Chapter 4: The Eight Little Radishes

“These are the toxins absorbed from the eggs!” Liu Fangfang said, then quickly picked up Xiao Jiu, rubbing some tea oil on her navel, her armpits, and groin. Only then did she wrap her in a diaper and swaddle her in thick clothes like a little bundle, leaving just her small face exposed.

Perhaps it was the comfort after a bath, or maybe the toxins inside her were drawn out during the fetal bath—Xiao Jiu was now sleeping soundly and peacefully.

Liu Fangfang placed Xiao Jiu on the bed and softly said to Tang Jiancheng, “You must be hungry. I’ll go prepare some food for you.”

Tang Jiancheng was still studying why the two egg yolks had turned black and grown spikes. He had a vague feeling this might be a natural phenomenon after boiling eggs, but he lacked concrete evidence.

After all, he had never paid such close attention to egg yolks before when eating eggs.

At the same time, he found it a bit mysterious, though he didn’t understand the principle behind it.

Seeing Liu Fangfang heading toward the kitchen, he suddenly came back to his senses and hurriedly stopped her. “You’re still in confinement. You should stay here and watch Xiao Jiu. I’ll make the food.”

“You’re going to cook?” Liu Fangfang looked at him in surprise.

Tang Jiancheng had given her so many surprises today that if the man before her weren’t truly him, she would have suspected he had been switched.

He knew what she was thinking but found no need to explain.

After all, fortune had granted him a rare chance to return to 1982 and make amends for the regrets of his previous life. Why should he worry so much?

Even if things changed dramatically overnight, so what?

Once they got used to it after some time, everything would be fine.

“Don’t look at me like that. I hit my head when I fell into a ditch on my way home and suddenly had a great awakening,” Tang Jiancheng said after a moment’s thought, then smiled, “Let me cook. Though my cooking won’t compare to yours, it’ll still be edible.”

“You hit your head?” Only then did Liu Fangfang notice what seemed like bloodstains on his head.

Before coming home, Tang Jiancheng had washed the blood off his face and head with snow water, but without a mirror, some traces remained despite his careful cleaning.

If one didn’t look closely, it was hardly noticeable.

Yuan Yue-zhu, Liu Fangfang, and Tang Genshui hadn’t noticed it either.

If Tang Jiancheng hadn’t mentioned it himself, Liu Fangfang would have never realized. Now seeing the blood on his head, she hurriedly pressed his head down for a closer look, tears welling in her eyes.

“How could you be so careless? You have a long gash on your head. Shouldn’t you go to the rural clinic to have it checked?” Liu Fangfang said, her heart aching.

“No need. The blood has already scabbed over. It will heal on its own in a few days,” Tang Jiancheng waved his hand. “Alright, I’m going to cook now.”

With that, he stepped into the kitchen.

The moment he entered, he suddenly stopped.

“Dad!”

“Dad!”

“Dad!”

...

Inside the kitchen, a circle of little girls huddled around the stove.

The oldest was thirteen, the youngest about two—eight girls in total!

They were all pale and thin, dressed in tattered clothes. Even though it was snowing, several wore summer clothes, shivering from the cold, pressing tightly against each other around the stove, reluctant to move.

Though they appeared to be warming by the fire, there was actually no flame in the stove. Only charcoal remained from when Liu Fangfang had burned mugwort water and boiled eggs. They dared not light a real fire.

Because if they did, a severe beating would follow immediately!

Seeing Tang Jiancheng enter, the girls hurriedly stood and slipped into the corners.

The younger ones were forced away, while the older ones knew very well that if they were even slightly slow, they would be beaten or scolded by Tang Jiancheng.

Tang Jiancheng’s dislike for them was something all the children deeply understood.

So whenever he appeared, they behaved like mice confronting a cat, desperate to hide instantly.

If it weren’t for the snow outside and the biting cold, the girls would have fled immediately; they dared not stay with Tang Jiancheng.

Now, one after another, they looked at him in terror.

Tang Jiancheng’s nose tingled with emotion, nearly bringing tears to his eyes.

These were all his daughters!

In his previous life, his preference for sons had caused these eight daughters to suffer greatly. Three died young within a few years, two ran away and were never heard from again, and only three married into nearby villages.

Among those three, two had once defied him and, after he got drunk, were severely beaten by him, leaving their legs broken and disabled. After marriage, their husbands despised them, and their lives were miserable.

The last one was so frightened by his ferocity that she developed a mental illness. Though she eventually married, she was locked away by her husband’s family and never regained her freedom.

Seeing them now so intact and lively, Tang Jiancheng was both shocked and delighted, unable to help but thank heaven for its mercy.

“Why are you hiding so far away? Come closer to the fire!” he called out.

He desperately wanted to gather them all into his arms and cherish them, but he knew that approaching now would only frighten them.

Better to stoke the fire and sternly order them to come warm themselves.

This tactic worked.

The eight girls cautiously approached, still showing deep fear in their eyes, but at least their bodies were warm and safe from the cold.

Though Tang Jiancheng longed to speak with his daughters, he restrained himself.

These little ones were different from Liu Fangfang and the others, who were adults and could adapt more easily. The sudden change only made them suspicious, not afraid.

But these children were not the same.

If he suddenly showed kindness, they would certainly be scared away.

Especially the eldest five daughters—already over seven years old—who had their own thoughts.

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