Having seen enough of the commotion, Li Qingge needed to prepare the things she’d take to the countryside.
The department store was bustling with people, with long queues in front of every counter.
Several salesclerks stood behind the counters with expressionless faces, as if someone owed them two million yuan.
Li Qingge bought soda crackers, malted milk, milk powder, fruit candies, White Rabbit creamy candies, brown sugar… Although her supermarket had everything, those anachronistic items couldn’t be displayed openly, so she still needed to buy some things to keep up appearances.
She also bought a few quilt covers. When the time came, she could take out the duck down quilts from her supermarket and put them inside—no one would be able to tell the difference.
Toothpaste, toothbrushes, combs, small mirrors, plus two pairs of cloth shoes, two pairs of canvas sneakers, and a pair of leather shoes.
After buying all these, three hours had already passed. Li Qingge was squeezed left and right by the crowds until she began to question her very existence.
Another half hour later, she arrived at the clothing counter.
Li Qingge took a glance—the colors and styles of the clothes here were extremely monotonous.
She bought two pairs of black pants, a skirt, two polka-dot tops, and two plaid jackets.
Stepping out of the bustling department store, Li Qingge let out a long sigh. Shopping was quite the workout.
She found a secluded corner and stored everything into her Dimensional Space, when she suddenly heard several men talking.
“Fine, my second and third daughters, two hundred yuan each. As long as you pay the money, you can take them away tonight. Even if they’re beaten to death later, it has nothing to do with me.”
“Good, then it’s settled. At nine tonight, we’ll come with the money to pick them up.”
The men finalized their agreement and left.
Li Qingge circled around a wall and watched the two men’s retreating figures.
One was about 1.6 meters tall, dark-skinned and skinny, walking with a limp. The other man was tall and big, but his face was covered in wrinkles, looking over forty years old.
Li Qingge: So this is the “match” her scumbag father found for his two precious daughters? Looks like there’s going to be a good show tonight.
She had originally planned to sign up both Li Huan and Li Le for the countryside program, but after seeing these two men, she changed her mind.
Because just now, Xiao Gua had told her some interesting things.
The shorter one with the limp was called Lao Wu. He lived in a remote mountain area, was 32 years old and still hadn’t found a wife. His family was so poor they could hear their pockets jingle—the whole family shared one pair of pants; whoever went out got to wear them.
He also had violent tendencies and liked hitting people. He’d borrowed money from relatives to get a wife.
The taller man was called Cao Yu. He was 48 years old, and his wife had died half a month ago—beaten to death by him.
The couple had also had three children.
Whether Li Huan and Li Le married either of them, they’d have no good days ahead.
Seeing these two meet their misfortune, she was naturally happy to watch.
Thinking about how the mother and her two daughters had beaten and abused the original owner for over a decade, now they too would live under the threat of beatings and abuse. This was karma. Li Qingge was not the type to repay evil with good.
As the saying goes—seeing that you’re doing badly is all the reassurance I need.
When Li Qingge got home, Li Ming had already returned from work.
He’d bought dinner. Seeing Li Qingge come back so late, he was about to lose his temper, but remembering this daughter’s fighting prowess, his lips trembled twice and he shut his mouth.
Just endure a little longer—in a few days, his daughter would be going to the countryside, and out of sight, out of mind.
Li Huan and Li Le seemed to have been forgotten. Seeing their father and Li Qingge eating dinner, they timidly called out, “Dad.”
Li Ming paused in his eating, and thinking of the 400 yuan that was about to come his way, he gave them a rare kind look.
“Huanhuan, Lele, have a seat. Two of Dad’s friends are coming over in a bit—you two can join us for a drink.”
Li Huan and Li Le had been suffering these past two days. Seeing their father finally willing to talk to them, they felt flattered beyond measure.
So they obediently sat down on the stools.
[Heh heh, in a little while, you two are going to be sold. This is your last supper. But that’s none of my business—I respect others’ fates, and I won’t interfere.]
Li Ming heard Li Qingge’s inner thoughts and nearly had a heart attack from fright.
Hearing her say she wouldn’t meddle, he couldn’t help but feel relieved.
Then he gave her a complicated look. This daughter knew quite a lot. He’d always thought she was simple-minded, but it turned out she was quite cunning. He’d really misjudged her.
“Bang bang bang.”
At eight o’clock, there was a knock at the door.
When Li Ming went to open it, he asked, “Didn’t we say nine? Why are you here at eight?”
Lao Wu and Cao Yu exchanged a glance before saying, “We couldn’t wait to see our wives, hehe, so we came a bit early.”
Under the cover of night, the two men handed the money to Li Ming. He took it and immediately stuffed it into his pocket.
With a very enthusiastic attitude, he invited them inside.
“Huanhuan, Lele, these two are Dad’s friends. They brought some snacks to go with the drinks. Put them on plates, quick.”
“Okay.”
The two only had time for a brief glance before hurriedly taking the snacks to the kitchen.
When they came back out, Li Ming had already opened a bottle of baijiu and filled the glasses for Lao Wu and Cao Yu.
Li Qingge had already finished her meal and was sitting in the corner of the room, cracking melon seeds and watching the show.
Li Ming didn’t bother with her either—as long as this damned girl didn’t cause him any trouble, that was fine.
“Come, come, girls, come sit over here.”
“These are my second daughter Li Huan and third daughter Li Le.”
As he introduced them, Lao Wu and Cao Yu’s gazes roamed over them without restraint, as if appraising goods waiting to be priced and sold.
It made Li Huan and Li Le’s hearts feel uneasy, a vague sense that something was wrong.
“Huanhuan, Lele, come, drink this toast and then you can go rest.”
Li Ming raised his cup with a genial expression. Li Huan and Li Le harbored no suspicion toward him at all, and drained their cups in one gulp.
“Clatter.”
The two slumped dizzily onto the table, their cups falling to the ground and shattering, before they sank into unconsciousness.
[Tsk tsk tsk, that scumbag father really has a black heart. Even his two most beloved daughters—he can make such a vicious move against them. Admirable, truly admirable.]
Li Ming: Go ahead and curse, curse all you want—as long as she doesn’t ruin his good plans.
Lao Wu and Cao Yu were muttering to each other, discussing something.
Within a few minutes, the two had chosen their wives. Li Huan and Li Le were plain-looking, short and plump, their only asset being their large chests.
Lao Wu chose Li Huan and carried her off on his shoulder; Cao Yu chose Li Le.
Afraid that delays would bring trouble, the two hurried home with their newly acquired wives. While the drug’s effect was still active, they needed to get to the bridal chamber quickly—once the rice was cooked, the women would have no choice but to obey.
Lao Wu placed Li Huan on an ox cart borrowed from the village. In no time they were out of the city, traveling further and further into remote, desolate territory.
His heart burned with lust as the cart moved forward—he was already pawing at Li Huan, stripping off her clothes. The proud and haughty Li Huan never even made it back to the village before Lao Wu had his way with her right there on the cart.
When she woke, she had no choice but to accept her fate—working from dawn till dusk every day, toiling like a beast of burden, bearing him children, enduring endless beatings. By the time she was thirty, she looked like a woman of fifty.
Li Le fared even worse than her. At thirty-five, she was beaten to death by Cao Yu.