The 1970s: Married First, Fell in Love Later-Chapter 137 - 136: What Kind of Life Was This?

He Lang chuckled, a hint of mockery curling his lips. "I had no idea that without Daya, no one in your family does any work. A girl of just ten years old, and she’s shouldering the burden for all of you?"

Mr. Liu stared at He Lang, his face cold. "He Yun’s brother. You expect our child to work for your family for just three yuan? Isn’t that a little low?"

A flicker of contempt crossed He Lang’s eyes. "Then what price do you think is fair?"

Mrs. Liu blurted out, "Ten yuan."

He Lang sneered. "A full-time worker only earns about thirty yuan a month these days. She’s a girl of just ten, and you’re asking for ten? You’ve gone mad for money. I could find anyone in the village, cover their room and board, for two yuan a month, and people would be fighting for the chance. The only reason I came is because my mother was worried about her daughter. It looks like I shouldn’t have come today at all."

He Lang made a show of turning to leave.

He Yun glanced at Mrs. Liu’s strained expression and quickly called out to He Lang.

"Third Brother, let’s talk this over properly. The price my mother-in-law quoted isn’t set in stone."

"Three yuan is too little. Six a month," Mr. Liu spoke up.

He Lang lowered his gaze, saying nothing.

Mrs. Liu quickly chimed in, "Six yuan isn’t a lot. Daya may be young, but she’s a quick worker. She’s worth that price."

The way they spoke of her grated on He Lang’s ears. "Daya isn’t a piece of merchandise; she’s a person. Have you even asked for her opinion?"

Mrs. Liu scoffed. "She’s just a girl. Why bother asking her? We make all the decisions. Six yuan a month. If you agree, you can take her. But let’s get one thing straight: you pay first. What if you go back on your word later?"

He Lang put on an act, pretending to mull it over for a long while, as if weighing whether it was worth the price. Mrs. Liu watched him with desperate eyes, terrified he might still think it was too high.

"Alright, six yuan it is. But I’ll give you one month’s payment upfront as a deposit. The rest will be paid at the end of each month. I’ll mail it to you, or I can pay you the full amount at the end of the year."

Mrs. Liu, afraid He Lang would default on the payments, said, "Just mail it to us every month. Don’t wait until year-end. Give us this month’s money now."

He Lang took out the money and said to Liu Jian Country, "If you don’t mind, brother-in-law, please write up a note to serve as proof."

Mrs. Liu scoffed. "Why do you need to write anything down for just a few yuan? You don’t trust us?"

’Of course I don’t trust you,’ He Lang thought. "Let’s just do things by the book."

Liu Jian Country glanced at his father. Seeing him nod, he went and wrote out a receipt, which both parties signed.

’In reality, if they really wanted to renege, a note like this wouldn’t be much use. But against the Liu Family, it was more than enough.’

After paying, He Lang turned to Daya, who was standing by the door. "Daya, come with Third Uncle. We’ll go live in Beijing City together, how about it?"

Daya nodded with almost no hesitation.

He Yun looked at Daya and, prompted by some strange impulse, said, "Daya, work hard when you get there. If you need anything, just tell your uncle and aunt, don’t be a stranger. If... if you can’t manage, you can always come back."

How ironic those words sounded. Once she left this house, she would discover that anywhere was better than here.

Daya glanced at He Yun and simply nodded.

He Lang took Daya’s hand and walked away. The moment Jinbao saw He Lang leading Daya off, he burst into a tearful tantrum. "Don’t go, Daya! If you go, who will give me horsey rides?"

Mrs. Liu patted Jinbao on the bottom. "Silly boy, Grandma will buy you some meat. Who needs horsey rides?"

Jinbao’s crying stopped instantly. "I want meat!"

"You’ll get it, you’ll get it. I’ll have your dad go buy some in a little while," Mrs. Liu promised.

While the family was celebrating the six yuan they would get each month, He Lang took Daya straight to the supply and marketing co-op and bought her a full set of new clothes.

Looking at the new clothes, Daya’s face flushed. "Third Uncle, I don’t need new things. Old clothes are fine."

He Lang looked at her small face. "You’re under our care now. We all wear new clothes. Don’t you worry, Third Uncle has money."

Cradling the new clothes, Daya’s eyes reddened. "Thank you, Third Uncle."

After leaving the co-op, He Lang took her home.

For a moment, Xue Yue could hardly recognize the girl who appeared before her. Daya looked nothing like a fourteen or fifteen-year-old. She was short and painfully thin, with long bangs that hid most of her bruised face. Not a single item of clothing she wore fit properly.

Xue Yue shot He Lang an incredulous look. He gave her a resigned nod.

"Daya."

Daya’s fingers curled inward. She glanced shyly at Xue Yue and whispered, "Third Aunt."

Seeing her like this, Xue Yue’s heart ached.

"Yes, dear, that’s me. Are you—" Seeing the state Daya was in, Xue Yue’s mouth fell slightly open, but she couldn’t bring herself to finish the question. It was plain to see the girl had been living a hard life.

Ruanruan stood beside Xue Yue, holding Shiyi’s hand. She tilted her head, studying Daya with great curiosity.

"Mom, who is she?"

Xue Yue smiled. "Ruanruan, this is your older cousin, Daya. You can just call her Big Sister Daya."

Ruanruan’s eyes lit up. She pulled Shiyi over to stand in front of Daya, reached out, and took her hand. "Big Sister Daya."

Shiyi echoed, "Big Sister Daya."

Daya felt the soft little hand in hers. She looked at the pretty little girl before her, dressed in a red sweater, black pants, and black leather shoes. Then she glanced down at herself. Inside her ill-fitting shoes, her toes curled tightly against the soles. A wave of inferiority washed over her, and she couldn’t bring herself to look at them.

Xue Yue spoke gently to Daya. "Daya, this is Ruanruan and that’s Shiyi. They’re your younger siblings. Please don’t be shy. Treat this place like your own home."

Daya nodded blankly.

Xue Yue led her to the bathroom and helped her out of her oversized outer garment, intending to give her a bath, but Daya refused her help. "Third Aunt, I can do it myself."

Xue Yue figured the girl was modest and shy, so she didn’t insist. She just showed her which bottle was for her hair, which was for her face, and which was for her body, and handed her a new towel.

"When you’re done bathing, put on the new clothes your uncle bought you."

"Okay."

Then Xue Yue left.

Back in their room, she frowned and asked He Lang, "What kind of life did Daya have with the Liu Family? I saw she has quite a few injuries on her. Do He Yun and Liu Jian Country just let it happen?"

Thinking of that family, He Lang scoffed. "That family doesn’t treat girls like human beings. It looks to me like Daya was used as a beast of burden in that house. As for that pair of fools... I get furious just thinking about them. I don’t know what their heads are stuffed with, dog shit maybe. It’s one thing for others to not treat their daughter like a person, but for them to not care either... what a joke. If I wouldn’t get in trouble for it, I’d beat some sense into that idiot He Yun."

Xue Yue sighed. "Mom must have realized how hard things were for Daya and wanted us to lend a hand."

He Lang nodded. "That’s what she was thinking. You don’t mind, do you?"

Xue Yue shot him a look. "Why would I mind? I already agreed last night. Seeing Daya like this makes my heart ache, too. I’m going to treat her well from now on."

"I’ll be nice to my big sister, too," Ruanruan piped up from the side.

Shiyi added, "Shiyi be nice to big sister."

He Lang laughed. "From now on, Big Sister Daya is going to live with us. You two can’t bully her, alright?"

Ruanruan pouted. "Of course we won’t! Bullies are bad people. Ruanruan and Shiyi won’t be bad people."

Shiyi nodded. "Not be bad people."

Xue Yue and He Lang shared a smile.