Chapter 601
Chapter 601: Chapter 593: Either Beating or Scolding Chapter 601: Chapter 593: Either Beating or Scolding Yet, she didn’t know how much of this hope still remained, not knowing if this spark of starlight would continue to burn, or ultimately be extinguished in the mortal world, leaving behind only a fleeting spark.
Eventually, it would be eradicated.
The water in the pot was already boiling.
She covered the pot and went to fetch some firewood to throw into the stove.
The flames reflected against her gaunt cheeks, almost erasing any trace of her past.
She didn’t even know what she looked like anymore.
She must be ugly.
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Yes, she must be ugly, otherwise, she wouldn’t have been sold for just five hundred yuan.
If she was short even a cent, wouldn’t that man, Hu Lao Si, have suffered a loss?
She pulled at her own lips, only to feel a piercing pain.
She removed the lid from the pot, and, seeing no one outside, pulled a bunch of wild plants from her pocket, tossing all of them into the pot.
At night, the Song Family ate a pot of noodle soup filled with all sorts of ingredients — various vegetables, some leftover noodles from who knows when, and leftover corn hulled for breakfast, all boiled together, with a handful of salt added.
They would eat this soup, satiated and content.
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If it were in the past, Tang Yuxin would never have imagined that she would be eating this kind of meal.
It was almost like pig slop.
Even such pig slop was often unavailable to her.
What she managed to eat most of the time was leftover food scraps from the Song Family.
Occasionally, she could scrape together a small bowl of rice.
It was not enough to fill her, but it could at least stave off her hunger.
This time, true to form, there was only a small portion of rice left in the pot after three large bowls had been served.
Tang Yuxin involuntarily swallowed a mouthful of saliva.
She hadn’t eaten anything all day except a few raw blades of grass — her stomach was grumbling, and she felt as if her back were attached to her chest with hunger.
Her hands trembling, Tang Yuxin picked up her bowl with the meagre serving of noodles.
She brought the bowl to her mouth and drank the noodle soup, little by little.
No matter how distasteful the food was now, even if it was like pig slop, it was the sustenance that could save her life.
Having finished the noodles in the bowl, she ladled in some cold water and finally gulped it down.
The cold water first chilled her throat, then her lungs, until her whole body seemed to catch its icy chill.
She left the kitchen, cleared the dishes from the table and returned to the kitchen.
All the while, she sensed a gaze boring into her back.
Clenching her dry, cracked lips, Tang Yuxin stood by the stove, washing the pot and bowls.
Her hands were frozen red and swollen, to such an extent that she often could not even feel them.
She held her hands to her mouth, releasing a soft breath of warmth, before retreating to a corner to wait out the night.
She lifted her head, staring at the pot on the stove.
Her lips twitched into a tiny smile before hardening into a line devoid of any curve.
The sound of the wind banging against the door echoed through the night, as if intent on knocking it down.
She huddled on the ground, convinced herself that if she fell asleep, she would not feel cold or hungry.
That perhaps, in her dreams, she could return home.
She truly missed home.
She missed her father, her little brother and Gu Ning…
She bit down on the back of her hand, unable to bear the sorrow and torment.
She told herself not to cry.
Yes, she couldn’t cry.
She feared breaking down, feared not being able to bear her depression, feared that it was worse to live than to die.
Even though her life was now unbearable, there was still a glimmer of hope in her heart.
She hoped that this glimmer could continue to burn, sparing her from living like a zombie or a dog.
Because she was not a dog.
She was human.
Outside, the door creaked open, and then came the sound of footsteps, growing closer and closer, until they seemed to be right before her…
Tang Yuxin clenched her clothes, her fingers in agony, no sensation left, and yet it still hurt…
She opened her eyes slightly.
A figure stood at the entrance, a flickering candle in his hand casting a weak light over the kitchen, illuminating the impending evil.
It was Old Man Song.
Old Man Song placed the candle on the stove.
He had waited for a long time, struggled, and held back for a long time.
But today, he could no longer hold back.
He fixed his beady eyes on the woman huddled in the corner, rubbing his hands together, his face a portrait of greed.
Underneath the wrinkles on his face lurked a deeply revolting man.
He rubbed his hands again, then fumbled awkwardly with his pants.
But when his pants fell, his face changed at the sight of his own futile organ: limp, with no arousal or reaction whatsoever.
He had attempted many times to stimulate it, but it wouldn’t obey.
He even broke out in a sweat from his efforts, but to no avail.
He bit his lip, finally pulling his pants up and leaving, a dismal air around him, leaving behind a cold breeze that threatened to freeze everything it touched.
With the door closed, a rhythmic banging sound could be heard outside.
Tang Yuxin sat up, her eyes clearing.
She hugged her legs close, her normally composed lips now pulling into a bleak smile.
Day broke outside, the wind growing even colder.
“Move,” Old Lady Song kicked Tang Yuxin forcefully, as she did every day, alternating between hitting her and berating her.
Old Lady Song felt as if her face was glowing – the five hundred yuan she spent hadn’t gone to waste.
She bought a wife for her foolish son, but this “wife” was as obedient as a dog.
What could she not do?
Laundry, cooking, farming – she was obedient in every way.
When getting a woman, she must be like this – not running amok, not noisy, and not crying.
If she couldn’t work, that was one thing, but at least she wouldn’t be a nuisance.
In the field, Tang Yuxin continued plucking weeds while also gathering some wild plants and other things.
She couldn’t bear to use these herbs to poison people, and anyway, nothing in this area could kill anyone.
What she could get her hands on were just these several types of herbs.
Wasn’t she fortunate that she had followed Chen Zhong to gather herbs on the mountain?
Otherwise, she wouldn’t have known about so many medicinal plants.