Chapter 4 Injustice to Tang Huai

The next day, Tang Huai had some breakfast and then rode his bicycle to town to sell the poisonous snake.

Today just happened to be market day, and the town was bustling with activity.

Tang Huai sold the snake to the owner of a medicine shop.

Poisonous snakes are very precious. The skin, gall, and flesh can all be used as medicinal materials. This snake, weighing almost a pound, Tang Huai sold for forty yuan!

Having received the money, Tang Huai bought six yuan worth of American Ginseng, some red dates, and goji berries at the medicine shop.

Next to the medicine shop was a small supermarket. After leaving the medicine shop, Tang Huai entered the supermarket and bought two bags of milk powder.

Tang Huai figured in her mind, "I've still got twenty-two yuan left. I could buy a pig's trotter to cook with peanuts for mom to eat, to help her increase her milk supply. If Mom has enough breast milk to feed my sister, we can save a lot of money on milk powder, and breast milk is better than formula."

Finally, Tang Huai arrived at the market, where she spent seven yuan on a pig's leg and also bought two pounds of flour.

With the items placed in the bicycle basket, Tang Huai pushed her bike through the streets, looking around not to shop but to observe the businesses. She noted which stalls and shops seemed to do the best.

Living standards were not very high in this era, but the economy had opened up, and business was slowly picking up. Those with a bit of money liked to enjoy eating, drinking, and playing.

She came upon a restaurant with large glass windows and trendy decor; even the pictures of featured dishes at the entrance looked appealing.

Glancing inside, Tang Huai's pupils suddenly shrank—Tang Ying and Tang Zhixuan!

Her gaze fell upon the face of Tang Ying.

Tang Ying had inherited her father's looks, but her figure resembled her mother's; she was the same age as Tang Huai, yet taller, and her breasts had already developed. She was a young beauty.

Thinking of the deception in her previous life made Tang Huai's gaze turn even icier.

Tang Ying, what you did to me in our previous life, I'll repay doubly in this one!

When Tang Huai got home, Liu Xiaoyu was surprised to see the pig's trotter she had bought. "How much did you sell that snake for?"

Tang Huai took out the buns she had bought for Tang Li. Tang Li was happy to have a bun to eat.

In a good mood, Tang Huai raised four fingers towards Liu Xiaoyu.

"Forty?" Liu Xiaoyu was astonished. "You were able to sell it for forty yuan?"

After putting away the milk formula, Tang Huai smiled and said, "Mom, I'll go make pig's trotter and peanut soup to increase your milk supply."

Liu Xiaoyu looked at Tang Huai and suddenly felt as though Tang Huai had grown up and become sensible. She was touched yet felt a bittersweet surge, "Mom's had a tough life, I'm sorry for letting you down and not being able to give you a good life, making you lose your dad at such young ages."

Tang Huai's smile faded, not liking this version of Liu Xiaoyu, "Mom, the dead cannot be brought back to life. We should grieve properly, but we need to look forward to the future, not live in the past."

Liu Xiaoyu's eyes reddened. "I promise you, I'll take good care of myself during the confinement period."

"Don't cry, you need to have a good confinement. If you fall ill, it'll be a disaster. Mom, things are tough for us right now, we don't have extra money for doctors or medicine," Tang Huai said firmly.

Tang Huai's words seemed to jolt Liu Xiaoyu awake.

Liu Xiaoyu nodded quickly, "I promise you, I won't cry anymore!"

Tang Huai smiled. "I also bought some flour. Flour is cheap; a pound can last us three days."

"How do you cook the flour?" Liu Xiaoyu was puzzled.

They were southerners, mainly growing rice, sweet potatoes, taro, corn, and peanuts. The older generation didn't even know what flour was made of.

Tang Huai, having lived a lifetime before, was knowledgeable and knew how to make buns. Seeing that flour was for sale at the supermarket, and it was cheap, she bought some to take home.

She would make some large steamed buns. Eaten with some leafy greens, they tasted much better than plain rice porridge.

"When I bought it, I asked the clerk, and the clerk taught me how to make buns. I'll try tomorrow," Tang Huai smiled and then went to stew the pig's feet.

Once the firewood was lit, the aroma of pig's feet and peanuts wafted throughout the entire house, the scent drifting afar.

The fragrance of pig's feet and peanuts drew over Yang Hongxing and Tang Huai's grandmother Peng Jiayao.

When Yang Hongxing and Peng Jiayao arrived, Tang Li happened to be sitting at the doorway, eating the buns.

"Look at you, Tang Huai, you little bitch, daring to steal my money and buy buns in town to eat!" As soon as Yang Hongxing saw Tang Li eating the buns, she suddenly planted her hands on her hips and stormed into the kitchen.

Sure enough, seeing Tang Huai stoking the fire, Yang Hongxing flew into a rage. She yanked Tang Huai aside, lifted the lid, and my God, it was full of peanuts and pig's trotters!

Yang Hongxing threw the lid heavily to the ground and yelled at Tang Huai, "You cheap whore, you stole my money for pig's feet?!"

The porcelain lid shattered, the pieces spraying everywhere. Seeing the perfectly good lid smashed, Tang Huai's face darkened.

Peng Jiayao also came in. As she smelled the thick scent of pig's feet, her stern face grew cold and she charged at Tang Huai to hit her.

Tang Huai dodged and looked at Peng Jiayao with a cold stare.

Peng Jiayao bellowed, "You dare steal even Zhixuan's tuition, I'll beat you to death, you worthless wretch!"

Yang Hongxing joined in, grabbing Tang Huai and hitting her.

Tang Huai fought back, but she was just a frail little girl. Yang Hongxing was tall and strong, and Peng Jiayao had a lot of strength; the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law duo seized Tang Huai and beat her mercilessly.

"Third aunt, I didn't steal your money!" Tang Huai's eyes reddened, her mouth opened and she bit Yang Hongxing.

Yang Hongxing cried out in pain and let go, wailing loudly.

"You dare bite your third aunt?" As Peng Jiayao's arm raised to strike Tang Huai, Tang Huai suddenly grabbed a piece of firewood, aiming it at Peng Jiayao.

She glared at Peng Jiayao with fury, "If you hit me, I'll hit back!"

Tang Huai's angry eyes carried a hint of chill.

Peng Jiayao was taken aback by her gaze. Was this the same fearful, dull girl they could push around?

"You steal my money and still have the nerve to be so arrogant?" Seeing Tang Huai with a stick, Yang Hongxing didn't dare to come close. She could only point at Tang Huai and curse, loud enough for the whole village to hear.

"Third aunt, everything should be based on evidence. Do you have any proof that I stole from your home?" Tang Huai looked steadfastly at Yang Hongxing.

"I'm missing fifty dollars!" Yang Hongxing shouted angrily.

Fifty dollars, her family's living expenses for half a year!

Tang Huai scoffed, "You just lost money and blamed me? Do you think I'm easy to bully because my dad's not around, third aunt, grandma?"

"Where did you get the money to buy pig's feet? And to buy buns for Tang Li?" Peng Jiayao glared at Tang Huai sternly. This damn girl dares to point a stick at her, getting more and more ill-mannered!

"Our family is poor, but we still have money to buy pig's feet. Besides, is it too much for my mom to have some pig's feet after giving birth?"

"You clearly stole my money! If you had money, why didn't you pay back the interest?"

Tang Huai sneered, "You didn't pay back the living expenses, why should I pay you any interest?"

"You worthless girl, how dare you settle accounts so clearly with your third aunt? I'll beat you to death, you disrespectful wretch!" Enraged, Peng Jiayao lunged at Tang Huai.

"Grandma, don't be a bully just because you're older, and don't think I won't dare to do anything to you just because you're my grandma!" Tang Huai stepped back, raised the firewood, and glowered at Peng Jiayao. She looked like if Peng Jiayao took one more step toward her, she would bring the stick crashing down.

Surprised by Tang Huai's raised stick, Peng Jiayao froze. Then, acting shamelessly, she sat down on the ground, wailing, "Oh, the sin! A granddaughter hitting her grandma and hitting so hard, it's killing me, it's killing me..."

Yang Hongxing was initially dumbfounded by Peng Jiayao's behavior, but soon she caught on, stepped forward, helped Peng Jiayao up, and berated Tang Huai, "Tang Huai, you little bitch, you stole my money and injured your grandma, how can you be so evil? Truly a child born without a father's teachings, having someone like you is a disgrace to the Tang family! You're unclean, stealing money, and now you won't even allow your grandma to chastise you? Your grandma only scolded you, and you hit her with a stick. You have no respect for elders, and you're going to get struck by lightning!"