To force Tang Cuihua to hand over the money, this couple went to extreme lengths, actually hiding all the edible things in the house, thinking that this would make the three sisters compromise and then dig out the money? Their idea was far too naive.
There's nothing else in the mountains and forests, but this season there are plenty of wild cicadas. Besides cicadas, there are also a variety of wild vegetables such as wild amaranth, lamb's quarters, dandelion, and purslane. When the three sisters went to work in the fields during the day, they would pick up some wild vegetables and bring them home. In the evening, they would go out to catch cicadas and roast them over a fire to eat when they came back.
Trying to take away their grain and force them to find money? Ha! Do you think they're blind? Sending people to follow them every day, don't you get tired of it?
As long as she doesn't starve, Qian Tang Cuihua won't take it out.
However, human desires truly have no limits. Seeing that this trick was not working, they actually put away all the pots and pans in the house and wouldn't let anyone use them.
Tang Cuihua had a fiery temper, and she led her three sisters away from home.
Even if they were treated like pigs or cows, they'd still be fed. They're human, not animals, yet they're treated worse than animals.
We have so many chickens, ducks, and geese to feed at home, and so much work to do in the fields. It's one thing for you to beat us, and it's another to not feed us. Now you want to force us to work?
"Let's go. I refuse to believe that with our hands, we can't find work. In this sweltering summer heat, we're not going to starve to death!"
The three sisters were forced to leave home, but having never left their home before and with no money, where could they go?
"Sis, which way should we go now?"
Tang Cuihua glanced back and couldn't help but sneer. She then whispered a few words to her sister, and the three of them split up at the intersection, heading in three different directions. The person following behind looked left and right, then followed Tang Cuihua directly. Her intuition told her that the money was in Tang Cuihua's hands, and no one else could possibly know its location.
As a result, he followed her all the way to the town. Tang Cuihua quickly darted into the alley. When the man saw her speed, a hint of excitement flashed in his eyes. He rubbed his hands together and quickly followed. However, when he ran into the alley, he found that there were so many forks in the road. Now he didn't know where she had gone and he became anxious.
After Tang Cuihua shook off her cousin, she accidentally led her sister to the Tao family's doorstep, where they bumped into Tao Zui, who was carrying a bucket of salt water and was about to leave.
"Hey, ma'am, are you alright?" She quickly helped the woman up, her face full of apology.
Tang Cuihua only stumbled slightly and wasn't seriously injured. She quickly waved her hand, and when she looked up, she realized it was the Tao family's house. Then, thinking about what would happen if the people behind caught up, she suddenly had an idea: "Young man, are your parents at home?"
"Oh, you're here to buy wine? My mother works at the tavern. If you want to buy wine, come this way."
As he asked the person to move forward, he glanced at the three sisters' patched clothes and couldn't help but frown.
He thought to himself: This doesn't seem like someone who can afford to buy alcohol. Could it be that we have guests over today?
Despite his thoughts, he still led the person to the tavern entrance and called out to the people inside.
"Mom, someone's looking for you, we have to go now!"
When Zhao Lingli ran out and saw Tang Cuihua, the smile on her face instantly froze on her lips.
"My dear girl, what's wrong?"
"Auntie, don't panic. We're not here to cause trouble. I don't know anyone in this town, so we can only ask you for help."
He then recounted how he took the money back, and then glanced back at his two younger sisters.
“I’m 13 this year, my second sister is 12, and my third sister is 10. My parents forced us to run away, but we can’t find a suitable place to go. We’re asking you, Auntie, if anyone needs help with work. We don’t want money, we just want a place to stay and food to eat.”
After listening to their words, Zhao Lingli couldn't help but feel pity for the three sisters who looked so poor and suffering, and then sighed.
“You’re too young, it might be hard to find you. I never imagined that you’d be hiding like this because of that money. Speaking of which, your parents are really…” utterly ignorant.
The words were on the tip of his tongue, but he felt it was inappropriate to say them in front of their daughter, so he swallowed them back down.
"Are you planning to stay away forever? That's not a solution!"
“Auntie, we’re all capable of working, whether it’s at home or in the fields, and we can do it very well. My family has always been made up of the three of us sisters since we were little. My father hardly does any work now, and we’re the ones who rely on him. If we don’t go back, the two of them won’t amount to anything. This time, I just want to teach them a lesson and let them see if their nephew will actually help them plant those five acres of crops!”
Zhao Lingli thought that this older sister was quite opinionated. When she brought Xiao Jiu here, she could tell that she was a sensible and capable girl.
After glancing at the sky outside, Zhao Lingli led them to a small courtyard behind the tavern, which was separated from the backyard. She let the three of them sit for a while and have some water.
She then went to her parents-in-law and husband and told them what had happened. After listening, Tao Changyi stopped what he was doing and looked at his wife.
"What, you want to leave those three here? That's a family of three!"
“Mom is getting old, and taking care of Xiaojiu is already tiring enough. She also has to feed the chickens, ducks, and geese in the backyard. Although there are only ten in total, we have to worry about them every day. Washing diapers and such is also hard work. We also have to take care of the tavern and the work in the fields. Actually, we are already a bit overwhelmed. Anyway, they are only staying here temporarily. We have plenty of rooms, and we don’t need to feed those three people. Besides, they are not eating for free; they are also working. Rather than leaving them at someone else’s house, it’s better to leave them at our house. Let the three of them take care of the backyard, and Mom can sell the wine in the front while I go to work in the fields. What do you think?”
Before Tao Changyi could speak, Old Master Tao had already taken out his pipe and sat down on the stone bench to the side, puffing away.
“I think it’s a good idea. Your mother didn’t say it, but it’s definitely a bit tiring. Especially since our little one can’t just lie there all day, she needs to be held and go out to see the sights. It’s not good for her to stay cooped up like this all the time.”
Seeing that the old man had agreed, Tao Changyi didn't say anything more: "Alright, you can arrange them then, but are you sure they're temporary?"
"Well, I don't need to tell you that. These two sisters are also worried about their good-for-nothing parents back home. I guess they won't be able to stay for more than a few days."
Upon hearing this, Tao Changyi lowered his head and continued with his work. He was not good with words, and since the old man had already made the decision, he would just go along with his wife's arrangements.
Zhao Lingli was wearing a white floral short-sleeved shirt with blue overalls over it. She had short hair and looked clean and neat. This outfit was quite good for the time, which showed that the Tao family, who ran the tavern, were well-off.
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