WBSGVS Chapter 112

The next two days seemed to pass quietly, with everyone doing what they usually did—working for those who needed to and slacking off for those who didn’t.

However, some people were behaving differently than usual, like Tang Ersong. His eyes, whenever they met Qingli’s, were full of guilt, and he was always sneaking glances at her.

Li Lanhua noticed and quietly asked Qingli, “San Ya, what do you think your dad is up to?”

Qingli calmly patted her shoulder. “It’s nothing, mom. When soldiers come, soldiers block, when water comes, the earth damns it.”

Li Lanhua furrowed her brow, feeling uneasy, and said, “Maybe… I should just talk to your dad about the divorce.”

Though talking about divorce now might lead to the Tang family beating her up, or even her parents coming to hit her, she was terrified at the thought. But if her daughter got hurt, she’d rather take the beating herself.

Qingli shook her head. “It’s not time yet, mom. Wait a little longer.”

Wait for what?

Li Lanhua was confused, but her daughter looked so calm and in control. She didn’t dare make decisions on her own, afraid of upsetting her daughter, so she just listened to Qingli’s instructions and kept recalling the two important places her daughter had asked her to memorize.

Those two places must be very important!

The next day at noon, a married couple appeared in the Tang family’s yard, carrying a basket of eggs and smiling warmly, like they were visiting relatives.

When the Tang family returned after lunch, they saw them. Tang Dashun immediately went to greet them, and Qian Guiying followed quickly. The others were confused, not recognizing the couple, but seeing how warmly Tang Dashun and Qian Guiying greeted them, they thought they must be relatives and hurried to greet them as well.

Qingli and Li Lanhua followed behind, and by the time they arrived, the initial warm greetings had passed.

Qingli could feel that the couple talking to Qian Guiying were staring at her intently.

She glanced at them, and the couple both smiled gently at her. They seemed like good people, but she recognized them from her past life. They were the ones who had bought the original owner.

These two had forced the original girl, barely thirteen years old, to marry their son. They were eager for a grandson and had high hopes for her to get pregnant. After the original girl died, they cursed and blamed her, even after raising her for more than three years, with nothing to show for it.

Qingli expressionlessly turned away, her eyes filled with coldness.

She had been waiting for this day to come, the day when she would take action. She had hoped that during the time she was away in the mountains to recuperate, these two would have bought another girl, but fortunately, no other girl had fallen victim.

“Is this the one?” The middle-aged woman from the buying couple asked with some surprise, clearly happy about the girl’s appearance.

The man nodded in satisfaction, a smile spreading across his face.

Qian Guiying could tell from their expressions that they were impressed by San Ya’s looks. Who wouldn’t want a beautiful mother for their future grandson?

If the grandson turned out good-looking, perhaps he could even attract a rich girl.

She straightened her back. “Yes, your judgment is excellent. If we weren’t so poor, we wouldn’t have to sell the child. But as you can see, San Ya’s looks are a real treasure. If we keep her for another two or three years, she’ll be even better. When she has a baby, it will be a healthy, plump child.”

“Yes, yes!” The man eagerly nodded, rubbing his hands together. He was excited for the grandson, who had been long anticipated. His son had always been an outcast, never well-liked, and now at twenty years old, he was still single, unlike his peers who had families.

“Right, right!” The woman elbowed the man, scowling at him, and then turned back with a smile. “It’s just that it’ll take two or three years to raise her. My son is already twenty. How long will it take for me to have a grandchild?”

They bargained like they were buying vegetables, finally agreeing on a price. They would pay five yuan as a deposit, and the remaining fifteen yuan would be given when Qian Guiying and Tang Dashun delivered the girl the next day.

The total was twenty yuan.

Back in the 1960s, that was a decent amount of money.

Once the deal was settled, both parties left, leaving behind a basket of eggs.

That noon, Qian Guiying, for once, was generous. She boiled the eggs, giving one to each child. Qingli got two.

When Tang Ersong handed the eggs to Qingli, his eyes reddened, and he nearly cried. “Eat them.”

Qingli quietly accepted, going back to her room and giving one to Li Lanhua. Li Lanhua was shocked, her face turning pale. “What’s going on? Your grandmother boiled eggs and gave you two?”

“You’ll understand in a couple of days,” Qingli said calmly, peeling an egg and taking a bite, slowly eating it. It was a little dry, so she took a sip of cold water.

The next day, as usual, the adults went off to work, but Qian Guiying and Tang Dashun took a leave to return.

They came to Qingli’s room and immediately opened the door. “San Ya, I’m not feeling well. Come with me to the health clinic.”

Tang Dashun stood by, ready to act if she resisted.

Surprisingly, Qingli, who had been hard to deal with lately, simply gave them a calm look and got up. “Let’s go.”

Qian Guiying exchanged an odd look with Tang Dashun.

It felt too easy!

It had been just as simple when they called her down from the mountain last time. It was as if she was deliberately cooperating?

How could that be?

Wasn’t she supposed to be lazy and unwilling to work, just like her younger sister? Why was she suddenly so compliant?

Tang Dashun silently shook his head, trying not to be calm. After all, could they not handle a child?

Qian Guiying steadied herself and, as usual, glared at her granddaughter. “Make sure you close the door, and let’s go.”

Qingli flashed an innocent smile, obediently stepped out, closed the door behind her, and followed Qian Guiying with light steps, cheerfully saying, “Okay.”

Qian Guiying shot her a glance, realizing that this girl must be planning to play along.

With that, the three of them left the village, walking along a wide road before turning onto a small path, twisting and turning through the countryside.

Qingli feigned impatience. “Grandma, where are we going? The health clinic isn’t this way!”

Qian Guiying gruffly replied, “What do you know? I found a health clinic that specializes in treating my stomach problems. Just follow me. There’s nothing for you to do.”

Qingli lowered her head, pretending to be scolded.

They passed through several villages, and eventually, they reached an intersection.

There were no outsiders there. The couple who had previously visited the Tang family was waiting at the entrance. When they saw Qingli and the others, the two people squatting on the ground immediately stood up and jogged over.

“Big sister, you finally came!” The man sighed in relief. Although they hadn’t paid the full amount, they had given a five-yuan deposit. If they were cheated out of the money, it would be a huge loss.

Qian Guiying smiled and said, “This little girl walks slowly, sorry about that.”

Qingli coldly watched the four of them talk, feeling a pang of discomfort. Her eyes reddened, and with a frightened tone, she said, “Grandmother, you said we were going to the health clinic?!”

Qian Guiying had been annoyed by this more than once. She had always yelled back, but this time, she still smiled. “What health clinic? I found you a husband. Remember, from now on, this is your mother and this is your father. Do whatever they tell you, understand?”

A worthless, ungrateful child—at least she had been sold, and it had brought in twenty yuan!

Qingli blinked and shook her head. “I don’t want to. My parents don’t even know yet…”

But the couple stepped forward, grabbing Qingli by the arms, one on each side. They smiled and said, “Hey, we’ll take you back to meet your parents later. Don’t worry, we’ll take good care of you.”

Qingli struggled a few times, using the strength of a frail young girl, but it was no use. She started crying. “Let go of me! Wuwu… Grandmother!”

However, Qian Guiying didn’t even look at her, just continuing to speak. “The money…”

“This is it!” The man handed over the money he had prepared earlier. “Count it. If everything’s fine, we’ll leave. It’s better to do this while there aren’t too many people around.”

In their eyes, human trafficking wasn’t a big deal. Wasn’t this like what the landlords used to do? The Tang family didn’t care since she was their granddaughter, but they were afraid.

Qian Guiying took the money, counted it, and sure enough, it was fifteen yuan, with nothing missing. She was satisfied and waved her hand. “You can go now. Your father and I will go back too. If we don’t hurry, we might miss lunch.”

“Hey!”

Once the exchange was made, the couple happily took the girl with them back home.

Qingli lowered her head, silently shedding tears, pretending to be afraid.

But they didn’t let down their guard. After bringing her back home, they locked her in a room that had already been prepared. The room had a bed and a toilet, but nothing else.

Once the door was locked, they relaxed. Outside, a silly, childish voice asked, “Dad, Mom, did I come back?”

“We’re back, we’re back…”

“I want to see!”

“Wait a moment. She’s scared, you know?”

The voices gradually faded. Qingli looked at the blocked-up window, then lay back. She would wait. She wondered how things were with Li Lanhua. The taste of personal resistance was better than taking her with her, but if things didn’t work out for her, it wouldn’t matter. She never fully relied on others.

But she still had hope for Li Lanhua!

After lunch, when it was time to rest…

“San Ya!” Li Lanhua entered the yard and, as usual, called out. She was smiling because she had gotten away with slacking off for a long time today. Not having to work so hard made her feel at ease. The usual aches in her back and waist had disappeared.

Normally, her daughter would respond, but today, she didn’t hear anything.

Li Lanhua, puzzled, opened the door. The room was empty, completely vacant.

She didn’t think much about it at first—country children always run around. She shouted outside, “San Ya!”

No one answered. Tang Ersong, who had just returned, still a bit inexperienced and the only child, felt frustrated. When he saw the house was empty, he realized that his parents had sent San Ya away. Feeling uneasy and exhausted, he muttered, “Don’t shout. She probably went out to play.”

Li Lanhua thought he was acting strange but couldn’t figure out why. She didn’t want to talk much with him and pouted, deciding to lie down first.

Her nap wasn’t comfortable. She was plagued with nightmares, and finally, she woke with a start, seeing Tang Ersong sitting in a chair, his face covered in his hands, his shoulders shaking. Tears had pooled on the floor as if he had been crying for a long time.

“What happened?” Li Lanhua couldn’t help but ask.

“Nothing,” Tang Ersong shook his head, his voice thick with tears.

Li Lanhua rubbed her head, not paying too much attention, her mind focused on her daughter. With a sigh, she muttered, “What happened to San Ya? She’s been gone so long. She always tells me when she goes out.”

“Wuwu…” A mournful sob came from Tang Ersong’s throat. Unable to hold back any longer, he suddenly stood up and said, “Don’t ask anymore. Mom and Dad found a husband for San Ya and sent her away today.”

Li Lanhua froze for a moment, then slowly turned to look at him, disbelief in her eyes. “What did you say? They found a husband for San Ya? She’s only how old?!”

She stared at Tang Ersong, and seeing the look on his face, her heart sank. It was true!

Li Lanhua felt a wave of rage and shock in her chest. To have sold her daughter for a nonexistent son, an adopted one at that? For that, Tang Ersong had sold his daughter?!

Without thinking, she lunged at him, fists pounding his head, one after another. Tang Ersong scrambled to dodge, falling off the chair. He didn’t dare fight back, his face contorted in pain. “Stop hitting me!”

Li Lanhua, seeing his reaction, hit even harder, gritting her teeth and shouting, “Son, son! All you think about is having a son! I don’t want that! I only want my San Ya! Give me back my San Ya! Wuwu… my San Ya! I’ll kill you—Tang Ersong, I regret marrying you!!”

She was wrong. She no longer had any attachment to this man.

She should have divorced him long ago!