"Who are you calling heartless? You're the ones who are..."
Before she could finish speaking, she looked down and saw the sword Qingtan had drawn, gleaming with a silvery-white luster and incredibly sharp. Under the sunlight, it exuded a chilling aura, which startled her so much that she quickly shut her mouth.
"Second sister, no, no, I can't drag you down with me. You can't give them eighty taels. I'm not worth eighty taels."
Seeing Shen Xiaohua's inner turmoil and trembling, her blank eyes filled with despair, Shen Danru patted her and said:
"Little Flower Sister, don't worry, eighty taels is nothing to Second Sister, but it's a different story for you."
Shen Danru sneered inwardly. How could she possibly let them have these eighty taels so easily? She would make sure this family had money but no life to spend it.
Shen Xiaohua burst into tears again.
She must work harder in the future to repay her second sister, second uncle, and second aunt.
Some villagers couldn't stand it anymore and cursed at Lü: "Lü Miaoxiang, heaven is watching what people do. You are really cruel, even more cruel than the wolves in the mountains. Aren't you afraid of retribution in the future?"
When Madam Lü saw someone scolding her, she immediately became angry. She thought it was none of the business of outsiders to interfere in her family affairs.
She put her hands on her hips and cursed, "How dare you curse me? It's none of your business what I do with my family's affairs. I can do whatever I want with my own children."
"Alright, we'll just wait and see. We'll see if anyone will take care of you when you get old."
Seeing more and more women arguing with Madam Lü, Shen Wan felt ashamed and quickly scolded Madam Lü to shut up, and she dared not utter a sound.
At this point, some enthusiastic villagers invited the village headman, who then drafted the indenture.
The two parties signed the document and pressed their fingerprints on it. Whenever the village head had time, he would take it to the town government office to get it stamped.
"Grandpa Village Head, thank you for your help again today."
The village head waved his hand and said, "Good boy, it's nothing. You're doing a good deed, I'm just running errands."
The village head was happy to run errands, and Shen Danru would bring him braised meat every few days. He was obliged to do so since he was eating her food.
Furthermore, he also thought highly of Shen Danru, believing she was destined for great things, but unfortunately she was trapped in this small mountain village.
Once the new house was completed, Shen Danru invited the village head and villagers.
"Grandpa Village Head, grandpas and grandmas, uncles and aunts, our house is finished. We'll be having a feast in two days. If you have time, please come and join the fun."
Upon hearing this, everyone expressed their intention to come and support the event.
They had been craving Shen Cheng's braised meat for a long time. Some villagers were willing to spend money to buy two catties to try, but most of them were still reluctant.
After the villagers left, the courtyard returned to peace.
Shen Xiaohua's eyes were swollen, and she looked a little uncomfortable sitting on the stool.
Zhou said, "Xiaohua, you stay inside and talk to your second sister for a bit. I'll go cook. Don't worry, just stay at your second aunt's house. It'll feel just like your own home. I'll boil an egg for you to put on your eyes later."
Shen Xiaohua also quickly stood up and followed Zhou Shi: "Second Aunt, let me help you start the fire."
"Go and rest. I'll cook you some good dishes. Go and have a chat with your second sister."
Shen Xiaohua stood there, unsure whether to go or not, feeling quite awkward.
In the Shen family, there was never any reason for the mother to do chores and to rest.
Shen Danru noticed her discomfort: "Little Flower, sit down, let's have a heart-to-heart talk."
When Shen Xiaohua saw her second sister calling her, she had no choice but to sit down.
"Second sister, I will definitely do my job well to repay you."
Shen Danru felt a pang of heartache. Xiaohua was only thirteen years old, which in modern times would be considered a middle school student. She was used to being waited on hand and foot, and her parents would pick her up and drop her off at school.
“Xiaohua, I bought you here today not to make you a servant, but because I can’t stand what your parents are doing. If they sell you into a place like that, your life will be ruined.”
“You are a kind child and you shouldn’t be treated like this.”
Shen Xiaohua felt a warmth in her heart. Her second sister spent so much money to buy her back, not to make her a maidservant, but to help her.
Her relatives wanted to sell her for money, but these people who were not related to her by blood spent so much money just to help her.
As she thought about it, tears involuntarily streamed down her face again.
"Second sister, I will definitely pay you back when I have money in the future."
"Stop crying, look how swollen your eyes are. If you want to pay back the money, then you'd better behave yourself from now on."
Don't feel uncomfortable. Just make yourself at home. If you want to study and learn to read, study with Yu Yan and become strong enough to make those people regret it.
Shen Xiaohua nodded, tears streaming down her face like a broken string of pearls.
She never imagined that her second sister would not only not make her do chores, but also teach her to read and write; it felt like a dream.
After a moment, seeing that Shen Xiaohua had cried enough, Shen Danru said, "Xiaohua, there's something unpleasant to say. I'll put it first: I'll return the indenture to you when we've finished processing it another day. But now that you're in my house, you really have to sever ties with the Shen family."
She paused for a moment and said, "If you get involved with scum like the Shen family, you'll never be able to shake them off. Now, take this opportunity to harden your heart and stay away from them."
"Don't let your parents' sweet words soften your heart and get involved with them again. If you do get involved again, don't blame your second sister for being ruthless."
Upon hearing this, Shen Xiaohua knew that her second sister did not believe her.
But that's normal. She quickly assured her, "Second sister, don't worry, I'll definitely stay far away from them in the future and I promise I won't say a word to them."
Shen Danru interrupted, "Alright, Xiaohua, I've said everything I need to say. You know what I'm doing. This is all I can do for you. From now on, you'll have to rely on yourself."
Shen Xiaohua nodded, as if she had made up her mind.
The food was served, and Shen Cheng returned at that moment. The new house was ready, and the carpenter was making furniture. The blueprints were still as beautiful as Shen Dan's paintings.
He wanted to get the new house ready as soon as possible so that the children could move in, especially Ru'er, who had never complained about the house being old and dilapidated since they came back.
This child has really suffered.
As soon as I entered, I saw Shen Xiaohua sitting inside.
"Second Uncle, you're back."
Shen Cheng was unaware of what had happened today and thought Xiao Hua had come over for a visit.
Although he disliked the Shen family, he couldn't bring himself to hate Xiaohua. Whenever she saw him, she would greet him with a sweet smile and call him "Second Uncle".
This child truly considers him family.
"Xiaohua is here. Why don't you stay for dinner today? Let your second aunt cook some good dishes for you to try."
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