When he got home, the soy milk had already been ground. He didn't say anything, just picked it up and poured it into the pot, then prepared to add water.
Su's mother saw this and stopped him, "Sigh, this doesn't need water. We're going to make dried bean curd later."
Shi Tou had no choice but to start the fire again. Watching Su's mother and Liu Huan busy themselves, he finally couldn't help but say, "Mother, why don't you hire someone?"
He simply couldn't bear to see Huanhuan, so young, working so hard for the family.
Every time he came back, she wasn't as lively as she was in the village. She always seemed exhausted, especially after the autumn harvest this time, he felt she had lost a lot of weight.
Adults might be used to it, but she's only six years old...
Su's mother was stunned; she had never thought of it that way.
"But what if someone learns this?"
"Besides, it's just a small business. Huanhuan and I are enough. In a couple of months, once your dad's foot is healed, we'll have even more people."
"Yes, Stone, I think it's fine." Liu Huan also appeared indifferent. Hiring someone would cost money, and she didn't want to waste a single penny right now.
She needed to save enough money before the end of the year to start implementing her plan. The hardship was only temporary; the food supply for the coming year was crucial, since there would be no food left by this time next year.
It turns out that children shouldn't be too tired.
That day, Shi Tou was off work. When he saw that Liu Huan hadn't gotten up in the morning, he didn't bother her. He went to sell tofu with Su's mother.
When I got back, she still hadn't gotten up. I thought she was just being lazy and staying in bed, but I had already prepared the food and still hadn't seen her, so I had a bad feeling.
Pushing open the door, I saw that small figure curled up in the blanket, her face flushed and her expression pained.
His heart skipped a beat, and he picked her up with trembling hands. "Huanhuan, what's wrong?"
Seeing that she wouldn't wake up, he shakily dressed her, saying, "Don't be afraid, we'll go to the clinic." He then carried her on his back and ran outside.
As Su's mother was walking this way, she saw Shi Tou carrying someone out.
Startled, she dropped her chopsticks. "Huanhuan, what's wrong with Huanhuan?"
Before Shi Tou could explain, he casually said, "Mother, you stay home and take care of Father. I'll take her to the clinic."
After running away with the man on his back, Su's mother quickly helped Su's father onto the bed and then chased after him.
I felt guilty and worried the whole way.
When I arrived at the clinic, I overheard the doctor saying, "Why is this little girl so weak? It shouldn't be like this. She used to be so energetic. Have you been mistreating her?"
Shi Tou and Su's mother knew what was wrong with her. She was sleeping later than a dog and waking up earlier than a rooster. How could such a young child not be weak?
Su's mother felt heartbroken and guilty. She took the medicine to the backyard to brew it, while Shi Tou just stared at her thin face expressionlessly.
She's not as fair-skinned as before, nor as plump. Even though she didn't eat well before, she was still well-fed and chubby, unlike now where she feels weightless when carried.
Stone doesn't remember when it started.
It's as if that spoiled and mischievous girl grew up overnight, quietly and without him noticing.
When Su's mother brought in the medicine she had prepared, she didn't dare to look her son in the eye, and she didn't know why.
Shi Tou fed Liu Huan spoonful by spoonful, and after a long while he said, "Mother, let's hire a worker."
With tears streaming down her face, Su's mother nodded repeatedly, "Okay, I'll do whatever you say."
Because there was a lot of chores left to do at home, Su's mother left before Liu Huan woke up.
After she left, Shi Tou sat by the bedside, placed Liu Huan's hand on his face, felt the calluses that had appeared out of nowhere, and tears streamed down his face uncontrollably.
The child he raised single-handedly, when did he turn around and feed him?
Liu Huan felt like she heard Shi Tou crying in her sleep. She was very anxious but couldn't wake up. She wanted to comfort Shi Tou, but she felt like she was trapped in a whirlpool.
He could only murmur softly, "Stone...stone."
Shi Tou wiped away his tears and placed his hand on her forehead: "I'm here, baby, Shi Tou is here."
"Baby" was a phrase Liu Huan used to say when she was little. Whenever she made Shi Tou angry, she would say, "Baby knows she was wrong."
Liu Huan finally opened her eyes, feeling a terrible headache. She didn't know what was wrong with her. "Shi Tou, where am I?"
Shi Tou gently helped her up and held her in his arms: "You had a fever at the clinic."
Liu Huan responded with an "oh," and noticing his red eyes, asked in confusion, "Why are your eyes so red?"
Stone said in a hoarse voice, "Sand got in."
Liu Huan smacked her lips again, and a strong smell of Chinese medicine wafted into her nose: "Why does my mouth taste bitter?"
"I just gave you your medicine. Here, I have some candied fruit."
When the doctor saw that she was awake, he told them to go back, saying, "Young lady, nothing is accomplished overnight, and the same goes for doing business."
Liu Huan felt embarrassed. The doctor visited her home every few days and knew how hard she worked.
The doctor replied in a voice, "However, you can hire people. Your cold dishes are really not enough to meet demand. Every time I send someone to queue up, it takes a long time."
Liu Huan felt comforted upon hearing this, "Thank you, doctor. I will make a separate portion for you tomorrow."
The doctor was so excited, he said, "Okay, I'll prescribe two more doses of medicine for you. Rest for a couple of days, and I guarantee you'll be cured."
Liu Huan felt nauseous just thinking about the taste and waved her hand in refusal: "No need, I feel better now."
Stone didn't allow her to say more: "Thank you, doctor."
This illness dragged on for several days, and when she reopened, Shi Tou brought her a person who looked to be about fourteen or fifteen years old and dressed in tattered clothes.
"You are..."
The boy dared not look her in the eye and stammered, "I was bought by Young Master Su Yi. This is a contract of servitude."
When Liu Huan looked at it, she saw the words "Death Contract" written in large characters.
Su's mother couldn't read, so she looked at the grown man beside her and asked, "Huanhuan, what does it say?"
"It says here that he has sold himself to my family for life, and will be my servant from now on."
Upon hearing this, Su's father threw down the beans and said, "Nonsense! Farmers don't need servants. Tell him to go back to where he came from."
The boy knelt on the ground, kowtowing and begging for mercy: "Please, sir, let me stay. I can do anything, and I eat very little."
Su's mother couldn't bear it and helped him up, "Child, where are you from? How could this happen..."
The boy explained that his family were villagers from the neighborhood, and he was the eldest son. After his mother died, his father remarried, and with a stepmother came a stepfather.
The boy was always hungry at home, and his only younger brother was pushed into the water and drowned by his stepmother. His father even covered for his stepmother.
He was utterly disappointed in that family and, in despair, attempted suicide by jumping into the river. It was only after he met Su Yi that the rest of the story unfolded.
“Madam, I originally wanted to die, but the young master told me that if I died, wouldn’t that embolden our enemies? I want to live and grow up so that I can avenge my brother in the future.”
Su's mother cried uncontrollably; as a parent herself, she couldn't bear to see her child being abused like this.
"Child, get up quickly, let's talk this out."
Su's father insisted on disagreeing, and Su's mother had no choice but to compromise. Liu Huan could only suggest a middle ground: "Mom, how about we wait for Shi Tou to come back and then we can discuss it?"
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