nashuaworldcup Chapter 13 Liu San Niang's Little Daughter Qin Daya
Chapter 13 Liu San Niang's Little Daughter Qin Daya
When Liu San Niang mentioned it, Lu Tao remembered.
That must have been twelve years ago.
Liu San Niang was a refugee from another place. At that time, she was the only one left in her family. Through an introduction, she got together with Qin Han, a hunter in the village who was eight years older than her.
Qin Han was the only one left in his family. He could earn money as a hunter, but no matchmaker was willing to come to his door to propose marriage.
Because he was scratched on the face by wild animals in the mountains when he was a child, a large scar runs across the corner of his right eye and the lower left jaw, making him look ugly and fierce.
Liu San Niang had no other choice at the time; she just needed a place to stay.
Unexpectedly, Qin Han knew how to cherish his wife, and the couple's life quickly improved.
She became pregnant and gave birth to a baby girl the following year.
In the third year, Qin Han broke his leg while hunting in the mountains. He consulted many doctors but could not cure it, and he also spent all the money in his family.
After running out of money for medical treatment, more than a year passed before the Qin and Han dynasties ended.
From then on, Liu San Niang lived with her young daughter.
In the autumn and winter of the year Qin Han fell, Liu San Niang had to take care of her child and her husband, and had no time to gather firewood.
Back then, Tian Zhiyuan and Lu Tao had to gather firewood for their family every day to prepare for the winter.
So they picked up a lot more, set aside some, and left it at Qin Han's doorstep on their way down the mountain.
This task was carried out for three autumns and winters.
After the Qin and Han dynasties fell, Liu San Niang resumed her family's craft and started making tofu to make a living. Every afternoon, she would go to collect firewood, and they no longer shared the burden.
Nine years have passed, and Lu Tao really doesn't remember it.
After all, I didn't expect any reward when I did it.
They would always leave the firewood behind and never encounter anyone else or speak to anyone.
“You just put down the firewood and left, but I was watching from the window.” Liu San Niang gently patted Lu Tao’s hand. “Sister-in-law, don’t worry, take it slow. Just get through this winter, and things will get better.”
Lu Tao nodded repeatedly, tears welling in her eyes, "Yes, it will be alright."
"I'll have Daya bring some rice and flour over in a bit," Liu Sanniang sighed. "I really didn't expect that the Tian family wouldn't give you anything."
"They're all our own grandchildren, we should at least give them some rice and flour."
"She's definitely a stepmother!"
Liu San Niang became increasingly angry as she spoke, "But Master Tian is our biological father, the children's biological grandfather, how could he do this to us?"
Lu Tao felt a pang of sorrow. What about her biological father and grandfather...?
Tian Zhongqing treated Tian Zhigao's stepson and his family much better than he treated Zhiyuan, the son born to his first wife.
"Third Aunt, there's no need to send rice or flour. Yesterday, Tian Tian and Jing He went to the county and sold more than ten catties of wild vegetables and bought a catty of rice."
Liu San Niang thought it was dried wild vegetables for sale, and that a dozen catties could be exchanged for a dozen copper coins, enough to buy a catty of rice.
“Alright, then if you encounter any difficulties in the future, just tell me.” Liu San Niang didn’t force her.
She looked at Tian Tian and Tian Jinghe, "Tian Tian, Jinghe, Auntie usually goes to the county to sell tofu and leaves early. If you go up the mountain to dig for wild vegetables, could you take my daughter with you?"
Tian Tian thought it was fine, "Okay, no problem."
Having one more person means having one more companion.
After Liu San Niang left, Lu Tao asked about the missing items.
"Mom, I hid the things." Tian Tian ran to the back of the house, actually retrieving the items from the system.
Tian Xiang took the earthenware jar and put it back on the shelf. "Tian Tian is so clever. When I saw Grandma... the Tian family members were all stunned."
Lu Tao thought to herself... "That's right." She wasn't just stunned; her legs went weak, and her whole body ached instinctively.
"Mom, you were really amazing just now, standing in front of Aunt Tian..." Tian Xiang continued to exclaim.
The whole family has a gentle and mild temperament.
From her father... to her mother, to her and Tian Tian, and Jing He... each one is softer than the last.
However... while Tian Xiang was cooking, she glanced at Tian Tian, who was comforting Tian Jinghe. But after her second sister woke up from drowning, she seemed to be braver than before.
This is a good thing!
"Aunt Lu." Suddenly a small voice rang out.
The family looked up and saw a little girl of about twelve or thirteen years old standing timidly not far away.
“Da Ya?” Madam Lu recognized her.
She is Liu San Niang's youngest daughter, Qin Daya.
The little girl held a clay pot in one hand and a bowl in the other, containing a piece of clean, white tofu.
"Aunt Lu, my mother asked me to bring you a piece of tofu," Qin Daya murmured softly, "and a ceramic jar as well."
"My mother said... there's a chip on the earthenware pot, Auntie, please don't mind..."
Lu Tao quickly accepted the offer, saying, "How could Auntie possibly mind?"
"Thank you, Daya, for making a special trip to deliver it."
Qin Daya blushed and said, "I'm leaving, Auntie."
He ran away without looking back.
Lu Tao handed the tofu to Tian Xiang, saying, "Let's eat it tonight."
Rice was already added to the wild vegetable soup at noon, so we can skip the tofu.
What just happened was a minor incident and did not affect Tian Tian's family's plans.
After the family finished their wild vegetable porridge, they each went about their own business.
Tian Tian and Tian Jinghe went up the mountain and dug up another ten or so kilograms of wild vegetables.
After Lu Tao wove two bamboo mats, she went to cut thatch to weave a curtain.
Tian Xiang washed all the wild vegetables clean and spread them out on a bamboo mat to dry.
*
Seeing the bamboo mats piled high with wild vegetables drying in the sun, Tian Tian and Tian Jinghe were full of energy.
Especially Tian Jinghe, who woke up early with a rosy face, and as soon as he put down his chopsticks, he picked up his backpack and waited beside Tian Tian.
Lu Tao was extremely helpless. "Jinghe, let your second sister eat slowly, there's no rush."
Tian Jinghe stopped staying by Tian Tian's side and sat under the eaves, staring intently at Tian Tian with his big eyes.
Tian Tian had no choice but to speed up.
"Mother, let's take Daya up the mountain with us today."
"Okay, keep a close eye on Daya, make sure nothing happens to her," Lu Tao instructed.
When the siblings arrived at Liu San Niang's house, Qin Daya was looking out from the doorway.
When she saw Tian Tian and Tian Jinghe, her eyes visibly brightened.
"Da Ya." Tian Tian waved to her from afar.
Qin Daya ran a short distance outside and called softly, "Sister Tian, Jinghe."
Tian Tian walked over and took her hand. "Da Ya, where's your mother?"
“Mother has already gone to the county,” Qin Daya said.
Upon hearing this, Tian Tian felt immense admiration for Liu San Niang.
It's only around six o'clock, and Liu San Niang has already set off for the county to sell tofu. Including the time spent making tofu, she got up at around three o'clock.
"Sister Sweetie, Jinghe... my mother left some soy milk."
Qin Daya pulled Tian Tian and Tian Jinghe into her kitchen, where two bowls of soy milk were placed on the table.
"You guys drink."
"I've already drunk it."
The soy milk exudes a rich aroma of soybeans, and a layer of oil has already formed on the surface.
Tian Tian picked it up and took a sip; it was surprisingly sweet.
"Did they put sugar in it?"
The food I've been eating these past few days has been completely unsalted and unseasoned, without any salt or sweetness.
After drinking this sip of soy milk... she realized her tongue wasn't damaged.