Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

  After weighing the pros and cons, Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao could only grit her teeth in heartache. “I didn’t know about this. I only thought that I was doing a good deed. Mr. Policeman, I won’t do it again. In that case, I won’t raise her anymore. You can send her back home if you wish.”

  At most, she would go look for Zhaodi’s father to demand her money back. Since it was illegal, she believed that they wouldn’t dare not return it.

  Little Zhaodi was taken away, and the villagers were discussing among themselves. Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao sneered, “Mu Jingzhe, you can’t bear to see our family doing well, can you? Why did you have to snitch on us? If my sons don’t get a wife, I won’t let you off.”

  Mu Jingzhe frowned when she heard that. It wasn’t because of Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao’s scolding, but because of Little Zhaodi.

  Even if Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao scolded her, she could just scold her back. If it still didn’t work out, she could just hit her back. Mu Jingzhe dismissed Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao and thought of Little Zhaodi instead.

  If Little Zhaodi was sent back to her parents, she didn’t know if her parents would sell her again.

  Perhaps they would be intimidated by the police and would stop trying to sell her for a while, but they would definitely give Little Zhaodi a hard time. She didn’t know what would be worse—to slog away at home to serve her younger brother and parents or suffer at the hands of Eldest Sister-In-Law Shao.

  Mu Jingzhe didn’t know the answer either, but soon, there was no need for such a comparison. Little Zhaodi no longer had to be a slave for her younger brother. It was said that Little Zhaodi’s parents had been given a warning after an investigation by the police previously. They had originally agreed to it, but in the end, they had run away that night, perhaps because they were afraid of being caught or being asked to return the money they’d received for selling their daughter.

  Whether Little Zhaodi would stay or go was really a dilemma now. Because her maternal grandmother was still around, she ended up staying with her.

  However, her maternal grandmother wasn’t well-off either. The only advantage was that Little Zhaodi no longer had to be beaten up. Although her maternal grandmother was very old and needed to be taken care of, this was still very good for Little Zhaodi.

  She no longer had to live in fear of being sold or beaten up.

  After living at her maternal grandmother’s house for two days, Little Zhaodi received a bag of clothes. It had been sent over by Little Bei. It wasn’t new clothes, but her old ones.

  Although it was an old set of clothes, they were clean and neatly folded. Besides, they had either been bought or made by Mu Jingzhe for Little Bei. They were better than the ones sold at the market stalls. Since Little Bei had grown out of them and they were still in good condition, these clothes had been stored away properly. Previously, when she had seen the tattered clothes on Little Zhaodi, she had wanted to give them to her.

  They were the same age, but Little Zhaodi was too thin and petite, so they fit her perfectly.

  Little Bei still remembered the cold winters of the past. Although it was still hot right now, in the blink of an eye, the autumn wind would quickly cool the weather down.

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  She didn’t want Little Zhaodi to freeze.

  To Little Zhaodi, these clothes came at the right time. These were also the best clothes she had ever received. Overjoyed, she kept hugging them and couldn’t bear to wear them.

  Although the village chief had only said that someone had found out about her situation and donated the clothes to her, not saying who it was, Little Zhaodi knew that it must be Sister Little Bei.

  She could smell Sister Little Bei’s scent on her clothes. Only Sister Little Bei would give clothes to her.

  Little Zhaodi cherished these clothes and put them away. The day after she received the clothes, she woke up before dawn and cooked a pot of potatoes. She sprinkled some salt at the bottom of the bowl and saved up some salt to eat with her maternal grandmother.

  Little Zhaodi kept the leftovers for her grandmother. “Grandma, you can eat the leftovers when you’re hungry later.”

  After helping her maternal grandmother settle down, Little Zhaodi carried the basket to the cornfield and plucked the corn that could be eaten. Carrying a basket full of corn that didn’t match her size at all, she set off for Great Eastern Village alone.

  She rested a few times on the way. When she reached the village entrance, she carefully changed into the new clothes she had brought with her and set off to look for Little Bei. When she reached her door, she secretly poured the corn on the firewood. After a while, when she saw Shao Nan come out, she mustered up the courage to call his name.

  “I want to see Sister Little Bei and Auntie.”

  Shao Nan was a little surprised to see her, but he didn’t say much. After some thought, he called Little Bei and Mu Jingzhe over. Little Bei’s eyes lit up when she saw the clothes she was wearing.

  “Sister.”

  As soon as she ran up to them, Little Zhaodi suddenly knelt down. “Sister Little Bei, Auntie, thank you.”

  The main reason she had come today was to thank them. She knew that it was all thanks to them that she had managed to escape those beatings.

  She didn’t know how to show how thankful she felt. She had heard adults say that kowtowing and thanking was the best way to express one’s gratitude, so she kowtowed before them.

  She kowtowed seriously and got up again without needing help. “I don’t have anything good at home, so I brought some corn. It’s just the right time to eat it.”

  Little Zhaodi pointed at the corn on the firewood. “I’ll take my leave now.”

  After saying that, she ran off. Little Bei and Mu Jingzhe then reacted. “Wait, you can leave after dinner! Dinner is ready.”

  “No, I’m leaving.”

  She had only come with a basket of corn on her back, so how could she stay around and eat for free? That wouldn’t count as showing her gratitude. She’d be taking advantage of the situation.

  Little Zhaodi ran with the basket on her back. Mu Jingzhe and Little Bei wanted to catch up to her, but although she was small, she ran very quickly and disappeared in the blink of an eye.

  Mu Jingzhe and Little Bei stood at the village entrance and saw a kid with a basket running far away.

  “She sure runs fast.”

  Little Bei held Mu Jingzhe’s hand. “Mommy, I didn’t expect her to come over to express her gratitude.”

  “Neither did I.”

  Little Bei touched her chest. “Mommy, I feel strange. I only gave her the clothes I couldn’t wear, but she thanked me so seriously.”

  “You did well, Little Bei.” Mu Jingzhe praised her. “I’ll ask around about her later.”

  Since she had already helped, she might as well help her all the way and follow up on her. The most important question was whether she had enough to eat and was able to go to school. She was a school-age child, so she should go to school.

  However, later on, they heard that Little Zhaodi didn’t go to school because she didn’t have the money to pay the tuition fees.

  This was something that couldn’t be helped. In that era, some girls didn’t have the chance to go to school. In many families, only boys had the chance to get an education.

  Little Bei had been paying attention, hoping to hear news of Little Zhaodi. After hearing about the situation, she thought for a moment and suddenly said, “Mommy, didn’t you say before that if one has the ability, they should help people and repay society? I want to help Sister Zhaodi and allow her to go to school. She was so envious when she saw me and Third Brother come back from school.”

  Mu Jingzhe was actually already planning to sponsor Little Zhaodi. Fate had made her encounter this child. Plus, she had the same name as Li Zhaodi.

  Based on Little Zhaodi’s situation, the only way to change her fate was probably by going to school. If she could get away from the mountains by going to school, then her fate might also change.

  Otherwise, even if she was no longer a child bride, her future might not change much.

  She hadn’t expected Little Bei to be having the same thoughts. She smiled. “Sure.”

  Little Bei heaved a sigh of relief when she heard Mu Jingzhe agree. “That’s great. I’ve done the math, Mommy. The school fees aren’t that expensive. I’ll work hard to earn money in the future to help her.”

  “Little Bei, you are awesome.”

  Little Bei smiled. “I’m a good child, Mommy, right?”

  “Right, you’re a good child!”