WBSGVS Chapter 111

If you ask where things went wrong, Qian Guiying and Tang Ersong couldn’t pinpoint anything.

In any case, Qing Li easily carried a simple bundle on her back and left the mountain with them.

But Tang Tiantian was very unhappy.

As soon as Qing Li arrived home, she pouted and huffed, asking, “Why is she back?!”

Tang Ersong awkwardly looked at his daughter, fearing she would get upset. He knew her temper well, and now that his wife sided with her, he had to be more careful in supporting her.

Unexpectedly, Qing Li didn’t even glance at Tang Tiantian. She walked straight into the house, and Li Lanhua ignored her, too. The two women locked themselves in their room.

Tang Ersong tried to open the door but couldn’t.

His embarrassment deepened as the awkwardness was entirely directed at him.

Tang Tiantian, furious, widened her eyes and shouted, “Mom! What does this mean? I’m her aunt!”

Qian Guiying quickly stepped forward to smooth things over. “Alright, alright, this is the village chief’s decision. I didn’t want her to come back either. Tiantian, don’t be mad. I’ll buy you some candy tomorrow at the market.”

Reluctantly, Tang Tiantian pouted less, letting out a frustrated little hum.

In the days that followed, things were no different than when Qing Li had disappeared. She didn’t go to work, spending her time eating, drinking, and playing. If asked to do something, she refused, but she still went to the village canteen to eat.

After a couple of days of tolerating this, Qian Guiying couldn’t take it anymore. On the third day, she snapped, but before she could say anything, the mischievous girl snapped back, “Aren’t my parents working hard to support me? Besides, Tang Tiantian isn’t doing any work, so why should I do it? I want to be like her!”

Furious, Qian Guiying raised her hand, but as soon as she did, Qing Li ran off, shouting at the top of her lungs, “My grandmother hit me! Tang Tiantian isn’t working, but she’s forcing me to work! Aren’t Tang Tiantian and I the same age? Is she the rich daughter of a capitalist?”

This caused quite a stir among the neighbors. Qian Guiying was so angry she nearly fell over, but she couldn’t do anything about it.

If they were labeled as capitalists, they’d be done for.

The little brat had become so clever, making it difficult for her to handle.

Once again, another failed confrontation. Qian Guiying, sweating with frustration, sat on the edge of the bed, fanning herself as she complained to Tang Dashun, “That girl is too clever! She still hasn’t told us how she survived in the deep mountains, and now she’s learned to talk about capitalists!”

Tang Dashun furrowed his brow. “We can’t hit her, and we can’t keep scolding her. She has become like a little ancestor!”

Sighing deeply, Qian Guiying lamented, “What are we going to do? She’s eating our food points! And she’s comparing herself to Tiantian? She’s not even worth one of Tiantian’s fingers!”

Tang Dashun suddenly gave her a look.

“What?” Qian Guiying asked.

Tang Dashun shook his head without saying anything. Selling a ten-year-old girl was no easy thing, especially one who had been raised well, like a daughter. He wondered if anyone would want her.

“You don’t have any good ideas, do you?” Qian Guiying muttered as she started complaining again.

But Tang Dashun, after a few days of deliberation, made up his mind. It was after Tang Tiantian had an accident while playing with her friends, falling from a tree and breaking her leg.

A broken leg!

It would cost money for treatment, plastering, and so on. Add to that the fact that she was crying and demanding meat, candy, and soda, and they ended up spending five yuan!

The family’s balance was already low—how much money could they make from farming?

With half a year still to go before the end-of-year payout, the family’s savings were nearly gone. Qian Guiying was growing desperate, especially with the additional cost for the doctor and medicine for her daughter’s check-ups.

Frustrated, she fumed when Tang Dashun said, “I met someone. They have a friend whose son is a fool—he’s twenty and still hasn’t married. The couple is so worried their hair has turned white.”

Qian Guiying’s eyes lit up. “Really? What did they say they want? Do you think Big Sister or Second Sister is a better match?”

Tang Dashun gave her a sidelong glance. “If you try to sell Big Sister or Second Sister, the eldest son’s family will make a huge fuss.”

Tang Dashun wasn’t Tang Ersong. The eldest son’s wife had a fiery temper, full of clever tricks. But because she was good to Tiantian, they tolerated her. After all, she was their first child, and they had a special fondness for her.

Qian Guiying pouted. “Then what should we do?”

Tang Dashun said in a deep voice, “Third Sister is a good choice. She’s grown into a beautiful girl, even more so than Big Sister or Second Sister. It won’t be too expensive, and we won’t have to feed one more person. Plus, we can earn a bit of money. We should find her a suitor early.”

The second son’s family was easier to deal with, and since they didn’t have a son, they had no choice but to ask for help from the other families to adopt a second child.

Qian Guiying immediately nodded. “Alright. That girl is ungrateful, never sharing anything with the family. We can’t pry it out of her, so might as well send her to someone else.”

With the decision made, Tang Dashun went to negotiate with the other family, and Qian Guiying began discussing their son’s future with Tang Ersong, constantly scolding him and giving him a little hope, saying they would talk to his brothers about having a second child.

Every time she had this conversation, Tang Ersong felt both happy and sad, overwhelmed with complex emotions. He sighed deeply when he returned to his room.

This situation reminded Qing Li of the time the original owner had been sold, and she guessed what was coming. On a bright and sunny morning, she took Li Lanhua and skipped work.

When Qian Guiying discovered the second daughter-in-law wasn’t working, she angrily yelled at the rice field, “All you do is slack off! You’re so lazy! Can’t even have children and still want to cause trouble. If this keeps up, I’ll have to teach you a lesson…”

But since the person wasn’t there, her scolding didn’t matter. It only hurt her throat.

Qing Li had taken Li Lanhua not to the town, but to the county, which was closer to the city, had a police station, and had a government office. After all, the town was still more like a big market, and many facilities were underdeveloped.

It wasn’t for fun that they came here but to teach her to recognize places. Qing Li pointed to the police station and said, “Mom, this is the police station. If anything is stolen, if someone is robbed or assaulted, or if anything is taken, you can come here to report it. The police will help you!”

Li Lanhua nodded vigorously. Although she didn’t quite understand what her daughter was saying, she made sure to remember it.

Next, they went to the county government office to teach her the route. Qing Li told her, “If the police don’t handle things, you can come here and cause a scene. If things get big enough, someone will handle it, okay?”

“Okay!” Li Lanhua looked at her daughter with some anxiety, but Qing Li didn’t say much more and immediately took her to another place. “Let’s go to the state-run restaurant for a meal. We’ve gone to all this trouble, so let’s treat ourselves. After we’re done, we’ll go back and see if you remember the way.”

“Ah?” Li Lanhua was anxious. “It’s too expensive here. Let’s wait and eat when we get home. I told the lady at the cafeteria to save us some food.”

“No need to save. I want to eat here.” Qing Li shook her head, pulling her inside.

Li Lanhua couldn’t resist and followed her into the restaurant. She watched as her daughter ordered a meat dish and four ounces of dumplings, her heart aching.

She comforted herself that her daughter liked to eat, so she should let her enjoy it.

To her surprise, Qing Li ate only a small portion before stopping. Li Lanhua was stunned. She hadn’t brought any takeout containers, and now… “San Ya, next time you’re not allowed to order so much!”

Qing Li gave a sweet smile. “Mom, you eat more!”

Li Lanhua glared at her but made an effort to eat, one dumpling and then some stir-fried pork. As she ate, she began to feel full, and there was only one dumpling left with a little bit of food remaining.

She suddenly realized something, and tears fell freely. She didn’t want her daughter to see, so she lowered her head and stuffed the last dumpling into her mouth.

Her daughter was taking care of her!

She wasn’t bad at ordering. She had ordered more on purpose, adjusting the amount just enough so that Li Lanhua could eat until she was satisfied but not overstuffed.

As a mother, being cared for like this by her daughter made Li Lanhua feel both ashamed and sweet. In her life, she hadn’t been good for much, but she had given birth to a good daughter.

She was determined to divorce and send her daughter to school. Her daughter was so smart; she could surely get into college!

By then, Tang Ersong would never dare to look down on the child just because she was a girl.

The meal ended in a complicated feeling of gratitude for Li Lanhua. Afterward, she confirmed the route from the station to the county government office and the police station again. After confirming everything, the mother and daughter rode their bike back.

When they returned to the village, it was already the time when others had finished work. They quickly returned the bike and went to the cafeteria, where the kind lady had saved them some food. They ate their lunch, and by then, they were hungry again and had another snack. Their stomachs felt full, and they happily returned home.

When they got back, they heard the angry voice of Qian Guiying.

The mother and daughter ignored it. They quickly boiled some water, took a bath, and shut themselves in their room, pretending they hadn’t heard anything.

Qian Guiying was so angry she could have smashed the door!

But since it was their door, if she broke it, they would lose out, so she held her anger in. The more she thought about it, the angrier she became and decided to bring up the issue of San Ya as soon as possible. So, she turned to Tang Ersong, who had been ignored as well, and said, “Er Song, come here for a moment.”

Tang Ersong hurriedly went over. When he entered the room, he saw his parents looking at him seriously. His heart skipped a beat. “Mom and Dad, what’s wrong?”

“Er Song, the family doesn’t have any money left. We still have several months to get through, and we’re too poor to support so many children…” Tang Dashun spoke gently.

Tang Ersong felt guilty. “Mom and Dad, I’ve been working hard.”

“We know,” Tang Dashun replied. “What I wanted to tell you is that the other day, the couple from the nearby Wushui Brigade was looking for a wife for their son. They’ve taken a liking to San Ya and are willing to offer 15 yuan. What do you think?”

“San Ya? Get married?” Tang Ersong was stunned. “Mom, Dad, San Ya is only ten years old. Why not Big Ya or Second Ya?”

“Big Ya and Second Ya are only worth 15 yuan!” Tang Dashun glared. “San Ya spends her days doing nothing, doesn’t help with work, steals eggs, fights with Sweet Ya. Why should we keep a kid like this? Big Ya and Second Ya help with work, and if they were married off, the bride price would be much more. They can’t afford it!”

Tang Ersong opened his mouth to speak, but before he could, Qian Guiying said, “You don’t even have a son; what good is a daughter? You can’t even have a son. How will you face your ancestors? I even had to find a wife for you! Besides, San Ya is going to be someone else’s wife, not doing any work. 15 yuan is already good!”

Hearing this, Tang Ersong’s eyes reddened, and he lowered his head. He could tell that his daughter was being sold as a child bride. “Mom, Dad, San Ya… San Ya is my real daughter!”

Qian Guiying angrily said, “Then do you want a son or a daughter?”

Tang Ersong was silent. Son or daughter, of course, he wanted a son. He raised his head and said, “Mom, give San Ya a couple of extra eggs. I didn’t give her anything for her birthday earlier.”

His son was speaking reasonably, so Qian Guiying smiled, agreeing, “Fine.”

Tang Ersong, with a bitter face, left. Just then, Tang Tiantian, who had been in her small room, came out, her eyes bright, limping happily. “Mom, when San Ya gets married, I want ice cream!”