Although the Tao family children live in the town, the village is still some distance from the town, and the road is full of fertile fields.
In those days, a town was simply a town with more houses and people than a village, and it had taverns, restaurants, and markets.
It wasn't established after the founding of the People's Republic of China, but rather has a history of over a hundred years. This layout has been in place since ancient times, which is why their family's tavern has been able to survive.
Although it's not a county seat, but just a town, it's the most prosperous town in the area. The township's health center is located here, and it's especially lively during the annual market fair. The stone road in front of the town is lined with stalls, making it incredibly bustling. Of course, their business is also at its best on this day.
The sisters really wanted to go out, but considering they didn't want to see their family, they had to leave their little one at home with them, feeling a bit wronged.
Fortunately, the Tao family's courtyard was really big, and they played and frolicked with the Tao family's boys in the courtyard, swinging on the swings, throwing beanbags, and having a great time.
The boys couldn't stay still, but whenever there was a market, Grandma would lock the front door of the house to prevent them from going out, and she would ask Cuihua to watch over the place for her.
“Children get lost every time we go to the market. Who knows if someone is watching you? I said you can’t go, and you can’t go. Grandma will buy you whatever you want to eat. Just don’t go out. The market is right in front of our house. If you open the door and run out, I can’t catch those bad guys.”
"Grandma, what kind of era is this? People are just abandoning their children. There's no child trafficking here. You're just trying to scare people."
"Scare them? It's true that some children are lost, but those are all girls. It's you boys who are being abducted. Your parents raised you with great difficulty, not so that you would run away and be kidnapped. If you want to eat something, tell your older brother and he will buy it for you. Your older brother is older than you, and most people can't abduct him. You two definitely can't."
Grandma Tao pointed at the youngest two children, Tao Qing and Tao An, and warned them sternly before going to the tavern in front to sell wine.
Xiao Jiu listened from the side and thought that what the old lady said was absolutely right. No matter what era it is, there are always kidnappers. In this era, if a child is kidnapped, although they won't beat you until you're crippled and forced to kneel down to beg, nor will they harvest your lungs to sell your organs, they can still make you appear in a feudal and backward place as a son for a family without sons.
Although she also wanted to go outside and see how lively the market was, she knew that her children had reasons for not being able to go out. So she started to whine to her older brothers, asking for hugs and reaching out to grab their ears. Once they had their attention on her, she would whine and moan at them. Who could resist that?
Her attention was drawn, and she successfully distracted her brother, Tao Zui, by running out to buy food. Meanwhile, she attracted the attention of several other brothers, making them play with her.
Cuihua watched from the side, completely bewildered by her series of actions. She turned to look at Zhaodi and Pandi in disbelief.
"Did you see that? Our little Jiu is so clever! She even knows how to distract people. No wonder she's so popular in this family. She really knows how to please everyone. Look at her shrewd little face, those big, bright eyes. Oh my, she's so adorable! How could our parents bear to part with such a wonderful little sister?"
For some reason, Cuihua suddenly stopped talking. She turned to look at her two younger sisters and saw that the smiles on their faces had also disappeared.
"Yes, how could they bear to part with them? We didn't just have one, we had six. All six were given away. Now, this is the only one we can still see. Sister, do you remember where the others were sent?"
Cuihua shook her head. "I can only remember the general outline. This one is nearby, but the others are all far away, some even in the city. It might not be easy to find them later."
"Looking for someone? Who's going to look for someone? Anyway, our parents won't look for someone. Once they've given someone away, they've given someone away. Sometimes I think, if only I were a son, maybe our family wouldn't be like this now, almost scattered."
As Zhao Di spoke, her eyes reddened, and Cui Hua's voice choked with emotion: "Stop, don't cry, this is fate, fate!"
As the eldest daughter in the family, Tang Cuihua must have thought about this question as well.
If she were a man, none of her sisters could have been given away, because she wouldn't have been able to have so many children.
Unable to raise them, yet wanting sons, they gave birth to one after another, sending them away as soon as they were born, without caring whether they would live or die in the future.
Just as Grandma Tao said, this is a terrible sin!
About an hour later, Tao Zui returned, carrying many paper bags in her hands. Some contained sesame cakes, some contained peanuts, and some contained snacks.
When he got home, he carefully divided each item in half, rewrapped the rest, and said to Cuihua and the others.
"This half is for grandparents and parents, and we'll eat the rest. Okay, it's all divided up. You guys eat first, and I'll go put these in grandparents' room."
Looking at her older brother's retreating figure, Xiao Jiu nodded subconsciously: "A child who thinks of his family is a good child."
The eldest sister on the other side added with a touch of realization: "If Dad has anything good to eat, he'll eat it outside and never bring it home. Mom is stingy with herself and even stingier with us. She's only generous to her own family, to the point of being naive. I even heard Grandma scolding her for being an idiot, but she thought it was a compliment! Look at them, they think of their elders when they have something good to eat. Have you ever seen anything like that in our family?"
"Our family here" refers to the Tang family's main family. After hearing this, Zhao Di couldn't help but shake her head speechlessly.
“Our cousins always eat whatever good food they want, never thinking about their parents and grandparents. That’s why I say, even if our dad works himself to death for them, he won’t get a single tear in return. It’s a pity he just can’t get over it, and neither can our mom. She’s been bewitched by them, and no one can change that.”
Without comparison, there is no harm. These days, they have been staying here and have observed the Tao family's upbringing in many details. That kind of teaching by example, that kind of innate quality, has completely shattered their self-confidence.
In many ways, even Cuihua herself felt that she had done a good job, but compared with the Tao family, she realized how ridiculous she was.
For example, when it comes to food, she is reluctant to use oil, but the old lady speaks frankly.
“Children are growing rapidly now, and we can cut back on everything except food. Only when they eat well can they be healthy and have the energy to work. If they don’t eat well, who will have the energy to work in the fields? After one or two times, or even many times, they will lose all motivation. So, this is something we absolutely cannot skimp on.”
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