Chang'an looked on speechlessly at the absurd scene unfolding before her. "Our family doesn't do charity. Take your children and leave. We don't have any meat to trade for these two kids."
The little girl was fair and delicate, like a soft rice dumpling. Her voice lacked any intimidating force, sounding tender and almost whining.
Chang'an was furious, truly!
She wanted to be a graceful woman, but instead she transmigrated into a cute young girl. And now someone wanted to take her Old Six away from her? This could not be tolerated.
"Chang Le, drive them away," she waved her little hand, feeling like she was opening the gate and letting the dogs out.
Old Gu Six stepped back, allowing the two children to handle it as he watched the drama unfold with folded arms.
Grandma Sun grew agitated, hopping up and down as she pointed at Chang'an and scolded her, "You little girl, how barbaric! You have no manners at all. I was talking to your father, what's it got to do with you?"
Though you look appealing, that doesn't excuse interfering with her selling her granddaughters.
Seeing someone insult his daughter, Old Gu Six was displeased. He angrily berated Grandma Sun, "How dare you criticize my daughter? Your whole family is uglier than a dog. Get out of here, don't pollute my territory, or I'll cripple all of you."
Grandma Sun faced his fury head-on, seeming to see blazing flames in his eyes and an invisible pressure bearing down on her. Terrified, her old legs went weak and she immediately knelt down.
On this cold day, beads of sweat the size of soybeans rolled down her forehead. The man's eyes seemed to conceal a dark abyss that could devour a person. She wanted to look away but couldn't move. It felt like an invisible hand was squeezing her heart, threatening to crush it.
She raised her hands over her head and prostrated herself, begging, "I beg the great one to spare this old woman's life. I'll never dare again."
The onlookers who had come from their homes to watch the commotion looked on bewildered. What was happening?
Grandma Sun's two granddaughters hid behind their parents, reluctant to approach but with regret in their eyes. It seemed they couldn't stay after all.
They secretly glanced at Chang'an. That girl was so beautiful. If they could stay, they would be well-fed and warmly dressed, surely growing up to be just as pretty.
How selfish of them, having the means but unwilling to help their sisters escape suffering.
"Get out!!" The icy roar shattered the sky. Grandma Sun's son and daughter-in-law trembled, not daring to approach Old Gu Six and provoke his wrath.
They carefully approached to help their elderly mother up, swiftly leaving without even looking at their two daughters. After a few steps, the three of them fell in a heap. The two granddaughters reluctantly went to help their parents up.
But they were rewarded with a slap each from their mother, who viciously berated them, "Useless things, can't you use a little strength?"
The girls, having been struck, felt even more resentment toward Old Gu Six and Chang'an. But what was most hateful were the onlookers who coldly watched them get beaten.
They then noticed Little Ya's Mother, who had spoken up for them that morning. The sisters exchanged a glance, released their grip on their parents, and hurried over to kneel before Little Ya's Mother.
"Please take us in, Madame. We eat little and can do lots of chores." The two little heads knocked heavily on the frozen hard ground, showing utmost sincerity.
Little Ya's Mother was immediately moved to pity and rushed over, gently helping the two girls up. She said kindly, "Don't do that. My family is poor too, we don't have extra food to support two more people. Why don't you try asking someone else?"
Hearing this, the girls were about to kneel again, but Little Ya's Mother stopped them. She was at a loss now, turning to look at her husband Yu San and daughter.
Chang'an shot her a cold look, "Mother, are you trying to starve Father and me by bringing them home?"
Little Ya's Mother opened her mouth, wanting to say they had Old Six, how could they starve? But meeting Yu San's icy gaze, she couldn't get the words out. So her husband was a selfish, callous man too.
Ashamed, she told the girls, "I'm sorry, I can't help you."
Grandma Sun saw her granddaughters' actions but didn't stop them, thinking this family was together with that Old Six, so following this woman wouldn't be too bad. But she didn't expect it to fail as well.
She stepped forward and dragged one girl with each hand, grumbling curses as she walked away, "You worthless brats, so greedy. You're just destined to be miserable, you'll never have that kind of luck."
Watching the two children stumble along as they were dragged away really pained Little Ya's Mother's heart. She wanted to confront Old Gu Six, ask him why he wouldn't lift a finger to help.
After so many years of marriage, Yu San could tell from just the look on her face that she was about to make a fuss. He took large strides forward, grabbed her arm, and sternly pulled Little Ya's Mother back home.
The onlookers had arrived halfway through and grasped the situation. The old woman wanted to sell her granddaughters to the young man skilled at hunting boars. The deal fell through, so she threw a tantrum insulting the man's daughter, then inexplicably knelt begging for mercy.
The two girls tried to find a good household for themselves but failed as that woman couldn't make the decision, so they couldn't stay either.
Everyone clicked their tongues and left Old Gu Six's doorstep, chattering away.
"That old woman is really heartless, selling her own grandchildren."
"Well, you can't judge, these famine years drive people to desperate acts. This is only the beginning."
An elderly person who had experienced war sighed sadly, "Sixty years ago when I was five, the droughts and locusts ruined all the crops. The imperial court was incompetent. My family fled from west to east, and there were corpses littering the journey. People resorted to cannibalism - that was true tragedy."
"I never thought sixty years later I'd have to relive that path. I've lived through two famines in this lifetime."
The snow that had stopped for a day began falling again in the evening, first lightly and beautifully romantic. As night fell, howling winds brought heavier snow, making visibility nearly zero. Households tightly shut their doors, huddling as families by the fire.
They were grateful to have cleared the rooftops of accumulated snow, or else the weight could have caused a collapse in this weather.
That night, the scent of meat wafted through the barracks as every household had cooked the meat purchased that afternoon. Most either stir-fried it or made meat porridge, leaving more than half to stretch across several meals.
Chang'an was frying crispy pork belly by the stove as the men, large and small, craned their necks in eager anticipation of the meat sizzling in the oil.
The aroma was truly intoxicating. How could they not make meat this delicious themselves?
Chang'an's lips twitched slightly, wanting to cover his eyes in embarrassment at the sight of the two gluttons eagerly gobbling away in public.
He scooped half a bowl and handed it to the two foodies, "Go sit by the fire pit and eat, be careful not to burn yourselves."
Like coaxing children, he ushered the two to sit by the fire pit to eat, as they were getting in the way gathered around the stove. He was afraid the hot oil might splatter and burn them.
Old Gu Six thought of the group who left earlier that day with some regret, having warned them not to go, as they would likely freeze to death on the road.
Meanwhile, those he was concerned about were braving the wind and snow, hoping to find a place to take shelter from the storm.
