Seeing that the black woman was still hesitating, the old woman said, "If you are not satisfied, I will take her back."
I'll bring you more good stuff next time I have it.
The man became anxious upon hearing this and called out to the woman in black, "Mother!"
The black woman thought that if her family didn't take the child in, she didn't know where he would be sold.
Besides, his own son, a bully, liked it, so after thinking about it, he nodded in agreement.
He went inside, took out a handkerchief, and unfolded it layer by layer.
Inside, a thick wad of RMB was visible.
The maximum amount is two yuan, and there are even amounts as small as one cent.
The old woman took the money and left, leaving Yun Xiaoxiao behind.
When Yun Xiaoxiao saw the man who was laughing like a big bad wolf, she hid behind the black woman in fear.
The woman in black yelled at the man, "Why are you scaring her?"
Don't you know how intimidating your bear-like size is?
The gaunt old man sighed, "What a tragedy."
The woman in black pulled Yun Xiaoxiao to sit down beside her, then picked up the child next to her and said:
“Daughter, you’ve seen our family’s situation.”
Because my family was too poor, and Stone was disfigured, no one wanted him.
We're getting anxious because he's already twenty-five.
Our Yuan family has had only one son for three generations; we can't let the family line end with him."
Upon hearing this, Yun Xiaoxiao turned her gaze to the child.
It's obvious that this is a boy.
The black woman looked at the child in her arms and gently stroked his head:
“This is my poor daughter’s child.”
He paused for a moment and then said, "Originally, I didn't want to say it, but it's not exactly a secret."
I'll tell you anyway.
You'll be living here from now on, so you won't be misled by rumors.
My daughter was... was...
She choked up and couldn't continue.
The old man sighed again and went into the house, leaning on his cane.
The man, Yuan Shitou, picked up the child and turned to walk outside.
The woman in black then wiped away her tears and slowly told Yun Xiaoxiao about her family's situation.
This family is very poor; in fact, the whole village is very poor.
All sixty-odd households in the village lived in poverty, barely able to afford food.
Besides tending to their meager plot of land, everyone spends their days going into the mountains to find food.
This place is completely dependent on the weather; when there's good rainfall, there's at least a harvest.
If things don't go well, there will be no harvest at all, and we'll have to rely on digging for wild vegetables to survive.
Her daughter was assaulted while she was digging for wild vegetables in the mountains.
He tried to hang himself after returning, but was discovered and stopped.
Later, when she discovered she was pregnant, she became even more determined to die.
Only by being closely watched by them did I manage to get through the next few months without any major incidents.
After much persuasion from them and as the child gradually grew up, she finally gave up her suicidal thoughts.
In the end, fate still took her life.
She suffered severe bleeding during childbirth and did not survive.
Only the newborn child was left behind, without food or water.
They were on the verge of starving to death when Stone risked his life to go into the mountains and capture a mountain goat with a calf.
That's how they survived.
Their family went to great lengths to find a wife for Yuan Shitou.
Still, no one was willing to marry him.
The girls in the village all wanted to run down the mountain; no one wanted to stay on the mountain.
Finally, having no other choice, they decided to lend Yuan Shitou money to buy a girl.
So that he will have someone to keep him company after they pass away.
It would also be good to take care of the poor puppy.
The old woman who brought her there was an old widow from the foot of the mountain.
They specialize in this.
Many families looking to buy a wife would go to her.
But to his surprise, the girl he bought was such a young girl.
Isn't this a terrible thing?
After saying that, he stood up and said to Yun Xiaoxiao, "You must be tired too, go and get some rest."
She pointed to a room and said that it was the room her daughter used to live in.
Yun Xiaoxiao was indeed a little tired, so she went in to rest without any hesitation.
Yun Xiaoxiao was woken up by hunger; she hadn't eaten anything all day.
I feel so hungry I could eat a whole cow.
He got up and walked outside, but stopped when he heard voices.
The speaker was Yuan Shitou's mother, who earnestly advised him:
"Stone, it's not that your mother is soft-hearted."
As you can see, it was just a child.
We can't do something so immoral, so let's listen to Mother and let her go.
"I'll wait for her to grow up."
Yuan Shitou's voice was muffled, clearly indicating he didn't want to listen to his mother.
Mr. Yuan said disapprovingly, "Even if you wait, what if she doesn't want to marry you when she grows up?"
Are you going to force me to marry you?
Mother Yuan sighed: "Forced love is never sweet, even though we bought her."
But she was really too young.
What if she doesn't want to be with you when she grows up?
If you insist on keeping her, it won't be about living together, it'll be about making enemies.
Yuan Shitou still didn't want to give up: "Seeing that she has nowhere to go, why don't we keep her here?"
With a look of utter disappointment, Yuan's mother said, "I've tried to reason with you, but you won't listen. Do you want to end up like Yuan Laowu?"
"Would they even risk their own lives then?"
Yuan Shitou looked at his mother expectantly: "Let's raise her for now, and later..."
If she doesn't want to marry me in the future, I won't force her.
Just treat her like a younger sister.
Neither Mr. nor Mrs. Yuan spoke, and the scene became somewhat quiet for a moment.
Suddenly a clear voice rang out: "I'm willing to stay."
The simple five words not only broke the silence but also brought them hope.
The three of them immediately turned their gaze toward the source of the sound.
Yun Xiaoxiao stood in a dimly lit corner, her eyes exceptionally bright.
Yuan Shitou rushed forward and asked in surprise, "Is everything you said true?"
Are you really willing to stay?
Yun Xiaoxiao took a step back; she was a little scared.
She was petite, and under the shadow of Yuan Shitou's tall figure, she looked like a big bad wolf about to pounce on a little white rabbit.
When Yuan Shitou saw her back away, his joy immediately faded.
Seeing his aggrieved and disappointed expression, Yun Xiaoxiao felt embarrassed.
She really didn't mean to look down on him.
So she whispered, "You're so tall, and I'm so small, I'm scared."
Mother Yuan was also very happy and pushed Yuan Shitou away:
"Look at you, all big and burly, you'll grow up to look like a black bear. Don't scare my daughter."
Yuan's father subconsciously moved away from Yuan Shitou.
Yuan Shitou looks like him, dark-skinned and strong, which his wife has always disliked.
Not to mention how much they eat, they also use up a lot of fabric.
After injuring his leg, he became much fairer and thinner.
His wife, on the contrary, felt particularly sorry for him.
Yuan Shitou's face darkened upon hearing his mother's words.
He said unhappily, "Mother, I am your son, how can you say such things to me?"
Hearing his voice rise startled Yun Xiaoxiao.
My ears are buzzing too.
Yuan's mother slapped him: "Are you trying to die? Why are you shouting so loudly?"
"Don't you know my daughter is scared?"
Yuan Shitou looked at Yun Xiaoxiao: "What are you afraid of? Tell me and I'll change it."
Yun Xiaoxiao looked at him with eyes as bright as a deer's: "Really?"
Yuan Shitou patted his chest: "Really."
Yun Xiaoxiao swallowed hard: "You're tall, I'm scared."
Yuan Shitou nodded and noted it down.
I'll be more diligent in the future and feed her better.
She won't be afraid anymore once she grows taller.
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