Chapter 10, Selling Oneself

Sometimes I would also pick mushrooms and set traps for animals. After many failures, I finally caught a mountain chicken. The stone cruelly executed it on the spot, and I acted as an accomplice, filling the chicken's belly with seasoning, wrapping it in moist mud, and burying it underground. I then built a fire on top, roasting the sweet potatoes I had brought from home. Once the sweet potatoes were finished, I dug out the chicken, which was truly tender and juicy, delicious and flavorful

I took great care in creating a treasure to present, using black, white, and green colors to depict a giant panda eating bamboo. After filling it with buckwheat husks, I joyfully brought it forth as a precious offering

I lowered my head in shame and continued to practice my needlework diligently

My poor dear grandson, it is your grandmother's inadequacy that has caused you trouble. When next year brings more abundance, I will make you a complete set of gold headwear... The grandmother seemed to want to say more, but after several attempts to speak, she ultimately swallowed her words and simply wiped away her tears

Where is it not similar? Isn't this a butterfly wing? How similar it is! Moreover, it saves fabric. Grandmother glared at her with a stern face and pointed to the flowers on the pillow.

She would express dissatisfaction with the sewing I did, completely undo it, and then teach me the techniques step by step. She would scold me for not being nimble enough in the kitchen, and then nag me to learn how to cook new dishes. Every day, she would remember to place the first egg laid by the hen into my hands, commanding me to take it to nourish my body. Alternatively, when attending others' celebrations, she would secretly bring back delicious white flour cakes, giving half to the youngest grandson and quietly slipping the other half to me.

I was so affected that I did not touch a needle and thread for half a month

Is your good-for-nothing daughter really that easy to raise? Just look at her face full of pimples! Her arms are as thick as other people's thighs! Grandmother scolded her back, then turned around and scolded me, saying, "Such a big girl, don't run around in the hot sun all day, be careful not to get sunburned!"

I immediately stood up straight, with dignity and courtesy, and said: "Elder brother, your lesson is well taken. I will return and diligently practice my needlework, and will not go fishing anymore"

I thought life would continue like this, calm and uneventful. I am no longer the unfortunate Lin Luor from the original work, but an ordinary village girl, living a simple life

I wonder what the outside world looks like... I am filled with longing, but upon reflection, given the chaotic state of logic on the Chinese mainland, it is uncertain whether the outside is embroiled in a battle akin to a demonic realm. It is perhaps best not to take this risk.

"Don't be so glib, a girl should not say such things, don't you have any shame?!" Grandmother laughed, her wrinkles smoothing out, dispelling her usual frown. She got up to unlock the cabinet and took out a thick phoenix-headed silver hairpin, handing it to me while advising, "This was left by your mother, keep it well, and make sure your aunt and the others do not see it."

However, the heavens do not always align with human wishes

After much hesitation, Shitou finally praised, "This little dog is really well done, it looks exactly like your spare tire."

The first thing I learned to do in needlework was to gather all the leftover scraps of red, yellow, green, and white fabric from making clothes for the New Year and sew them together to make a pillow for my grandmother. The exterior was designed in the shape of a butterfly spreading its wings, and it was filled with buckwheat husks, along with some cassia seeds.

Setting aside the topics of disfigurement and my wife, our relationship has improved significantly. Since the summer, during the hottest part of the day when everyone is resting, he would take me to roam freely across the mountains, picking wild fruits such as sour jujubes, wild mulberries, mountain berries, persimmons, and lantern fruits. We would stuff everything edible into our mouths. Then we would go to the stream, lower our homemade fishing rods, and if luck was on our side, we might catch one or two fish. We would skewer them with sticks, start a fire by the stream, roast them until golden brown, and spread the salt we brought along, devouring them heartily. This unpolluted food is a delicacy that cannot be found in the city.

Later, I swore that everything I said was a joke, yet Stone would still occasionally bring it up to mock me

After I had eaten and drunk enough, I began to teach the stone to read. I used the muddy ground as a blackboard and picked up a small twig to write and draw on it. He started learning very quickly; I only needed to explain something once. After I finished explaining, I would let him practice on his own. However, for some unknown reason, he began to learn more and more slowly. I had to repeat each character seven or eight times before he could remember it, and only after I lost my temper and hit his head with the twig while scolding him "fool" could he finally remember.

When the stones are not strong enough to become steel, they always use them to educate me: "Look how virtuous others are, look at you... like a muddy monkey."

I am only afraid that you will take your great-grandson to play around the village, causing us to search everywhere

As spring gives way to autumn, after the final round of wheat harvesting, it is the season of leisure for farmers. The Nangong family has likely forgotten about me, as they have not come to trouble me again, which is truly a great blessing

The price of silver in this world is not worth much. I was somewhat confused as I picked up the silver hairpin, and upon holding it, I felt it was particularly heavy. My grandmother instructed me to twist the phoenix head of the hairpin. After twisting it open, I discovered that it was hollow and filled with gold beads, weighing approximately 2 taels, with excellent quality. Due to the high value of gold and the low value of silver, I roughly estimated that these gold beads, when converted to rice prices, would amount to about 5 stones.

Thus, under circumstances of unawareness, I was quietly sold off

After a summer, the wound at the corner of my mouth healed, and my teeth grew back, but my skin was tanned to the color of charcoal. Coupled with my skinny frame, the neighbor, Aunt Ma, commented after seeing me: "This girl has a nice face, but her body is thin, and her bottom is small. At first glance, she can't handle heavy work. Women should be plump to bear children well"

As winter sets in, after the first snowfall, my cousin gets married. My grandmother, overwhelmed with joy, unexpectedly suffers a stroke, leaving her paralyzed in bed, unable to get up again. Her mind also becomes increasingly muddled, and at times she cannot even recognize people.

The home is in complete disarray

Although there are a few places where the stitching is uneven, I still find it acceptable

Stone: "Bastard! Come back and be a mud monkey!"

My cousin joked with me: "Sister, what are you sewing? Is a butterfly supposed to look like this?"

In fact, even if she does not speak, I understand. There are certain things she is reluctant to do, yet must do; these gold beads and promises are the dowry and compensation that an elderly person has done their utmost to secure for their helpless granddaughter.

I smiled and playfully embraced her, and she lost her temper, sighing: "Seeing you reminds me of your poor mother; I wonder if the old woman will be able to hold on until she sees you get married"

The two brothers originally had a good relationship. The second uncle, crying, vowed to change after cutting off his little finger. The eldest uncle, being soft-hearted, although angry, could not bear to see his own younger brother beaten to death by debt collectors, so he had no choice but to sell land and property to cover the losses. The eldest cousin, who had already married, also quietly took some money from her dowry to help out. The grandmother's trunk was emptied, yet there was still a shortfall for the eldest brother.

This irritable old person, who enjoys scolding others, may perhaps be the only one in this family who truly cares for me

Compared to embroidery, I prefer to spend time in the kitchen making snacks. Even before my journey, I enjoyed studying recipes and showcasing my homemade dishes on my blog. Therefore, I have a much stronger talent in this area. When the cow at Shitou's home gave birth to a calf, I asked him for some milk. Combined with egg whites, the double-skin milk I concocted was praised by everyone for its deliciousness, but unfortunately, milk is precious, so I cannot make it often. Moreover, I was pleasantly surprised to find that there are ingredients like chili and corn here, so I inquired with those who often go out and learned that the sea is just a hundred miles away from Jinshui Town. There are often sea travelers returning from outside, and I asked him for some milk. Combined with egg whites, the double-skin milk I concocted was praised by everyone for its deliciousness, but unfortunately, milk is precious, so I cannot make it often. Additionally, I was pleasantly surprised to find that there are ingredients like chili and corn here, so I inquired with those who often go out and learned that the sea is just a hundred miles away from Jinshui Town. There are often sea travelers returning from outside, accompanied by golden-haired, green-eyed, or completely black creatures that follow them ashore, bringing many fresh novelties.

The buyer is the Nangong family.

The second uncle, who took my dowry, did not go into business as expected, but instead became infatuated with gambling. Not only did he lose the shop in town, but he also squandered the capital that the eldest uncle had lent him, leaving him completely broke. Furthermore, he borrowed money from loan sharks. When the creditors came knocking, it drove the aunt to tears, causing her to cry, throw a fit, and even threaten to hang herself. In a fit of rage, she packed her bags and took her son back to her parental home, declaring that life had become unbearable.

Once addicted to gambling, there is no chance of recovery

Later, that pillow became my grandmother's treasure, and she used it every night when sleeping. Upon hearing about this, Shitou found it quite amusing and brought some scraps of cloth from home, insisting that I make one for him as well.

Every morning, I wake up with the crowing of the rooster, help with cleaning and preparing breakfast, and then practice embroidery with a piece of cloth. Unfortunately, my patience is lacking; I can manage simple clothing patterns, but I always make mistakes on larger embroidery projects, unlike my cousins who have practiced since childhood. One is sixteen years old, and the other is five; both are refined young ladies.