Tang Cuihua and her two sisters were the first children born in their fourth wife's household. After all, it wasn't uncommon for families in the countryside to have three daughters in a row, which is why they were allowed to stay.
But by the fourth one, the old woman, who favored sons over daughters, couldn't help but take action.
She was already being quite lenient by tolerating three money-losing daughters-in-law in the family, but this worthless daughter-in-law actually gave birth to a fourth one. If she could tolerate it, she would take her daughter-in-law's surname!
She has four sons.
The eldest son has three grandsons and one granddaughter.
The second son has four grandsons.
The third son's family has two grandsons and two granddaughters.
Only this fourth child's family had four daughters in a row. The first three were grown up and able to work, so she didn't say anything. But the fourth one absolutely could not live!
So, Tang Cuihua and her two sisters, along with their parents from the fourth branch of the family, a family of five, were pointed at and gossiped about wherever they went from childhood. Even when they went to work in the fields, their parents would associate the laughter from afar with them.
She, who only gave birth to a daughter, and other women in the village who couldn't have children, were the targets of ridicule.
From her parents-in-law, sisters-in-law, and brothers to her villagers and neighbors, even when she goes back to her parents' home, you can see them pointing at her "women's army" with glaring smiles from afar.
This continued day after day, which fostered Cao Amei's sensitive and suspicious nature.
She was never a weak person, but the more daughters she had, the less she felt she could hold her head high.
Even when her husband beat and berated her, she couldn't find the right words to excuse herself.
The more guilty she felt, the more she could tolerate her husband's outbursts, the less she could lift her head, and the more bent her spine became.
In contrast, the three daughters of the fourth wife.
The eldest daughter has always been like Cao Amei in her youth—strong, capable, and opinionated. Now thirteen years old, she's a grown woman. Over the years, she's been involved in all sorts of family matters, big and small, and even the matter of her younger sister being sent away was handled entirely by her.
She wanted to remember where her sisters had been sent, hoping that if the family's circumstances improved in the future, she could secretly acknowledge them and help them out, since they were all her own siblings.
Tang Cuihua was unable to obtain a name that included a younger brother because she was the firstborn child.
Everyone in the family had high hopes for her. Even though she gave birth to a girl, her parents didn't react as strongly as when each of her subsequent babies was a girl. This was their first child, so for a period of time, Tang Cuihua still enjoyed some care and love from her parents.
But as the number of younger sisters increased, their patience gradually waned. It could be said that the second and third children grew up alongside her.
Whenever their parents felt annoyed and wanted to vent their frustrations when they saw them, it was Tang Cuihua who protected her younger sister.
If they live like this at home, what about the younger sisters who were secretly sent away?
It wasn't that she hadn't visited them; seeing them working and suffering like pitiful creatures in their adoptive parents' home broke her heart.
But if we look at our own lives, aren't we the same?
"Sister, just because we're girls, do we have to do so much work? Why don't the daughters of my uncles and aunts have to work so hard? Why are my grandparents kind to them sometimes? Why is it that when it comes to our family, they treat us like dirt? Do we owe them something?"
Whenever the second daughter, Tang Zhaodi, suffered a grievance, she would cry and ask Tang Cuihua for an answer. Tang Cuihua would chop chicken feed while replying without looking up.
“Why is it that everyone else has sons to carry on the family name, while our family only has sons who are a financial burden? When have you ever seen Grandpa and Grandma treat us kindly? They just curse at us whenever they see us. I’m exhausted from all the cursing, and they keep repeating those vicious words, ‘Zhaodi.’ So we can’t be cowardly. We have to stand tall. Only in this way can we prevent them from thinking we are easy to bully.”
Tang Cuihua herself has a strong personality, and neither of her two younger sisters are cowards either.
If she hears anyone talking about them behind their backs, she'll immediately snap back.
At such a young age, she has already learned to use language to defend herself.
And her fiery temperament became stronger and stronger through daily training.
Because their eldest sister would protect them while their parents wouldn't, the three sisters had a particularly good relationship from a young age and never relied on their irresponsible parents.
At first, these parents were still decent parents, but as time went on and they had more and more daughters, their reputation in the village grew louder and louder, and they felt like people were laughing at them wherever they went.
Gradually, the strong-willed Cao Amei also stopped liking to go out.
They expect men to do everything, and they expect their eldest daughters to do everything.
She would lie at home or direct her little girl to do this and that.
Once she has raised the child well, she can rightfully stop doing housework.
When Tang Youtian noticed these changes in her, he tried to talk to her about it, but Cao Amei always retorted.
Because he only knows how to work for other people, how can he be qualified to talk about his own affairs?
As the years went by, Cao Amei became increasingly lazy, cowardly, and filthy, taking advantage of her pregnancies and childbirths.
How filthy is it?
The couple's bedding was shiny black, and they wouldn't change it unless Cuihua washed it.
As for Cao Amei's personal hygiene issues, let's not even talk about the men; she, as a daughter, can't criticize her own father.
Anyway, you could smell her mother's scent, especially during her period.
"Mom, can't you wash yourself? You smell so bad, how can you stand it? You can stand it, but my dad can't!"
"It's no trouble to wash it. If you don't want to boil water, I'll boil water for you and wash it for you. I'm begging you, please be clean, otherwise people will laugh at you when you go out."
Someone, in a fit of despair, said, "Let them laugh all they want. They've been making fun of me for years, so what's a day or two? I'm used to it. Can't I shower together after my period ends? Why are you so concerned? Don't you know you can't touch cold water during this time?"
Cuihua rolled her eyes: "I'll boil some hot water for you, can you wash with hot water? People have said that if you don't pay attention to hygiene during this time, you'll get sick. You already have urinary incontinence and many other problems. If you don't pay attention to hygiene, will you be disliked by the doctor again like last time?"
Last time she was pregnant, she fainted from anemia and went to the hospital for a checkup. She almost made the doctor faint from the smell. The doctor's expression at that time made Cuihua feel ashamed for the rest of her life, but the person in question didn't take it seriously and was still trying to persuade you.
"Either you do it for me, or you shut up. That's just how I am. If you can't stand it, you can leave."
Cuihua was so angry that she ground her teeth in frustration. There was simply no way to deal with this lazybones.
We've tried everything, but nothing works. This isn't something that developed overnight; it's a psychological condition caused by long-term stress.
With Cao Amei like this and Tang Youtian never home, how much can the three sisters do in the fields?
So their five acres of land never yielded good harvests; they were always the family with the lowest yields.
They often don't know where their next meal will come from.
If it weren't for the three sisters frequently going out to dig up wild vegetables and plant some to supplement the family income, the whole family would probably have starved to death long ago.
Tang Cuihua and her sisters were often talked about by the villagers as pitiful, pathetic, and infuriating, but what could they do?
Even if they're the worst of people, they're still your parents, aren't they?
She could only pray that the lazy couple would change their minds and have a change of heart; otherwise, this family would fall apart sooner or later.
At this time, they were unaware that a blessing had been bestowed upon their family, but they were forcibly pushed away.
This means that the suffering they will endure next is to help the sisters who were sent away overcome their tribulations.
——
Xiao Jiu is undoubtedly easy to take care of. After all, she has the soul of an adult. Apart from normal physiological reactions such as eating, sleeping, and defecating, she is not troublesome and will not disrupt others' sleep schedules.
Once it wakes up, it plays by itself. Since it can't roll over yet, it just lies there straight.
When she used to study from dawn till dusk, she envied the carefree life of babies who could eat their fill and sleep soundly. She never imagined that one day she would be able to enjoy that life herself.
It's often said that ideals are always lofty, while reality is often quite harsh.
The only thing that can be truly torturous is lying here motionless, with your body wrapped in a blanket. It's bearable when you're asleep, but when you wake up, it's incredibly uncomfortable. After lying here for a while, your back feels numb.
She instilled this habit in the elderly woman during her postpartum period.
She signals them whenever she is hungry or needs to relieve herself.
After eating, I didn't have much energy to play. The surroundings were all blurry, and I couldn't see anything clearly, so I chose to clear my mind.
Its eyes and head looked around erratically. If its hands and legs were lucky enough to be freed, it would lift them up and move them around. Every now and then, it would raise its little hands to look around, repeatedly confirming that it had really become a baby.
She thought of her parents countless times, and tears would well up in her eyes as she thought about them. She would cry out and shed tears, which frightened the old lady, who quickly picked her up and looked for her parents.
"Look at her, she's so young, how come she's learned to cry silently? I haven't made her suffer any injustice!"
Upon hearing this, Xiao Jiu immediately smiled at the old lady. She wasn't upset. "Grandma, please don't misunderstand. I just miss my parents."
"Mom, look, she's smiling again. Oh dear, this little rascal is always like this, crying and laughing, her eyes bulging as if she's about to pee. It's alright, look how pretty she is when she smiles, she even has two little dimples! Oh my, she has double eyelids too, she'll definitely be beautiful when she grows up. Just relax, you take such good care of her every day, how could she not know how good you are to her? Isn't that right, Little Jiu'er!"
Little Jiu tried her best to make baby-like babbling sounds as a response to her mother's words, which amused her grandmother so much that she couldn't bear to part with her.
"This little girl is so wonderful. She never cries or fusses, and I don't have to worry about her at all. She'll definitely grow up to be a sweet and caring girl! It's a good thing we made the right decision together. Girls are just cuter than boys!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com