Substitutes

In this new era, kidnapping women and children is a crime.

Although Old Lady Ge was older, it didn’t mean she was ignorant. Since Lin Chengshan refused to sell his daughter, she needed to see how Old Lady Lin would handle it.

Old Lady Lin was too scared to persuade Lin Chengshan. She wondered if he was still hoping to use his daughter to get Xiao Man back. Xiao Man was not the kind of woman who would stay for the sake of the child. She only cared about herself.

Seeing Old Lady Lin’s attitude, Old Lady Ge understood perfectly. Old Lady Lin was afraid of Lin Chengshan and did not dare to sell his daughter.

“If his daughter won’t work, what about your other granddaughters?” Old Lady Ge asked. “Your other granddaughters are not good-looking and are not worth this money.”

“Well…” Old Lady Lin hadn’t considered selling her other granddaughters, only thinking about selling Lin Qingqing. Since Lin Qingqing was not her biological granddaughter, Old Lady Lin did not feel sorry for her.

“If you refuse, then return the money,” Old Lady Ge demanded.

“Fine, how can I refuse?” Old Lady Lin was unwilling to return the twenty yuan, as there were many granddaughters in the family, and having them at home was also a waste. “But it must be at this price.”

Old Lady Ge regretted paying the money too quickly and should have given part of it first, then the rest later. Now that the money was in Old Lady Lin’s hands, there was no way she would give it back.

“You want to kidnap children, go somewhere else,” Lin Chengshan said.

Lin Chengshan could not stand their behavior and was afraid that his daughter would continue to be frightened by them. These people were only focused on money. He took his daughter inside the house.

As for calling the police… Lin Chengshan thought he wasn’t exactly a good person. Since it was Old Lady Lin’s own granddaughter being sold, he didn’t see why he should be concerned. Didn’t the other people in the Lin family have mouths and legs? Wouldn’t they stop Old Lady Lin from selling the child?

If it were someone else’s family, Lin Chengshan might have acted bravely and considered the child’s welfare. But when it came to Old Lady Lin’s granddaughter, he had no intention of getting involved. He almost wished they’d fight it out among themselves.

Old Lady Lin was furious to see Lin Chengshan carrying Lin Qingqing into the house. What was he doing with a little girl who couldn’t continue the family line?

“I must take someone back today,” Old Lady Ge said, pulling on Old Lady Lin’s arm. Since the money had already been given, if they didn’t take the child now, it would be even more difficult tomorrow. Seeing Lin Chengshan’s demeanor, Old Lady Ge couldn’t focus on Lin Qingqing anymore, especially after being bitten by her. She feared that Lin Qingqing might turn out to be as troublesome as Lin Chengshan.

Old Lady Ge had decided to abandon the idea of taking Lin Qingqing and was now looking for another option.

“Change, change,” Old Lady Lin agreed.

Old Lady Lin took Old Lady Ge back to her house. She had three sons, and Lin Chengshan was the second one,the one who was swapped. Old Lady Lin had always favored her youngest son and had never considered sending him away.

Lin Chenghai, who had been called over, was generally obedient and did as he was told. Although he realized that the granddaughter Old Lady Lin was talking about was his own daughter, he remained silent as they walked to the Lin family home.

Lin Chenghai was conflicted inside. He didn’t want to sell his daughter, but he also considered that his mother had already accepted the money. If he disagreed now, his mother would be unhappy. He blamed Lin Chengshan for this mess. His wife had already left, and now Lin Chengshan was still keeping Lin Qingqing. 

If anyone was to be sold, it should be Lin Qingqing. Also, if Lin Chengshan hadn’t mentioned other granddaughters, perhaps his mother wouldn’t have considered selling his own daughter.

“What are you dragging your feet for?” Old Lady Lin was displeased with how slowly Lin Chenghai, a grown man, was moving. “The Ge family lives in a brick house, unlike our mud-brick house. They are wealthy. Your daughter will be well taken care of there.”

“Don’t worry. Our brick house is much brighter than yours,” Old Lady Ge said. “The windows are glass, big and bright. Your daughter will definitely be well-fed and looked after.”

What Old Lady Ge said was just words. How she would actually treat Lin Qingqing was another matter entirely. Once the child was in her home, the rules would be different.

“Did you hear?” Old Lady Lin said, “We won’t let your daughter suffer.”

“…” Lin Chenghai knew there was something fishy about this statement. He remained silent, unsure of what to say.

Lin Chengshan brought Lin Qingqing into the house and, seeing her disheveled state, felt uneasy. He locked up the groceries he had bought and decided to take Lin Qingqing to the town to see a doctor, fearing she might have sustained injuries from her fall.

Lin Chengshan worried that Lin Qingqing might be suffering from other ailments due to her frailty. He feared she might get dizzy from her head injury or fall off the bicycle. So he used cloth and rope to secure her to himself.

Lin Qingqing remained silent, allowing Lin Chengshan to secure her. When Lin Chengshan asked if she was in pain, she shook her head. Still, Lin Chengshan was not reassured and wanted to have her checked by a doctor.

By the time Lin Chengshan reached the town with his daughter, it was almost five o’clock. Lin Qingqing was anxious and feared being abandoned.

She had heard of cases where parents took their children out and never returned, leaving the children outside. She was afraid she might be discarded too.

“Three and a half years old?” The doctor looked at Lin Qingqing in disbelief. “She looks so weak. Did you give all the food to your son?”

The doctor was annoyed, but then thought it didn’t make sense. If they were really a family that preferred sons over daughters, they wouldn’t have brought their daughter to the hospital.

“I don’t have a son,” Lin Chengshan said, realizing that Xiao Man had not taken good care of their daughter.

“The child is still young. Feed her more and build up her health,” the doctor advised. “Girls need to be well-nourished from a young age. It will make childbirth easier later and improve her overall health.”

The doctor, being a woman and a doctor herself, couldn’t help but offer more advice, even though she didn’t know the full situation of Lin Chengshan’s family.

In their town, many people prioritized sons over daughters. They would take their sons to the doctor but rarely their daughters. Most trusted traditional remedies and old practices, distrusting modern medicine and seeing hospitals as money traps.

“She is severely malnourished,” the doctor said. “Since family planning hasn’t been fully enforced, if you and your spouse want more children, you can consider having another one in the next year or two. You…”

“I’m getting a divorce and won’t remarry. This is my only daughter,” Lin Chengshan said, not just for the doctor but also for his daughter.

The doctor was taken aback by Lin Chengshan’s words and chose to remain silent.

The doctor prescribed medication primarily for treating the bump on Lin Qingqing’s head. Children often have minor injuries, and it’s rare for parents to bring them to the hospital for such issues. Usually, they use beeswax or breast milk to treat small bumps.

By evening, things in the town were much quieter. Even on a normal day, many shops would be closed unless it was market day.

Lin Chengshan still carried his daughter and didn’t let her walk on her own. When they reached a bun shop, Lin Chengshan bought two meat buns.

After the reform and opening-up, their province had become relatively advanced. In some places, private small eateries had begun to appear, and people started small businesses. However, there were still relatively few shop owners; many people were somewhat hesitant. In some places, leaders had their reservations, and if the leaders couldn’t let go, it was even less likely for those beneath them.

“Hot meat buns, hurry and eat,” Lin Chengshan said. He hadn’t eaten anything from the morning until the afternoon, just a little in the morning. Lin Chengshan wasn’t not hungry, he was just trying to get things done quickly so his daughter would feel better.

Lin Qingqing held the soft meat buns and looked at Lin Chengshan. “Daddy, eat.”

“Daddy has some too,” Lin Chengshan said with a smile. “I bought two.”

One meat bun obviously couldn’t fill Lin Chengshan’s stomach, but he planned to cook dinner later. As an adult, he could make do with just a couple of bites, but a child couldn’t.

Even though Lin Qingqing could be full from one meat bun, Lin Chengshan still wanted to make her an egg cake, which he had promised her.

When Old Lady Ge went to the Lin family to take Lin Chenghai’s daughter away. Lin Chenghai had not just one daughter but three. Lin Chenghai and his wife had no son yet, they still wanted a son. Without a son, they had little status in the family.

Lin Chenghai’s third younger brother did have a son, and Old Lady Lin loves Lin Chenghai’s third brother and her grandson even more.

When Lin Chenghai’s wife learned that Old Lady Lin wanted to sell their daughter, she wasn’t keen on it but remained silent since her husband hadn’t said anything.

“I’ll go,” said Lin Chenghai’s second daughter, Lin Meihua.

Lin Meihua was about ten years old, two years older than Old Lady Ge’s grandson. This wasn’t a problem as Lin Meihua could still do more work at her age.

Old Lady Ge was not dissatisfied; it was just right for Lin Meihua to take care of her grandson.

Lin Meihua’s eldest sister had directly refused to marry a fool, and Lin Meihua’s younger sister was younger, around five or six years old. Lin Meihua knew that if she didn’t go to Old Lady Ge’s home, it would be her younger sister who would go. Her younger sister was too young and would be at a disadvantage, so it was better for her to go.

Thus, Old Lady Ge took Lin Meihua away. Lin Meihua voluntarily went with Old Lady Ge without any fuss. In the countryside, many people arranged marriages for children as young as fourteen or fifteen. When people saw Lin Meihua going with Old Lady Ge, they didn’t say much.

“How can we let Meihua go?” Lin Chenghai’s wife cried over there.