In the middle of the night, the eldest daughter nudged Hu Chuncao and whispered, "Mom, Mom."
Hu Chuncao was sound asleep after a long day when she was woken up. She asked irritably, "What?"
"Mom, come out with me, I need to talk to you about something."
"What's wrong?" Hu Chuncao didn't want to move because it was so warm in bed.
"Good news, come out here," the eldest maid said, pulling down Hu Chuncao's blanket.
Hu Chuncao reluctantly got up, put on her cotton-padded coat, and went out with the eldest maid.
Half asleep, Yan Xi saw her older sister and mother go out. After thinking for a moment, she quietly followed them off the kang (a heated brick bed).
The mother and daughter didn't go out; they stood in the outer room. "What's wrong?" Hu Chuncao asked.
The eldest daughter said, "Mom, my mother-in-law has a relative from her maternal family who is an official in the city. They only have one little girl, who is ten years old this year."
Hu Chuncao yawned. "What's up? They want to buy a boy? Boys are so precious these days, nobody sells children. There aren't any in our village. Let your mother-in-law ask around."
The eldest daughter quickly shook her head, "No, the child we bought isn't theirs. Why would they buy someone else's child?"
"What do you mean? Don't beat around the bush with me," Hu Chuncao said impatiently.
The eldest maid glanced into the room. Yan Xi didn't come out of the inner room; he hid behind the door to eavesdrop.
"Mom, he wants to find an older woman to have his baby. He'll give 10,000 yuan if it's a boy and 5,000 yuan if it's a girl," the older girl said, looking at her mother.
Hu Chuncao: "Looking for someone to have a baby?"
The eldest daughter: "I only want the child, not the person."
"Ten thousand for the boy?" Hu Chuncao's heart warmed when she heard that it was so much money.
The eldest daughter said, "We want a girl too, we'll give you five thousand."
"Why doesn't your mother-in-law let your family do it?" Hu Chuncao asked suspiciously.
The eldest daughter said, "They're spending so much money for a young lady, but we don't have one."
"Let your sister Xiaoxi give birth to her," Hu Chuncao said without hesitation. With 10,000 yuan, she could afford to get her son married and build a house. Even if it was a girl, it would be enough if she had to tighten her belt.
The eldest daughter said, "My mother-in-law wants a thousand yuan as a kickback."
Hu Chuncao rolled her eyes at the eldest girl. "You should agree to her first."
Whether or not she gives it to the baby after it's born is up to her.
"Okay, then I'll tell my mother-in-law that people have to come and see her, and she has to like her. You should buy Xiaoxi a decent set of clothes," the eldest daughter instructed.
"I don't have any money. Your mother-in-law gets all the benefits for free; let her buy it."
Yan Xi, inside the room, covered her mouth tightly, quickly lay down on the kang (a heated brick bed), her whole body trembling uncontrollably, her teeth chattering. When she heard her older sister and mother enter the room, she quickly bit her arm hard.
The next morning, Yan Xi's eyes were swollen.
"Why are your eyes swollen?" Hu Chuncao asked, puzzled.
"I ate something salty last night and drank too much water," Yan Xi lied.
Hu Chuncao curled her lip in disdain, "Eat less. We're living under someone else's roof; you're a bit too serious."
Yan Xi kept her head down and remained silent.
After dinner, Da Yatou's mother-in-law wanted to go out to buy things, so Hu Chuncao quickly asked Yan Xi to go with her to help carry the things. They were staying at her place, so she had to be considerate.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
