Chapter 400: Seeking Help (Part 2)
Chapter 400: Seeking Help (Part 2)
Both young and motherless, compared to other children in the village with whom Xin'er was friendly, her friendship with Tang Xin carried an added sympathy for their shared plight. After spending this time together, Xin'er had come to regard the understanding and resilient Tang Xin as a true sister. She couldn't bear the thought of seeing Tang Xin sold by her stepmother to a place that would ruin her life.
Li Yan understood Xin'er's feelings, but felt helpless in such matters. She advised, "This is the Tang family's affair. Whether they sell their children or not, it's not something you, an outsider, can change. Unless the Tang family suddenly becomes wealthy and can come up with a large sum of money, otherwise..." Otherwise, Tang Xin wouldn't be able to live through this year in peace.
Xin'er naturally understood the unspoken implications in Li Yan's words, and grew even more worried. "I know I can't help much myself, so I want you to think of a way, see if you can help Tang Xin."
"Xin'er, this isn't an easy favor to ask for!" Li Yan shook her head, seeing the situation clearly. "That Aunt Yu is not someone to be trifled with. Even if Sister Yan offers money to help them repay their debts, aunt Yu won't give up the idea of selling Tang Xin. Instead, she might resent Sister Yan for meddling."
Anyone with clear eyes could see that she wanted to use this opportunity to get rid of her troublesome stepdaughter. At such a critical moment, how could she be willing to give up? It's also because the Tang family is so poor that Madam Yu can't tolerate a "freeloading" stepdaughter. If their situation were better, she might care more about appearances and wouldn't resort to selling her daughter.
Upon hearing this, Xin'er's eyes dimmed even more. She silently started tidying up the dishes and utensils. She knew aunt Yu was greedy. Unless she could come up with more money than the cost of a person's life, she couldn't help Tang Xin at all.
Thinking about the small wooden box on the bedside table containing the silver coins she had saved from selling embroidery, which was more than two taels, her heart sank even further. She could borrow some silver from her sister, but how could she bring herself to ask for such a favor for an unrelated outsider?
The next day, Mo Yan woke up early. Li Xiu and her niece were even earlier, having already prepared breakfast. The children, not clinging to the warmth of their blankets, were eager to help clean for the upcoming festival.
After the family finished breakfast, they began their tasks.
Mo Qingze and Li Zhong didn't know when they would return home, so Mo Yan took a small broom tied to a long bamboo pole and took turns with Li Xiu to dust the beams and corners of the rooms. Since they had just moved into their new home, it was quite clean, with only a few spider webs in the high corners that were quickly swept away.
Zhen'er and Yun Zhao diligently swept the dust off the floor, while Xin'er and Li Yan wiped the tables, chairs, and utensils with dry cloths. It wasn't heavy work, but with the main house of the Mo family being so large, it took over two hours to clean the dining hall, the hall, the living room, the study, and the kitchen.
By now it was noon. Everyone, having worked hard all morning, was starving. Li Xiu quickly washed her hands and went to the kitchen to cook, while Mo Yan continued to clean the bedrooms with the children. As for the unused rooms, they could be left alone. Otherwise, with dozens of them, it might take until tomorrow to finish cleaning them all.
At this moment, Mo Qingze, Li Zhong, and others returned. They walked along the muddy roads, carrying various items in their hands, most of which were New Year's goods purchased in advance by Li Zhong, with the others being brought home by Tie Tou and Wang Pangtou.
Mo Qingze's return delighted the children to no end, especially little Yun Sheng, who eagerly clung to her godfather's leg, looking up at him with big watery eyes, which made anyone who saw them feel heartache.
Mo Qingze softened at the sight and picked her up in his arms, comforting and inquiring about her for a while. Zhen'er felt a pang of jealousy.
The whole family happily ate lunch around the brazier. Afterward, Mo Qingze and Li Zhong continued to dust and clean with the children, while Mo Yan and Li Xiu stayed in the kitchen busily preparing sweets and other items for the Kitchen God festival that evening.
Like the previous year, Mo Yan made two types of sweet candies: corn kernels and sticky rice black sesame, making more than last year to share with the children who came to visit the village on the first day of the Lunar New Year. After making the candies, while the pot was still hot, she fried a lot of peanuts, melted a small basin of brown sugar, and made two large basins of peanut candy.
Throughout the afternoon, the Mo family's courtyard was filled with the rich aroma of sweets. Even Xiao Hua and the others, who weren't fond of sweets, kept darting around the kitchen, fighting over the peanut candy crumbs that Mo Yan tossed to them.
Not only the Mo family, but every household in the village was busy cleaning and preparing sweet candies for the Kitchen God festival in the evening. Even though times weren't prosperous, the women in the village worked diligently in the kitchen, occasionally scolding and teaching children who sneaked in to eat the candies.
The entire Liuyang village was enveloped in the curling smoke of cooking, as if even the air was infused with sweetness.
The fragrant and crispy peanut candy was highly popular, and even Li Zhong, who wasn't fond of sweets, couldn't resist eating several pieces. As for the children, if Mo Yan hadn't warned them with a stern face that eating too much candy would rot their teeth, they might have treated the peanut candy as a meal.
Just as the family was joyfully sharing their food, a series of urgent bell rings sounded outside the door. Everyone stopped laughing and looked puzzled at the door. Who would visit at this time?
"I'll go and open the door." Li Yan quickly put down the half-eaten peanut candy and ran to open the door. Soon, she hurried back, holding a young girl by the hand.
The girl was thin, poorly dressed, and her clothes were tattered, unable to shield her from the bone-chilling cold. What was even more shocking were the obvious bruises and fresh blood stains on her exposed wrists, ankles, and neck, indicating she had recently suffered inhuman abuse.
Everyone exchanged uncertain glances, clearly not recognizing this pitiful-looking person standing before them.
"Yanzi, what's going on?" Although sympathetic to the young girl, Li Zhong was displeased to see his granddaughter bring a stranger into the house without explanation.
Before Li Yan could respond, Xin'er, who had just returned from the restroom, immediately recognized the heavily bruised girl and rushed forward, shouting in disbelief, "Tang Xin, how did you end up like this? Did auntie Yu beat you again?"
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