Chapter 34: Speculation and Profiteering

This is a small, standalone courtyard, with seven or eight burlap sacks piled up in the corner, their openings wide open. At a glance, there are mountain goods, grains, and chicken and duck eggs. By the water tank, three skinny little kids are sorting animal furs on the ground.

The collected furs vary in quality and need to be categorized, cleaned, and processed before they can be sewn into gloves, scarves, and so on.

The nature of this uncle’s work is self-evident…

Although speculation and profiteering are officially prohibited, the city is short on supplies, and even with money and tickets, people can’t get enough to eat or wear warm clothes. This situation has given rise to a group of daring vendors.

Unlike the black market, these vendors have been operating in alleys for years, often backed by some connections, and in the future, this group will become the first individual business owners and millionaires.

Just then, Duobao woke up, and in a new place, he was neither afraid nor crying. He jumped down from Jiang Degui’s arms and curiously ran over to watch the kids working with the furs.

Jiang Degui asked in surprise, “Where did you find these three hardworking kids?”

“They’re all from this area; their parents don’t take care of them, so they come here to get a meal,” Old Yu replied succinctly, going into the inner room to grab some snacks like cookies, placing them on a tray to serve the sisters.

“I haven’t been to the countryside in several years. I still recognize Shulan, but the other one is…”

He hesitated, looking at Jiang An’an.

The little girl had a noticeably fairer complexion than the Jiang family, her big, round eyes sparkling with intelligence, and her delicate features didn’t resemble Jiang Degui at all.

Jiang Degui rolled his eyes: “You even held An’an when she was little.”

An’an?

The memory from sixteen years ago surfaced, and Old Yu suddenly realized: “So she is… An’an! Have some cookies; these are the scarce goods Uncle Yu brought from D City. They’re selling like hotcakes over there.”

His suddenly enthusiastic attitude made Jiang An’an feel a bit flattered. Unable to refuse his kindness, she reached for a small bag of cookies and smiled, revealing a little dimple: “Thank you, Uncle Yu.”

Old Yu slapped Jiang Degui’s shoulder hard, and the two brothers exchanged a knowing glance, understanding everything without words.

“They can’t have gone far; everyone continue searching. We must find that little brat and hold a criticism session.”

Suddenly, a chaotic sound of footsteps came from outside.

That group had found their way here.

The faces of the Jiang family members changed in unison.

“Old Yu, I need your help with something…” Jiang Degui put his arm around Old Yu’s shoulder as they walked into the house, discussing what had happened at the hospital.

Old Yu’s face turned as dark as the bottom of a pot after hearing this: “As the saying goes, ‘a family is tied by bones and muscles.’ Your brother is treating An’an like this; it’s simply cruel.”

Inciting fellow villagers to criticize his own niece is an outrageous act only an animal could commit.

“Just hide here with your family; I’ll go to the police station to report this. Don’t worry, I’ve got contacts.” Old Yu patted his chest in assurance.

He went into the yard, calling the three kids to hide everything before quickly returning home to tally up for the day’s wages.

“Uncle Yu, can you exchange all of this week’s wages for sweet potatoes?” the little girl asked timidly, her fingers turning red from the cold as she clutched her clothes tightly.

The other two children chimed in, “Last time, Daya’s wages were snatched away by her stepmother, and she went hungry for several days.”

“Uncle Yu, please have some pity on Daya. Don’t get her too fresh sweet potatoes; the more wilted and less tasty, the better, or it’ll just end up in that mother-and-son’s stomachs again.”

Old Yu’s brows tightened severely as he suddenly grabbed Daya’s arm and pulled up her sleeve. He saw her little arms covered in various scars, some from sticks and some from burns.

“Did your stepmother hit you again?”

Daya’s eyes quickly turned red, and she bit her lip to hold back tears: “It’s okay; as long as I occasionally hand over my wages, she won’t be as excessive as before.”

It was as if a fire was burning in his chest. Old Yu rubbed the back of his head and firmly instructed her: “Next time she dares to hit you or take your wages, come to me immediately; otherwise, I won’t let you work anymore.”

Daya immediately panicked and knelt down: “Uncle Yu, please don’t kick me out! I can come in an hour early every day, just let me keep working!”

“Daya relies on this job for her survival; if not, I’ll give half of my money to Daya.”

“I’ll give half of my money to Daya too.”

The three kids huddled together, crying inconsolably.

But Old Yu gritted his teeth and resolutely walked away. Daya needed to stand strong to survive; otherwise, she’d have to support that mother-and-son pair for a lifetime.

Seeing him walk away without looking back, the three kids cried even harder.

Even Duobao pouted, waddling over to Jiang An’an, gently tugging at her hand: “Help, help…”

The little guy hadn’t finished speaking but understood who had the most authority in the family.

Jiang An’an rubbed his little head and took his hand, walking toward the three children. She squatted down to bring her gaze to their level.

“I’m the newly appointedWomen’s Federation officer in our Hongqi Commune, specially protecting little friends like you. Can you tell Auntie what happened at Daya’s home?”

The gentle voice made the three little ones stop their actions, staring at her with red eyes.

Huzi pouted, “You’re lying. You’re clearly a beautiful older sister and not old at all.”

He was clearly the leader of the small group, and the other two nodded in agreement.

Jiang An’an couldn’t help but rub Huzi’s head. Perhaps because no one had ever treated him so affectionately before, the little guy turned extremely shy, his neck and ears turning red.

Noticing Jiang An’an’s kindness, Huzi mustered his courage to speak: “Can you really help Daya? We once went to the police station to report, but the police uncle came many times, and the old witch would still lock the door and beat her in secret. She makes Daya do a lot of work every day and doesn’t give her food.”

Jiang An’an’s gaze fell on Daya’s arms, which were covered in scars, with hardly any unblemished skin left. She couldn’t help but lift the other arm, which was equally distressing to see.

A surge of anger rushed to Jiang An’an’s chest, and she clenched her fist tightly.

At this time, there were no specific child protection laws, and disciplining and beating children was considered normal behavior, as long as it didn’t lead to death.

But what wrong had the children done?

Were they guilty just for being born the wrong gender, into the wrong family?

Yet they had no choices at all and had to pay for the mistakes of adults. How incredibly unfair was this world?

“Sister, I’m used to it not hurting at all; please don’t feel sorry for me,” Daya said with a tight-lipped smile.

She was like a little grass swaying in the wind, living bravely and strongly, even comforting a stranger who cared for her.

Even someone with a heart of stone like Lin Meiru couldn’t hold back and cursed, “That wicked stepmother deserves to be struck by lightning and not have a good death.”

Though Daya was pitiful, Lin Meiru didn’t want Jiang An’an to meddle, commanding in a harsh voice, “You three stop crying and hurry up and pack your things to go home.”

When she deliberately put on a stern face, her expression turned harsh and cruel.