When the two boys saw that their two daughters had fallen, they were frightened. Coupled with their mother's screams, if they couldn't control the cow, they were afraid that they would lose all the coarse grains they had worked so hard to get. Without grain, what would they eat for the next six months?
After half an hour of struggle, the cow was finally pulled to the other side of the river. As everyone was panting heavily, their eyes involuntarily turned to the rushing river. The worry on their faces was not about the loss of two lives, but about what they would face if this matter were discovered.
Both families were deep in thought, remaining silent for a long time without moving an inch, until the breathing gradually subsided.
The middle-aged man suddenly spoke to the man driving the cattle.
"You only picked up the four of us today,"
Then, looking at her two sons, she said, "Maiya has been left at your aunt's house to take care of your newborn sister. Do you understand?"
In such cold weather, if a person falls in for so long, let alone whether they can swim, even if they can, their chances of survival are slim.
Although they didn't understand why Malt jumped down, they ultimately chose food over human lives.
The old man who was herding cattle was initially worried that he might lose his life while earning those five cents, but after hearing what the family said, he breathed a sigh of relief. Although he felt guilty, he still cared more about the life of his cattle than the life of his employer.
When the group arrived at Dongliuzhuang, the middle-aged man suddenly reached out to the woman and asked for money.
"What are you doing?"
"Give him one cent of the two cents you just received."
Why should I?
"Based on the fact that that girl lost her life after giving this money, do you want her to come after you alone, or both of you?"
Money is definitely needed, but this risk must be shared.
Even if the woman was unwilling, the man eventually took the money and stuffed it into the hands of the old man who was herding cattle.
“Don’t take that road on your way back, take another one. What happened today…”
"Don't worry, I only picked up your family of four, I didn't see anyone else."
Although the cattle driver wasted a day, he earned six cents. He couldn't wait to leave Dongliuzhuang, preferring to take a detour rather than cross that deadly bridge again.
Back home, the woman looked at the man with worry: "Are we just going to abandon Maiya like this? We raised her, after all! I was hoping to use her to get some dowry money for our son in the future. Now, she's gone. How are we going to explain her whereabouts to the villagers?"
"Your sister is a great excuse. She married into the county town and needs help. This malt can't talk, but she's a hard worker. Just say that if anyone asks. After the New Year, you can go and explain to your sister to avoid her letting it slip when you visit relatives. Alright, you've been busy all day. Hurry up and cook, I'm starving."
The man felt some regret about his daughter, whom he had raised since childhood, falling into the water and going missing, but in that situation, they could only choose food.
Besides, in this freezing weather, who would go into the water to save them?
She's stupid too. What does it have to do with her that person fell into the water?
——
Cuihua fell into the water and went missing.
The younger sisters in the family were extremely anxious. They first went to the Tao family, and together with the Tao family, they searched back to Taoyuan Village overnight. As it got later and later, Cuiju and Cuilian, who had never been separated from their older sister, cried out in distress.
On New Year's Eve, someone went missing. They rushed to the township to report the case, but everyone except those on duty had gone home for the New Year.
With no other option, the three Tao sisters, armed with flashlights, relentlessly expanded their search along Cuihua's usual route home. They didn't rest all night, calling out "Cuihua," "Tang Cuihua," and "Sister" incessantly until dawn, on the first day of the Lunar New Year, when they finally broke down in tears.
The old lady and the old man looked extremely remorseful and kept apologizing to Cuiju and the others.
"It's all my fault. We should have let the child go home earlier. It's all our fault. It was getting dark, why didn't we think of asking Tao Zui and the others to see him off?"
The old woman's remorseful look made Cuiju feel sorry for her. "Grandma, how is this your fault? Maybe my sister had something come up and didn't have time to tell us. Don't cry, it makes us feel even more sorry for you. Don't cry, don't cry. Jiu'er, please help me comfort Grandma."
Zhao Lingli and Tao Changyi returned home quite late that night. Almost as soon as they arrived, Cuiju and the others came looking for them.
Cui Mei's appearance was not suitable for going out, so she stayed at home to wait for news, since someone needed to stay at home as well.
But later, when they were searching all the way back to Taoyuan Village, Cuimei couldn't resist and came out to search with them.
With such a big incident happening to her family, who in the village doesn't know? If her older sister really comes back, the neighbors will naturally help inform her.
The Tang sisters didn't expect their family to help them, but fortunately the village chief knew about it and immediately organized a group of young men to inquire about the matter in various villages.
When they heard about Dongliuzhuang, some of them, feeling guilty, naturally went home.
They had been holding onto a sliver of hope that Maiya would crawl out of the river and find her way home.
But now it seems that eight or nine out of ten girls from Peach Blossom Village are gone. If she's gone, how can Maiya survive?
——
Cuihua was awakened by the cold.
When she woke up, there was a fire beside her, and the edge of the fire was warming her thick cotton clothes. However, she was only wearing thin thermal underwear. As if worried that she was cold, she was covered with thick dry grass by the girl in front of her. Of course, Maiya was not much better off than her. Her cotton clothes were also being warmed around the fire, and her lips were turning purple from the cold.
As dawn broke, she finally got a clear look at her. She wasn't bad-looking; at least she had thick eyebrows, big eyes, and regular features. Her skin was a bit dark, though. She was intently turning the wooden stick in her hand, and when the dark lump on it emitted a fragrant aroma, she realized what she was roasting.
Looking at the nearby river and the sheltered rocky spot she had chosen (surrounded by large rocks to block the wind), Cuihua instantly understood.
Did you save me?
Seeing that her daughter couldn't hear her, she waved her hand in front of her eyes, which finally got her attention.
She pointed to the river, then to herself, and bowed gratefully to her. Upon seeing this, she shook her head indifferently.
"You don't need to thank me. Actually, I've wanted to leave that home for a long time, but I just haven't found the opportunity."
Cuihua looked at her in surprise: "You can talk?"
From her lip movements, Malt could guess what she was asking.
“I wasn’t born that way. I got sick and had a fever that damaged my ears, which is why I can’t hear anymore. But I can still understand everyday speech by reading my lip movements. My throat isn’t damaged, and I can still speak.”
Cuihua touched her hand to her throat, and then asked her, word by word.
"Why did you save me? Why did you jump down? Aren't you afraid of drowning?"
Malt laughed out loud: "How could I possibly drown? Didn't I say that only in this way will they think I'm dead? I don't want to stay in that house anymore!"
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