novelraw Chapter 425 - 15: Are You a Pig?_3
Chapter 425 - 15: Are You a Pig?_3
Chapter 425: Chapter 15: Are You a Pig?_3
Old Mrs. Chu was determined to have a son, wishing she could drown her daughters. Two daughters, one sold at thirteen to a passing "matchmaker," with a bride price of 66.
Another "married" at fourteen to a violent cripple...
The bride price was 80 yuan.
Back then, 80 yuan was a huge sum.
Aunt Juhua mentioned these things in anger before, and when Daya brought them up now, Aunt Juhua remembered the two young and naive daughters of the Old Chu Family, falling silent.
These days, life is hard for everyone, and girls are not valued as much as boys. Many marry off their daughters just for the bride price...
But measuring the bride price and gender preference comes in degrees.
Why was Old Mrs. Chu not well-liked in the village?
People have their own scales in mind!
...
But pity is just pity. If she agreed just like that, she wouldn’t be Aunt Juhua.
She shook her head and said, "Daya, you’re still young. Your family doesn’t ask you to work, so why come here to suffer?"
If Daya goes out and talks, dealing with capital transactions, she would be done for.
Besides, these days it’s not easy to move to the city. Chu River just got married and hasn’t even followed her husband’s military unit yet. How could she take her niece? It’s not that easy.
Probably just coaxing the girl.
Daya certainly knew what the adults were thinking.
They loved to deceive themselves, so they thought everyone was lying, but Daya knew her aunt wasn’t lying.
Following her aunt, though she suffered beatings and scoldings and did work, she ate much better than before. Even before, when there wasn’t enough to eat, she also got beaten and scolded.
She knelt on the ground without getting up: "Aunt, I swear to the heavens, whether you take me in or not, I will never speak of this matter."
"I don’t want money or food from you. I’ll secretly help with the work at your house... Aunt, please teach me!"
"I want to go with Auntie; I don’t want to stay at home."
Before Aunt Juhua could refuse, she got up and started chopping wild vegetables to feed the chickens.
Aunt Juhua’s family was stunned.
"Granny, teach her. She can thread the needle for you, sew on buttons. You won’t have to secretly light the lamp at night," Bao Dan said casually from the side. "Her brother Da Dan gave me three White Rabbit candies, saying he also wants to learn a skill and go with his aunt. Da Dan always keeps his word. He said Daya’s salary for the first two years would go to us, so it definitely will."
In the corner of the yard, Daya was chopping vegetables, skillfully and quickly, her thin arms like skinny poles, looking as thick as the handle of the knife.
Aunt Juhua sighed, "I don’t know much..."
But her tone was relaxed.
Whether she goes to the city or not, the little girl having a skill to earn food, being so smart and diligent, means she most likely won’t have to be sold to a cripple or a fool in the future...
...
Da Dan, the eldest nephew, took the three White Rabbit candies given by his aunt to find Qiangzi.
But the captain’s wife is very shrewd; using Daya’s tactic wouldn’t work. So Da Dan pondered for a while, looking over the heap of fish his aunt caught last night, all flopping in makeshift puddles...
Da Dan had an idea.
After gathering information from Qiangzi about his family, he went directly to the captain’s wife.
"Aunt, my uncle caught a lot of fish yesterday and asked me to clean them and send them over. Can you help cook them? Uncle said, if done well, it’s fifty cents per catty."
The money isn’t cheap, considering even a big grass carp weighs several catties.
But considering the salt and firewood used in cooking, it’s still worthwhile.
And for rural people, they have grains, but money... there really isn’t much.
The captain’s wife was tempted.
Thinking of marrying off a good family with a sewing machine as dowry, she needed to save some more money here.
But though tempted, the matter wasn’t that simple: "Where did your uncle get the fish?"
Thinking to herself: His uncle? Isn’t it Old Third from the Shi Family?
No wonder he’d need to clean them up. In the army, how could a soldier have any means to get meat?
Might as well just stay in the hometown.
Thinking of this, secretly eating fish, it’s fortunate Wen Juan didn’t marry there.
A common soldier is just not enough.
Da Dan didn’t even blink: "My uncle bought them from the supply and marketing cooperative before he left."
The captain’s wife laughed—bought them?
Fine, we’ll treat them as bought.
Catching so many fish in the brigade is undermining socialism.
But helping cook the fish for money is capitalism.
With both sides speaking, this matter is perfect.
As Da Dan secretly brought fish over, he stayed in the kitchen and didn’t leave.
"Aunt, I won’t sneak a bite, I just want to smell it..."
Keeping an eye on the pot, he began to count:
"1, 2, 3... 8, add oil!"
"1, 2, 3... 15... low heat..."
The flame under the stove crackled, but Da Dan stood there without blinking an eye.