The little dumpling followed Madam Li to the Li residence, by which time it was already completely dark.
She huddled behind the maid Xiaofen, peeking left and right to make sure she didn't see the fat-bellied man before loosening her grip on his small hands.
She was more afraid of the fat-bellied man than of Madam Li.
Several servants sighed when they saw the little dumpling.
This little baby was brought back by Madam Li and tormented again.
As soon as Madam Li entered the room, she lay down on the soft couch and shouted at Xiao Fen beside her in an annoyed tone:
"You idiots, bring me some water to wash my feet. I've been feeding you all for nothing, you good-for-nothings."
She hurled extremely harsh insults, and Xiao Fen, who was not even half as fat as her, shrank back in fear and timidly ran out of the house.
After scolding Xiaofen, Madam Li turned her gaze to the little dumpling.
On the way here, Madam Li did not let the little girl ride in a sedan chair, but instead had her walk with the servants on the freezing night.
The little dumpling was shivering from the cold and was standing next to the heater.
Upon seeing this, Madam Li was furious.
So this brat came here to enjoy herself? So many wicked thoughts at such a young age, no wonder she was born to that vixen.
"Open the door and let that wretched girl kneel outside," Madam Li said to the servants.
The servants looked at each other, then looked outside.
It started snowing lightly again at night, and the temperature outside was frighteningly low. Even adults were freezing, let alone a four-year-old toddler.
Making children kneel in the snow is utterly heartless.
Although they were grumbling to themselves, none of the servants dared to disobey Madam Li.
The little girl was pulled outside by the servants, and a gust of cold wind made her shiver.
She knelt in the snow, watching Madam Li eating grapes on the soft couch, and she really couldn't understand it.
Why did you rob her of her money and then torture her?
Why was Madam Li so wicked?
The little dumpling lowered her head sadly. She did not beg for mercy because she had pleaded with Madam Li before, but Madam Li had never let her go.
The little dumpling really missed her brother, her mother, and the uncle from earlier that day.
The little girl hugged herself tightly; she was so cold...so cold...
Xiao Fen came over carrying a steaming basin. She immediately saw the little baby kneeling in the snow. Seeing that the baby's lips were frozen purple, she frowned with pity.
She hurried back into the house, placed the basin on the ground, and took off Mrs. Li's shoes.
A pair of fat feet were exposed to the air, and all the servants in the room couldn't help but hold their breath.
It stinks!
If they don't hold their breath, they'll be overwhelmed by the stench.
Xiao Fen was closest to it, and she felt her eyes welling up with tears.
Mrs. Li's feet not only smelled bad, but they were also covered with blisters, and the soles of her feet were red and peeling in patches, which looked very serious.
Xiao Fen suppressed her nausea and pressed Madam Li's feet into the basin of water.
She thought of the little dumpling outside and deliberately pressed harder on the blister.
Madam Li immediately cried out in pain, pulled her foot back, and slapped Xiao Fen.
"You bastard, did you pinch my feet on purpose because you think they're disgusting?"
Xiao Fen immediately knelt on the ground and kowtowed repeatedly, even when her head bled.
"Madam, spare me! Madam, spare me!"
Madam Li kicked Xiao Fen aside with disgust and pointed at the little dumpling in the snow.
"Let that brat wash me."
Xiao Fen felt a sharp pain in her chest from the kick, but secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
It's better to be inside than to freeze outside.
The little dumpling outside didn't know what had happened; she was just suddenly called back inside.
She shook the snow off her clothes and walked unsteadily into the house.
As soon as they entered the house, the little dumpling felt dizzy from the stuffy air inside.
What smelly feet!
She covered her little nose and looked at Madam Li's feet.
"Sister Xiaofen, could you get some sophora flavescens and ginger?" the little dumpling asked Xiaofen, who was kneeling on the ground.
Madam Li looked at her strangely and asked, "What are you going to do with those things?"
The little dumpling said seriously, "Soaking these things in water and washing your feet will help heal your foot injuries."
Madam Li chuckled, "What do you know, little one? I've seen many doctors about my smelly feet, and none of them could cure them. Do you think you're better than a doctor?"
Hmph! They actually don't believe her!
The little dumpling snorted angrily.
The injury on Mrs. Li's foot was not caused by foot odor, but by athlete's foot.
Simply removing foot odor won't help with wounds.
"Not only should you soak your feet in sophora flavescens and ginger, but you should also eat more garlic."
As the little dumpling spoke, it quietly moved toward the heater.
The little baby spoke so eloquently that Mrs. Li couldn't help but wonder—could this child really cure her foot?
Since the family had no shortage of ginseng and ginger, Madam Li simply gave the order:
"Go and boil some bitter ginseng and ginger water for me. Also, have the kitchen prepare dinner, and add garlic to every dish."
After saying that, Madam Li looked at the little dumpling with a fierce glint in her eyes.
"You brat, I'll give it a try, but if it doesn't work, you'll see what I do to you!"
Hearing this, the little dumpling wasn't afraid at all, looking quite confident.
After washing her feet with water infused with sophora flavescens and ginger, Madam Li finally stopped chasing the little dumpling away. Instead, she had her serve dinner, but didn't let her eat a single bite.
late at night.
The little dumpling, wrapped in a thin blanket, huddled in the cold woodshed, its stomach churning with hunger.
She remembered that her brother had left her some food and some candied fruit at home.
But Madam Li wouldn't let her go back today, saying that if her foot didn't heal, she would sell her to a slave trader.
Hungry and homesick, the little dumpling couldn't help but shed tears.
"Little dumpling." With a familiar voice, the door to the woodshed was quietly opened.
"Sister Xiaofen." The little dumpling looked at the person in front of her with surprise and called out in a childish voice.
Xiao Fen tiptoed in and handed a steamed bun she had been carrying to Xiao Tuanzi.
"Madam Li is too strict, so I could only bring you one steamed bun."
"Thank you, sister."
The little dumpling took the steamed bun and wolfed it down.
She hasn't eaten all day; she's extremely hungry.
Seeing the baby's cheeks bulging from eating, Xiao Fen sighed silently.
When the little dumpling came to the Li residence last time, she felt sorry for the child. She never expected that he would be captured by Madam Li again.
"Sister, I'm fine, don't be sad for me."
The little dumpling sensed Xiaofen's emotions and reached out its little hand to comfort her.
"Sister Xiaofen, I've finished eating. You should go back quickly, so that Madam Li doesn't find out."
The little dumpling put its finger to its lips and made a shushing gesture.
Under the moonlight, the little baby looked at her with bright, sparkling eyes.
Xiao Fen smiled gently, touched her little face, and before leaving, took off her vest and said:
"It's cold at night, you can sleep in this."
The little dumpling nodded and whispered to her retreating figure, "Be careful."
She was afraid that Madam Li would bully Sister Xiaofen again.
The little dumpling looked at the full moon outside the window and gradually fell asleep.
She believed that her uncle would come back to find her soon, and then they would find her brother and mother together.
...
After soaking her feet in sophora flavescens and ginger yesterday, Mrs. Li's feet did not ache or itch during the night, and even her stomach pain was relieved. She slept comfortably all night.
Over the next few days, she followed Xiaotuanzi's method, and her foot injury gradually improved, while the foot odor also lessened considerably.
Madam Li's attitude towards the little dumpling gradually improved.
The little dumpling was woken up by the sound of the door opening on the morning of the sixth day.
She rubbed her sleepy eyes, thinking it was her older sister Xiaofen who had come.
But upon seeing the person in front of her, she retreated in terror.
The man had a large belly, as if he was about to give birth, and his face was covered with layers of fat. His toad-like eyes darted around the little dumpling.
The little dumpling was pushed to the corner and said in a trembling voice, "Li... Li the Rich Man."
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