She even lost the beautiful little dress her aunt had brought her back from abroad, that was given to her for her birthday, and was her favorite dress!
The little girl looked at this village, where every house was falling apart, and she didn't like it at all! It was filthy, stinky, and run-down, with evil people lurking around every corner!
She missed home. At home, she had her own beautiful room. She was free to run around in their tidy duplex. Whenever she stepped out, there was a car to pick her up or drop her off. Everyone said, she was the little princess of the Gu Family.
But, once the little princess got lost and was snatched by bad people, she even lost her princess dress!
In the end, Aunt Zhang reluctantly bought the little girl and cheerfully saw off the gleeful, money-counting crone. Leading the little girl, Aunt Zhang was in a rather good mood as she was contemplating what name to give to the little girl. Should it be Peach Blossom or Plum Blossom? In the village, all the girls' names were related to flowers. Finally, Aunt Zhang decided to name her new daughter Xinghua.
But, after just a few days, Aunt Zhang called the old crone to refund her money because Xinghua was lazy, stubborn, and seemed to fear no punishment. Aunt Zhang didn't like her at all.
Even if she was beaten all over with an iron hanger until she swelled up, she never moved when ordered to work. She would just defiantly stare at Aunt Zhang with pride in her eyes, never willing to submit. Even if she were starved for an entire day, she would never call out for help, silent as a mute.
The old crone was infuriated by the little girl. She had never seen a girl with such a fierce temper, who refused to break even when beaten so severely. Left with no choice, the crone refunded the money and took the girl back.
Fortunately, the old woman had no shortage of business. Since no one in the village dared to take the girl, the crone went to a further village to find a new buyer.
This time, the old woman sold the girl to the He Family to be a child bride. This time, the little girl began to wise up too. Resisting these evil people only meant she would be beaten and sold further away.
In just a few days, the little girl went from being Aunt Zhang's daughter to the He Family's child bride.
He Zhongguo was not like Aunt Zhang. He never mistreated children. After finding out from the old woman that the girl was sold because her family was too poor to support her, he was relieved enough to buy her. When he saw the marks on the girl left by beatings, he felt a pang of heartache. He couldn't understand how her real parents could have the heart to hit such a little child, leaving bruises all over her.
He Zhongguo himself had three children. His eldest son was now fifteen and was planning to join the army that summer. His second son was eleven years old, and he had a daughter the same age as the newly adopted girl, both were six years old.
He Zhongguo's wife passed away shortly after giving birth to their daughter. He single-handedly raised all of the children, but they were always poor. With his eldest son reaching fifteen, and his family remaining poor, finding the money to secure a wife for his son seemed impossible. Therefore, He Zhongguo had the idea of adopting a child bride for his eldest son.
Although the little girl was significantly younger than his eldest son, He Zhongguo thought with time it would work out. When marrying off a son, one shouldn't worry about the age of the bride. After all, his son wouldn't be back from military service for years.
When He Zhongguo took the little girl to register her for a hukou, many people in the village saw and got to know that he had found a child bride of only six years old for his eldest son, He Teng.