kvmb Chapter 116 Little Si is kidnapped, her plight is lonely and helpless.
Chapter 116 Little Si is kidnapped, her plight is lonely and helpless.
"Oh dear, what do you mean by that little brat named 'An Ding Si'? Tsk tsk tsk, that name is unlucky enough. I don't know if she's become a spirit or not, but her life is just too tough!"
Several old women from the village gathered around the threshing ground, gossiping amongst themselves. Their voices carried a feigned sense of regret mixed with a hint of schadenfreude.
"That's for sure! Take Ninth Master, for example. He used to be a very wealthy family in the surrounding villages, but now he's almost emptied his pockets just to hire that young assistant."
But this young assistant had this girl with him, who was always sickly and would sleep for days on end when she was sick, needing to eat wild ginseng to stay alive.
"Look at her birth chart, tsk tsk, a real jinx! She may look cute and innocent, but she's essentially a burden!"
"Yes, yes, I heard that even Young Master Qiu's sister couldn't stand it anymore. She came all the way from Chang'an City to find us, insisting on selling Xiao Si to a high-ranking official for money. She even said she would use the money to support her parents in their old age and save up for her dowry!"
This is going to be interesting!!
Another old woman whispered in agreement, glancing at the mountain path in the distance.
"Hey, look, this older sister isn't entirely unreasonable! If we sell this little troublemaker who's setting up the business, firstly, it can help Ninth Master turn around his cash flow, and secondly, Young Master Qiu can keep his job and might even become his successor!"
"Besides, if people find out that Xiao Si is destined to be a jinx, who would dare to buy her? She won't even be worth the price of a ginseng root; she'll definitely be a money-loser!"
"Oh dear, don't even mention it! I heard that Young Master Qiu's sister, Qiu Haixia, hates that little brat to death! She threatened to beat her to a pulp, saying that this demon is a scourge! That day, Young Master Qiu went out to make house calls early in the morning, thinking that his sister had left, but it turned out that she hadn't left at all and had come back unexpectedly!"
Qiu Haixia stormed into Ninth Master's courtyard, carrying a sack in her hand, her eyes filled with rage.
Little Si had just finished feeding the village's night cats and was hiding in a corner, happily playing with an old tree branch as if it were a greatsword, completely unaware of the approaching danger.
"Come here!" Qiu Haixia rushed forward, grabbed Xiao Si by the back of her collar, and lifted her up like a chick.
Little Si's face turned deathly pale with fright, and her dark eyes instantly filled with tears. She was stunned at first, and then burst into tears.
"Waaah! I'm not a troublemaker, I'm a good baby!" Little Si struggled desperately with its little arms and legs, but it was too small and couldn't escape Qiu Haixia's palm.
Qiu Haixia was not soft-hearted either, cursing under her breath: "Good boy? If you were really good, you wouldn't be a burden to my brother! If I don't sell you today, how will my brother prepare for the imperial examination, and where will my dowry come from?!" With that, she shook the sack and put the little rhinoceros inside.
Little Si cried her heart out inside the sack, desperately pounding on it with her tiny hands, her muffled voice calling out, "Ninth Master! Young Master Qiu! Help!"
The villagers outside the courtyard heard the noise but remained silent, pretending not to see anything.
They thought to themselves, "This little brat is a menace!"
She's a troublesome burden, always carrying an aura of illness, and only her sweet appearance makes her likable. She should have been let go long ago so everyone could have some peace and quiet, lest this clingy little devil disturb the village's daily tranquility.
Everyone knew in their hearts that Young Master Qiu was useful to the villagers, and they all wanted to take more of him, claiming it was for his own good.
"Young Master Qiu, you are Hua Tuo reincarnated, but no matter how soft-hearted you are, you can't keep wasting your energy and money on a little girl with some problems. Right? We are all doing this for your own good."
“That’s right, his second aunt is right. Besides, this girl isn’t your biological sister. She’s just a burden to the family. She’s always sick and weak. She eats wild ginseng like it’s a mountain of gold and silver. It’s a waste of money and trouble.”
"Now that Ninth Master is in trouble, he'll surely drag Young Master Qiu into a predicament sooner or later. Who will take care of us, the old and the young, and our livestock then?!"
"That's right, that's right! He's neglected so many things because of this ginseng spirit. He hasn't even bothered to check on the livestock in the village, and the medicinal herbs aren't growing as well as before. Look at this year, not a single blade of grass has been harvested!"
“If we put all our energy into treating the livestock and growing good herbs, what could be wrong with that?” An elderly woman from the village glanced around and said in a low voice.
"Look, when those livestock get sick, Ninth Master is too busy with his business outside to take care of them, but Young Master Qiu often goes over to treat and repair them. He doesn't even bring the good medicinal herbs he grows; he's busy feeding this little girl wild ginseng all day long!"
"Forget about ginseng, we should have planted more of those herbs long ago. This girl has drained Young Master Qiu's energy!"
Another old woman, seeing that no one was around, raised an eyebrow and whispered in agreement:
"Yes, the livestock are sick. No matter how good Young Master Qiu's prescription is, it's useless if there's no time to practice it! Not to mention, the herbs are more important than anything else to grow!"
"If Ninth Master's family had good medicinal herbs, Young Master Qiu might have taken over the business long ago, the pharmaceutical company could have turned around, and the family fortune could have been restored. But look at him, he's always busy with this little girl, how can he have the mind to care about those practical matters!"
"We can't risk our own livelihood for her sake, can we? She's just a little kid, not very useful, but she's fed ginseng and medicine all day long, raised like a little pampered princess, which is really annoying." At this moment, a young woman next to her shook her head with a sneer.
"But if we really sell her and get some silver or land deeds in return, it wouldn't be a bad deal. At least Young Master Qiu can focus on doing something practical."
"Exactly! They don't even realize that if Ninth Master wants to expand his business, he must get rid of these burdens!"
"Exactly! When dealing with livestock and herbs, we must do our duty. We can't keep sacrificing the family's future and wasting so many resources on a sickly little child!"
"Look at that little girl, she's eaten so many wild ginseng roots! If that ginseng were used to save lives, it could have saved so many! And she's ruined it all!!"
The old women sat in a circle on the threshing ground, each wiping away sweat, their words revealing their dissatisfaction with Xiao Si.
An older woman spat out a mouthful of sunflower seed shells and continued:
"Look at Ninth Master's house again. Those ginseng roots didn't come from the wind. They were all dug out inch by inch from the deep mountains and forests by Young Master Qiu, who risked his life!"
If they had saved all that effort and used it to grow medicinal herbs that everyone in the village could use, they wouldn't have gone bankrupt; the Ninth Master's family would have been rolling in money long ago. People from all around would come to them seeking treatment, and they could even cure all the livestock diseases in our village beautifully!
Another woman nodded repeatedly and added:
"If these herbs could be cultivated, Ninth Master's family's wealth would not only double, but multiply several times over. But what happened? This whole family was ruined because of this girl!"
"That's right. Look, Ninth Master is seriously ill and can't get out of bed. Young Master Qiu is wasting all his time on this little girl. Even matchmakers are refusing to arrange marriages for him. How many opportunities are our village girls going to lose?"
"Poor Young Master Qiu, his parents in Chang'an are still waiting to spend money. Can he handle it?! Tsk tsk."
"Well, logically speaking, he should listen to his sister and sell the child. That would be the right thing to do. With the money, Young Master Qiu can stay in our village with peace of mind, grow more medicine, treat more illnesses, and bring benefits to everyone!"
Some people nodded in agreement, while others sighed and asked, "And then what happened? What became of Xiao Si?"
"What else could we do!" One of the older women shook off the dust, seemingly still vivid in her memory of that day. "That day she was stuffed into a sack, and oh my, her cries were so heart-wrenching, she cried out to heaven and earth in vain!"
The little girl's face was covered in tears and snot, and her tiny hands clapped loudly under the sack, repeatedly crying out in a muffled voice, "Young Master Qiu, Brother Mu, Ninth Master, save me!" Even you would feel heartbroken if you heard that!
Her tone shifted, becoming somewhat cold.
"But who dares to go up and interfere? Everyone in the village knows perfectly well that she is a burden. Young Master Qiu has long disliked her and has threatened to sell her off to raise money for her dowry."
With Young Master Qiu not home, who can stop her sister?
Besides, who in our village doesn't have their own little schemes? With this girl gone, Young Master Qiu is relieved, our village gets more benefits from the medicinal herbs, and what if she becomes our son-in-law? Wouldn't that be a win-win situation?!
Another old woman chimed in, sighing, "Alas, though this girl is resilient, her eyes are truly heartbreaking. They're so dark and bright, like freshly mined gems. When she cries, she stares at you with pleading eyes, tears streaming down her face, it sends shivers down your spine..."
"Alas, what a pity! She's just destined for misfortune; no one can save her now!"
The villagers fell silent for a moment, with only the rustling of the wind through the withered grass echoing in their ears.
Some villagers looked up thoughtfully at the distant mountains, their gazes seemingly piercing through the peaks and looking towards Chang'an.
After a while, someone said in a low voice, "No matter how pitiful this girl is, we really can't let her drag the Ninth Master's family down with her forever. It's not our fault for not taking care of her."
“Yes!” another woman chimed in, her tone tinged with helplessness. “If we want to keep Young Master Qiu here so he can grow more medicinal herbs and treat more livestock in our village, this girl can’t be a burden anymore.”
"Ah, in the end, it's all fate..." The oldest woman sighed softly and smoothed her hair with her hand.