At the beginning of the famine, I became famous all over the world with my useless system

Although Shopkeeper Qian was a bit of a flatterer, he was hands-on and efficient in his work. He wrapped two bags of candied fruits and handed them over in a short while.

Gu Ermiao took it hurriedly. He seemed to smell the sweetness through the kraft paper. When he saw it was carefully wrapped into the shape of a hexagonal star, he couldn't let it go.

I was about to stuff it into my clothes like a treasure, but my mother said, "Open it and try it."

Gu Ermiao was stunned for a moment, and then heard his mother repeat it again. He rubbed his hands on his body in fear and trepidation, carefully opened the candied plums, handed a piece to Gu Sihe, and then picked up a small piece and put it in his mouth.

As soon as they took a bite, both of them couldn't help but put on masks of pain.

Then I thought about how expensive it was, so I resisted the urge to spit it out, chewed it randomly, and swallowed it whole.

Next is the yellow peach preserves.

Uh, why does it have the same sweet taste!

Gu Sihe was still young after all, and he couldn't help but cover his face and pour out his grievances to Lin.

"Mom, how can it be so sweet? Why is it so expensive...

"Tsk, I'm choking and my teeth are hurting... No, I can't eat anymore. Put it away and leave it for my eldest and third brothers."

Lin Qing was amused by his reaction and said, "Really? Let me try it too!"

The Gu family's mother and son were talking and laughing, not noticing that a father and daughter had walked into the store.

The father and daughter were typical of a poor family. They were skinny and had sallow complexions. They looked even poorer than the Gu family, and their clothes were covered in patches.

Jiang Yi, the apprentice of Shopkeeper Qian, had just seen Miss Feng off when he turned around and saw the father and daughter. He couldn't help but sigh.

"Two more poor fellows have come. What bad luck has befallen us today? We really need to burn some incense and pray to the Buddha."

Lin Qing, her mother and her two children happened to be standing next to the counter at the moment. They were a little surprised to hear Jiang Yi being so blatant and even loud in his criticism.

Why does such an old restaurant with a long history have to choose dishes based on the customer?

What kind of person is coming?

So the three people who were eating candied fruits looked towards the door at the same time.

I saw a tall and thin man whose age could not be determined, wearing a conical hat that covered most of his face.

His shirt sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, and his trousers were piled up at his knees, revealing skin as rough as tree bark. His knuckles were thick, and his fingernails were covered in black mud, as if he was used to doing rough work. His pair of straw sandals were also exposed front and back, and were worn down to the point that only the soles were left, and the exposed toes and heels were covered in dust.

The shy little girl standing next to him was also dressed in rags, and was no more than fourteen or fifteen years old. Her big deer-like eyes were full of shyness and fear. When she looked around, she met Gu Ermiao's gaze and lowered her head unconsciously.

When the father and daughter heard Jiang Yi's words, they unconsciously lowered their bodies a few inches.

Although the man tried hard to imitate the others in speaking in a low voice, he was still used to the shouting in the fields, and the muffled voices reached everyone's ears.

"Zhao'er, tell me what you want to eat and I'll buy it for you. You're a sensible child and I believe in you."

The little girl lowered her head and tried hard to put her exposed toes back into her shoes. She was so embarrassed that the tips of her ears almost bled.

As soon as she entered the room, she heard Gu Sihe say that the candied fruit was not tasty, and then she was frightened by Jiang Yi's impatient attitude. She quietly tugged at the man's sleeve and said hesitantly:

"Dad, why don't we not buy it? I don't really want to eat candied fruit. Why don't we use the money to buy something for my younger brothers and sisters..."

She originally thought that since the people in the town were even more mean than those in the village, why bother trying to save face here? It would be better to spend the money effectively.

Unexpectedly, the man suddenly raised his voice, startling all the customers in the store.

"no!"

Shopkeeper Qian was about to stop him, but his throat tightened because of what the man said next.

"Zhao'er, you've never told me what you want to eat. Now that you finally say it, Dad, I have to agree to it this once... Otherwise, there will be no chance in the future!"

Shopkeeper Qian straightened his back instantly.

What does this mean? Does this girl have an incurable disease?

Could it be tuberculosis? Then he must kick these two people out quickly!

The man wiped his face, and the wrinkles on it became more and more clear after the dust, sweat and tears mixed with it.

The little girl named Zhao'er stiffened when she heard her father say this. Then she seemed to understand something. Tears fell like beads and she said in a trembling voice:

"Then, please ask the shopkeeper to weigh the cheapest one. And please ask Dad to buy me some more, so that I can have something to think about."

The candied fruit shop was completely silent, and everyone looked at the father and daughter silently.

Zhao'er wiped her tears with her sleeve, took several deep breaths, and said, "When I'm not home, Dad, you have to take good care of Pan'er. She's not young anymore, she can't be so crazy anymore. She should understand things and stop irritating Mom all the time.

"I hid a wooden hairpin under my pillow. She has always wanted it. Dad, please give it to her for me.

"besides……"

Next, Zhao'er cried so hard that he was out of breath and could no longer speak. He wailed in pain for a long time, and then his legs went weak and he fell to his knees.

The man couldn't help but burst into tears when listening to his daughter's tearful instructions. He turned his face away and couldn't bear to look at his daughter kneeling in front of him. His heart was broken.

At this moment, the man was still convincing himself that if he really couldn't make ends meet, he wouldn't be willing to sell his own flesh and blood. This was the most sensible move...

Even though my wife always says that Zhao'er is a money-losing thing, after raising him for so many years, I would have feelings for him even for a cat or a dog, let alone a human.

But thinking of the several children who were crying for food, especially the lovely white jade-like baby boy who was just born, the man could only harden his heart and said through gritted teeth:

"Zhao'er, you are a good kid. You are sensible and smart. You can read people's expressions and be patient. You will definitely be a good manager when you get married.

"But Dad is incompetent and doesn't have the ability to let you be the mistress of the house. Even though you'll be a concubine, as long as you don't cause trouble, the master family will definitely not bother you, and you can live a good life..."

"Besides, they've given you a lot of money, so you don't have to worry too much about your brothers and sisters."

Lin Ting finally understood after hearing this. It felt like a huge stone was blocking his heart and he couldn't breathe smoothly.

Is the fact that this Zhao'er girl is sensible a reason for her to sacrifice herself for her family?

This man has hands and feet but doesn't want to find a job. Instead, he sells his daughter to someone else as a concubine in order to get rich!

Lin Qing felt the two children unconsciously clenching her fingers, and thought that witnessing the selling of children with her own eyes was a hundred times more shocking than hearing it from Boss Tu.

I wanted to say something to comfort the children, but my throat seemed to be pinched and I couldn't make a sound.

The family of three looked at the poor Zhao'er and their eyes turned red silently, but they didn't expect Jiang Yi behind the counter to sneer.

Lin Qing turned her head and through her tearful eyes she saw that his eyes were almost rolled up to the sky, and he seemed to be very disdainful.

After weighing the candied fruit, he casually wrapped it twice and threw it over, deliberately raising his voice so that others could hear clearly.

"Here, you two, take this. These are the cheapest preserved plums. I'll give you an extra ounce on my own account. No need to thank me."

Jiang Yi's rudeness really made people angry, but the father and daughter kept thanking him as if they were grateful.

Lin Qing thought to himself that this young man was so arrogant that he would be beaten sooner or later.