It was the sweltering heat of July. Everyone could only wait for the sun to sink in the west in the evening and take away the scorching heat of the day.
At the head of Hongxing Production Brigade village, the old Gu family’s four women—mother-in-law and daughters-in-law—were crowded together in the kitchen, chatting and laughing as they prepared chicken soup for Zhao Chunjuan, the wife of the family’s third son, who had just given birth.
At that very moment, however, Zhao Chunjuan felt no joy whatsoever. She lay on the bed, staring at the plump little baby sleeping soundly on the innermost side. Her face was dark with displeasure.
Gu Shoude sat beside her bed and asked, “What are we going to do now?”
Zhao Chunjuan was so angry that she gritted her teeth. How was she supposed to know what to do? She had clearly taken the prescribed remedy for three whole months. So why had she still given birth to a girl?
If the girl had been an ordinary child, Zhao Chunjuan might have reluctantly raised her. When the girl grew up, she could even help look after her younger brother. But this child was different!
“Half-Immortal Si said that if this baby turned out to be a girl, she would be a little demon destined to bring misfortune to her younger brother. If we raise her, we’ll never have a son in this lifetime!”
At the mention of this, Zhao Chunjuan came up with a vicious idea. She glanced at Little Fu Niu and steeled herself.
“There’s a couple in the neighboring village who specialize in finding husbands for little girls. Go ask them about it tomorrow.”
Gu Shoude was so frightened that he nearly jumped. “If Mother finds out, she’ll beat us both to death!”
They claimed to help families with daughters find people willing to raise the girls as child brides, but in reality, they were selling children. If his mother found out about this…
Gu Shoude shuddered. He didn’t even dare imagine what would happen!
Zhao Chunjuan sneered. “Then you can spend the rest of your life waiting for a son to provide for you in your old age and arrange your funeral!”
Hearing that he might never have a son to support him in his old age, Gu Shoude hesitated.
Seeing that he was wavering, Zhao Chunjuan coaxed him a little more. His resolve weakened, and he eventually took her words to heart.
Although Zhao Chunjuan was unwilling, she still fed Fu Niu milk every day. What else could she do? Her mother-in-law was keeping a close eye on her!
However, she felt that she and Fu Niu were simply incompatible by fate. Every time she fed the baby, she had the inexplicable feeling that the little brat looked down on her.
Still, she only had to endure one more day!
People in the countryside didn’t fuss over such things. Tomorrow, she would carry the baby to the fields on her back. Once she found an opportunity when nobody was paying attention, her husband, the family’s third son, would take the baby to the back mountain and abandon her there. When they returned from work, they would simply claim that a wolf had carried the child away.
It wasn’t as though such things had never happened before. As long as she and her husband wailed loudly enough afterward, nobody would suspect them!
Zhao Chunjuan pinched Fu Niu’s chubby little cheek.
“Enjoy your last day of comfort while you can. Once you go to another family and become their servant, working like an ox or a horse, you’ll have plenty to suffer!”
But Fu Niu, Zhao Chunjuan’s daughter, was no ordinary little girl. In her previous life, she had been a plump koi fish!
Little Fu Niu vaguely remembered that she had come here to find her biological parents. Yet she hadn’t found them, and now a bad person was pinching her cheek!
If you keep this up, this little koi is going to lose her temper!
Fu Niu’s cheek hurt, and she felt terribly wronged. She immediately opened her mouth and wailed at the top of her lungs.
“Waaah! Waaah!”
Mommy, a bad person is abusing your daughter!
Although Fu Niu had yet to find the parents destined for her, she did have a grandmother who adored her grandchildren.
After only a couple of cries, Fang Lihua appeared at the doorway with a stern expression, glaring at Zhao Chunjuan.
The latter immediately shrank her neck and hurriedly picked Fu Niu up, patting her perfunctorily.
“This child is so naughty! Why is she crying again?”
Being held by someone who harbored nothing but ill will toward her made Fu Niu feel terribly uncomfortable. She immediately cried even louder, and Fang Lihua’s expression darkened further.
Zhao Chunjuan was just about to make things right when Fang Lihua had already reached the bed and taken the baby away.
Strangely enough, the moment Fu Niu entered Fang Lihua’s arms, she stopped crying.
Fang Lihua impatiently waved at Zhao Chunjuan.
“If you have nothing better to do, go help your eldest sister-in-law prepare dinner! I let you lie around and enjoy yourself, yet you can’t even look after a child properly.”
Zhao Chunjuan felt as though something were stuck in her throat. Why was she being sent to the kitchen?
Holding Fu Niu in her arms, Fang Lihua stood in the courtyard and shouted toward the kitchen.
“Fourth son’s wife! Fourth son’s wife, come out here!”
The Gu family’s fourth daughter-in-law, Liang Qiu, came out of the kitchen.
She was a tall, fair-skinned, beautiful woman with a quiet and steady temperament. Although she had spent years working in the fields alongside the rest of the family, she had none of the roughness one might expect. Instead, her years of labor seemed to have made her even more resilient and strong.
She wiped her hands on her apron.
“Mom, what’s wrong?”
Seeing her mother-in-law beckoning, she walked over. However, she hadn’t expected Fang Lihua to immediately place Fu Niu in her arms.
Liang Qiu quickly secured the baby and gently patted her back. Somewhat puzzled, she asked, “Mom, why are you giving Fu Niu to me?”
Liang Qiu was very fond of her little niece. It wasn’t just because she had previously lost a child and had since grown especially fond of little ones. Fu Niu was also simply adorable. Every time Liang Qiu saw her cute little face, her heart practically melted.
Nestled in Liang Qiu’s arms, Fu Niu twitched her tiny nose.
She could smell Mommy!
Fang Lihua smiled.
“Spend more time getting close to Fu Niu. Then, when you have a child of your own, perhaps you’ll give birth to one as pretty as she is!”
Zhao Chunjuan, who happened to be passing by, nearly rolled her eyes so hard they disappeared into the back of her head. She lifted her chin and walked away with the air of someone who was the only sensible person in the entire family.
Who would want a child like this little demon, who was destined to bring misfortune to her younger brother? Wasn’t that practically an insult?
Only a fool like Liang Qiu could be so delighted!
The following day, Zhao Chunjuan tied the baby to her back and prepared to head to the fields.
Fang Lihua was unwilling to let her go, but the third son and his wife seemed to have lost their minds. They rushed out without listening to her, leaving her so furious that she could only roll her eyes at their retreating backs.
Nevertheless, she reminded her other three daughters-in-law to keep an eye on Zhao Chunjuan and the baby.
The sun had been scorching these past few days. Zhao Chunjuan was carrying a baby on her back, and the only reason she wasn’t suffering even more was that Fu Niu wasn’t crying.
The women working alongside Zhao Chunjuan were curious to see her bringing such a newborn baby to the fields.
“Third son’s wife, why did you bring your baby out here?”
Zhao Chunjuan’s eyes shifted as she quickly came up with an excuse and brushed off the question.
There had been cases of women returning to the fields immediately after giving birth, so after watching her for a little while, everyone went back to work. Earning work points was more important, after all.
At noon, while she was eating with Gu Shoude, Zhao Chunjuan took the opportunity to stuff the baby into the large bamboo basket he had brought with him.
“Be careful later.”
Gu Shoude looked around nervously.
“Keep your voice down. Just make sure you don’t give yourself away!”
Neither of them noticed the little black cat hiding among the weeds beside the field, licking its paws as it listened to their conversation.
According to their plan, Gu Shoude made up an excuse about delivering some farming tools, then left with the large bamboo basket slung over his shoulder.
Liang Qiu was turning over the soil when she suddenly felt something tugging at her leg.
Looking down, she saw a little black cat somehow clinging to the leg of her trousers.
She shook her leg, trying to dislodge the little creature, but the black kitten was surprisingly clever. Its claws were firmly hooked into the fabric.
Liang Qiu couldn’t help but laugh in exasperation. She bent down and poked its nose.
“Where did you come from, you little stray? I only had these trousers made last year. Don’t go tearing them up with your claws!”
The little black cat’s whiskers trembled with anxiety.
“Meow!”
Your daughter is about to be sold, and you’re still talking to me about your trousers!
Seeing that Liang Qiu was finally paying attention to it, the kitten jumped down from her leg. It walked a few steps, then stopped and turned around, meowing repeatedly at her.
Hey! Hurry up and follow me! We need to save that chubby little baby, Fu Niu!
Liang Qiu somehow sensed the urgency in the kitten’s fluffy little face. For a moment, all sorts of tales about supernatural creatures flashed through her mind.
As if possessed, she followed it.
By the time Liang Qiu came to her senses, she had already followed the little black cat all the way to the back mountain.
She shivered, feeling a growing sense of unease.
Could this be some kind of cat spirit?
Just as she was thinking this, the little black cat leaped into a patch of weeds. It poked its head out and looked at her, as if urging her to follow.
Liang Qiu went after it. She was just about to tease the unusually intelligent little cat when she heard the faint sound of several people talking nearby.
One of the voices sounded rather familiar…
Liang Qiu picked up the little black cat and cautiously peered out.
To her astonishment, one of the three people talking was her third brother-in-law.
She had been wondering why her third brother-in-law wasn’t working and had come all the way here. Then she saw him take a baby out of the large bamboo basket he had been carrying!
Liang Qiu had sharp eyes. She recognized Little Fu Niu at once!
The little baby was wearing the tiny bib that Liang Qiu had sewn with her own hands.
What on earth was Third Brother planning to do?!