Shui Qing watched as Fan Jin carried bags of black flour into the granary.
This granary wasn't the one they used to store rice and flour; it was the large granary near the gate where they stored potatoes.
Bai Manshan transported away half of the potatoes, and the villagers exchanged a batch of cornmeal for them. Now, a large portion of the land is empty, more than enough to store thousands of kilograms of black flour.
Fan Jin didn't let Shui Qing do anything; he carried the black-faced noodles to the granary and stacked them up one by one.
The open space was large, so he didn't stack the items high up, but only up to his neck, making it easier to carry them to his older brother later.
Yes, this batch of black flour wasn't bought for our own family, but for my eldest brother.
It's not about giving it to the eldest brother for free, but exchanging it for Zhao Di from him—we can't let the eldest brother sell Zhao Di to human traffickers. In years of famine, the only places that can buy people, especially girls, are brothels or old bachelors.
It would be virtually impossible for an eight-year-old girl to escape from these two places, and even if she did manage to escape, it would be extremely difficult. Nowadays, people fight tooth and nail for a bite to eat, and it is incredibly difficult for men to survive, let alone women.
He could remain indifferent to his elder brother and four nephews, because he knew that men in this world had an easier time surviving and could make a living on their own without his help. It was purely a matter of whether they wanted to strive for success.
Women are different; even if they want to strive for success, they have no way to do so, and most of them are held back by their families.
Zhao Di is his own niece, and since he has the ability to help, he doesn't want to see her being sold off like a commodity... Good children should be treated well.
“I’ve already told Da Ni and Er Ni. They get along well with the women in the village, so I guarantee they can pass on the message,” Shui Qing said, seeing Fan Jin’s restless expression.
Fan Jin turned around, a gentle smile on his lips. "I'm not worried, I'm just increasingly disheartened by my elder brother."
He wasn't angry. He had used up all his anger when his mother and elder brother and sister-in-law tried to sell his two daughters. He could sell his niece, so he could foresee that they would sell their own daughters when they had nothing left to sell.
Previously, Yan Qiu and Xing Hui asked him to help Zhao Di, but he said he would wait, waiting for such a legitimate and complete opportunity to resolve the issue.
Shui Qing understood why Fan Jin was becoming increasingly disheartened.
Last time it was selling a niece, this time it's her own daughter. Even though a son would fetch a better price, she still thinks her daughter is useless and sells her off without a second thought.
“Sons have their own path, and women have their own path. Whether it’s Yan Qiuxing or Zhaodi, we’ll teach them well, and then your elder brother and sister-in-law will regret it to the core!” Shui Qing thought this was an elegant way of speaking.
To put it simply: It's so dazzling it'll blind their eyes!
Fan Jin's smile deepened. "I only wish that they are literate, sensible, and capable of making a living, so that they can live a good life."
Shui Qing wholeheartedly agreed: she had always felt that women's appearance, virtue, and speech were all useless, what good were they except for restricting women? Fan Jin was much more practical!
No matter where you are, the most important thing is to be able to stand on your own two feet.
·
The villagers of Shanshui Village are busy, and Shuiqing's entire family is also working non-stop.
Hu the butcher and Hu Wenhua were both strong, so they went along to dig the soil.
Hu's mother and Shuiqing were responsible for the family's three meals a day, ensuring that everyone ate their fill and that the food was healthy and nutritious—health is the foundation, and food and drink are essential, so they had to be taken good care of.
Ling Ran and the other boys continued to do the same work as before, such as chopping wood, cutting grass, and feeding livestock.
Yan Qiuxing returned to work as an assistant, moving things wherever needed.
No matter how busy he was, whenever Fan Jin didn't go out, he would set aside two hours each day to teach several children to read and write, and even the eldest, Ling Ran, would learn along with him.
He set learning tasks for each child, which Shuiqing reviewed. In her words, it was about teaching according to aptitude.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
