready to tear her granddaughter apart—but San Ya was nowhere to be found.