Even though they weren't his biological children, he had raised them since they were two or three, only to be repaid like this!
Mo Guoqiang had helped Uncle Mo drive Grandpa away for his own ulterior motives: he had secretly borrowed a sum of money from Grandpa to cover his travel expenses to the city to find his biological daughter. There was no IOU and no witness. If Grandpa moved away, he could pretend it never happened!
But Grandpa still came to ask for the money, and Mo Guoqiang and his wife flat-out denied it!
They argued about it for a whole day and night, but no one could resolve it. In the end, it was Grandma who groped her way over and stopped Grandpa, saying, "Let it go. We'll just pretend we never had that money."
Children usually don't dare get close when adults are fighting. In her past life, Mo Xiaoman had just watched in silence. Being as "stupid" as she was, she couldn't figure out what that money was all about. But now, she understood perfectly—Mo Guoqiang and Liu Fengying had no other source of income, yet the couple frequently traveled to the county seat, the prefecture, and even Wan City. They were relying on the money they had borrowed from Grandpa!
Mo Xiaoman knew exactly when they went. It was usually on a Monday or Saturday. After finding Tang Yaxuan, they would sometimes even stay overnight before returning. The couple would rather give up their work points than miss a trip to the city, all just to see their beautiful, respectable, precious biological daughter. 'What dedication!'
And before they left, they would always tell Mo Xiaoman to look after the house and protect her younger siblings. They would also instruct the other children, promising to buy them candy!
Interestingly, Liu Fengying, who had a few years of schooling, liked to keep accounts. She had bought a softcover work notebook in the city, the kind the village chief often used. It was her habit to sit at the dinner table after the meal each day, chatting with Mo Guoqiang while jotting down a few notes. Then, she would casually tuck it into a hole in the kitchen wall. In her past life, Mo Xiaoman didn't know many characters and never dared to look at the notebook, so she had no idea what was written inside. 'Thinking about it now,' she mused, 'perhaps there's an entry for the loan from Grandpa?'
As Mo Xiaoman slowly recalled these details, a plan began to form in her mind.
'In this new life, I'll treat Grandpa and Grandma as my own true grandparents! I need to grow, and I need someone to rely on. In a few years, it will be my turn to repay them and take care of them in their old age!'
Mo Xiaoman hugged Grandma and cried her heart out, wailing, "Grandma, save me!" Over on the side, Liu Fengying was stunned. 'When did Mo Xiaoman, that girl who's as stupid as an ox, have such a change of heart? How dare she? How could she resort to a trick like this—crying and shouting to gain sympathy and play the victim?'
Grandma gently patted Mo Xiaoman's back, comforting her. "Don't cry, don't cry. Grandma's here. Don't be afraid!"
Liu Fengying took two steps forward. She didn't call her "Ma," but instead forced herself to mimic the children and call out, "Grandma." Pointing the switch at Mo Xiaoman, she said, "Grandma, you don't know what happened. This child said she was going across the river to cut pig feed, but she just went off to play instead. She didn't bring any pig feed back and even threw the sickle and basket into the river! We only have three sickles and two baskets in the whole house. Now that she's lost them, what are we supposed to use? Tell me, isn't she asking for a beating? Doesn't she deserve it?"
Grandma's unfocused eyes turned toward where Liu Fengying was standing, but she addressed Mo Xiaoman. "Is that so? It's been storming all this time, with strong winds and heavy rain. Where did you go to play? Your clothes are soaking wet. You're still little, and you haven't been caught in the rain like this before. Did you go play in the rain?"
Mo Xiaoman quickly shook her head. "No, Grandma, I did cut the pig feed! I had a whole basket full! It's because the rain got heavier, and I was hurrying across the wooden bridge when my foot slipped, and I fell into the river. Uncle Man Cang saved me and pulled me out. He can be my witness!"
The hand Grandma had on Mo Xiaoman's back suddenly tightened, and her voice became shrill. "What did you say? You fell in the river? You fell in the river during such a downpour? If it weren't for Man Cang, would you even be alive right now? Oh, my heavens! Thank goodness! The ancestors are watching over us!"
Grandma tilted her head back and shouted with all her might, as if her life depended on it.
'Is Grandma being a little dramatic?' Mo Xiaoman wondered. 'Is there really a need to scream and shout like her life depends on it? The veins on the old woman's neck are bulging!'
But when she looked at Liu Fengying, her expression had changed. The sound of women's voices rose from outside the courtyard gate, and people started trickling in.
The Mo Family Courtyard's rammed-earth walls were old and had been weathered by wind and rain, causing gaps to appear in several places. Passersby could see over the top, revealing their heads and shoulders. Hearing Granny Mo's shouts, the villagers who were walking by turned into the courtyard, one after another, asking what was going on.
Liu Fengying's face stiffened slightly. She mumbled evasively to the neighbors, but inwardly, she was filled with disgust. 'Perform a soul-calling for this little brat? Forget it. The sooner she dies and gets reincarnated, the better!'
Grandma pushed Mo Xiaoman toward her room to change her clothes while saying to the crowd, "This child is a sensible girl. There's just one thing about her: she's too quiet! She fell into the river and lost the sickle and basket, but when her mother was hitting her just now, she wouldn't even cry out or complain!"
Hearing this, the women all gave Liu Fengying strange looks, their eyes fixed on the bamboo switch in her hand. Liu Fengying looked embarrassed. She tried to cover it up by lifting the switch and lightly tapping the dust off her pant leg, forcing a smile as she said:
"I was just worried, you see. We don't have many things at home. If she keeps losing them left and right, they'll all be gone. Where would we find replacements when we need them? I just tapped her a few times to teach her a lesson!"
The other mothers and aunties didn't buy Liu Fengying's words. Weren't they all mothers themselves? Some were even about to become grandmothers. They basically knew the temperament of every child in the village. Recalling how viciously Liu Fengying usually beat Mo Xiaoman, they didn't hold back and began to criticize her to her face:
"But you can't punish her at a time like this! The child fell off the bridge into that rushing river during a downpour. She must have been scared to death! Her soul hasn't even settled yet, and Man Cang risked his life to save her. Then you beat her the moment she gets home? What kind of behavior is that?"
"That's right, you shouldn't have done that. Poor Xiao Man!"
"It's just a sickle and a basket, isn't it? Is that worth more than a child's life? Are you even her real mother?"
"..."
Liu Fengying's face turned livid.
"Xiao Man's mother, I don't mean to lecture you, but we women all know how hard a ten-month pregnancy is. We have to walk through death's door to give birth. She's your own flesh and blood; how can you not feel for her! It's one thing to scold her when you're angry, but you shouldn't hit her so hard! What you did today was really wrong. And it's not the first time. I've heard and seen it from my place. Is that how you discipline a child? If you whipped an ox or a horse that hard, even it would bolt in pain! You're lucky Xiao Man is your biological daughter. Otherwise, I doubt she'd still be willing to live with you!"
These words came from their next-door neighbor, Granny Han. And Granny Han was no ordinary person. Her family was both a martyr's family and a military family. A grand-uncle in the Han Family had joined the army, went to war, and died a hero. Later, Granny Han's own husband joined the army and was still serving. Her son had been recommended to the Worker Peasant Soldier University, and her two daughters were recommended to a nursing school and a teacher's college, respectively. This left Granny Han at home to care for two elders. The commune and the village brigade sent people to help out and pay respects during every festival. They lived a comfortable and respected life. No one in the entire village dared to offend her family!
Although Liu Fengying was seething with anger, she didn't dare provoke Granny Han. She could only nod meekly and agree, "You're right, Sister-in-law Han. I have a terrible temper. Sometimes when I get anxious, I just act rashly!"
"You need to change that temper, or one day you'll end up seriously hurting the child! This is a girl, mind you. It's a miracle she doesn't have a coarse, fleshy face like yours. Look at her delicate features. If you ruin them, she won't be able to find a good husband in the future. Wouldn't that ruin her for life?"
"Yes, yes, I'll listen to Sister-in-law Han. I'll change from now on!"
Liu Fengying clenched her jaw tightly, suppressing her fury. She was so incensed she nearly started screaming curses. 'My face is a "silver-platter" face—the most auspicious kind! Where does she see anything coarse or fleshy? That wretched woman is talking absolute nonsense! Just wait until I let her see my darling daughter Xuanxuan. Then she'll know what truly delicate features look like!'