The two sisters-in-law led Fu Man'er toward the main room. Xu Yi, who had sharp eyes, noticed that his mother and aunt's expressions were not right. Suspicious, he followed them without caring about how the chicken was being killed.

"Oh, you've changed your clothes. Luckily, our boy's clothes weren't lost, so Fuman can make do with them."

When Grandma Xu saw people come in, she came to her senses and said to them.

This book is first published on the TaRead Novel App—free, ad-free, pop-up-free, and allows interaction with other readers.

Since there were no girls in the family, Liu Fang had to find some boys' clothes for her to wear. The clothes were a bit loose, but they were warm enough.

“Mother, Fu Man’er’s parents are really awful. Look at them.” As Ma Hong spoke, she pulled up the little girl’s sleeve, revealing a dense array of bruises and scars.

"It's not just on my hands, it's all over my body, there's not a single intact spot."

It's inconvenient to take off the clothes now that they're still on. The two sisters-in-law were terrified when they saw the baby taking a bath. It's not easy for this child to have survived this long.

The marks were from beatings, pinching, twisting, and burns, with bruises and welts crisscrossing across that small body.

In some places, there are even scabs on the skin. Luckily, the weather is cold now; if it were hot, they would probably fester and develop sores.

They were all mothers and fathers; seeing all these adults in the room was heartbreaking.

"He's all skin and bones, barely any flesh on his body." Underneath the rolled-up trouser legs were indeed two slender calves, about the same size as his son's arms.

"Good heavens! How could you be so cruel to such a little child? Aren't you afraid of divine retribution?" Old Mrs. Xu felt sorry for Fu Man'er and wanted to pull her over, but she was afraid of hurting her, so she could only lovingly touch her face.

"Man'er, does it still hurt?" She was an old woman who had seen many things, but this was the first time she had ever seen a child beaten so brutally. It was just too inhuman.

Password 563743675

While she was taking a shower in the room, Liu Fang and Ma Hong kept asking her if she was in pain, and she knew that they were worried about her.

For some reason, Fu Man'er's eyes filled with tears, and she burst into tears, crying very sadly.

"Ouch, it hurts, it hurts so much." She felt so much pain yesterday, but she couldn't escape those sticks no matter what she did.

This crying made Liu Fang secretly wipe away her tears as well. "Our boys are all very tough, and we've never hit them like that before. Man'er is so little, how could you do that to her?"

Seeing Liu Fang cry, Fu Man'er couldn't help but sob as she comforted her, "Mother, Mother, don't cry."

His sensible appearance made the Xu family members feel a pang of sadness.

"Man'er, didn't I tell you to call me aunt? I'm not your mother." Although she despised Fu Man'er's family, Liu Fang still said gently.

"Not auntie, but mother." Fu Man'er pursed her lips, as if if Liu Fang said a few more words, tears would immediately fall.

Grandma Xu waved her hand, "She's just a child, she doesn't understand anything, let her be."

These words drew everyone's attention; Old Mrs. Xu was not such a casual person.

This article was first published on: TaDu Novel & App. Welcome to download the App for free reading.

"Yi'er, why don't you take your sister out to play first?" Xu Yi had been standing silently to the side until Grandma Xu spoke, at which point he stepped forward.

"Brother." Fu Man'er called out in her childish voice. Xu Yi wanted to carry her out, but thinking of the shocking scars on her body, he could only take her hand and slowly walk out.

After the two children left, Old Mrs. Xu said, "This child is a bit unfortunate. He was abandoned in the back mountain and was picked up by Yi'er. What should we do now?"

The two branches of the Xu family stared at each other, wondering what to do. They couldn't make the decision either.

"Mother, what are your plans?" Xu Genshan finally spoke first.

Grandma Xu knew they wouldn't say anything. "Now there are only two options: send this girl back to the back mountain, or leave her here."

"Sending her to the back mountain would be the death of Man'er, wouldn't it?" Liu Fang was a little anxious. The child had called her "mother" a few times, and she couldn't bear to do that.

"That's right, isn't this a terrible thing?" Ma Hong felt sorry for her; women's hearts are always softer.

The men in the family were more thoughtful, saying, "Our situation isn't good either; if we stay, I'm afraid..."

Xu Genzhu didn't finish his sentence, but everyone understood what he meant.

TaRead Novels—Free, Ad-Free, Pop-Up Free, and You Can Interact with Other Book Lovers.

Liu Fang was immediately deflated. Yes, her own family was already in such a state, how could she possibly have another mouth to feed?

The atmosphere suddenly became heavy. Old Mrs. Xu was still undecided. "Let her rest at home for now. I'll try to find out more from her family in the next few days."

The matter was settled for the time being. Seeing that it was getting late, Liu Fang and Ma Hong went out to prepare dinner, and the two Xu brothers also went out to take care of other things.

Old Xu patted his wife's shoulder, "That little girl, does she remind you of yourself?"

Otherwise, given my wife's decisive nature, she wouldn't be so conflicted.

With the addition of pheasant for dinner, the whole family was in high spirits. Fu Man'er followed Liu Fang around from the start of cooking, drooling all over the place.

The pheasant was plump, and only half of it was used to make soup. It was a very simple clear broth soup, but the aroma was irresistible as soon as it was served.

The boys had already been watching, but since the old lady hadn't ordered them to attack, they didn't dare.

Once the whole family was seated, the old lady spoke up, "This chicken was obtained by Man'er and brought back by Yi'er. First, serve them both a bowl of chicken soup and a few pieces of chicken."

"Grandma, you drink first." Xu Yi handed over the bowl. Fu Man'er had been craving it for a long time, and her eyes darted around when she saw Xu Yi like this.

TaRead.App, Free Novels Website

With great effort, she lifted the bowl. "Grandpa, drink." Her little hands trembled, and the soup inside almost spilled.

"You can drink yours, there's still a big pot here, how could we be left out?" Old Mrs. Xu usually spoke in a fierce tone, making people think she was an unapproachable person.

Ma Hong quickly got up to help serve the soup, and soon everyone was drinking chicken soup.

Fu Man'er held the bowl, sipping her food in small bites, like a kitten stealing cream. Xu Yi had to keep an eye on her while eating.

"Slow down, don't spill it." Perhaps small sips were no longer enough, Fu Man'er threw down the spoon, picked up the bowl, and was about to start drinking.

Xu Yi was afraid she would break the bowl, so he specially freed his hand to hold it for her.

Seeing this, Ma Hong joked, "Our Yi'er has really grown up; he knows how to take good care of his little sister now."

The other boys, not to be outdone, chimed in, "Mom, I'm all grown up now, and I can take care of my little sister too."

As Xu Wen spoke, he immediately put down the bowl and reached out to help hold it up.

Suddenly, four hands appeared on a ceramic bowl. Fu Man'er slurped a few mouthfuls, but couldn't drink the soup anymore.

Read novels on TaDu, ad-free and free online!

She looked up at them, confused. What was going on?