“Another worthless, money-losing girl…”
With a look of disgust, Liu Fengshi shoved the newborn baby into her youngest son’s arms, let out a cold snort, and walked out of the room.
When she entered the kitchen and saw the crucian carp soup still warming on the stove, her irritation flared instantly.
Scooping up a large bowl, she said to her eldest daughter-in-law,
“Divide what’s left in the pot among the boys. Your younger sister-in-law doesn’t need any for now.”
“Yes, Mother. I’ll bring it to them right away,” Ma Chunhua replied quickly, ladling out the soup and carrying it straight to her son Tiedan’s room.
After finishing her own big bowl of fish soup, Liu Fengshi wiped her mouth and returned to the birthing room.
Lifting the curtain, she saw her youngest son standing by the door, holding the newborn baby girl, his expression dark and unreadable.
From the money she had prepared, she only took out two copper coins instead of eight and handed them to the midwife.
“Thank you for coming all this way, ma’am. You’ve worked hard.”
The midwife accepted the small payment, feeling a bit displeased. But considering the baby was another girl, she figured the old woman must already be upset—getting anything at all was better than nothing.
“It’s no trouble at all,” the midwife said. “This baby looks quite pretty—she might even be a lucky child. It’s getting late, so I’ll head back. If you need anything, just come get me—I’m not far.”
“Alright, thank you for your hard work,” Liu Fengshi replied, then called out, “Chunhua, go see her out!”
“No need, no need—I can go on my own,” the midwife said, slinging her medicine kit over her shoulder before leaving the Liu family home.
Once she was gone, Liu Fengshi turned her attention to her youngest daughter-in-law lying on the heated brick bed.
The woman lay on her side, clutching the blanket over her face, sobbing uncontrollably.
At that moment, the man holding the baby stepped into the room, his lips pressed tight, his face dark with anger.
He already had three daughters. He never expected this child to be another girl. The thought filled Liu Wentao with both rage and shame.
Among his three brothers, his eldest brother had three sons, and his second brother had two sons and one daughter.
Only his branch of the family had produced four daughters in a row.
A little over a year ago, his third daughter had died shortly after birth—frozen to death.
Now, in name, he only had his eldest and second daughters left. He had hoped this child would finally be a son, so he wouldn’t be mocked anymore.
But once again—it was a girl.
His head buzzed. He felt utterly humiliated.
As the saying goes, “Of the three unfilial acts, having no heir is the worst.”
Was his family line going to end with him?
Thinking about the judgmental looks from relatives, the veiled insults from his parents, and the gossip that would spread throughout the village, Liu Wentao felt his blood run cold.
Looking down at the baby in his arms, he felt nothing but disgust—so much that he nearly wanted to strangle her on the spot.
Without another word, he turned and stormed out of the house.
It was already dusk, and there were barely any people on the road.
He walked quickly toward the back hills.
If anyone had been watching closely, they might have noticed something hidden within the folds of his wide sleeve.
Inside, the baby stirred slightly, moving her tiny head. She sucked her lips a few times, then drifted back into a peaceful sleep.
Near the mass graves in the back hills, the man stood there for a moment, thinking. This place was far enough from the village.
He decided to abandon the little “wretch” here.
He had just turned to leave when he suddenly stopped and came back.
No… what if some passerby picked her up? Wouldn’t that be too good for her?
He remembered hearing elders say that if a baby girl was killed before she could grow up, then no more girls would dare to be reborn into the family—meaning the next child would surely be a boy.
At the thought of it, a dark impulse rose in Liu Wentao’s heart. His hand reached out and hovered over the baby’s neck—but after a moment, he withdrew it.
“Forget it… I’ll spare you, you worthless burden.”
In the end, he couldn’t bring himself to do it. He didn’t want to add murder to his conscience.
Besides, night was about to fall. A newborn like her wouldn’t be able to survive the cold. It wouldn’t take long before she froze to death.
Or perhaps she wouldn’t even last that long—some wild animal might come and carry her off first.
After glancing around and making sure no one was nearby, Liu Wentao quickly turned and hurried down the mountain.
Taoliu Village
By the river at the east end of the village, several women were washing clothes and vegetables, chatting as they worked.
“Have you heard? Yesterday, the third son of the Su family picked up a baby girl. Who knows which family abandoned her? Poor thing—when they found her, her little face was already purple from the cold.”
“Really, Auntie? Did you see it yourself?” a newly married woman asked, unconvinced.
Even though times were hard, it didn’t seem likely that anyone would abandon a baby. A little food would have been enough to keep her alive.
Besides, the Su family was already poor and had plenty of boys—why would they take in another child?
Another woman chimed in, “It’s true. Late last night, his wife came to my house to borrow some rice. Said she needed to make rice soup for the baby.”
“Ah, what a sin… Where did they find her?”
“I asked too, but she refused to say. It’s probably from one of the nearby villages. Who knows which family committed such a cruel act?”
A different woman paused her work and said with a faint smile, “Well, whoever did it, it’s not from our village. We don’t have people that heartless here.”
“Exactly.”
The women continued pounding laundry and chatting nonstop.
In less than half a day, news that the Su family’s third son had picked up a baby girl spread throughout the entire village.
Meanwhile, the Su family itself was filled with joy.
Old Master Su had always wanted a daughter in his lifetime but never got one—only three sons. And now, those three sons had given him five grandsons.
Not a single granddaughter.
So when his youngest son brought home a baby girl the night before, he was overjoyed.
The baby looked soft and delicate, completely different from the rough boys in the family.
Old Master Su was happily gazing at his little granddaughter in her cradle when Su Sanlang walked in carrying a bowl of goat’s milk.
“Father, I borrowed some goat’s milk from Second Uncle in the village. Has the baby woken up? Should we feed her some?”
Old Master Su looked at the baby sleeping soundly and felt a bit concerned.
Ever since they brought her home last night, she had only woken once and had been sleeping ever since. He couldn’t help but worry—what if she was sick?
He also started calculating how much money they had left. They might need to take her to see a doctor. If there was a problem, it would be better to treat it early.
Just then, the baby in the cradle slowly opened her eyes—and suddenly broke into a wide smile at Su Sanlang.
“Look! My daughter is smiling! She recognizes her father already?”
Su Sanlang beamed with delight. It seemed his daughter really liked him! The moment he arrived, she woke up—and the first thing she did was smile at him.
Old Master Su immediately shoved his foolish son aside.
“Nonsense! She’s just a newborn—how could she recognize you? Move aside, you’re blocking my view of my precious granddaughter!”