"Actually, I could contribute more, but I have to consider the financial aspects, lest people talk behind my back again."
So I prepared about a hundred of each item. Dad, could you please make a trip to the village committee?
It is mainly given to people who have made contributions to the village.
The saying goes, "The sins of the father should not be visited upon the wife and children." Those who spread rumors, if they have reliable sons and daughters-in-law, let's not bother with them.
Xiao Jiu then made a detailed list of the proportions of various gifts.
"I don't know the exact quantity of the scarves and work safety supplies in each box; I haven't counted them,"
"Now that we've compiled the statistics, let's go through these numbers and get a precise count so we can make arrangements."
As soon as Zhao Lingli made the suggestion, the couple rolled up their sleeves and got to work, while Xiao Jiu lay there lazily.
"You guys are really energetic. I'm too lazy to bother. Since we've already ordered, let's round it up. The extra change can be a reward for those who report each other. Just watch, our house is sure to be lively this afternoon."
Zhao Lingli couldn't help but glare at her daughter, "You, you really love to stir up trouble. Aren't you afraid of incurring their hatred?"
"I'm not afraid. What do I have to be afraid of? There will be such rewards every year. As long as you are good-hearted, I can forgive and forget."
I'm also planning to set up a scholarship or something to support girls from good schools so they can attend university.
But there's no rush, we have to take it slowly. This money shouldn't be given to the families of those being helped; it should be given directly to the school to be on the right track.
The story of Mr. Dongguo and the wolf teaches me that some people are born ingrates and cannot be helped.
Tao Changyi couldn't help but glance at his daughter again, "It seems you've seen through human nature quite a bit over the years!"
Xiao Jiu nodded: "Having spent so many years in a hospital, I've long seen through the coldness and warmth of the world."
Human nature is the most vulnerable to test.
The reason we only help girls is that we hope families who favor sons over daughters can change their mindset.
The reason we can't just give them money is because we're afraid they'd rather use the money for other things than let the girls go to school.
Many girls could have had bright futures, but their potential was ruined by their family values, with some getting married as young as thirteen.
As a result, she died in childbirth. Who wouldn't feel sorry for her?
So, Mom and Dad, I am so grateful to Grandpa and Grandma and to all of you. Without your boundless love, how could I be where I am today?
"What nonsense are you talking about? Even without us, with your abilities, you would definitely be doing very poorly."
Xiao Jiu shook her head, "Not necessarily. The influence of one's family of origin lasts a lifetime. I miss my grandparents."
Xiao Jiu stroked the recliner, tears blurring her vision. Zhao Lingli wanted to go over and comfort her, but Tao Changyi stopped her.
"This child is sentimental; not being able to see her parents off on their final journey has become a lingering regret in her heart."
"Fine, let her lick her own wounds, they're hard to heal!"
Afraid of worrying her parents, Xiao Jiu, with red eyes, went to the house where her grandparents used to live.
The house was very clean. Apart from the items that the grandparents particularly liked and were buried with them, most of their belongings were left behind.
Opening Grandma's closet and touching the clothes, I could almost smell their unique scent, and tears finally broke free.
She choked back tears, clutching her clothes to her chest, sobbing softly and murmuring to herself.
"Grandpa and Grandma, I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry I couldn't be there for you in your final moments..."
After Tao Changyi finished counting, he took the list to the village committee, while Zhao Lingli held Xiao Jiu's hand.
“Come on, I’ll take you to your grandparents’ graves. Tonight, we’ll go there to burn paper money and pay our respects.”
Xiao Jiu was amused by this, "Mom, aren't you afraid to take me to the cemetery so late at night?"
Zhao Lingli scoffed, "What's there to be afraid of? The scariest people in this world are the living. What's so scary about the dead?"
Xiao Jiu was shocked by these words, and then nodded in agreement, "Mother is right, only living people are the most terrifying."
"You may not know this, but your seventh and eighth sisters used to go to the town's primary school, right? They were bullied by some local bullies."
Xiao Jiu tried hard to recall, but she couldn't remember anything about it. Then she asked curiously, "What happened?"
The fact that Zhao Lingli specifically mentioned these people means they must be typical examples.
"These four people are named Cai Miaomiao, Hou Yanyan, Zhao Xiaohua, and Niu Aicao."
The first three were sentenced to prison, and the last one was only thirteen years old when her parents married her off to another place.
A few years ago, I heard that this cow loved grass and ran back, but it was tortured beyond recognition and died within a few months.
After her death, her family refused to let her be buried and abandoned her at the hospital. In the end, the commune came to mediate, and they simply donated her body for medical research.
The remaining three came from families that were considered powerful and influential in the town. Their imprisonment brought shame to their families, although they were all released after two or three years.
But their families felt ashamed of them, so they were all married off to other places. Because they had no family to rely on, they were tortured to death at a young age, and they all died in those ten years.
The story of her death was also circulated in a very unpleasant way: Cai Miaomiao was exiled to a farm for adultery, where she had affairs and eventually died of illness.
Hou Yanyan was having an affair with her father-in-law and was immediately killed by her husband.
Zhao Xiaohua went even further. After being beaten by her husband's family, she set fire to her entire home, including herself and her children.
I heard she poisoned her whole family with rat poison first, then poured oil on them and set them on fire in the middle of the night, and the neighbors also suffered the same fate..."
After hearing about their fates, Xiao Jiu fell silent, unsure of what to say.
Should we blame them for setting a bad precedent and starting a path of no return?
Or should we blame them for being spoiled by their families of origin, leaving them with no way back?
But there's no denying that these guys are all ruthless.
"And another thing, that Liu Hongtao, the one who spread rumors about your third sister before, the Liu Hongtao from our workplace."
I vaguely remember this guy, "Didn't they say he got married again?"
"Hey, this is a widow, a formidable character. She not only turned his house upside down, but also angered his parents to death and cuckolded him."
She had four children, none of whom were his. We only heard this gossip before we went to your place.
Enraged, he killed his wife, the person he suspected, and their child.
I heard he went insane when he went in, saying things like, "I won't leave you any alive, all of you die, all of you die!"
Xiao Jiu: "..." This must be the ultimate form of mutual harm, right?
"How did he know that?" DNA technology doesn't exist yet.
It was invented by British geneticists in 1984, and my country used it for crime detection in 1987.
By the time ordinary people found out, it was already the late 1990s.
"Some say it was because the child was sick and they went to the hospital that they found out the blood type was wrong, while others say they found out by following his wife. Anyway, the truth will eventually come out. Outsiders know best that the child is not his own. Rumors about the child not looking like his own have been circulating for years."
Xiao Jiu pursed her lips. She realized that there were indeed quite a few bold women in this era, but because of the lack of information, the news couldn't get out.
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