The Country Maiden: Fields and Leisure-Chapter 841 - 840: Isn’t This a Disgrace?

Including Old Granny Zhang, there were seven children in the house crying for food.

The Zhang Family was already struggling, and now with so many more mouths to feed, everyone had to eat. Lady Zhao had a child every year and had no proper nutrition. Her health was half deteriorated, and most of the time, she lay on the bed.

The entire burden of the family was on Zhang Dabao’s shoulders.

Zhang Dabao used to worry about not having a son, and now he worried about having too many children, unable to feed them.

All year round, scraping by in the fields, by the end of the year, during the New Year, others could still see some meat at the table, but the Zhang Family, on New Year’s day, considered it fortunate if each person got a bowl of dry rice.

This was all thanks to Old Granny Zhang. Although she was young, she was indeed diligent, doing housework, taking care of her younger siblings, and serving Lady Zhao.

When she had a little free time, she planted some vegetables in front of the house and behind it so that there could be a little more on the dining table.

Every day, she got up before dawn to work and only lay down late at night.

It could be said that most of the children in the Zhang Family were raised by Old Granny Zhang single-handedly.

Old Granny Zhang worked day and night; the washing and scrubbing at home were all done by her.

In her spare moments, she went to the mountains to find food to sell for a little money to support the household.

The people of Zhang Family Village all said that Zhang Dabao and his wife were truly blessed. The whole family was indebted to this adopted girl. Not only did she bring so many children to the Zhang Family, but she also raised all the younger siblings.

Some said Zhang Dabao and his wife were shrewd, training a child bride early on. Old Granny Zhang could handle everything inside and outside the house and was quite good-looking. Truly, they had struck gold.

What was originally idle talk among adults was overheard by a group of kids. They ran to Zhang Xiahe, mocking him, saying that he already had a wife, a picked-up wife, and so on...

Zhang Xiahe was the eldest son of Zhang Dabao and was dearly loved. No matter how hard it was, Zhang Xiahe was always well-fed and wore the cleanest and tidiest clothes in the family.

Even so, compared to other children in the village, he was naturally a bit inferior.

Hearing this, he couldn’t bear it and went home crying and making a fuss, saying many unpleasant things, not wanting Old Granny Zhang to be his wife, saying it was a disgrace!

He wanted to drive Old Granny Zhang out.

Zhang Dabao, feeling sorry for his son, agreed not to let Old Granny Zhang be his wife. However, he couldn’t bear to drive Old Granny Zhang out either.

With Old Granny Zhang in the house, there was always hot food when he came home. The house was tidy, and the younger children were all raised by her. His own wife had to stay in bed for half the year starting from autumn.

As for the other children, the second eldest, though seven or eight years old, barely knew how to wash clothes and feed chickens, and nothing else.

Laosan and Laosi were at the mischievous age, and the youngest daughter, born in autumn, was the weakest and least healthy, and they didn’t dare let her do any work.

If Old Granny Zhang were driven out, wouldn’t the family fall apart?

So Zhang Dabao coaxed Zhang Xiahe, saying Old Granny Zhang wouldn’t be his wife but would stay at home as a maid, just to serve the family.

After that, Zhang Xiahe really treated Old Granny Zhang as a maid, and the other younger ones followed suit, ordering her around every day.

Outside, Zhang Xiahe also bragged to his playmates about having a maid at home.

People ran into Zhang Dabao and asked if they really treated Old Granny Zhang as a maid.

Some people with more decency advised Zhang Dabao, saying that since Chun Tao came to the Zhang Family, she had been nothing but helpful. At fourteen or fifteen years old, she had taken on half the household’s burden. If not a child bride, after raising her for ten years, shouldn’t she be treated as a daughter and get married off as a support?

How could they treat a good girl like a maid? Isn’t that ruining her?

Zhang Dabao didn’t care, saying his son didn’t want Old Granny Zhang as his wife, so he had to save face for his son. He merely said that Old Granny Zhang was picked up out of pity and given food, and naturally, she had to work to repay them.

The neighbors saw how foolish Zhang Dabao was and couldn’t say much more. They only shook their heads, predicting regret for the Zhang Family in the future.

Although Old Granny Zhang was young, the household and fieldwork couldn’t do without her. Such an industrious girl would be sought after by any other family. The Zhang Family, however, treating her this way, hurting and cooling her heart—if she leaves one day, the Zhang Family’s hard days will truly begin.

In front of others, Zhang Dabao spoke of treating Old Granny Zhang as a maid. But back home, he felt uneasy.

At night, after the children had gone to bed, he mentioned the matter to Lady Zhao.

Lady Zhao always doted on Zhang Xiahe the most. Because of Zhang Xiahe, she got rid of the label of being a barren woman and wasn’t laughed at anymore.

In her heart, this son was better than anyone else. She was already dissatisfied with Old Granny Zhang, thinking she was unworthy of her son. frёeweɓηovel_coɱ

Now, hearing that her son didn’t like her, without hesitation, she agreed.

Zhang Dabao felt some regret now that he thought about it. He hesitantly told Lady Zhao, only to be spat on by her.

She revealed a secret—that Old Granny Zhang wasn’t adopted but stolen.

At first, the couple went to town to see if anyone was giving away children. They asked many families but found none.

Even if they found some, those who sold children wanted money, and the price was high.

Where could the couple get money? They wandered around town for a few days without finding anything suitable.

Unwilling to return and obsessed with having a child, they made a ruthless decision to go to the county, quietly take a child, and bring it back unnoticed.

Determined, they went to the county. Before even entering, they saw an old lady holding a sleeping girl and carrying a bundle.

Maybe the old lady needed to relieve herself or something; she put the girl and the bundle by the roadside and went into the woods.

The couple saw that the little girl’s features were like a picture and looked as lovely as a doll from a New Year painting. She was well-dressed, and there was a bundle beside her. They were instantly tempted.

Before the old lady returned from the woods, the couple took the girl and the bundle and ran away.

They ran several miles before stopping to catch their breath, realizing the girl was awake. She wasn’t crying, so they lied, saying the old lady had sold her to them.

The girl started crying in fear. They asked her name, but she didn’t know. They asked where her home was, and she shook her head. They asked if she knew the old lady, and she shook her head.

She knew nothing.

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