Back To The 80s-Chapter 104 - 103: Jiujiu_1

After hearing this, Gu Xiaobei walked over and squatted in front of Jiujiu, asking, "Your name is Jiujiu? Can you take us to your home?"

Jiujiu was a bit timid and gave a small ’mm-hmm’, then lowered her eyes to her toes. Her shoes were too small, and the toes of her big feet had broken through the shoes. Seeing Gu Xiaobei, who was well-dressed and attractive, in front of her, she reflexively curled up her toes and tried to hide her embarrassment.

Gu Xiaobei perceived Jiujiu’s sensitivity and low self-esteem. She stood up, bent over, and said, "So shall we go now?"

Jiujiu didn’t make another sound, simply carrying the child and silently walking ahead. Her small frame bore the weight of a child weighing more than ten pounds, stooping forward with the burden and each step was taken with great effort.

Xiaodong could not help but say from behind, "Mum, she’s so dirty, and she doesn’t wash her face."

Upon hearing this, Li Fengmei glared at Xiaodong fiercely. Xiaodong shrank his neck and dared not say anything more.

However, Gu Xiaobei noticed that Jiujiu, who was walking ahead, paused for a moment. Her little head hung even lower, and Gu Xiaobei felt a pang of sadness.

Jiujiu’s home was at the far west of the village. Inside the low fence gate, there was a row of four rooms with walls made of earth. The dilapidated walls had cracks half a foot wide, and the outside of the wall was supported by several large rafters.

As soon as Jiujiu entered the yard, she heard a harsh female voice saying, "You useless girl, you went out for just a while and came back, always trying to skive off work."

A woman in her twenties emerged from the curtain. She was wearing a floral dress made of Dacron, with a thin, yellow face, slightly upturned eyes, and somewhat high cheekbones.

Jiujiu, carrying the child, took a step backward in fear, timidly saying to the woman, "Fourth sister in law, they’re here looking for my sixth brother."

At the mention of Chen Gang, Jiujiu’s sister in law, Li Xianglan was taken by surprise. Somewhat embarrassed, she asked, "What do you want with my six brother?"

Just then, the child on Jiujiu’s back, who had been quiet all along, started crying with a ’wah’. Li Xianglan shot Jiujiu a fierce look, and taking the child from her, she pushed Jiujiu hard, "Useless thing, can’t even take care of a child."

Jiujiu stumbled back several steps from the push before managing to steady herself by leaning against the wall. All the while, her head remained lowered, and she didn’t dare utter a sound.

Gu Xiaobei’s heart ached. She felt like she was seeing herself from her past life when she was scolded by her aunt for breaking a bowl while washing dishes. At that time, she had also leaned against the wall like this. She was only six years old then.

Li Fengmei frowned and spoke with a tone of displeasure, "Who’s in charge here at home? We came to check the potatoes."

Upon hearing this, Li Xianglan hurriedly turned around with a smile, "My man is in charge. You wait here in the yard, and I’ll go to the field to call him." She then ordered Jiujiu, "Are you a dead person? What are you doing here? Hurry up and get some chairs for the guests." After finish speaking, she gave Jiujiu a disapproving look and walked out the door with the child.

A surge of anger welled up in Gu Xiaobei’s chest. This Li Xianglan was too much.

Only when Li Xianglan had left did Jiujiu go into the house and bring out a few chairs.

Gu Xiaobei took the chairs that Jiujiu had brought out and asked softly, "How old are you this year?"

"Nine." Jiujiu stood on the side, wringing her fingers nervously and responding in a soft voice.

Gu Xiaobei took a deep breath. This nine-year-old girl looked like a five or six-year-old, which was entirely caused by malnutrition.

Curious, Li Fengmei asked, "Jiujiu, where are your parents?"

"My father’s gone, my mother is sick, she’s lying in bed in the house and cannot get out," Jiujiu answered in a voice as small as a mosquito’s hum.

Gazing at the shabby house, Gu Xiaobei felt a lump in her throat.

After a short while, Li Xianglan returned with her husband Chen Qiang, and Chen Gang also returned. Chen Qiang looked to be a straightforward and honest man, while Chen Gang was much thinner and was carrying a hoe in his hands.

Chen Qiang chuckled and asked, "Are you here to look at our potatoes?"

Gu Xiaobei nodded with a slight smile, "Yes, how many potatoes does your family have?"

"We grow them in the terraces on the mountain. There’s no watering system and the soil is very poor, so the potatoes are small," Chen Qiang candidly explained.

Carrying her child, Li Xianglan covertly kicked Chen Qiang after hearing this, looking a bit dissatisfied.

Gu Xiaobei chuckled, "That doesn’t matter. After all, it’s for our own consumption."

Chen Qiang was pleased to hear this and turned to Li Xianglan, "Xianglan, make some food. They’ve come a long way. After eating, they still have to get back."

With some reluctance, Li Xianglan handed the child to Chen Qiang, walked over to Jiujiu, and slapped her on the head, "What are you doing standing here like an idiot? Go make a fire."

Chen Qiang said nothing and simply played with the child in his arms as if this were an everyday occurrence.

Chen Gang stood aside, his gaze fixed on Li Xianglan’s back, his fists clenched tightly, seething with anger but unable to voice it.

Gu Xiaobei’s brow furrowed as it seemed Jiujiu was frequently abused at home, her heart aching anew.

Dadong cheerfully said to Chen Gang, "Chen Gang, once we buy your house’s potatoes, you’ll have money to go to school, right?"

Chen Gang pursed his lips, keeping silent. Chen Qiang, however, looked uncomfortable as he said, "We really can’t afford to send them to school. Our mother has been sick, and it’s brought a lot of hardship to our home."

"Chen Gang, how old are you?" Gu Xiaobei felt a deep pity for these two siblings.

"I’ll be eleven in October." Chen Gang might have been young, but he answered the question neither timidly nor arrogantly, which made Gu Xiaobei like him even more.

"Has Jiujiu ever been to school?" Gu Xiaobei was even more concerned about the little girl, who reminded her of herself in her past life at a young age.

"No, we don’t encourage girls to go to school here," Chen Qiang answered.

"Why can’t girls go to school?" Gu Xiaobei wondered.

"Here, girls usually get married off when they’re fifteen or sixteen. Reading isn’t useful to them. As long as they’re taught to recognize money and the characters for male and female at home, and not to go into the wrong toilet, that’s sufficient," Chen Qiang explained.

Disinclined to listen further, Gu Xiaobei said to Chen Gang, "What if I sponsored both of you to go to school? Would you be willing?"

Chen Gang’s eyes lit up, "Auntie, are you serious? I want to go to school, and I want my sister to go to school, too."

Li Fengmei subtly tugged at Gu Xiaobei’s clothes. Sponsoring two children’s studies sounded like a stretch based on Lu Zhanguo’s salary. They would have their own child in the future. She didn’t know about Gu Xiaobei’s translation work for the publishing house.

However, Chen Gang was very sensitive and noticed Li Fengmei’s small gesture. His eyes immediately darkened, he lowered his head and did not say anything more.

Gu Xiaobei sympathizing with his feelings, gently said, "Chen Gang, I mean what I say, but you and Jiujiu have to study hard, ok?"

Chen Gang nodded, looking a bit thrilled and his eyes reddened. Chen Qiang, however, did not utter a word.

For lunch, Li Xianglan cooked a pot of potatoes and shredded an old cucumber. She made half a pot of rice porridge that was so thin you could see your reflection in it.

Li Xianglan handed the child to Jiujiu and invited everyone to sit and eat. She, too, sat down to eat while leaving Jiujiu to soothe the child at the side.