The two brothers looked at her in confusion.
“I promised to buy you candied hawthorns earlier. I almost forgot.”
As she spoke, she took out a few copper coins and walked toward the vendor selling candied hawthorns.
Song Erlang clutched the hem of his clothes tightly, staring at Wu Yulan without blinking. “Grandma… is she really going to buy us candied hawthorns?”
Song Dalang looked at Wu Yulan’s back, his eyes filled with disbelief.
“What are you standing there for? Take them and eat!”
Song Erlang stared at the bright red candied hawthorn in front of him and pinched his thigh hard.
“Hiss—!”
It was real. Grandma really bought them candied hawthorns!
When a skewer was stuffed into Song Dalang’s hand, he still felt as though he were dreaming.
“Go on, eat.”
As she spoke, Wu Yulan picked up a skewer herself and took a bite.
Song Dalang swallowed and said in a flattering tone, “Grandma, can I save mine for my younger sister?”
Song Erlang nodded eagerly as well.
Wu Yulan lifted the straw inside the wooden bucket, revealing many more skewers of candied hawthorn. “Just eat yours. Of course I won’t forget their share.”
Each skewer cost one copper coin. She figured saving this little wouldn’t make her rich, and spending this little wouldn’t make her poor. So she bought eleven—exactly one for each person.
Of course, none for Song Zhishu.
Seeing the stash of candied hawthorns, the brothers’ hearts pounded wildly.
Even so, they didn’t eat the ones in their hands, planning to wait and share them at home.
Fueled by the promise of sweets, the brothers seemed to have endless strength, pushing the cart forward with renewed vigor.
Wu Yulan’s steps felt much lighter as well.
While the three of them were in high spirits, dark clouds loomed over the Song household.
…
“The silver’s already been taken. I’m taking this child today, no matter what!”
An old woman stood arrogantly at the doorway, with two thugs behind her.
Chunni trembled as she hid behind her mother.
“Mother, I don’t want to go with her!”
Li Xiuyun gently patted her daughter’s back in comfort.
Looking at the old woman urging at the door, she recalled what her mother-in-law had once said to her and couldn’t help but laugh bitterly.
Heh. How naive she had been to believe her mother-in-law’s nonsense about not selling Chunni.
If she had truly let her guard down because of those words and her daughter ended up being sold, she would never forgive herself for the rest of her life.
“I will not sell my daughter. Give up on that idea!”
Upon hearing this, Granny Wang’s squinty eyes narrowed into a thin line. Planting her hands on her hips, she snapped, “The silver’s been paid. Today, you’ll sell her whether you like it or not!”
With that, she signaled to the two thugs, who stepped forward to seize the child.
Seeing this, Song Zhiyong quickly blocked their path.
“In broad daylight, you break into someone’s home to seize a child—have you no regard for the law?”
Wang Guiqin also stood with her husband in front of Li Xiuyun. Her own eldest daughter had already been secretly sold by her mother-in-law; she refused to let her niece suffer the same fate.
Zhao Lijuan ran out from the kitchen with several sticks and shoved them into their hands.
Her eldest daughter, too, had been secretly sold by her mother-in-law. If such things happened unseen, there was nothing she could do—but now that she had witnessed it, she would never let them succeed.
The moment Granny Wang saw the scene before her, she knew the girl wouldn’t be so easy to take away.
“Well, well! You took the silver, and not only are you refusing to hand over the girl, you even want to beat us?”
“Believe it or not, I’ll report this to the authorities right now and have your whole family thrown into jail!”
Hearing this, the three of them loosened their grip on the wooden sticks.
Seeing their reaction, Granny Wang fixed her gaze on Chun Ni and coaxed deceitfully, “Little girl, I advise you to come with me obediently. Otherwise, I’ll report this to the officials and have your mother and all your uncles and aunts arrested.”
“Your mother just gave birth, didn’t she? If she’s locked up in prison, who knows whether she’ll come out alive!”
Li Xiuyun hugged Chun Ni tightly and snapped, “What nonsense are you talking about?!”
“If you’re not afraid, I’ll go report you right now for swindling money and have you all arrested!”
Terrified that her mother would truly be thrown into jail, Chun Ni cried out, “No! Don’t report us!”
“I’ll go with you—I’m willing to go with you!”
Li Xiuyun tried to cover her daughter’s mouth to comfort her, but Chun Ni suddenly broke free from her grasp and ran over to Granny Wang.
With a thud, she knelt down. “Mother, Grandma already said yesterday that she was going to sell me. I already agreed.”
“Mother, just let me go. Even if I’m sold, I’ll still be your daughter. When I get the chance, I can come back to see you!”
Hearing this, Granny Wang waved the fan in her hand, signaling the two thugs to seize the girl.
“That’s more like it. Come with me obediently. If you meet a good master, you’ll live in luxury—far better than staying in this broken thatched hut!”
Li Xiuyun lunged forward. “No! I’m not selling my daughter—let her go!”
Now that Granny Wang had her prize, how could she possibly release her? She immediately motioned for the thugs to leave with the girl.
Li Xiuyun chased after them but was shoved to the ground by Granny Wang.
“You refuse a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit! Make any more trouble and I’ll report you all to the authorities and have you thrown into prison!”
Song Zhiyong and the others wanted to stop them, but Granny Wang threatened again, “If you dare lay a hand on us, I’ll report you immediately. Not only you—even your children will suffer!”
“Let me tell you, few people come out of prison alive. If you don’t want your sons and daughters to suffer, don’t act rashly!”
With those words, how could Song Zhiyong and the others dare to move? They could only watch helplessly as Granny Wang took Chun Ni away.
Li Xiuyun had just given birth and was already extremely weak.
After being pushed to the ground, she couldn’t even crawl back up. Watching Chun Ni being taken away, her heart turned to ashes.
“Chun Ni! My Chun Ni!”
Seeing her mother fallen on the ground, Chun Ni’s tears streamed down. “Mother, don’t worry about me! I’ll find a chance to come back and see you!”
Having achieved her goal, Granny Wang sneered. “Heh, give up that thought. Once you’re sold, you belong to your master’s household. Come back home? Impossible!”
Hearing this, Chun Ni’s little face instantly turned pale.
She would never be able to return home?
“I’d like to see which bastard dares to sell my granddaughter!”
A familiar cursing voice rang out from outside the courtyard.
Wu Yulan dropped the handcart, grabbed a long stick, and charged in. She wanted to see who had the audacity to steal from her home while she was away!
When Granny Wang saw it was Wu Yulan, she chuckled lightly. “Sister Wu, you’ve come back at just the right time. The silver has already been paid to you, so I’m taking the girl.”
“Stop right there!”
Wu Yulan slammed the courtyard gate shut. “What do you mean the silver was paid to me? When did I ever say I was selling my granddaughter?”
Li Xiuyun was helped to her feet. Hearing her mother-in-law’s questioning tone, she let out a mocking laugh.
“Mother, have you gone senile? How could you forget something you did yourself?”
Wu Yulan was completely baffled.
“When did I ever say I was selling Chun Ni?”
She turned her head and saw her eldest son, Song Zhiyong, looking at her with eyes full of disappointment.