Chapter 10: Your Heart Aches For Us Too

From the looks of her cheapskate father, he might fall sick because of depression today.

Now, their family couldn’t afford any more fuss, and his cheapskate father couldn’t afford a bout of illness.

Thinking of this, Li Xiaoran put down the clothes in her hand and walked towards her father.

When Zhao Xiu saw Li Xiaoran walking over, she seemed to understand what her daughter wanted to do and moved aside to let her daughter enlighten her man.

Zhao Xiu also knew that her man was feeling upset at this moment. However, since things had already come to this, they couldn’t change the outcome no matter how upset he was.

“Father, do you feel wronged? You’ve worked so hard for your family and done so many things, but in the end, you were treated like this. Previously, when I was forced to marry Luo Cheng, I thought the same. I was in despair. Seeing that you and Mother didn’t speak up for me, I wanted to die, so I hit the wall!” Li Xiaoran sat on the chair by the bed and said calmly.

Perhaps it was because there had been a similar encounter, or perhaps it was empathy, but Li Shun’s emotions were stirred.

It was true. He felt that way now. He felt as if everyone else had abandoned him. He felt disappointed and dejected.

Li Xiaoran could feel the fluctuation in her father’s emotions and immediately changed the topic.

“Father, as you can see, Grandpa and Grandma can let me marry Luo Cheng for the sake of the tiger bone today, and also let our family become a dowry. In the future, they will sell my sister for other things. Even a vicious tiger doesn’t eat its cubs. My sister and I don’t ask you to protect us, but you have to at least think for our sake. I’m lucky to have met Luo Cheng. But, will we still be so lucky the next time, when it’s Xiao Qing’s turn? Why? We have parents but we’re like Little Huzi, who doesn’t have parents, and we’re even worse off than Little Huzi is!”

“At least Little Huzi still has a grandmother who dotes on him and cares about him. What about me and my sister? What have we gotten?” Li Xiaoran mercilessly exposed the miserable past.

“While other people’s children were still wheedling for food in their parents’ arms, my sister and I were already working. What I remember most clearly was when my sister was only five years old. In the dead of winter, it was so cold, but she was sent out by Grandpa and Grandma to pick up firewood. My sister was so small and her little face was red from the cold, and she had frostbite on her hands and feet.”

“But what happened? When we finally picked up a bundle of firewood and returned, we saw Grandma, Eldest Uncle, and Second Uncle sitting around the fire and eating meat. At that time, it was as if we weren’t from the Li family. We clearly worked so hard to pick up firewood, but in the end, we didn’t even have a mouthful of meat soup. My sister was so ravenous that she wanted to drink the remaining meat soup on the table. She was even slapped by Eldest Aunt, who said that she was a glutton.”

“Another year, you and Mother discovered a large area of Gegen. Someone happened to buy it at a high price, and you and Mother dug up a large pile and sent it to town to sell for a lot of money. In the end, Grandpa got a bag of pastries from the other party and gave each of us a piece. Only the two of us didn’t get a share. At that time, Grandma even said that we wouldn’t starve to death even if we ate less!”

“Incidents like these are plentiful. Talking more about them will just cause a lot of heartache! Then let’s talk about it this time! If Li Yan isn’t willing to marry him, I’d have to marry him instead. For the sake of the tiger bone, my grandpa is willing abandon you, who is his son. Father, are you blind? They’ve never treated us as a family from the beginning to the end! Father, can you be more unyielding? Like other people’s parents, protect us sisters!” At this point, Li Xiaoran’s eyes were already red.

When Li Xiaoqing heard her sister’s nagging and remembered what she had experienced in the past, tears fell from her eyes.

“That’s right, Dad, can you and Mom feel sorry for my sister and me? Don’t make us feel like we have no parents!” Li Xiaoqing also complained.

“Dad, Mom, did you know? Grandma hit me with a stick when you weren’t around. She asked me to repeat what she said. She said that when I grew up, I had to take something back from my husband’s house to show respect to Grandpa and Grandma, Eldest Uncle and Second Uncle. She also asked me not to acknowledge my parents. She also said that when I get married in the future, I should let Grandpa and Grandma accept the betrothal gift. I didn’t want to say that. Not only did Grandma hit me, but she also poked me with a needle,” Li Xiaoqing said with tears streaming down her face.

As soon as he said this, everyone in the house was stunned. Li Xiaoran even rushed over crazily and pulled open her clothes to check.

Li Xiaoran had seen grandmothers inserting needles into their granddaughter in the news in the modern era of Earth. She didn’t expect that she would really encounter such a thing this time.

Upon closer inspection, there was indeed a purple dot on Li Xiaoqing’s thin and shriveled arm.

“You silly girl, why didn’t you say so?” Li Xiaoran’s heart ached so much that tears kept flowing down.

Li Xiaoqing shook her head and said, “It’s useless. At that time, there were no marks at all. You couldn’t have found anything even if I said it hurt!”

Zhao Xiu also came over to take a look. She hugged Li Xiaoqing and started crying.

God, she was a horrible mother. She didn’t even know how much her daughter had suffered.

Li Xiaoran also hugged Li Xiaoqing and her mother and cried, as if she wanted to vent all the grievances that the Host had experienced.

Li Shun was lying on his side, tears streaming down his face.

To think he was so useless.

In the past, he didn’t protect his wife and daughter. Now, he couldn’t even protect himself and was sold by his own father.

Perhaps this was his retribution!

After an unknown period of time, the sound of mother and daughter crying gradually faded.

Li Xiaoran wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes and sorted out her emotions. Just as she was about to say something, she heard the sound of others walking outside and even smelled the aroma of food.

However, from the beginning to the end, no one knocked on their door. No one came to call them for dinner.

At this moment, Li Shun’s heart turned completely cold. He closed his eyes in anguish.

At the same time, at the window on the other side, Little Huzi appeared and meowed like a cat.

Li Xiaoqing knew that Little Huzi was here and quickly ran to the window to take a look.

“Sister, Little Huzi is here!”

Zhao Xiu heard the commotion and looked over. She saw Li Xiaoran walking towards the window.

At this moment, Little Huzi handed over a bag of things and brought in another basin of things.

“Xiao Qing, Sister Xiaoran, this boiled egg and this pot of porridge were all given by Luo Cheng. He knew that you guys would be hungry and asked me to send them over!”