2 – Naming the Tiger Girl
Li Zhenzhu squeezed her way through the crowd to her mother-in-law, reaching out to hold the little dumpling, but Cui Shi immediately swatted her hand away. “So impatient!”
The men felt too embarrassed to show their eagerness too openly, but the Bai family’s five grandsons were utterly fascinated by this little girl. Five small heads crowded together to look at the little dumpling, who kept babbling nonstop with her tiny mouth open.
“Eee—ahh!”
Her alternating long and short sounds were perfectly coordinated, making the whole family burst into laughter.
“Grandma, I want to hold my little sister,” said the eldest grandson, Bai Dakeng, who was seven years old. His mother and aunts had been unlucky, giving birth only to boys. He had been longing for a sister like waiting for stars and the moon, almost to the point of despair. Now that his grandparents had brought home a sister, how could he not be excited?!
Seven-year-old Bai Erkeng: “I want to hold my sister too.”
Six-year-old Bai Sankeng: “I want to hold sister.”
Five-year-old Bai Sikeng: “Hold sister…”
Four-year-old Bai Wukeng: “Ho-hold… sis-sister…”
The Bai family had given birth to five grandsons in a row. Bai Renyi thought they were all troublemakers, so he simply named them all “Keng” (pit).
“No, your sister is too small. You can only look, not hold,” Cui Shi firmly refused.
The little girl was so delicate—what if these rowdy boys hurt her while holding her?
The little dumpling lay on the kang, limbs splayed upward, her chubby little paws clutching her tiny feet, desperately trying to chew on them. She was unbearably adorable.
“There’s only one little girl. Which of your three families will raise her?” Cui Shi asked, gazing fondly at the little dumpling.
The three daughters-in-law had long been coveting her. Upon hearing this, their eyes lit up, and they clamored eagerly: “Mother, give her to my family! I love little girls the most!”
Li Zhenzhu was the quickest, snatching the little dumpling into her arms in an instant. She had been practically going mad with desire for a daughter.
But the Bai family seemed cursed—having a girl was harder than reaching heaven. So this found little girl was too good to pass up!
The second daughter-in-law, Zhao Ju, was a step too slow and grew displeased. “Sister-in-law, you’re the youngest in the family. How can you have the nerve to grab so fast? Besides, you can always have your own daughter. Hurry up and give the little girl back to me!”
“Second sister-in-law, if I could have a daughter, would I be fighting with you? And you’re not that old either—if you want one, have one yourself!” Li Zhenzhu was sharp-tongued, her words tumbling out like beans from a bamboo tube.
The eldest daughter-in-law, Tian E, was the most honest, but when it came to snatching the little girl, she was no less assertive: “Stop arguing, you two. In terms of age, neither of you is older than me. Just give the little girl to me, and you two hurry back to your rooms to make your own daughters.”
The three daughters-in-law argued fiercely, each wanting to claim the little girl for their own branch of the family.
Cui Shi grew irritated by the noise and shouted, “All of you, shut up!”
The three daughters-in-law immediately fell silent. The room grew so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
Cui Shi snatched the little dumpling from Li Zhenzhu’s arms. “I found this little girl, and I’m not giving her to anyone. I’ll raise her myself!”
With that, she carried the little girl away!
The three daughters-in-law stared at each other in disbelief. A second later, Li Zhenzhu let out a despairing wail: “Mother, you can’t abuse your power like this! The little girl is mine!”
“No, she’s mine!”
“Mother, at least draw lots or something!”
They had never seen such a shameless mother-in-law, actually fighting with her daughters-in-law over a little girl!
The three daughters-in-law rushed out like a gust of wind, chasing after her.
However, no matter how much the daughters-in-law objected, the little girl ultimately remained under the care of the elderly couple, Bai Renyi and Cui Shi, and was named Hu Niu (Tiger Girl).Bai Renyi happily extended his thumb: “My wife is truly amazing.”
The little girl gnawed on her foot with great effort, but soon grew frustrated. Her small mouth puckered and her tiny brows furrowed, looking as if she would burst into tears at any moment.
Cui Shi rolled her eyes, “Go get some food for our precious daughter, she’s hungry.”
Bai Renyi thought his wife looked utterly charming when she rolled her eyes, and immediately went off cheerfully to find food for their treasure.
But after searching for a long time, he only managed to find some white flour and white sugar – and even these had been borrowed from neighbors.
Cui Shi sighed: “Ideally, such a young child should be drinking milk, but we have no milk at home and can’t afford a wet nurse. We can only make do for our little girl…”
Fortunately, the little girl wasn’t picky and was easy to feed. Cui Shi made a small bowl of flour and sugar paste, and the little girl opened her small mouth, finishing it all in no time.
The five children stayed by their little aunt’s side, reluctant to leave. Their little aunt was so adorable – her chubby little face would break into a smile at the slightest tease, revealing two small dimples.
At night, the little dumpling slept between the old couple, a fragrant, chubby little bundle.
But that night, around midnight, a foul wind suddenly rose outside, accompanied by several tiger roars…