CHAPTER 855: CHAPTER 336: SCREW YOUR TRAGIC BEAUTY (PART 6)

"...Am I prettier than Fu Gui?"

He Xiaobao was a bit excited.

Actually, as a six-year-old boy, He Xiaobao didn’t have a strong notion of beauty or ugliness yet.

But being able to compare with the adored cousin and winning over him, being always seen as a burden and little scoundrel by Ms. Hetian and the Tian Family, He Xiaobao certainly had reason to be happy.

"Of course, our Xiao Bao is the best-looking!"

Ms. Hetian said while glancing at her son.

She wasn’t just bragging, her own child truly was good-looking—

Thick eyebrows with a defined shape, phoenix eyes, a little nose with a high nose bridge, making the whole small face very defined.

The face looked sallow due to malnutrition, but the foundation should be quite good.

Once he’s well-fed and gets enough nutrition, he would surely be a charming, uh, a delicate little beau.

Such a beautiful child, such an obedient son, how could Ms. Hetian have the heart to mistreat him?!

Really such a foolish Helping-Brother Demon, it’s enough to sacrifice for her natal family, but dragging along an innocent child too!

Oh, right, there’s another innocent one, He Erniu.

Still missing, not known if alive or dead.

Thinking about her husband who disappeared half a year ago, Ms. Hetian surprisingly didn’t feel much affection or longing, instead, she felt some inexplicable sympathy and pity.

Ms. Hetian thought secretly, but kept walking, quickly leaving the woods and returning near the cave.

Here, several groups of people escaping hardship had gathered.

There were villagers from Tianjiawa, and from neighboring villages.

But mostly, Ms. Hetian found them somewhat familiar, some were even distant relatives.

Seeing Ms. Hetian carrying firewood in one hand and hugging her child in the other, familiar people greeted her.

Though everyone wondered how this woman who only valued her natal family suddenly became so fond of her son, among the fellow villagers, if there were gossip, it was done behind others’ backs.

When facing people, they still greet warmly.

Of course, this was just the beginning of the escape from hardship, everyone still had an adequate amount of food and weren’t exhausted to despair yet.

When meeting each other, they could still interact like they did in the village.

Once the food ran out or they faced rebels, bandits, plague or any other emergencies, even family would turn against each other, let alone neighbors and fellow villagers.

It wasn’t Ms. Hetian being pessimistic, but reality was harsh.

Seeing these enthusiastic neighbors, Ms. Hetian couldn’t help but think, after some time, could everyone still maintain this state?

And how many truly could escape successfully and reach Prefecture City?

Ms. Hetian sighed inwardly, but her face still maintained a warm smile, chatted a few words with the people, and then returned to the cave where the Tian Family was.

However, at the moment Ms. Hetian turned around, she sharply sensed a pair of peeking eyes in a corner.

Ms. Hetian continued naturally, turning around without showing any change.

Then, as she turned, using the gesture of turning her head to joke with her son, she discreetly surveyed the surroundings.

"Huh? Isn’t this Qiu Zhaodi from the neighboring Qiu Family Castle?"

Sure enough, Ms. Hetian spotted a hidden figure near a slope.

It was a girl, around five or six years old.

The reason Ms. Hetian could recognize her at a glance was mainly because this family was that peculiar one from Qiu Family Castle.

The husband was named Qiu Tongsuo, the wife’s maiden surname was Qin.

The couple were both top-grade in favoring sons over daughters, yet the more they wanted to have a son, the less they could have one.

Ladies Qin gave birth to seven children in ten years, all of them girls, earning her the nickname Queen Mother.

Because she gave birth to the seven fairy daughters.

Qiu Zhaodi was the fourth among the seven daughters, but was actually the eldest.

The first three daughters were either drowned right after birth or abandoned in the mountains to be fed to wolves.

When Qiu Zhaodi was born, there wasn’t even a need for the mother-in-law to act, Lady Qin shouted to strangle her.

The midwife couldn’t bear it and murmured: "With so much evil committed, even if there’s a child destined, it would be scared away!"

In a poor farming family, incidents of infanticide weren’t scarce, but to continuously kill three baby girls like Qiu Tongsuo’s family was excessive!

Not to mention the midwife couldn’t help but criticize, even the neighboring villagers talked about it a lot.

Qiu Tongsuo’s mother was frightened, and Lady Qin worried she really brought about retribution.

Thus, the fourth daughter was kept and named Zhaodi, raised carelessly.

Sadly, the name didn’t work, Qiu Zhaodi didn’t bring a brother, but instead, a series of sisters: Laidi, Yindi, Pandi.