However, for someone who is bewitched, these words are completely inaudible; not only do they not listen, they also take them for granted.
"Nonsense, I'm their father. If they don't care about me, they'll be drowned in everyone's spittle and never get married!"
"And you, stop trying to reason with me. What are you anyway? Look at yourself, so slovenly and pathetic. If you used to look like this, I wouldn't even want you even if you were given to me upside down! You used to be such a hardworking person, what happened to you?"
Cao Amei was completely speechless upon hearing this, staring at Tang Youtian with a look of disappointment. She clearly had a lot to say, but at this moment, she couldn't utter a single word.
Because she knew that it would be pointless to say anything.
Why she changed like this, others might not know, but how could he not know? When she went out, this person would talk about her, that person would talk about her, as if having a daughter meant she should be looked down upon. She had had enough of that kind of life and would rather stay home than endure such inhuman life of being judged.
She had been with this man for over a decade, how could she not know his stubbornness? He was self-centered, never cared about her feelings, and would always push the blame onto her first when something happened, putting himself out of the picture, just like his annoying mother!
Besides, so what if she secretly sold the child?
In their village, and in other villages, there are many children being abandoned like this. If she didn't have any conscience, she wouldn't have asked her mother to find a way out for the child. At least she would have inquired about other families before deciding whether to give the child a place to live. Of course, the price is also a factor.
The root of the problem now is that it's not just that the elderly have heavy-willed ideas; as parents, they also want a boy to carry on the family name.
It's a pity it wasn't in my destiny!
Despite her anger, Cao Amei still grabbed a potato and urged Tang Youtian on. The two of them pushed and pulled each other as they carried their tools into the field.
What if you don't want to go? Just bear with it.
Not going? If you don't go, you'll be in trouble when the autumn harvest comes. Everyone else will be busy as bees, but your house will be overgrown with weeds and you won't be able to harvest any grain. You'll be the only one who goes hungry. So you have to go whether you want to or not.
The land was seized from the landlords and distributed to the peasants for temporary cultivation. It wasn't even considered their own land. After harvesting the grain, they also had to pay public grain. Some people have calculated this carefully, and it's actually similar to renting from the landlords, both accounting for about 30%.
When the land was allocated, it was also divided by drawing lots. Their family of five was allocated five mu of land, one mu per person, three mu of high-quality land and two mu of low-quality land. The low-quality land could only be used to grow drought-resistant crops such as corn and sweet potatoes, while the high-quality land could be used to grow rice, but with only a few people in their family, it was impossible for them to grow rice.
We don't even know where to get the water, let alone fertilize it.
Tang Youtian and his wife don't work. What can they possibly accomplish with their children?
As long as the land isn't left to lie fallow, it's considered that they've done their part with those few acres.
——
As the days grew warmer, Xiao Jiu's eyesight and hearing improved, and her sense of smell became extremely sensitive. However, she was constantly drowsy from the alcohol in the tavern, and she slept for at least twenty hours out of the day.
What else is there to do besides sleep? Besides playing with Grandma for a while, all I do is eat and poop. I thought lying flat would be so comfortable, right?
However, lying down for too long would make her back uncomfortable, so she started trying to turn over in less than three months. It wasn't until mid-June that she was able to turn over.
Now that I'm awake, I can occasionally turn over to my side, which is much more comfortable than just lying there.
Grandma rarely held her; she felt embarrassed to let her grandma hold her because of her age. However, her understanding nature, ease of care, and quiet demeanor were seen by others as—
"Auntie, if I may say something unpleasant, this child is a little too well-behaved, well, a bit silly. You see, which normal child doesn't make a fuss? Isn't our child a little too..."
Grandma immediately retorted: "Look at my child's eyes, so bright and clear, and they even have a cleverness about them. How could he be stupid? No, absolutely not. Let the other children make a fuss. My child is very smart, not stupid at all."
But when one person said it, then two people said it, and then five, six, seven, or eight people started to say it, the Tao family began to feel uneasy.
Grandpa and Dad finally made the decision: "What 'idiot' nonsense? Don't listen to those people's rubbish. You've all seen idiots before. Some can't walk or talk, and all they do is make noises all day. Others are just a little confused, but they can still take care of themselves. But look at our little Jiu. He can giggle with you, reach out to grab things, roll over, and turn his head with you. Is he an idiot? You need to have your own judgment and not just listen to what others say."
"Exactly! I don't think my little sister is stupid at all. She's so cute, all round and chubby. Look how fun it is to pinch all those chubby cheeks!"
"Sometimes when I pinch her too hard, she yells at me and kicks my wrist. Really, Mom, my sister isn't stupid at all; she's very clever!"
“When she cries, it’s either because she’s pooped, peed, or is hungry. She drinks milk and goes to sleep on time every day. She doesn’t fuss at night and doesn’t bother us to hold her. Where can you find such a well-behaved child? I think they’re just jealous of our Xiaojiu and are saying those things to annoy us!”
After discussion, the Tao family decided that from now on, anyone who dares to speak ill of Xiaojiu in front of them must be rebuked.
You're the idiot! Your whole family are idiots!
Of course, you can't say these words to someone's face, but you can say them in your heart.
"Alright, you lot, since it's cool today, go to our backyard and pick some wild amaranth and hemp seed greens. I'll make you wild vegetable buns later."
In March, when the peach blossoms were in full bloom, her brothers picked a variety of wild vegetables along the way, including shepherd's purse, elm seeds, paper mulberry spikes, locust flowers, hemp seed greens, amaranth, wolfberry tips, and willow tips. They would also eat special dishes made from various wild vegetables and vegetables, such as chili tips, pumpkin tips, and sweet potato leaves.
Although her family had a business, no one in the family spoiled the children. They did everything themselves. When her older brothers weren't in school, they would help their parents work in the fields. The youngest brother, who couldn't do the work, would pull weeds. She was the luckiest person in the family.
On a hot day, Grandma would fan her, and when she got bitten by mosquitoes, she would rub her tender little arms with mint leaves from the yard. Afraid that she would get tired of lying down, she would sit under the grape trellis, hold her, and try to make her happy. This was already very satisfying for Xiaojiu. How could she dare to cry and fuss when Grandma held her and walked around with her?
Three months later, her body became stronger and more robust. She was not only easier to hold, but she also ate a little more and, of course, gained weight.
Every time my parents went to the fields, they would take the sheep away to feed it for a while. Once the sheep was full, they would bring it back after a certain amount of time, because they would milk it, heat it up, and feed it to the sheep.
The mother couldn't finish the ewe's milk by herself, so she gave the extra to her growing brothers. Originally, she wanted the grandparents to drink it, but they couldn't stand the smell and insisted that their grandson drink it. In fact, it was all for their grandson's sake. In a time when food was scarce and no one had ever had enough to eat, who would complain about the smell of milk?
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