Through the troubled times and famine, I just want to farm peacefully

Braving the biting cold wind, Lin Dongmei walked hunched over on the silent street.

Although there is no heavy snow in the south in winter, it is still bitterly cold.

Turning into an alley full of sewage, there were low thatched houses on both sides of the alley. Her family had moved here several months ago.

When my sister got married, the dowry given by the Yu family bought a spacious house, but it was already used by my brother to pay off his gambling debts.

When she knocked on the door, Lin Chunfang looked at her aggrievedly with her wet eyes like a deer, and it was obvious that she had been crying.

Before I could ask, I heard Yu Suqin's voice.

"Dongmei, have you seen your sister?"

Lin Dongmei was cold and hungry, and walked towards her brother's room with heavy steps.

There were several thatched huts, and only her brother and mother's hut had windows. She and her sister slept in the woodshed.

Before she entered the house, she smelled a strong smell of medicine. She was about to speak when she suddenly heard the sound of a bowl falling to the ground and breaking.

Lin Dongmei stood at the door and saw a large bowl of white porridge spilled on the floor beside the bed.

Smelling the aroma of rice, Lin Dongmei couldn't help swallowing her saliva because of her desire for food.

"Get out and leave me alone! Just let me die!" Lin Chaohui roared at Yu Suqin.

He had a dejected look on his face. He supported himself with his hands and threw the things on the bed to the ground. All his former high spirits were gone.

Yu Suqin quickly held his hand and said, "Hui'er, if you feel uncomfortable, just tell your mother."

After venting his anger, Lin Chaohui's chest heaved violently, and he stared sinisterly at Lin Dongmei who was standing at the door.

"Did you get the silver?"

Lin Dongmei opened her mouth and said, "No, my sister forbade me to look for her again. The eldest young master of the Yu family has been locked up, and she can't protect herself either."

"She is pregnant with the eldest grandson of the Yu family. Now she is powerful and thinks we are a burden to her." Lin Chaohui said bitterly.

Yu Suqin cursed, "She is an ungrateful person. It's hard for me to raise her with all my hard work."

At this moment, Lin Dongmei suddenly wanted to escape from this home. When her sister married into the Yu family, she didn't even take a betrothal gift and left all the good things to the family. In the end, she was accused of being ungrateful.

Mother always listens to my eldest brother in everything. Why doesn't she think that all this is caused by my eldest brother?

Too lazy to listen to the two people's curses, Lin Dongmei went into the kitchen.

There was a cold stove and no hot water in the kitchen, and I felt very disappointed.

Lin Chunfang stood at the door, handed her a piece of vegetable cake, and whispered, "Mother said that you went to your elder sister's house to eat delicacies from land and sea, so she didn't leave any food for you."

"Save some room for the meal. I'm not hungry." Lin Dongmei didn't respond. She knew Chunfang had a big appetite and was always easily hungry.

She picked up a handful of dry firewood, lit it and put it in the stove, preparing to boil some hot water to drink.

Lin Chunfang squatted beside her, considerately tore off a piece of the pancake and fed it into her mouth. The two sisters took turns eating it.

After finishing the pancake, Lin Chunfang leaned her head on Lin Dongmei and sobbed, "Second sister, mother wants to sell me."

Lin Dongmei paused as she was burning wood. "Who told you that?"

"Today you went to see Big Sister. Mom was talking to an auntie with a flower on her head. I overheard her. The auntie said that with my looks, I will be famous in Nanzhou Prefecture within three years."

Lin Dongmei's heart tightened. Chunfang was almost eleven years old. Because of Yu Suqin's indulgence, she had been greedy since childhood. Her figure and appearance were the best among the three sisters.

"Did mother accept money from that man?"

Lin Chunfang shook her head. "No, mother said she would think about it. She came back and discussed with my eldest brother about finding two more families. The one with the highest bid wins."

"Sister, mother and elder brother want to sell me to a brothel, what do you think I should do?"

Lin Chunfang was heartbroken at the end.

Lin Dongmei patted her on the back and comforted her, "Don't worry, they haven't decided yet, let my second sister think of a solution."

Hearing some noise outside the kitchen, Lin Chunfang quickly wiped away her tears and pretended to light the fire as if nothing had happened.

Yu Suqin came in with a bowl of medicine, "Dongmei, come out for a moment."

The two sisters looked at each other, Lin Dongmei stood up, and followed Yu Suqin into her room without saying a word.

Yu Suqin took out a piece of brightly colored cloth from the box at the end of the bed.

"Take this cloth and make some clothes. Then come with me on a trip in a couple of days."

Lin Dongmei frowned, her eyes full of confusion and puzzlement, "Where are you going?"

"Of course, I'm going to find someone for you." Yu Suqin said.

When she heard that they were going to meet a man, a hint of shyness flashed across Lin Dongmei's face. She had already reached the age of marriage, and most girls would directly start looking for engagement at this time.

"Is there anyone that mother likes?"

Her heart was full of expectations. She didn't ask her future husband to be rich or powerful, as long as he was down-to-earth and hardworking.

Thinking of what the matchmaker said, Yu Suqin was so happy that she couldn't close her mouth, and her eyes and eyebrows were filled with pride.

If a man is favored by his mother, his family background must not be too bad. Lin Dongmei's frown slowly relaxed.

Yu Suqin laughed and said, "I've chosen one. It's Mr. Cai from the city. His wife died last year, and he said he wanted to find a new wife next year. Fortunately, your mother is popular, so the matchmaker told me the news."

"Mr. Cai, whose son is a lieutenant in the army?" Lin Dongmei's heart skipped a beat and she put away her smile and asked Yu Suqin.

Yu Suqin nodded, "Yes, it's him. If you marry into the Cai family, you will be the legal wife, which is much more glorious than your elder sister being a concubine."

Lin Dongmei's hands were trembling slightly, and her heart felt like it was hit by a sledgehammer and shattered into pieces.

"Mom, do you know that Mr. Cai is older than my father?" She tried hard to control her emotions.

Yu Suqin said nonchalantly, "You will feel more distressed when you are older, and it doesn't matter if you can't give birth to a son in the future. You are the wife of the first house, and those younger generations have to respect you..."

Yu Suqin was still chattering on and on. Lin Dongmei was getting annoyed and couldn't listen any more.

"Mom, I've been walking all day and I'm tired. I'm going to go back and rest first."

Having said that, without waiting for Yu Suqin to react, he turned and walked towards the door.

"Hey, take the fabric back."

Lin Dongmei returned to her and Lin Chunfang's room with the cloth in her hands, as if she had lost her soul.

Seeing this, Lin Chunfang hurriedly asked, "Second sister, what's wrong with you?"

Without answering her, Lin Dongmei just lay down, closed her eyes and forced herself to fall asleep.

She felt like she was dreaming, and when she woke up, what her mother said was not true.

Lin Chunfang looked at her worriedly, feeling very helpless. Her mother wanted to sell her, and her second sister was like this now.

What should she do?

Lin Dongmei tossed and turned and couldn't fall asleep. She sat up suddenly.

When her hand touched the purse given by her sister on her chest, she knew that she didn't want to marry that old man, Mr. Cai. She wanted to leave here forever.

She has already given enough to this family and doesn't want to sacrifice her life for her unpromising elder brother.

So she began to pack her things in the dark.

The frightened Lin Chunfang did not fall asleep soundly. She woke up as soon as Lin Dongmei made any movement.

"Second sister, what are you doing?" She rubbed her eyes and sat up.

"My mother asked me to marry an old man. I want to leave here. Do you want to come with me?"

"where are we going?"

"The world is so big, there will always be a place for us."

In the darkness, Lin Dongmei's eyes shone with a strange light, filled with determination and courage.