Back To The 80s-Chapter 106 - 105: Send Someone_1

Chen Qiang stood in the yard, feeling uneasy. He entered the house as well.

Chen Gang approached Gu Xiaobei and asked, "Auntie, could I have a word with you?"

Gu Xiaobei looked at Chen Gang’s hesitant and reluctant face, and nodded, "Okay, go ahead."

But Chen Gang didn’t say anything, instead, he began to walk towards the gate. Gu Xiaobei followed him out.

After making sure no one was nearby, Chen Gang said to Gu Xiaobei, "Auntie, can you take Jiujiu away? It’s really pitiful how she lives with us." As he spoke, his eyes grew red.

"Does Jiujiu get hit every day?" Gu Xiaobei couldn’t help but ask again.

"Yes.", Chen Gang nodded.

"Why doesn’t your fourth brother do anything?" Gu Xiaobei angrily exclaimed.

"My fourth brother doesn’t dare to intervene, and I can’t intervene either. If I were to speak up for Jiujiu, my sister-in-law would beat her even harder when I leave for fieldwork."

Gu Xiaobei felt saddened. In this family, there was no one willing to stand up for Jiujiu.

Seeing Gu Xiaobei silent, Chen Gang added, "Auntie, even if you offer money, my sister-in-law won’t let Jiujiu go to school."

Gu Xiaobei was taken aback. Yes, Chen Gang was a boy, and Li Xianglan dared not do anything to him. But Jiujiu was a girl, and in this rural area, she would be considered for arranged marriage around the age of fifteen or sixteen. A haphazardly arranged union would be a doom to Jiujiu’s life.

Thinking this way, she couldn’t help asking, "But would your fourth brother agree to give Jiujiu away?"

"My mother definitely would. Why don’t you ask my mother?" Chen Gang suggested.

"Okay, lead me to see your mother." Gu Xiaobei felt a stirring in her heart.

Chen Gang led Gu Xiaobei into a small room at the end of the house. As Gu Xiaobei entered, she gasped. The room was so empty that its state could not be described by the term ’an empty four-wall.’ The walls were the color of raw earth. There was nothing inside save for an old, broken bed, on which an emaciated Chen Clan Elder was propped against a quilt that was so black its original color could not be made out with a tattered mosquito net draping over it. The pillow was improbably a worn-out sack filled with wheat straw, which was poking out of a hole in the sack.

Because the Chen Clan Elder was bedridden all the time, there was a foul smell in the room.

Chen Gang walked over to the elder and said, "Mother, let’s give our sister to this auntie. She’s a nice person. This way, Jiujiu won’t have to be beaten anymore"

The Chen Clan Elder did not say a word. Her dry eyes welled up with a string of tears. After some pause, she said, "My poor Jiujiu..."

Chen Gang’s eyes reddened too, "Mother, I’m sorry. It’s too unbearable for Jiujiu in our house. Let’s give her away, okay?"

The Chen Clan Elder was neither deaf nor mute. She had been acutely aware of Jiujiu’s unhappiness over the past two years. However, she being bedridden meant she was helpless. Every time she heard the sound of Li Xianglan slapping Jiujiu, it was as if a dagger had been plunged into her heart.

The Chen Clan Elder wiped her tears with her twig-like hands, and said to Gu Xiaobei, "Kind woman, if you could just feed Jiujiu until she is full, it means the world to us. It’s so sad that my Jiujiu was born into our family..." With that, she broke down into sobs.

Listening to this made Gu Xiaobei’s heart hurt. Chen Qiang and Li Xianglan also followed them in. After hearing these words, Chen Qiang remained silent, while Li Xianglan seemed displeased: "Jiujiu has been raised by us since she was born, who gave you the right to give her away?"

Li Fengmei followed them in as well. Upon hearing that they were planning to adopt Jiujiu, she was shocked and grabbed Gu Xiaobei, "Have you gone mad? This is a big deal, shouldn’t you discuss with Old Lu first?" She was here to buy potatoes, not to adopt a child.

At this moment, Gu Xiaobei was resolute in wanting to take Jiujiu away regardless. She didn’t care about what Li Fengmei said. She coldly asked Li Xianglan, "What do you want to do?"

Li Xianglan spoke harshly, "I don’t believe you genuinely want to treat Jiujiu well, you just want a free servant. Keep dreaming."

Gu Xiaobei sneered, "Seldom do I see a toxic woman like you. Don’t assume everyone is as malicious as you!"

"You..." Li Xianglan was speechless. If it were a matter of being obnoxious, rude, and cursing out, no one could beat her. But when it came to poised and calculated criticism, she didn’t have that skill.

The Chen Clan Elder coughed a few times, and then spoke, "I’m still alive, Jiujiu is my daughter and you don’t have the right to make decisions for her. I agree to the arrangement today. Old sixth, call the village chief over...let him serve as witness...as of today, Jiujiu will no longer have the Chen surname ...her life and death...will no longer be related to the Chen Family." The elder struggled to finish, tears streaming down her face. The pain of giving away a child is like cutting off a piece of one’s own flesh.

Upon hearing this, Chen Gang ran out. Even though he could not bear to part with Jiujiu, he knew all of this was for her betterment.

It wasn’t long before he brought back the village chief and a highly respected clan leader.

The Chen Clan Elder explained the situation to the Village Chief through coughs. Everyone in Chenjiaping knew about Jiujiu’s sufferings at the Chen Family.

Whenever Jiujiu was beaten, anyone who stood up for her would only result in harsher punishment from Li Xianglan. Over time, nobody dared to intervene.

Jiujiu’s burn scar on her chest happened in winter, when Li Xianglan asked Jiujiu to change the coal bricks (a brick-like mix of coal dust and soil molded to shape). Seeing the red heat remains in the bricks that Jiujiu brought out, Li Xianglan accused Jiujiu of wasting the coal bricks, held her down and beat her incessantly. Jiujiu’s chest was pressed against the hot brick.

Neighbour Wang Auntie heard Li Xianglan yelling and abusing. She hurried over only to find Jiujiu already unconscious. That was how Jiujiu was saved.

A palm-sized scar was left on Jiujiu’s chest. Li Xianglan didn’t want to treat the scar, and neighbors couldn’t bear the sight of it. Secretly, they crushed Terramycin tablets into powder, wrapped them up, and slipped it to Jiujiu, instructing her to sprinkle it over her wound before sleep.

However, Wang Auntie had a big row with Li Xianglan over this. Once Li Xianglan started cursing, no defamatory words were off-limits. She was infamous for her vicious language in the village.

Later, the village chief and the older generation rushed over, threatened her, and Li Xianglan finally calmed down a bit.

But beating and scolding Jiujiu continued as usual. Neighbors could only bear with it and pretend they heard nothing.

Moreover, these were others’ household affairs after all, it wasn’t convenient to always step in. Now that they heard someone was willing to adopt Jiujiu, the village chief was naturally elated. Jiujiu was finally escaping from her bitter life.

In this remote rural area, giving away a child was as simple as giving away a kitten or a puppy. Especially after the family planning policy was implemented, many parents would give away their daughters to make room for sons. Therefore, there were no procedures, and all that needed to be done was to find a couple of witnesses.

Seeing the village chief and clan elder all agreeing, Li Xianglan didn’t dare to say anything, but distinctly bore a resentful look, shooting daggers at Jiujiu who was shrunken in the corner.

Seeing the situation, Li Fengmei realized that no matter how worried she was, her advice was pointless. Gu Xiaobei was simply too resolved to hear any persuasion at this moment.

Jiujiu, standing by, was both happy and sad. She was happy at the thought of being able to leave with this pretty, gentle auntie and not having to bear the beatings anymore. But she was also sad thinking about leaving her mother and brother Chen Gang- she wouldn’t see them anymore. Tears welled up in her eyes at the thought.