"No, we can't just switch children like this," Li Rouniang stepped forward to stop them.
She had initially thought that even if they were separated from their families, it would be good to have a way to survive. But sending them there was clearly suicide; the food they were taking was tainted with blood.
"Da Ya's parents, you heard it yourselves. Sending grain to Da Ya is tantamount to sending her to her death. You took the grain; don't you feel guilty?" Li Rou Niang shouted sternly.
Daya's mother covered her face and cried, but did not stop her. Daya's father said cruelly, "You have so many children, are you all just waiting to die? I don't believe you won't be able to make a choice when the time comes. Besides, mind your own business!"
He pushed Li Rou Niang away, and Daya let go of Daya's father's hand. She knelt down before Daya's parents, kowtowed three times, and said with tears in her eyes, "Father and Mother, thank you for raising me. Your daughter is leaving, and we are about to part forever. Let this be my way of repaying your kindness in raising me. May we be even in the next life and never meet again."
Da Ya's mother sat on the ground and wailed, "My Da Ya!"
Da Ya's father looked at Da Ya, his eyes red. He clenched his fists and finally decided: Sell!
Li Rouniang ran over and stopped the handprint that was about to be pressed, saying, "Da Ya's father, don't be confused. This is a life. You raised Da Ya from a baby. How can you bear to do this?"
Da Ya's father roared angrily, "What's the use of me being reluctant? My precious son is about to die. I'll sell to whoever can give me food. This is Da Ya's face; she should accept her fate."
"Alright, I'll give you grain, you sell Daya to me!" Li Rouniang shouted.
After calling out, Li Rouniang felt a little regretful. She said to Dahe with guilt, "Dahe, I'm sorry. I originally wanted to leave the silver pendant that Aunt Zhao left behind for you two brothers as a keepsake, but you've seen the situation. We can't just ignore it. Besides, we have so many children waiting to be fed. I'm thinking of using this silver pendant to exchange for grain. What do you think?"
Dahe nodded: "I'll listen to my sister. Besides, this was originally given to you by Mother, so you can do whatever you want with it." Along the way, Li Rouniang never skimped on what the brothers ate. If it weren't for Li Rouniang, the silver pendant would probably have been pawned to buy grain long ago. Dahe knew all too well that.
Li Rouniang moved to another small vendor's stall, took out the pair of silver pendants, and said, "Young man, how much grain do you think these silver pendants are worth?"
The young man looked kind; in fact, Li Rouniang had observed him closely—of all the vendors, he was the only one who seemed to show compassion. But perhaps he was considering the large number of people, so he didn't.
Seeing Li Rouniang's reaction, he nodded and said, "I'll fold it for you."
Li Rou Niang's judgment was correct; he had broken off most of the sacks of grain. And these weren't just small cloth sacks, but the real kind used for storing grain. If you added some wild vegetables, this meager amount of grain would last Li Rou Niang and her entire family for half a month.
Li Rouniang took the grain and divided it out for Daya's father according to the amount given by the merchant who had just bought the child: "Now you can write a contract, Daya is mine!"
Da Ya's father didn't say anything, but pressed his fingerprint without hesitation.
Daya knelt down and said to Li Rouniang, "Aunt Li, thank you for saving me. From now on, my life belongs to you, and I will repay you properly!"
Li Rouniang helped everyone up, saying, "Silly child, what are you saying? Get up quickly!"
Zhao Dahe escorted the three of them back to their lodgings. When Old Man Mo saw that another child had been brought back, and after hearing Li Rou Niang's account of what had happened, he didn't say anything more.
Having an extra mouth to feed always brings pressure, especially during such extraordinary times. But this child is truly unfortunate, sigh...
The group ate some wild vegetables, found a place to cook some porridge, and Li Rou Niang put the remaining rice, grains, and oil into her spatial storage so that no one would covet it.
First, coax the children to eat more. The remaining few ate wild vegetables and tree roots, and drank some rice water. Although it didn't taste good, it was something they needed to survive.
The people of Zhao Family Village gradually returned, some empty-handed, others with a little food. At this point, it was up to fate.
Daya's mother walked up to Daya and said with teary eyes, "Daya, save the porridge in your hand for Baogen, and you can have this vegetable soup instead, okay?"
Daya stared blankly at her former mother, without saying a word.
Li Rouniang heard this but did not stop her. She wanted to see how Daya would react. If the child still missed her family, then she planned to send her back.
But Zhao Daya said, "Aunt Zhao, I am no longer your daughter, and I have already paid back what I owed you. This is from Aunt Li. I can't just give it to someone else at a time like this. I'm sorry."
After saying that, he ate it right away.
Daya's mother was a little angry, but after glancing at Li Rou's mother, she hesitated and left angrily, cursing as she went: "Zhao Daya, you ungrateful wretch!"
Zhao Dani was delighted with Daya's arrival, since the two of them were the best friends in the village, and now they were together again.
Although everyone has some food on hand for the time being, this is not a long-term solution, since people still have no place to settle down.
It's just that here, unscrupulous people have squeezed out the last bit of value from it.
What will become of the last remaining refugees who have been completely exploited?
Li Rouniang was deeply worried, as was Zhao Youtian, but they couldn't bring themselves to suggest heading to the next city now.
They had nearly starved to death on the road and had barely made it here. They had very little food left and couldn't possibly make it to the next city; they would likely starve to death on the road. Staying here was only a matter of time. They were in a dilemma!
Zhao Youtian was under immense pressure, and so was Li Rouniang!
She had promised Zhao Li that she would ensure Dahe and Erhe lived well, and she had also promised Mo Bei that she would take good care of Old Man Mo. Xiuer followed her wholeheartedly. These children were still so young, and now there was Daya too. Sigh…
At this moment, Li Rouniang truly felt that since Heaven had given her a second chance at life, why did it have to subject her to such torment? Was it because she hadn't suffered enough in her previous life, so she had to endure even more suffering in this one?
As she pondered this, she suddenly remembered her spatial storage. Yes, she had always been an ordinary person, and suddenly having a spatial storage was something she didn't know how to use. Originally, she only intended to store some supplies, but anything she could touch could be placed in her space. If she could touch food...
Her eyes lit up as she wondered if, given the chance, she could enter the city, sneak into the granary, and haul all the grain out. After all, no one would suspect her, and a body search wouldn't reveal anything!
But how can we get into the city? We're unfamiliar with the area, and even if we get in, how can we find the exact location of the grain?
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