Chapter 7: The Ability of X-ray Vision
Xiu Er blinked puzzedly, "Do eyes need sunlight too?" and raised her little face to search for the sun.
Dong Tian quickly covered her eyes when he saw this. "Are you crazy? Looking at the sun will make you blind."
"You're doing it on purpose, aren't you?" Dong Tian glared angrily at Lin Yue, "You're trying to blind Xiu Er so you can marry her off."
Lin Yue sighed in frustration. "Am I out of my mind? Anyone with a bit of intelligence knows that only those who are fully functional can fetch a better price. Blind ones aren't worth anything."
Xia Dongtian stared at Lin Yue's eyes and said, "Hmm, blind ones aren't worth anything. Then why did your mother take so much from my grandmother? Besides food and meat vouchers, she even gave money. Grandma must have been so sick that she became confused."
"Hey, that's not fair," Lin Yue protested.
At this point, Xiu Er tugged at her brother's sleeve and said crisply, "Brother, you're wrong this time. Do you know how much dowry others give now?"
Xia Dongtian's expression softened considerably when he heard his sister speak.
"Do you know, Xiu Er?" he asked gently.
Xiu Er nodded shyly. "Yes, Auntie Hei at the East side of the village said that nowadays, besides food vouchers, meat vouchers, and cash, you also need the four big items at least."
"What are the four big items?" Xia Dongtian asked curiously.
Lin Yue was also curious, her ears perking up to listen.
Xiu Er gestured with her hands dramatically. "The four big items are really big and powerful." Then she revealed the answer. "They are flashlight, electric fan, bicycle, and sewing machine. If you're wealthy, you can replace the flashlight with a television."
Lin Yue chuckled. "Those are some big 'four big items' indeed."
Xia Dongtian nodded thoughtfully at Xiu Er's words, his gaze once again turning to Lin Yue.
"Mmm, blind ones indeed aren't worth much."
Lin Yue chuckled. in anger, "Dong Tian, has anyone ever told you that stepmothers can also be very cruel and ruthless? They not only can refuse to feed you but also can beat you."
"You dare?" Xia Dongtian immediately widened his eyes and snarled at Lin Yue.
Rolling her eyes, Lin Yue couldn't be bothered to argue with the little brat.
At this moment, she finally spotted the shadow of a mouse scurrying by and quickly gestured for Dong Tian to be quieter, then stealthily followed behind.
The mouse seemed to sense something was amiss and quickly darted into its hole. Lin Yue then directed Dong Tian to dig a hole.
Dong Tian glared fiercely at her but complied nonetheless. As long as he didn't have to sell his sister, he was willing to do anything.
When they uncovered the mouse hole and saw the abundance of grains and peanuts, Dong Tian's eyes nearly popped out of his head.
After digging through several mouse holes for at least half a day, the three of them managed to fill half a sack with food and headed back.
Dong Tian, now happy, didn't argue with Lin Yue anymore, his face beaming with joy.
Xiu Er was even happier, humming a tune while skipping along, holding her brother's hand.
As they returned home, they were surprised to find two people standing in the courtyard.
The man had a rough appearance, with a face as dark as coal dust. He wore worn-out labor clothes, gray coarse cloth trousers with a piece of cloth tied around his waist, and a pair of tattered cloth shoes. The woman, relatively cleaner, wore patched labor clothes with a gray sleeve cover. She wore baggy green trousers with patches on the knees and a gray scarf wrapped around her head, with a knot tied under her chin.
Xia Dongtian, who was previously cheerful, instantly lost his smile. He quickly pulled his sister behind him.
T/L: They never learn, do they...
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