Chapter 19: A Girl Must Always Be Beautiful!

“Jiancheng, what happened?”

Yuan Yuezhu was sewing a sole beside the brazier when she suddenly heard Tang Jiancheng cursing outside. She hurriedly set down her needlework and rushed out.

Over the years, because Tang Jiancheng had fathered daughter after daughter without producing a son, the villagers often mocked and bullied him. As his mother, Yuan Yuezhu’s heart ached every time she witnessed it.

Though Tang Jiancheng was already thirty, she still guarded him as fiercely as a mother cow protected her calf.

Tang Genshui and Tang Jianbing followed her outside.

Seeing them, Tang Jiancheng felt deeply moved. With a smile, he said, “It’s nothing. Some bastard just set me up.”

As he spoke, his eyes drifted toward the village party secretary’s house.

Yuan Yuezhu immediately understood. She planted both hands on her hips and was about to start cursing, but Tang Jiancheng stopped her.

“Forget it. I’ve already cursed him out. That bastard probably doesn’t even have the guts to admit what he did! Save your strength. You’ll catch a cold breathing in all this freezing air.”

After Tang Jiancheng talked them down, the family returned home, muttering and swearing under their breath.

At the gate, Tang Jiancheng seized one of the badgers and handed it to Tang Jianbing.

“Mom, Dad, Jianbing—this is what the girls and I dug up in the mountains this afternoon. Take one home and eat it.”

“No, we can’t,” Yuan Yuezhu urged. “Badgers are worth a lot of money. You should sell it. Your family has so many mouths—so many mouths to feed. If you sell it, you can bring home more grain.”

“Fourth Brother, take it back,” Tang Jianbing added. “If we want to eat one, we can dig for one in the mountains tomorrow. Badgers aren’t easy to dig out, but as long as we’re willing to spend the time, we should still be able to find one.”

“Take it when I give it to you! We dug up eleven this afternoon!”

Tang Jiancheng shoved the badger into Tang Jianbing’s hands, and Tang Jianbing quickly caught it.

“How many?”

“Eleven?”

“How did you dig up so many?”

Tang Genshui, Tang Jianbing, and Yuan Yuezhu were all stunned. Had badgers suddenly become a plague?

“There really were eleven!” Third Sister said proudly. “Dad smoked them out first and then dug them up. Eight ran out at the beginning, and after he opened up the burrow, there were three more! They were all very fat. The heaviest one weighed nearly twenty pounds!”

“Twenty pounds?”

The three adults were astonished once again.

Fourth Sister pulled the heaviest badger from the sack and carried it out. The three of them clicked their tongues in amazement. A badger that large was truly a rare sight, almost as big as a piglet.

But badgers were worth far more than piglets.

Not only was their meat delicious, the rendered fat was precious, and even their pelts could be sold. Every part of the animal was valuable.

“Fourth Brother, your luck has really been on fire lately!” Tang Jianbing teased. “Yesterday you found a wild boar, and today you dug up so many badgers. What are you planning to do tomorrow? If something good happens, don’t forget your little brother!”

“You idiot, what kind of thing is that to say?” Yuan Yuezhu scolded. “Your Fourth Brother found a wild boar and shared the meat with you. He dug up badgers and gave you one. When has he ever forgotten you?”

She reached out and slapped Tang Jianbing.

His neck shrank from the blow, and he dared not say another word, though his eyes were filled with grievance.

Third Sister and Fourth Sister wanted to laugh when they saw this, but neither dared to, and they struggled to hold it in.

“Everyone, go home,” Tang Jiancheng said. “It’s too cold to stand outside.”

He went inside first.

When he opened the door, he saw Liu Fangfang standing there with a crowd of children, waiting to welcome him home.

Seeing snow covering him from head to toe, Liu Fangfang started toward him to brush it off. Tang Jiancheng hurriedly stopped her.

“Don’t come over. I’m covered in cold. You’re still in confinement, so you must take care of yourself. I can brush it off myself.”

Liu Fangfang was touched by his quiet thoughtfulness, and her heart grew warm and sweet.

“Dad, I’ll brush the snow off you.”

The most sensible of the girls, Eldest Sister, came over with a towel and began patting the snow from Tang Jiancheng’s clothes.

He did not refuse his daughter’s filial devotion. Instead, he spread his arms and turned in circles so she could reach every spot.

“I want to do it too!”

Naturally, Little Seven, the family’s resident show-off, had to join in.

Once she came over, Little Six and Little Eight followed as well. They were still too young to understand how to brush off snow properly and were only doing it for fun. Not only did they fail to remove the snow from Tang Jiancheng, they ended up covered in it themselves—their faces, hair, and clothes all coated white.

“Go away! Stop making trouble here. Look at you—you’re knocking snow everywhere!” Eldest Sister scolded.

“Na-na-na-na-na!”

Little Seven pulled a face.

Little Six and Little Eight copied her, giggling and laughing. They were completely unafraid of Eldest Sister.

“All right, enough. Go wash your hands and get ready for dinner!”

At Fifth Sister’s sharp command, the little ones immediately fell silent and became obedient.

Only then did Tang Jiancheng notice that Fifth Sister, who rarely spoke, was just over seven years old. With her small face drawn into a dark scowl, she was surprisingly intimidating. No wonder the younger children were afraid of her.

Sadly, in his previous life, Fifth Sister had lived only until the age of ten. Unable to endure her hunger, she had climbed a tree to raid a bird’s nest. Her arms had not been strong enough, and she had fallen to her death.

In this life, Tang Jiancheng would make sure she was well fed and warmly clothed. He would give her a strong, healthy body and prevent that tragedy from ever happening again.

Dinner was already prepared. Eldest Sister and Second Sister had cooked it.

They were the oldest and carried the greatest share of the household chores. Sensible from an early age, they never complained about having so much to do. Instead, they seemed to take a certain pleasure in their work.

After dinner, the children made a racket for a while before preparing to climb into bed.

“You’re all going to bed without washing yourselves? You’re filthy! What will you do if you get lice or fleas? Come on—all of you go wash properly before you sleep!”

Tang Jiancheng’s face hardened.

“From now on, everyone must bathe and wash their hair once every three days. You must all keep yourselves clean. You’re girls, so you have to pay attention to hygiene! Anyone who refuses to keep clean will get her palms smacked. Do you hear me?”

“We hear you.”

The children were still very afraid of Tang Jiancheng.

Although he had treated them much better over the past few days, the impression he had left on them over so many years could not be changed overnight.

Tang Jiancheng watched over them until every one of them had washed properly before allowing them to go to bed.

Afterward, he took a bath himself.

“Our family can barely afford enough food and clothing,” Liu Fangfang said from the bed, unable to understand him. “Why are you making so many demands?”

The family had not even solved the problem of basic subsistence, yet Tang Jiancheng insisted that the children pay attention to personal hygiene. The question was, did their circumstances even allow for such things?

“Good hygiene is a habit that must be formed from childhood. If we don’t have the means, then we’ll create them!” Tang Jiancheng replied. “Girls have to look lovely!”

“Look lovely?”

Liu Fangfang was puzzled. “Why do you keep using such strange expressions lately? Where did you hear them?”

Tang Jiancheng smiled. “No matter where I heard it, tell me—doesn’t it make sense?”

Liu Fangfang rolled her eyes. “It makes sense.”

At the sight of her expression, Tang Jiancheng felt desire stir within him once again.

Forty years without touching a woman!

If he were still seventy, it would be understandable. He might have the desire, but not the strength. Yet he had been reborn at thirty, in the prime of his vigor, with his blood running hot. How could he possibly endure it?

“Ah! What are you rushing for? You’re hurting me!”

“Careful—the girls are right there. Don’t crush them!”

“Slow down. Is there really any need to be so impatient?”

“Oh! Stop! I’m still in confinement!”

“...”

Tang Jiancheng was utterly frustrated. With the heat inside him left unspent, he felt as if he might burst.

“Then... shall we try another way?”

“Huh?”

When Liu Fangfang heard what Tang Jiancheng proposed, she was completely bewildered. But she could not resist him and, flushed with embarrassment and unfamiliarity, could only do as he asked.