Days always passed as quickly as fine sand slipping through one’s fingers. In the blink of an eye, Gu Yihan was over a year old. She also knew that she had been born in June 1952.
She now lived in Gu Jia Village. This village was basically full of people with the surname Gu, with only a few families who had come from elsewhere. Zhou Jianguo’s family had arrived during his grandfather’s generation while fleeing a famine.
This space-time was a parallel universe, very similar in its economic development to the modern era she had come from.
After a year of cultivating her relationship with Grandma Gu, Gu Yihan’s status among the grandchildren had risen to second place. The first was her eldest male cousin, Gu Hao.
Seeing Grandma Gu return, Gu Yihan’s small body carried a little stool as she trotted over on her short legs, calling out, “Grandma, quick, sit down. You must be tired.”
Watching her little granddaughter’s appearance as she carried the stool, Grandma Gu beamed and said, “Oh, my good granddaughter! Be careful, don’t fall.”
In a tender, childish voice, Gu Yihan said, “No fall. Gramma tired.”
This was a daily occurrence ever since she had learned to walk. She firmly believed that no matter how much her grandmother favored boys, she had to properly maintain her bond with her grandparents.
This was because, over the past year, she had come to realize that she couldn’t count on Zhang Cuihua and Gu Aidang in this life.
Grandma Gu happily took the stool and sat down. Gu Yihan immediately trotted over to her grandmother’s side and began to massage her legs. Although her strength was probably no more than a tickle to her grandmother, Gu Yihan knew that Grandma Gu was happy.
“Quick, rest for a bit. I’ll have your Eldest Aunt steam some egg for you later,” Grandma Gu said, looking at her small face.
Gu Yihan said happily, “Okay.”
Before long, everyone in the family returned. Gu Hao attended school in the village and came home for lunch every day.
“Eldest’s wife, steam two bowls of egg for Xiao Hao and Hanhan to supplement their nutrition,” Grandma Gu had just finished saying.
Wang Ni replied, “I know, Mother.”
Zhang Cuihua said angrily, “Mother, you’re too biased. Why doesn’t Mengmeng get any?”
Gu Mengmeng looked at Grandma Gu with a hopeful gaze.
Grandma Gu said angrily, “So what if I’m biased? What can you do about it? Have I deprived you of food or drink? How old is Hanhan, and how old is Mengmeng?”
Gu Aidang also chimed in, “Mother, look, Mengmeng isn’t being raised as well as Hanhan. Give her some to supplement her nutrition too.”
Over the past year, Gu Meng had been following her parents to work in the fields and had become tanned and dark.
“Just shut your mouth. Did I not let her be raised well? It’s you two, a pair of heartless parents, who make your child work at such a young age. And you still say your Eldest Sister-in-law favors boys over girls. I haven’t seen your Eldest Sister-in-law work Daya to the bone,” Grandma Gu couldn’t even be bothered to talk about the couple.
Seeing her grandmother walk away, Gu Meng’s eyes dimmed.
Gu Yihan couldn’t care less about all this. She just sat there, waiting for the meal to be ready.
When the meal began, Gu Yihan used a spoon to scoop up some egg custard and fed it to her grandmother’s mouth.
“Good granddaughter, Grandma won’t eat. You eat it yourself.” Grandma Gu’s heart was filled with comfort. This affection was not in vain.
“No, if Gramma doesn’t eat, I won’t eat,” Gu Yihan insisted, holding the spoon up stubbornly.
Grandma Gu had no choice but to eat it.
“Tch, what a suck-up,” the eight-year-old Gu Daya said, glaring at Gu Yihan.
Gu Yihan paid her no mind. The family’s resources were limited.
With these limited resources, it was impossible to be fair and just. If she got more, the other would get less. It was normal for her to be jealous and resentful. You couldn’t take the benefits and not let others make sour remarks.
Gu Yihan happily ate her egg custard. In truth, she wasn’t lacking this bit of food, but in this family, in this era, if she didn’t fight for it, her fate would be to marry a farmer at eighteen. This was something she could not accept.
Nowadays, besides providing emotional value for Grandma Gu at home, Gu Yihan would run over to Gu Hao and watch him study whenever she had nothing to do.
When she saw that Gu Hao wasn’t busy, she would use her young age as an excuse to ask him to teach her. Gu Hao was also very fond of this younger female cousin. Whenever he was free, he would recite what he had learned to her.
This also led to Gu Hao’s grades being considered quite decent in the village.
Gu Yihan also discovered that she had now become illiterate, as the characters they were learning were all traditional.
While playing at the courtyard gate, Gu Yihan saw Liu Zhaodi holding the son she had swapped for, along with her two daughters. This was the first time she had seen her biological mother since birth.
The son was fed until he was plump with a large head and big ears, while her own biological daughters were sallow and emaciated.
Seeing the fair and tender Gu Yihan, a flash of jealousy crossed Liu Zhaodi’s eyes. “Pah, a money-losing good.”
Gu Yihan sensed the malice and immediately trotted back home on her short legs. She was too young now and couldn’t resist any danger.
Returning to the courtyard, she saw her grandmother and her eyes reddened with grievance.
Seeing her little granddaughter’s aggrieved look, Grandma Gu quickly asked, “What’s wrong? Who bullied Hanhan?”
Gu Yihan said coquettishly, “Grandma, I saw a person. She glared at me and said I was a money-losing good.”
Gu Yihan’s speech was becoming more and more fluent.
Grandma Gu immediately walked out of the courtyard and saw Liu Zhaodi and her three children walking not far away.
“Liu Zhaodi, if you don’t know how to talk, then don’t! If you say another word about my granddaughter, I’ll tear your mouth apart! Even the water in the sewer isn’t as foul as that mouth of yours!” Grandma Gu’s loud voice launched a tirade at Liu Zhaodi.
The sound was so loud that the neighbors on both sides came out.
Liu Zhaodi trembled with anger. “Then you go ahead and raise your money-losing good well.”
Grandma Gu was so angry she was about to rush forward and pull her hair.
Her neighbor, Grandma Zhou, quickly grabbed Grandma Gu. “Do you still think you’re a young woman?”
Turning to Liu Zhaodi, she said, “Hurry up and leave. Are you looking for a beating? The Gu family has two sons, but your family only has your husband.”
During dinner, Grandma Gu said angrily at the table, “Today, that wench Liu Zhaodi actually called our Hanhan a money-losing good.”
“Lao Da and Lao Er, you two go find that Jianguo and ask him what’s going on. Did my child eat his family’s rice, for his wife to stir up trouble for no reason?”
Gu Lao Da and Gu Lao Er replied in unison, “Alright.”
Zhang Cuihua sneered. “Liu Zhaodi wasn’t wrong. Mother, are you planning to raise her like a boy? No matter how well you raise her, doesn’t she still have to be married off?”
She had been at home in the afternoon and had heard the little vixen tattling.
She was increasingly feeling that this little vixen was born to be her bane.
Grandma Gu was now looking down on this second daughter-in-law more and more. She couldn’t manage her child well and was also a troublemaker.
“If you corrupt Mengmeng, you can just scram back to your parents’ house. I’ll find Lao Er a new, pure maiden,” Grandma Gu said angrily.
Zhang Cuihua’s face turned pale with anger.
Hearing his mother’s words, Gu Lao Er’s eyes flickered.