"Wait," Qin Xiaoting brought a bowl of sugar water, into which she quietly mixed a drop of diluted spiritual spring water, which could relieve pain.

She touched her belly and watched Erya drink water. After becoming a mother, she couldn't bear to see such a pitiful child.

Zhuang Erya drank the sugar water while Qin Xiaoting patted her back gently, and tears flowed down her face.

My mother had disliked the three sisters since she was a child. She always said that it was because they were not male heirs that she and her family could not hold their heads up high. Therefore, she rarely smiled at them and almost always beat and scolded them.

Now, she could feel the warmth of her mother from this gentle elder sister. Zhuang Erya bravely asked, "My grandma sold my sister. Sister, can you help me?"

Jiang Li and Qin Xiaoting looked at each other, and saw anger in each other's eyes.

"What's going on? Daya is less than 15 years old this year, right?"

Liu Lixin pulled Erya and said, "Erya, don't be afraid. Tell me everything!"

"I overheard my grandmother and fourth aunt talking, and they said that my sister would be sent to a family as a child bride and would be sent away tomorrow."

Qi Shaoqiang's face suddenly darkened. "This is illegal. Not to mention that the country doesn't allow it, the village captain will be the first to disagree if he knows about it. Erya, don't worry, I will never let your sister be sent away."

"In this matter, only one person can steal and win. Otherwise, Zhao Xiangyu will definitely not admit it," Jiang Li reminded everyone.

Just after dusk on the twenty-ninth day of the lunar year, a dark and thin old lady, accompanied by two short and stout men, walked into the door of the xiaozhuang family.

The dark and thin old lady Li looked at Zhuang Daya through the window and said with some disdain, "You are so skinny, how can you give birth to a child?"

The older of the two men rubbed his hands together and said, "Mom, don't be picky. As long as it's a girl, it's fine. Bring her back soon and consummate the marriage soon."

An Datou is already 29 years old. All the kids his age in the village can make soy sauce, but he is the only one who is single. The night is long and he can't vent his anger.

"Stop talking!" Old Mrs. Li glared at her eldest son. What a fool! How could he bargain for the price if he wasn't picky? Could he really just give her thirty yuan?

"She's a little skinny, but she's pretty. You'll know after you take her home and raise her for a few days. Besides, look at how big her butt is. She's definitely capable of giving birth to a son."

Zhao Xiangyu was afraid that the deal would fail, so she said all kinds of nice things, but Old Lady Li still frowned and criticized, "Is she 16? Why does she look like she's only 12 or 13? I'm taking her back to continue the family line, you're just kidding me, this matter is not over yet."

Zhao Xiangyu quickly said, "No, no, she just didn't eat enough. If she has 16, she will definitely be able to give birth."

"It's so thin, how long will it take to feed it? It's a waste of food. How about this, I'll give it 28 yuan, and the remaining two yuan will be used as food money."

Zhao Xiangyu was unwilling to do so, but she didn't expect that Old Lady Li would turn around and leave with the two men. Jiang Hongmei quickly stopped them and persuaded Zhao Xiangyu, "Look at the New Year. It's because the business didn't work out and there's no rice to cook at home."

Zhao Xiangyu hardened her heart and nodded. Old Lady Li proudly threw down 28 yuan and said to her two sons, "Shut your mouths and put them in the basket and take them away. Be careful not to let anyone hear you."

She also knew that this was something that could not be seen in public. The world today was not like it was in the past. If someone caught her, she might end up in a dormitory.

An Er was somewhat dissatisfied, he was not as casual as his elder brother, who only cared about a woman, he liked plump ones, like the beautiful widow in the village, which was quite good.

An Datou tied them up, Zhuang Daya struggled desperately, Sanya ran after her sister, but Jiang Hongmei slapped her twice on the mouth and dragged her into the house.

The two men carried the basket out of the door. Old Lady Li followed behind them and looked around. It was dark, there were no lights in the village, and the weather was cold. Almost no one went out.

Thinking of having a wife, An Datou was so excited that the hairs on his body stood up and he walked lightly.

"Fuck you, you trafficker!"

Before An Datou could turn around after hearing this, his arm was twisted fiercely, sticks fell on him like raindrops, and his feet were pressed into the sand.

"Someone come, there are traffickers kidnapping women!"

The loud sound echoed throughout the whole village. Every household lit up their lights, and villagers came out one after another carrying shoulder poles, vegetables, and door bolts.

"Don't hit me, don't hit me, I'm not..."

Before An Datou could open his mouth, a smelly rag was stuffed into his mouth.

The basket had already fallen over, revealing Zhuang Daya, who was crying.

"You really are a human trafficker. Isn't this the eldest daughter of the Zhuang family?"

"Fuck you, you kidnapped people all the way to Bailutang without even asking where this place is. I'm going to beat you to death, you shameless black-hearted vendor!"

"Beat him to death, beat him to death. There is a woman here. How can such an old girl come out to kidnap and sell people?"

"Tie them up and beat them. What the hell, I'll lock up these two bastards. They dared to come to our village to kidnap people."

The crowd was furious, and Qi Yupeng had to come out to control the situation to prevent these people from being killed.

Someone had already gone to the Zhuang family and knocked on the door to call for help, but Zhao Xiangyu and Jiang Hongmei were hiding in the house. Even after knowing what had happened, they were not surprised or angry, as if the children who were abducted were not theirs.

"Look at this old lady Zhao. We saved her granddaughter, but she didn't even say thank you. She has no conscience."

"Drag those traffickers out and interrogate them. Maybe they kidnapped children from other brigades besides Zhuang Daya."

Finally, Mrs. Li had the chance to speak. She was almost beaten to death. She stared at Zhao Xiangyu, who was shrinking like a quail, and hated her to death in her heart.

The damn old woman said nothing because she didn't want to admit that she had given the girl away as a child bride. She would rather let others beat the three of them to death as human traffickers.

In this case, she can forget about it.

"We are not human traffickers. She gave her to our family as a child bride and even accepted a betrothal gift."

When these words came out, everyone in Bailutang was dumbfounded.

Qi Yupeng stared at Zhao Xiangyu, "Tell me, is what these people saying true?"

Zhao Xiangyu dared not admit it, "No, no, they are just human traffickers."

An Datou was so angry at the old woman who was confusing right and wrong that he jumped up. Several people tried to hold him down but failed. "You are talking nonsense. My mother just gave you twenty yuan and you start talking nonsense. You said we are human traffickers?"

"How is that possible? We don't even know them," Jiang Hongmei also shook her head in denial.

She had heard from the women cadres in the village that child brides were now absolutely not allowed and could not be recognized.