Chapter 436: Money Xiao Xiao's Side Story
Chapter 436: Money Xiao Xiao's Side Story
Money Xiao Xiao shot down two birds, gutted and cleaned them with her small knife, and started roasting them over a fire she had built. Just as they were cooked and she was about to eat, the village's lazy bum sauntered over and offered two candies in exchange for her birds.
It was rare to come by candies in the countryside, and Money Xiao Xiao immediately agreed: "Alright, two candies for one of my birds."
Er Laizi snatched one of the birds and devoured it greedily. After finishing it, he reached for the remaining bird, intending to take it as well. When Money Xiao Xiao refused, he tried to grab it from her.
Money Xiao Xiao was not one to take things lying down. Using her cunning, she tripped him to the ground and then demanded the candies. When Er Laizi hesitated, she brandished the stick that Money Master had given her and struck him, causing him to yelp in pain and reluctantly hand over the candies.
Money Xiao Xiao coldly hmphed, "You could've avoided getting hit if you gave them to me earlier."
After taking the candies, she unwrapped one only to find a small pebble inside. Disgusted, she realized that even children were trying to deceive her.
She crumpled the candy wrapper and threw it on the ground along with the pebble, picked up her stick, and chased after Er Laizi. She beat him until he howled like a ghost before stopping, "If you dare to deceive people again, I'll beat you up again."
Only after finishing the last bird did Money Xiao Xiao head back to the brigade with a basket of pig grass taller than herself to hand in her work.
This large basket of pig grass earned her two work points. Money Xiao Xiao collected three baskets every day, earning her a total of six work points. For a normal young girl, this would be enough, but her appetite was comparable to an adult's. However, with food rations being distributed based on work points, there was no way her family would let her eat as much as she wanted. Left with no choice, she had to find her own food. Initially, she foraged for wild fruits, but now she fished in the waters, hunted birds in the mountains, and collected bird eggs. Her ultimate goal was to venture deeper into the mountains to hunt, so she would never have to go hungry again. However, the old man said she was too young and refused to teach her. Sigh, who knew when she would finally be considered old enough.
Upon returning home, Money Xiao Xiao saw her younger sister tiptoeing as she chopped vegetables on the stove. She took out two bird eggs from her pocket and smiled, "Second Sister, look what delicious thing I brought for you?"
The second sister jumped off the short stool upon seeing the bird eggs and happily took them. She ate daintily, taking small bites as if savoring the most delicious food in the world. This was in stark contrast to Money Xiao Xiao, who devoured her food like a hungry wolf, barely tasting what she ate.
Seeing that she only ate one and stopped, Money Xiao Xiao said, "I collected six bird eggs this time. You eat, there are still some for our younger brother and Mother."
"Really?"
Only after seeing Money Xiao Xiao take out four bird eggs did she finish the last one. After eating, she said, "Big Sister, go to Mother and bring our younger brother back."
There were three children in the family, with Money Xiao Xiao being the eldest, followed by a younger brother and sister. The youngest, Kang Kang, was five years old this year. As there was no one to look after him, their mother, Wang Dahua, took him with her when she went out to work.
Money Xiao Xiao disliked taking care of her younger brother the most. He was extremely mischievous and loved to tattle, and their father would scold her whenever he found out: "I'll go collect firewood."
With that, she would run off like a streak of smoke, leaving her second sister calling after her in vain. By the time their father and mother returned, she was nowhere to be seen, and they had to ask around to know that she had gone to collect firewood.
Her father wanted to go look for her, but her mother, Wang Dahua, stopped him, "You give Kang Kang a bath and change his clothes. I'll go look for her."
Although her father's legs had been treated at a high cost, his right leg was left with a residual problem, causing him to limp when he walked, which was why he couldn't do heavy manual labor.
When Wang Dahua found Money Xiao Xiao, she had already collected two large bundles of firewood, "You child, how are you going to carry so much firewood back home?"
Money Xiao Xiao laughed, "Mother, I knew you would come looking for me. Mother, I roasted these bird eggs today. Try one."
Wang Dahua couldn't bear to eat it and wanted to bring it back for her son to eat. Seeing that Money Xiao Xiao had kept one for Kang Kang, she smiled and asked, "What about your father?"
Money Xiao Xiao hmphed coldly, "None for him." Although she disliked her mischievous younger brother who loved to tattle, she didn't hold it against him because he was still young. However, she truly disliked her father, who often scolded her.
Wang Dahua was half amused and half exasperated, "Your father is also thinking of you. Xiao Xiao, girls with big tempers will suffer in the future when they marry."
"Then I won't get married."
Wang Dahua laughed bitterly and said, "You silly girl. All girls have to marry someday, or they'll be mocked for being spinsters."
Money Xiao Xiao frowned deeply. She would be mocked if she didn't marry, but if she did, she would be bullied by her in-laws. Why did it have to be so difficult? She decided to ask her grandfather for advice when he returned; he would know what was best.
Upon returning home, Money Xiao Xiao's father scolded her again when he saw how dirty she was: "You're a girl; can't you be more ladylike?"
Money Xiao Xiao retorted, "Dad, what should a girl be like? Should I be like Sister Honghong next door, who only knows how to cry and doesn't dare fight back when insulted or hit?"
Money Xiao Xiao's father was left speechless. If he had to choose, he would rather have a fierce daughter who wouldn't be bullied, even if it meant enduring her sharp tongue. However, he couldn't say that out loud, or he would embolden her further.
Wang Dahua quickly changed the subject, "The food is getting cold; let's eat. We've all had a tiring day, so we'll go to sleep after dinner."
That night, they had three dishes: scrambled eggs with chives, squash, and spicy stir-fried snail meat. Money Xiao Xiao had caught the snails in the river a couple of days ago.
Money Xiao Xiao lived in a house at the foot of the mountain where Grandpa Money stayed. Even when he was away, she preferred not to return home. Firstly, their house was not spacious, and secondly, she couldn't stand her father's nagging. So, after dinner, Money Xiao Xiao quickly put away her bowl and chopsticks and left.
Money Xiao Xiao's father wore a worried expression as he said, "Your temperament is so strong; who will dare to take you into their family in the future?"
Wang Dahua thought that a strong temperament was a good thing. That way, her daughter wouldn't be bullied by her in-laws. However, Money Xiao Xiao's appetite was already comparable to her husband's, and she would likely eat even more in the future. Such a hearty appetite would surely scare away potential suitors, no matter how capable she was.
A couple of days later, Money Xiao Xiao's birth mother came to take her away to live with her. Money Xiao Xiao refused at first, but after some time had passed, she agreed.
Wang Dahua couldn't agree to this. That woman was not a good person, and she definitely had ulterior motives for wanting to take Xiao Xiao in. Unexpectedly, Xiao Xiao agreed and even asked the woman to wait outside while she packed her belongings to leave with her.
Wang Dahua's heart broke. Although Money Xiao Xiao was not her biological daughter, she had come to love her deeply since her marriage. Over the years, she had treated all three children equally, and sometimes she even favored Xiao Xiao more. She never imagined that her biological mother's arrival would prompt Xiao Xiao to leave so soon, and it felt like a knife twisting in her heart.
Seeing Wang Dahua's red-rimmed eyes, Money Xiao Xiao smiled and said, "Mom, Dad always says we don't have enough food to eat. I'll go stay with her for three to five months and eat their food. Then, I'll come back."
Wang Dahua was astonished. "You're going with her to save our family some food?"
Money Xiao Xiao smiled. "What else could it be? If they could neglect me when I was little, they must have some ulterior motive now. Auntie in the village said she probably wants me to work for them. I want to see if it's true, and at the same time, I can save our family some meals."
Wang Dahua felt guilty. "Xiao Xiao, it's all because your dad and I are incapable that you can't even eat your fill."
Money Xiao Xiao shook her head. "Mom, it's not your fault or Dad's. We just have less land and not enough food. Don't worry; when I get older, I'll be able to hunt in the mountains, and then we'll have enough to eat."
Wang Dahua didn't think her daughter was being unrealistic. Grandpa Money's hunting skills were famous throughout the commune, and she believed Xiao Xiao would learn from him and become a skilled hunter too. Even if most of the hunted game had to be given to the team, it would still be enough to fill their stomachs.
Initially, Wang Dahua thought Money Xiao Xiao would stay with her biological mother for at least ten days or half a month. However, to her surprise, Xiao Xiao returned after just five days, and not empty-handed—she brought back a bag of grain. Upon inquiring, Wang Dahua learned that Xiao Xiao had refused to do any work at her mother's place, choosing instead to lie around and wait to be fed. When her stepfather tried to hit her, she gave him a good beating instead.
Wang Dahua couldn't help but find the situation amusing, but she also felt relieved. After this incident, that woman probably wouldn't dare to try anything with Xiao Xiao again.
(End of Chapter)
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