Chapter 260 Xiao Tao's Parents Arrive
In the afternoon, Xiao Ran and Xiao Yi were arranged to drive a horse-drawn carriage to the Song family's place in the county town to deliver goods.
The grocery store suddenly fell silent.
The afternoon sun shone warmly on the open space in front of the door, and the sounds of villagers working hard could be faintly heard from the fields in the distance.
Jiang Ling suddenly had a whimsical idea: she wanted to experience the joys of farming.
She recalled that a few days ago, Zhao Yin's wife had taken a break from her busy schedule and cultivated a small piece of wasteland on the hillside not far from the shop. The area was not large, only a few acres.
Sister-in-law Zhao smiled and said, "Miss Jiang, this place is sunny and the soil is pretty good. I'll clear it out for you. When the weather gets warmer, you can plant some melons or beans if you want, and you can eat fresh vegetables in the summer, saving you from having to go to town to buy them all the time."
Jiang Ling thought it was a good idea, so she kept the small plot of land.
I bought some seeds at the market last time, and now I'm going to loosen the soil and prepare to plant them.
She found the hoe leaning against the corner of the wall, and like the villagers, she carried it on her shoulder and walked toward the wasteland with a rather imposing air.
The place wasn't far; we arrived before we even started sweating.
But she had never farmed before. This land was newly reclaimed. Although the grass and tree roots on the surface had been cleared away, the soil underneath had hardened over the winter and had not been properly turned over or moistened by rain, making it as hard as a rock.
She was exhausted after hoeing a few times, but the plot of land in front of her remained untouched.
Undeterred, she tried several more times, but the result remained the same.
Before long, she felt aches and pains in her back and waist, her breathing became rapid, and fine beads of sweat appeared on her forehead.
Jiang Ling waved her hands, which were already red, swollen, and burning hot.
It turns out that simply "loosening the soil" is actually quite difficult to do.
She had watched the villagers work, easily turning over several plots of land in a morning, and thought this small plot wouldn't require much effort.
Somewhat dejected, she walked to the shade of an old locust tree nearby, intending to take a break.
Just then, a slender figure walked over timidly.
Jiang Ling looked up and saw that it was Xiao Tao.
She was wearing the slightly worn but clean cotton dress Jiang Ling had given her, her hands nervously twisting in front of her, her voice weak:
"Miss Jiang, how about... I give it a try?"
Jiang Ling paused for a moment, then nodded without saying anything, handing over the hoe.
After all, I redeemed her from her servitude and have been supporting her, so it's only right that I let her help with some chores.
Xiao Tao skillfully gripped the hoe. She walked to the edge of the field, bent down slightly, adjusted her posture, and then swung the hoe.
The movements weren't particularly graceful, but they carried a rhythm that had developed over many years.
The sharp blade of the hoe cut perfectly into the soil, and with a flick of the wrist, a large clump of hardened soil was easily turned over, revealing the slightly moist brown soil underneath.
She worked steadily, one stroke after another, her movements slow but highly efficient. She was clearly someone who did farm work regularly.
Before long, the land that Jiang Ling considered as hard as stone was easily turned over by Xiao Tao, a thirteen-year-old child.
Jiang Ling sat under the shade of a tree, feeling somewhat awkward...
Just then, a series of slightly hurried and hurried footsteps approached from afar:
"Xiao Tao... Xiao Tao! Is this my Xiao Tao?"
Jiang Ling looked in the direction of the sound and saw a middle-aged man and woman with dark complexions and tattered clothes, leading two children of about ten years old, walking briskly along the ridge of the field.
Upon hearing this familiar yet unfamiliar voice, Xiao Tao's body stiffened abruptly, and her hand holding the hoe froze in mid-air.
She slowly straightened up, turned her head, and saw the person who had come; her face instantly turned pale.
Jiang Ling immediately understood.
The visitors were Xiaotao's parents and her two younger brothers, a carpenter couple from Baiyang Village.
The news spread really fast; they must have heard that Xiao Tao had been redeemed by Jiang Ling and came to find her.
"Xiao Tao! My dear daughter, it really is you!" Lin's mother rushed forward, grasped Xiao Tao's hand, and her voice trembled with tears.
"Mother heard you...you've suffered! It's all your parents' fault, we're so sorry...Mother has come to take you home, let's go home..."
Xiao Tao just stood there, stunned, and suddenly pulled her hand back, unable to even manage a smile.
Xiao Tao had long since lost all affection for her parents who had sold her into this abyss.
The time I played the role of a kind daughter and acted out helping them was just to increase my chances of getting to know Xiao Ran.
Now that the goal has been achieved, there's no need to pretend to be a loving mother and daughter anymore.
Lin's mother awkwardly withdrew her hand and glanced at her two sons behind her.
The two little boys immediately stepped forward and hugged Xiaotao together: "Sister, we missed you so much! Please come home with us!"
Xiao Tao glanced down at them and let out a very soft, cold laugh.
Home? Where does she still have a home?
From the moment she was sold, she had no home.
She let go of her two younger brothers, hid beside Jiang Ling, and lowered her head.
It seemed that only then did Lin's father remember that Jiang Ling was still standing in front of him.
He put on a humble smile and bowed deeply to Jiang Ling:
"This... must be Miss Jiang? The great philanthropist of Jishui Village! Thank you so much, thank you for saving my Xiaotao! We... we heard she was here, so we rushed over to see her..."
Jiang Ling remained calm and did not get up. She simply said, "You two have come to see Xiao Tao? She's with me now, and everything is fine."
Lin's mother wiped away non-existent tears with her sleeve and said in a mournful voice:
"Okay, that's good... Miss Jiang, you are such a kind person, we are extremely grateful! We will repay you even if we are reborn as your ox or horse in our next life."
She changed the subject, glancing at Xiaotao, "Xiaotao, why don't you come home with your parents? Your brothers have been missing you..."
Xiao Tao remained silent throughout.
The most magnanimous thing she could do was not to hate them, but only to blame her bad luck.
Seeing that Xiao Tao remained unmoved, Lin's mother tried to pull her away.
Jiang Ling clapped her hands and stood up, looking puzzled.
“Go home? Go to which home? I remember you were the ones who sold her to Peony Garden, and the transaction was settled. Now, her indenture is in my hands, and she is mine. Where she goes and what she does are up to me.”
Lin's father's smile froze for a moment, and he quickly said, "We...we didn't mean that. It's just...it's just that our family is really struggling. We suffered a disaster last year, so we had no choice but to sell Xiaotao. Miss Jiang is an incredibly kind person. Everyone in Baiyang Village has heard that Miss Jiang often helps villagers. Miss Jiang's family is wealthy and powerful, so I'm sure..."
He was halfway through his sentence when he immediately gave Lin's mother a look.
Lin's mother understood immediately and quickly squeezed out a few tears.
“Miss Jiang, we really don’t want to suffer the pain of separation from our children anymore. They were all born after ten months of pregnancy. What mother doesn’t love her child? We will remember Miss Jiang’s kindness for the rest of our lives. Please, Miss Jiang, have mercy and let our family be reunited.”
He spoke as if it were a serious matter, and actually managed to squeeze out a few tears.
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