“No, at least not now. If we bring it back and Eldest Uncle’s Wife sees it, she’ll definitely snatch it away. Then none of us will get to eat it. When it’s just our family in the future, I’ll give them tasty food too.”
“Mm, Second Sister is right. Then there’ll be another fight. Eldest Uncle’s Wife is so mean, always hitting Xingxing. I’ll listen to Second Sister!”
Although he didn’t understand why it had to be when only their family was around, listening to Second Sister was always the right thing to do.
The little one took a big bite, chewing with such delight that he shook his head and swayed, squinting his eyes happily, his cheeks puffed out like a little hamster.
“From now on, whatever Sister gives you to eat, don’t tell anyone. And you can’t talk about what you saw today either, or else there won’t be any more treats!”
Shen Xixi threatened.
“Second Sister, don’t worry, I definitely won’t tell. From now on, we’ll eat the good stuff in secret!” With tasty food in hand, the little one would listen to anything Second Sister said.
“Second Sister, do you know magic tricks? How can you make delicious food appear?”
“Yes, Second Sister can make a little bit of food appear every day. If Eldest Uncle’s Wife finds out, she’ll definitely steal it!”
Shen Xixi was still thinking of how to coax the little one, but he had already come up with an explanation himself.
She didn’t need to make up a story; there was a ready-made one right there.
“Good boy!” She patted the little one’s head. Seeing that it was getting late, Shen Xixi had discovered a lot of wild kudzu root in the back mountain.
This stuff could be exchanged for 30 wen coins in the Space Mall. The two of them dug for half a day, sold 10 catties, and earned 300 wen coins. Now she had 519 wen coins in total, which she stored in her Space.
In her previous life, her Space could only store items, but now she discovered it had many more wonderful uses. The Space Mall had many things that could be exchanged, so it seemed she needed to focus on earning money.
The two of them carried a back basket of kudzu root and some wild vegetables back home.
“Mom, Second Sister and I are back!” Xingbao ran as fast as he could, proudly carrying the back basket to show his mother.
“What is all this? Tree roots and weeds? You two little brats were just slacking off, weren’t you? You went out and came back with nothing!”
With a slap, she knocked Xingbao’s back basket to the ground, spilling its contents everywhere.
“Wah… Eldest Uncle’s Wife hit me… Wuwu…” Xiao Xing sat on the ground, crying loudly.
“Du Shi, what are you doing? Why did you hit my Xingbao?”
Liu Taohua rushed out at the sound and saw her son knocked to the ground, his arm scraped and injured.
“Come on, I’m taking you to the county. I found you a job!”
Just as Shen Xixi stepped forward, Grandpa grabbed her and pulled her onto the ox cart.
“You old fool, what are you doing? Where are you taking Xixi?” The old lady ran out to stop them but was blocked by Du Shi.
“What’s the matter? We can’t keep freeloaders in this house. The old man is doing this for the good of your second branch. Taking the little girl to the county to get the wounds on her face treated. Once she’s healed, she can marry into a good family, and then your second branch will have money.”
“Nonsense! Xixi is only twelve, how can she get married? Mom, what should we do?” Liu Taohua was already holding her son and crying.
“Don’t take Second Sister away! Don’t sell my Second Sister!” Xiao Xing cried even harder.
“Don’t sell my Xixi! Eldest Brother, Eldest Sister-in-law, I beg you, spare my Xixi!” In his panic, Shen Da Shan rolled off the bed and onto the floor, struggling to crawl forward.
But it was no use at all.
“You useless fool, you can’t even protect yourself, yet you still care about this stray girl from who knows where. She’s eaten our family’s food for so many years, it’s time she repaid us!” Shen Wu looked at his younger brother with disgust.
The second branch of the family had no labor force, so the fields at home lacked enough hands to cultivate them. This year’s harvest was bound to decrease. If Father lost his job, how would this family survive?
His good days were coming to an end.
Grandma Shen and Liu Taohua were no match for the three people from the main branch and were directly blocked.
Shen Xixi sat on the ox cart but did not move, silently looking at the old man driving the cart ahead.
If she escaped after reaching the county town, but the thought of that family made her heart ache. Forget it—since she was now Shen Xixi, she couldn’t abandon them.
“Grandpa, where are you planning to sell me?” Shen Xixi didn’t cry or shout, after all, deep in her soul, she was a 26-year-old adult.
Moreover, even if she cried or shouted, it wouldn’t make any difference.
“Grandpa is taking you to Fucheng, to the Shen Family Main Branch. If they can take you in as a maid or something, that would be your good fortune. I’ll collect your monthly wages then, and all that money will go toward your father’s treatment. You’re a filial child, surely you want your father to recover quickly, right?”
“No, at least not for now. If we take it back and Eldest Uncle’s Wife sees it, she’ll definitely snatch it away. Then none of us will get to eat. In the future, when it’s just our family, I’ll give them delicious food too.”
“Mhm, Second Sister is right. There would be another fight. Eldest Uncle’s Wife is so mean; she’s always hitting Xingxing. I’ll listen to Second Sister!”
Although he didn’t understand why it had to be only when the family was alone, he knew that listening to his second sister was the right thing to do.
The little fellow took a huge bite, eating with such relish that he swayed his head from side to side. He squinted his eyes happily, his cheeks bulging like a little hamster.
“Whatever I give you to eat in the future, don’t talk about it. And don’t mention what you saw today either, or there won’t be anything left to eat!” Shen Xixi threatened.
“Don’t worry, Second Sister, I definitely won’t say a word! We’ll eat good things secretly from now on!” With good food in hand, the little fellow would listen to whatever his second sister said.
“Second Sister, are you doing magic? How can you make delicious food appear?”
“That’s right. Second Sister can change a little bit of food every day. If Eldest Uncle’s Wife finds out, she’ll definitely steal it!”
Shen Xixi was still thinking about how to coax the little fellow, but he had already filled in the blanks himself. She didn’t even need to make up a story; he had provided one for her.
“Good boy!” She patted the little fellow’s head. Seeing that it was getting late, Shen Xixi discovered many wild kudzu roots in the Back Mountain.
These things could be exchanged for 30 wen coins in the Space Mall. The two of them dug for half a day and sold 10 catties, earning 300 wen coins. Now she had 519 wen coins, which she stored in her Space.
In her past life, her Space could only store items, but now she discovered many more uses. There were many things in the Space Mall that could be exchanged. It seemed she needed to work hard to earn money.
The two returned home carrying a back basket of kudzu roots and some wild vegetables.
“Mother, Second Sister and I are back!” Xingbao ran swiftly, carrying the back basket like a treasure to find his mother.
“What are these? Tree roots and weeds? You two little bastards must have gone out to slack off. You went out and came back with nothing!”
With a slap, Du Shi knocked Xingxing’s back basket to the ground, and the contents spilled everywhere.
“Waaah… Eldest Uncle’s Wife is hitting people… uuu…” Xiao Xing sat on the ground and burst into tears.
“Du Shi, what are you doing? How dare you hit my Xingbao!”
Liu Taohua came out upon hearing the noise and saw her son knocked to the ground, his arm scraped.
“Come with me to the county seat. I’ve found a job for you!”
Just as Shen Xixi stepped forward, she was grabbed by Grandpa and pulled onto a bullock cart.
“You old man, what are you doing? Where are you taking Xixi!” Grandma ran out to stop him but was blocked by Du Shi.
“What for? The family can’t afford to keep a free loader like this. The old man is doing this for the sake of your Second Branch. He’s taking the girl to the county seat to have a look. Once the wounds on her face are healed and she’s married off to a good family, won’t your Second Branch have money then?”
“Bullshit! Xixi is only twelve, how can she get married? Mother, what should we do!” Liu Taohua was already crying as she held her son.
“Don’t take Second Sister away! Don’t sell my Second Sister!” Xiao Xing Xing cried even more heart-wrenchingly.
“Don’t sell my Xixi! Eldest Brother, Eldest Uncle’s Wife, I beg you, let my Xixi go!” In his desperation, Shen Da Shan rolled off the bed and onto the floor, crawling forward with difficulty.
But it was of no use.
“You useless thing, you can’t even take care of yourself, yet you’re worrying about this wild girl from who-knows-where? She has eaten our family’s food for so many years; it’s time she repaid us!” Shen Wu looked at his younger brother with a face full of loathing.
The Second Branch had no labor force, so there wouldn’t be enough people to farm the family’s land. This year’s harvest would surely decrease. If Father’s job was gone, how would this family survive? His comfortable life would come to an end.
Grandma and Liu Taohua were no match for the three people from the eldest branch and were directly held back.
Shen Xixi sat on the bullock cart without moving, looking silently at the old man driving the cart in front of her.
She thought about escaping once they reached the county seat, but at the thought of that family, she couldn’t help but feel a pang of sorrow. Forget it, since she was already Shen Xixi, she couldn’t just leave them behind.
“Grandpa, where do you plan to sell me?” Shen Xixi didn’t cry or scream. After all, she was a twenty-six-year-old adult deep in her soul. Moreover, even if she did cry and scream, it wouldn’t do any good.
“Grandpa is taking you to the Shen Family Main Branch in Fucheng. If they can take you in as a maidservant or something, it will be your blessing. At that time, I will collect your monthly allowance and use all that money for your father’s medical treatment. You are a filial child; you surely want your father to get better quickly, right?”