"Da Ni, you clumsy little brat, let go of me right now!" Granny Zhao heard Zhao Er Ni's shouts and urged her on.
"Grandma~" Zhao Dani hesitated. She had just mustered up the courage to come to the woodshed and begged her grandmother to speak well of her mother. Her grandmother had agreed, and she had just removed the gag from her grandmother when she heard Erni shouting that her father was not coming back. Should she untie her grandmother?
"Da Ni!" Li Rou Niang walked in, gagged Zhao Po Zi with burlap, squatted down and looked at Zhao Da Ni, asking, "You want to let her go?"
Zhao Dani lowered her head, at a loss for what to do.
"Sister! How could you be so foolish!" Zhao Erni came over and grabbed Dani's hand, saying, "If you let go of Grandma, what if she runs out and complains? Mother will be beaten."
"But, but we can't keep them locked up forever," Zhao Dani said in a low voice. Sooner or later they'll be released, and sooner or later they'll be beaten.
"Mother knows that Da Ni is a kind child. Mother will release your grandmother tomorrow. Be good, go wash up with Er Ni first, and Mother will make dinner for you both later." Li Rou Niang said gently, patting Da Ni's head.
Da Ni nodded and was pulled away by Er Ni.
“Mother-in-law, your two sons have already gone up the mountain to mine, leaving only us women at home. We still need to make the best of a living. How about we reconcile and start living a good life together?” Li Rou Niang said with a fake smile, trying to fool her daughter. What an annoying old woman!
"Mmm," Granny Zhao nodded repeatedly. She just wanted to be untied quickly so she could go out and complain to the clan chief.
"It seems Mother has agreed," Li Rouniang said with a smile.
“I see that our family is not well-off. Look at my two daughters, they are both so thin. I see that my younger sister is getting old. Why don’t we sell her to get some money to buy some good food for my daughters to help them get better? What do you think?”
Granny Zhao stared at Li Rounian in shock. She never expected that Li Rounian would have such a plan. Was this woman crazy?
"Ugh ugh ugh~" Zhao Dahua struggled fiercely. This daughter was too cruel. She actually wanted to sell her. How could she continue to be an official's wife?
"Won't my mother-in-law think I'm wicked?" Li Rouniang looked into their eyes and guessed what they were thinking.
How vicious! In your past life, didn't you agree to sell your own granddaughter into a brothel? Didn't your daughter say she'd buy her flowers with the money from the sale?
"Ugh...ugh..." Granny Zhao struggled so hard that her lower body became sticky and grimy, making the stench even stronger.
"I'm not in a hurry, you can think about it some more," Li Rouniang said, covering her mouth and nose. Was she planning to stink her to death?
As she got up to leave, Li Rounian suddenly remembered something and said, "After all, I can't keep you locked up forever, but I can lock you up for three to five days and then let you get sick and die."
Both of them were shocked when they heard this. Seeing Li Rou Nian close and lock the door without hesitation, they thought, "This woman, she's gone mad!"
Li Rouniang locked the door, sneering inwardly. This is nothing. In your past life, wasn't this what you all said to the outside world? That Erni died of an illness, and then you smothered her into a ghost marriage!
"Mother, Dani was wrong." Seeing Li Rouniang come out, Zhao Dani quickly stepped forward and gently apologized.
“How could your mother blame you, Dani? Now tell me properly, why did you release Grandma?” Li Rouniang asked patiently.
"Because I'm afraid Dad will beat you and your sister when he gets back, I wanted to ask Grandma to plead for us," Da Ni whispered. Er Ni had just explained to her that Grandma wouldn't help; she'd been too naive.
"So Da Ni was worried about Mom and her sister. Mom is so happy. Da Ni is such a good girl." Li Rou Niang gently patted Da Ni's head.
Her eldest daughter was timid, weak, and naive, and in the end, she was tricked by her own father into going to a brothel, where she died in a long period of torture.
"Mom, my little sister is awake!" Erni rushed over in a panic. Her little sister was so cute, but how could she cry so horribly? She didn't know what to do!
Li Rouniang and Da Ni exchanged a smile and went into the inner room together.
Sanni was hungry and cried loudly. Li Rouniang quickly fed her. Thanks to the spring water in the space, her body had recovered very well and she had plenty of milk. Sanni would never have to suffer from a lack of milk like her two older sisters had.
After feeding Sanni, Li Rouniang took out two bowls of spring water from her spatial storage and gave them to Dani and Erni to drink.
For dinner, they ate the leftovers from lunch. After dinner, Da Ni and Er Ni were digesting their food in the yard. Li Rou Niang took a needle and thread and made little skirts for the two children, using the finest silk fabric.
"Mom, what are you doing?" Da Ni and Er Ni ran over curiously.
"Make a pretty little dress for Mother's precious child to wear!" Li Rouniang said with a smile.
"Wow, it's so beautiful!" Da Ni gently touched the dress, very excited.
"If this is a dream, I really hope I never wake up," Erni said playfully, clasping her hands together.
"You're so naughty!" Li Rouniang pinched Erni's nose and said with a smile, "Alright, you two go play. I'll hurry up and finish what I need to do. I'll take you to town tomorrow."
"Go to town? I've never been to town before, I wonder what it's like?" Erni asked curiously.
"Alright, Erni, let's not bother Mother any longer. She can tell us the story when we go to bed tonight," Da Ni said understandingly, pulling Erni away.
Li Rouniang smiled and continued sewing the skirt, but her mind kept drifting back to her first and only trip to town in seven years:
That was seven years ago. I had just married into the family, and we were newlyweds. That scoundrel Zhao Dayou was really into me, so he took me to town to buy flowers to wear.
The town was big and crowded. Li Rouniang remembered many people praising her beauty and saying that Zhao Dayou had struck it lucky.
She was initially quite happy, but on the way there, Zhao Dayou falsely accused her of seducing men and greeted everyone with a lewd grin.
Of course, I was indignant at the time and retorted a few words, which resulted in a beating. Not only that, after returning to the Zhao family, the flowers I had bought were given to Zhao Dahua, and I was forbidden from wearing bright clothes anymore.
That was the first time I'd ever been beaten. I cried for a long time, went hungry all night, no one paid any attention to me, and I had no family home to go back to. The next day, I could only endure the humiliation and work.
From that point on, Zhao Dayou became increasingly reckless in his attacks on me.
It was her own weakness that gave this scoundrel the opportunity to hurt her time and time again. She lacked the courage to fight back, which ultimately led to her own death and the death of her daughter.
Li Rou Niang looked up at the two children chasing each other happily, and a smile unconsciously crept onto her lips.
Heaven has been kind to her; she has a chance to start over.
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