Chapter 34 - 034 The Suffering Little Tender Feet

Jianguo felt extremely guilty in his heart. Mama had said before that Sisi was the little princess of the family, who had never suffered hardship, but now she had endured such great suffering for the sake of her three brothers. Jianguo was deeply moved, yet his affection for Tian Sisi grew even warmer. Without realizing it, Tian Sisi had gained three loyal younger brothers. Tian Sisi was led by Jianguo, staggering forward. She didn’t know how long it had been; it felt like several hours had passed. "Why hasn’t Daddy come yet?" Tears swirled in Tian Sisi’s eyes. However, with Jianguo by her side, she held back and did not cry. A bike bell rang in the distance, like music from heaven. "Daddy, I’m here, Daddy, why did you take so long? Oh, my feet are broken." Seeing the familiar figure ahead, Tian Sisi couldn’t hold back any longer, and her tears flowed down. At that moment, Tian Sisi’s hair was half undone, her face was red from the cold, her clothes were stained with mud, and she was crying messily, a sorry sight. Poor Ah Nan, she had never suffered like this before. Tian Manjin’s heart felt as though it was sliced apart by a knife, throbbing with pain. He quickly draped his cotton coats on Tian Sisi and Jianguo; the two children had endured so much. "Ah Nan, be good, it’s Daddy’s fault. Let’s go home quickly, we’ll soak our feet in hot water. Jianguo too, after walking so far, be careful not to get hurt." Tian Manjin hurriedly lifted Tian Sisi onto the bike’s front bar and placed Jianguo on the rear seat. After making sure they were seated safely, he rode the bike back home. Daddy, Mama, Ai Qing, and the rest at home must be so anxious. Weiguo and Bao Guo timidly followed Tian Xinhua into the yard, not daring to enter the house when they reached the door. They had been here a few times, and Granny had been very kind to them, as had their uncles and aunts, who always gave them treats. But Grandpa didn’t like them and always prevented them and Mama from entering the room. Each time Mama returned from here, she would cry late into the night. Children often feel more sensitive when they’ve experienced neglect since a young age, especially Weiguo, who has always been sensitive. He, holding Bao Guo’s hand tightly, softly called "Granny" as Granny Zhao emerged from the house, intending to check on her granddaughter after hearing some noise, unexpectedly finding her two little grandsons instead. "Weiguo, Bao Guo, why have you come? Where is your Mama and elder brother? Xinhua, did something happen to Ah Nan and your aunt?" Granny Zhao was shocked and blurted out a barrage of questions, worried that something had befallen her daughter’s family and Ah Nan as well. "No, nothing happened. Don’t worry, Great Aunt, let us in to drink some water first, and I’ll explain everything slowly later." Tian Xinhua had hurried back, biking until he nearly smoked from his mouth. "Oh, look how silly I am. Children, come inside and drink some hot water." Hearing that her granddaughter and daughter were fine, Granny Zhao’s heart relaxed, regaining her usual brisk manner, and urged the three inside to warm up. Weiguo and Bao Guo, seeing the kind Granny, were no longer as shy as before and followed Tian Xinhua into the house. Tian Bajin and his family were also inside. After Tian Xinhua gulped down two bowls of water, he started to recount only the critical details, focusing on how his aunt and the three cousins were being bullied every day and how his aunt’s house had nothing left to eat and only thin clothes to wear. Upon hearing Tian Xinhua’s words, the people inside the house all changed expressions, knowing that Tian Manlan’s life was hard, but not that it could be this harsh. Granny Zhao and Li Yuedi touched the cotton coats on Weiguo and Jianguo, and tears came streaming down. "Oh, what a sin. My poor grandsons, it’s all your foolish Mama’s fault, insisting on marrying that good-for-nothing Daddy, dooming herself and her three children!" Granny Zhao began wailing loudly, grieving for the suffering endured by her daughter and grandsons, and resenting how, in those years, Tian Manlan was so adamant about marrying that bastard Shou Jizu. The Old Man furrowed his brows, stopped his wife’s crying, and asked, "Where are Ah Nan and Jianguo?" Tian Xinhua had been previously interrupted by Granny Zhao and now continued, "Ah Nan, worried that her cousins might freeze at night, left all the food given by her aunts for my aunt and took the cousins down the mountain with her. I rode back first with Weiguo and Bao Guo, while Ah Nan and Jianguo are walking behind. Uncle Four has already gone to pick them up; they should arrive soon." Granny Zhao burst into tears upon hearing that her precious granddaughter had walked for dozens of miles on mountain roads. It hurt to see either her granddaughter or grandson suffering; it was as if some sin had been committed! At this time, Zhu Aiqing had already found Qinghua’s clothes from the room, and Zhu Qingping had also brought Niu Niu’s clothes, urging Weiguo and Bao Guo to quickly put them on. Women’s hearts are soft, and seeing the children’s cracked ears and hands made everyone’s eyes red with tears. Tian Bajin took a puff of his water pipe and said to the Old Man, "Big brother, no matter how much Man Lan has erred, she is still a girl of the Tian Family. We can’t let those bastards from the Shou family mistreat her. We didn’t know before, but now we do, and we must not stand idly by. Tomorrow, I’ll have Man Tu, Man Mu, and Man Yin, the three brothers, go to Huangkeng Village. We have to get justice for Man Lan; otherwise, Huangkeng Village will think the Tian Family has no one left to stand up for them." "Right, I’m going too. Those bastards, I’ll beat them to death," Tian Jinhua interjected angrily, a change from his usually dull demeanor. Although he and Tian Manlan were uncle and niece, with only five or six years difference in age, they had grown up playing together and had a particularly strong bond. Tian Bajin looked at his eldest son with approval and nodded. The Old Man pondered for a while before finally saying in a buzzing voice, "I don’t care about this matter, you handle it yourself, it has nothing to do with me." Tian Bajin just smiled and stayed quiet; his big brother was surely worried about losing face, especially after having said, "Even if she dies in front of me, I won’t care." But what’s there to truly quibble about between father and daughter? When the daughter suffers, the parents’ hearts ache the most. Granny Zhao cried tears of joy. The Old Man had finally loosened up. All these years, out of respect for the Old Man, even if she wanted to help Man Lan, she could only do so in secret. Otherwise, how could she not know about the suffering Man Lan and her children had endured? If it weren’t for Ah Nan and Xinhua’s discovery, who knows whether Man Lan might have been tormented to death by those bastards! The sound of brakes came from outside, and Tian Xinhua was the first to run out. Tian Manjin walked in holding Tian Sisi, with Jianguo following behind. Zhu Aiqing had long since changed Jianguo into Donghua’s cotton-padded coat. Xinhua’s coat was too big, and although Jianguo was one year younger than Donghua, his body was much more sturdy, and even Donghua’s coat was slightly too large for the skinny and dark Jianguo, who looked as if he had never had a full meal in his life. Granny Zhao was too preoccupied to care about Jianguo; she anxiously looked at Sisi in her son’s arms, relieved to see that she was just sound asleep. Tian Manjin asked Zhu Aiqing to hurry up and bring two basins of hot water for the children to soak their feet. Zhu Aiqing agreed and quickly went to the kitchen to prepare the hot water, with Zhu Qingping sensibly following to help. After the lessons learned last time, Zhu Qingping had indeed improved a lot and had become more observant. Tian Manjin removed Sisi’s cotton shoes and as he began to take off her socks, Sisi "hmm"-ed and instinctively curled her feet. Jin Wanming, who was nearby, looked carefully and saw that blood had glued the socks to Sisi’s feet. She quickly stopped Tian Manjin from continuing, took scissors from the sewing basket, and cut the socks off Sisi’s feet. Once the socks were off, Sisi’s little feet, full of blood blisters, were revealed. Some blisters had broken and stuck to the socks. With no other choice, Jin Wanming gritted her teeth, deciding that it was better to have a short pain rather than a long one. She forcefully tore off the sock adhered to the blisters, causing Sisi to cry out in pain and wake up. Granny Zhao couldn’t help but cry and embrace Sisi, repeatedly crying out, "My girl Ah Nan has suffered so much! It’s all your silly, thoughtless Aunt’s fault, harming others and herself!" The others felt distressed at the sight; Man Yin’s eyes reddened, knowing the pain Sisi must be in as the feet are connected to the heart. Those bastards, I’ll beat them to death tomorrow. Although Man Yin blamed his sister, he hated the Shou family the most. In his view, without the Shou family tormenting his sister, Ah Nan would not have suffered like this. Man Yin directed all his anger toward the Shou family. PS: Once again, a big thank you to Humble Me, Sleepless Night, Fat Girl 0915, and other ladies for their support! Thank you all!