CHAPTER 66: CHAPTER 66: TAKING CARE

When she reached the doorway and saw Zhao Yu and Zhao Cheng outside, Zhao Ya instantly breathed a sigh of relief and ran towards them, crying, "Eldest Brother! Second Brother! BOO HOO HOO."

The three siblings hugged each other and wept.

Zhao Dong and Sun Mei didn’t interrupt them, and neither did Zhao Zhitong, who simply clung to Sun Mei’s leg and watched.

Zhao Cheng and Zhao Yu asked Zhao Ya how she was faring. With tear-filled eyes, she told them she was fine and urged them not to worry. She just missed them and home terribly.

However, she had to observe rules and learn etiquette daily. If she failed, scoldings or beatings were normal. But at least she had food; although she couldn’t eat her fill, she wouldn’t go hungry.

Zhao Cheng and Zhao Yu then told their sister about the situation at home.

Upon hearing that her mother had run away with someone, Zhao Ya couldn’t say whether she was sad or not. When the Zhu Clan sold her, her heart had already grown distant from the Zhu Clan.

Later, when Zhao Ya heard that her uncle and aunt had taken in her eldest and second brothers and had even come specifically to find her, she gratefully knelt and kowtowed to Zhao Dong and Sun Mei.

At this moment, many old women in the courtyard witnessed the scene at the gate.

The woman who had opened the door earlier said coldly, "It doesn’t seem like that family is so poor they have to sell their children. So why did they sell their daughter? Now they act all reluctant to part with her. Who are they putting on a show for?"

The human trafficker woman had seen how people’s feelings could change. They’d cry, claiming they couldn’t bear to part with their children, then turn around and mercilessly sell them. She’d seen it all too many times.

Just then, Grandma Jin Hua sighed and said, "No, those aren’t the girl’s parents. That’s her uncle and his family."

The other old woman’s face showed understanding. "Oh, so she was sold by her uncle. That’s even more common. When parents die, children left in their uncle’s care are often sold off."

Grandma Jin Hua shook her head. "No, the young girl was sold by her own mother. Her uncle’s family probably wants to buy her back."

However, they might not be able to afford the one hundred and fifty taels in their entire lifetime.

Hearing this, the other old women were somewhat surprised.

At this point, Sun Mei walked over with a smile. She approached Grandma Jin Hua and placed a bag of money into her hand.

"Grandma Jin Hua, this is a small token from our family. We do want to take the child back, but as you know, farming families like ours don’t have that much money for redemption. Could you please help look after her? If, by any chance, someone buys her, please send us word so we know where she has gone."

Grandma Jin Hua weighed the money bag in her hand, stunned. There was quite a bit of money in there. This family was truly generous, especially for someone else’s child.

She suddenly wondered if she might have had a different fate had she met such a kind uncle and aunt back then.

She sighed. What was the point of dwelling on such things?

So she smiled and said, "Alright, rest assured, I’ll help look after her. I think the little girl is bright and deft with her hands. I was actually planning to have her learn sewing and embroidery."

Hearing this, Sun Mei immediately smiled and expressed her thanks.

Whether they could redeem the girl or not was one thing. But even if she were bought by someone else in the future, knowing sewing and embroidery would help her find a better position—much better than being a common maid doing heavy chores and laundry.

After Sun Mei and her family expressed their gratitude and left, the old women were still remarking on how rare it was to encounter such a good family.

Today, they had seen their sister. Although they couldn’t be reunited as a family, knowing her current situation made the two brothers feel much more at ease.

The family strolled around South Street, watched street acrobatics, and listened to snippets of opera from the pavilions and tile houses before heading back home.

They didn’t go back to the Zhao Family directly but went to their maternal grandfather and grandmother’s house first.

Several children, including Sun Daqing, Sun Daji, and Sun Daxiang—a trio whose names all signified good fortune—had been eagerly waiting at the main gate for Zhao Zhitong and the others to return. The moment they spotted them in the distance, they started shouting and WHOOPING, rushing towards them.

Zhao Zhitong was incredibly excited. She knelt on the cart, holding onto it with one hand and waving enthusiastically with the other. "Hey! I’m here!"

Sun Daqing, Sun Daji, and Sun Daxiang ran the fastest. As soon as they reached them, they didn’t wait for the cart to stop before scrambling aboard. The group continued towards home, their journey filled with the children’s laughter. As the neighbors saw them, some smiled and greeted them, while others rolled their eyes behind their backs.

Once they arrived home and the cart stopped, the little ones WHOOSHED off. They immediately swarmed the adults, pestering them about whether they had bought any tasty treats.

Zhao Zhitong, clutching her little basket, HUFFED AND PUFFED as she climbed onto a large stone under the tree in the courtyard. "Quick, come over here!" she shouted. "I’m going to share something with you!"

A group of little monkeys instantly swarmed around Zhao Zhitong.

She first took out the candied hawthorns she had specially saved for them. "I specifically kept these for you!"

At the sight of candied hawthorns, the eyes of Sun Daqing and the others nearly popped out.

Few children could resist the allure of candied hawthorns.

Zhao Zhitong said, "Don’t be impatient! I need to count them first to see how many there are."

Then, she began to count them one by one, "One, two, three..."

Her older female cousins and older male cousins gulped, their mouths watering, and loudly counted along with Zhao Zhitong, "One, two, three..."

There were seven candied hawthorns left, but including Zhao Zhitong, there were nine children in total.

At this point, Zhao Cheng and Zhao Yu said they had already eaten some and wouldn’t have any more.

But Zhao Zhitong disagreed. "It’s only sweet when we all eat together!"

So, she scampered into the kitchen and asked Sun Mei to cut each candied hawthorn in half, making fourteen pieces in total.

Each child got half a piece. Of the remaining five pieces, she gave one each to her maternal grandfather, grandmother, two aunts, and finally, Uncle. This last piece had originally been intended for Eldest Uncle, but he refused it. Her parents also refused, so she popped it into Uncle’s mouth.

At this time, Younger Uncle Sun Youcai, who hadn’t received any candied hawthorn, looked at her with a pitiful expression.

Zhao Zhitong pursed her lips, thought for a moment, then ran over and placed her half-piece into Younger Uncle’s hand. "Younger Uncle, this is for you."

After saying that, she even made a little finger heart gesture for him.

Sun Youcai asked, confused, "What does that gesture mean?"

Zhao Zhitong explained, "It’s a finger heart! I’m sending my little heart to you!"

Sun Youcai chuckled, covering his face for a moment. Then he scooped Zhao Zhitong into his arms and popped the half piece of candied hawthorn into her mouth. "How could Younger Uncle eat your treat?"

After saying that, he mimicked Zhao Zhitong’s gesture and made a finger heart for her.

Zhao Zhitong, however, grimaced from the sourness.

Sun Mei had also specifically picked out a decorative hair flower for each of the older female cousins, who were overjoyed to receive them.

After everything was distributed, Zhao Zhitong quietly gathered the little ones in the alley behind the west room to begin plotting her grand scheme.

Sun Daqing lowered his voice and asked, "Little Cousin, why did you call us all here?"

Zhao Zhitong took out a few copper coins from her small pocket and showed them off proudly. "Look! What are these?"