Chapter 39

Chapter 39

Chang'an looked on speechlessly at the absurd scene unfolding before her. "Our family doesn't do charity. Take your children and leave. We don't have any meat to trade for these two kids."

The little girl was fair and delicate, like a soft rice dumpling. Her voice lacked any intimidating force, sounding tender and almost whining.

Chang'an was furious, truly!

She wanted to be a graceful woman, but instead she transmigrated into a cute young girl. And now someone wanted to take her Old Six away from her? This could not be tolerated.

"Chang Le, drive them away," she waved her little hand, feeling like she was opening the gate and letting the dogs out.

Old Gu Six stepped back, allowing the two children to handle it as he watched the drama unfold with folded arms.

Grandma Sun grew agitated, hopping up and down as she pointed at Chang'an and scolded her, "You little girl, how barbaric! You have no manners at all. I was talking to your father, what's it got to do with you?"

Though you look appealing, that doesn't excuse interfering with her selling her granddaughters.

Seeing someone insult his daughter, Old Gu Six was displeased. He angrily berated Grandma Sun, "How dare you criticize my daughter? Your whole family is uglier than a dog. Get out of here, don't pollute my territory, or I'll cripple all of you."

Grandma Sun faced his fury head-on, seeming to see blazing flames in his eyes and an invisible pressure bearing down on her. Terrified, her old legs went weak and she immediately knelt down.

On this cold day, beads of sweat the size of soybeans rolled down her forehead. The man's eyes seemed to conceal a dark abyss that could devour a person. She wanted to look away but couldn't move. It felt like an invisible hand was squeezing her heart, threatening to crush it.

She raised her hands over her head and prostrated herself, begging, "I beg the great one to spare this old woman's life. I'll never dare again."

The onlookers who had come from their homes to watch the commotion looked on bewildered. What was happening?

Grandma Sun's two granddaughters hid behind their parents, reluctant to approach but with regret in their eyes. It seemed they couldn't stay after all.

They secretly glanced at Chang'an. That girl was so beautiful. If they could stay, they would be well-fed and warmly dressed, surely growing up to be just as pretty.

How selfish of them, having the means but unwilling to help their sisters escape suffering.

The two girls tried to find a good household for themselves but failed as that woman couldn't make the decision, so they couldn't stay either.

Everyone clicked their tongues and left Old Gu Six's doorstep, chattering away.

"That old woman is really heartless, selling her own grandchildren."

"Well, you can't judge, these famine years drive people to desperate acts. This is only the beginning."

An elderly person who had experienced war sighed sadly, "Sixty years ago when I was five, the droughts and locusts ruined all the crops. The imperial court was incompetent. My family fled from west to east, and there were corpses littering the journey. People resorted to cannibalism - that was true tragedy."

"I never thought sixty years later I'd have to relive that path. I've lived through two famines in this lifetime."

The snow that had stopped for a day began falling again in the evening, first lightly and beautifully romantic. As night fell, howling winds brought heavier snow, making visibility nearly zero. Households tightly shut their doors, huddling as families by the fire.

They were grateful to have cleared the rooftops of accumulated snow, or else the weight could have caused a collapse in this weather.

That night, the scent of meat wafted through the barracks as every household had cooked the meat purchased that afternoon. Most either stir-fried it or made meat porridge, leaving more than half to stretch across several meals.

Chang'an was frying crispy pork belly by the stove as the men, large and small, craned their necks in eager anticipation of the meat sizzling in the oil.

The aroma was truly intoxicating. How could they not make meat this delicious themselves?

Chang'an's lips twitched slightly, wanting to cover his eyes in embarrassment at the sight of the two gluttons eagerly gobbling away in public.

He scooped half a bowl and handed it to the two foodies, "Go sit by the fire pit and eat, be careful not to burn yourselves."

Like coaxing children, he ushered the two to sit by the fire pit to eat, as they were getting in the way gathered around the stove. He was afraid the hot oil might splatter and burn them.

Old Gu Six thought of the group who left earlier that day with some regret, having warned them not to go, as they would likely freeze to death on the road.

Meanwhile, those he was concerned about were braving the wind and snow, hoping to find a place to take shelter from the storm.