Tao Ti woke up, and the memory of that dream had also become less clear.
She felt an itchy and dry throat and painfully rubbed her eyes.
Seeing her awake, the aunt hurried over, "Are you okay?"
Tao Ti glanced at her, but didn't utter a word.
Tao Ti knew this aunt was also a bad person. Although she was gentle, she was just like that bad uncle, both of them had locked her up.
The aunt called the doctor, and after an examination, her high fever had subsided.
The aunt relayed the words Chen Bin had entrusted to her.
Tao Ti didn't quite believe it; she insisted on seeing her grandfather, wanting to see him with her own eyes.
The aunt got through to Chen Bin's phone, and after a moment of silence on the other end, Chen Bin agreed.
After receiving the SMS with the address, the aunt took Tao Ti to the hospital.
Tao Ti leaned over her grandfather's hospital bed and called out to him several times, but her grandfather showed no response at all.
Tao Ti's eyes reddened as she clenched her small fists. "Grandpa, I will work hard to earn money and find the best doctor to cure you! I won't let the hospital kick you out!"
...
Tao Ti started to eat food, no longer banging on doors or staying awake with her eyes open; she became extremely cooperative.
Chen Bin watched her for a while, and once he was convinced she was obedient, he then began arranging her training.
Tao Ti was sent to a huge dance hall, which was surrounded by mirrors on all sides, containing twenty-nine girls her same age, making a total of thirty including her.
The teacher was a beautifully poised woman with long hair.
Though her face was very stiff. Although she was beautiful, Tao Ti was somewhat afraid of her.
Due to her poor foundation, growing up in the mountains and never having learned to dance or sing, Tao Ti was treated very harshly.
The stretching process, made the young girl cry out in pain, but no one sympathized, only cold pairs of eyes stared at her.
Despite the relentless training, she still could not dance well.
In the dance hall, the mirrors were double-sided, and on the other side, several men watched the children suffering.
Time passed quickly, and after a month, Tao Ti's dance moves had improved to the point where they were somewhat presentable.
Her appetite had also increased dramatically, to a shocking degree.
Tao Ti had always held back when eating, but now she understood, why not eat? She needed to eat, and not just eat, but eat freely!
Out of the thirty children, only Tao Ti was not picky, and would eat anything. The other children always had things they wouldn't eat, so Tao Ti would go to them with her bowl before they even started eating.
They would give their unwanted food to Tao Ti. After finishing her own meal, she would finish theirs, then take her empty plate to the aunt to ask for another serving.
This continued until she had asked for ten servings.
The aunt frowned and said, "There's no more."
Tao Ti muttered, "Not enough to eat, make some more tomorrow."
The aunt awkwardly agreed.
The next day, the aunt made an extra ten servings.
Tao Ti repeated her previous behavior, taking the children's unwanted food before they ate, finishing her own, then finishing theirs, and then taking her empty plate to the aunt.
One serving, two servings, three servings… Ten servings!
"More!" Tao Ti blinked her large eyes.
The aunt filled her plate again, one serving, two servings, three servings… Ten servings!
Until the aunt had given out all the extra ten servings she had prepared for that day, Tao Ti licked her lips and made a sad face. "Auntie, make more tomorrow, it's still not enough to fill me up!"
The aunt was so shocked she dropped her serving spoon, gasping in surprise.
In the month where she freely ate anything she wanted, Tao Ti had gained weight; she was no longer the thin little girl who first appeared in front of the camera.
Her cheeks had filled out, and her complexion had improved, becoming fair with a rosy glow. Her lips were red like a juicy cherry. But what was most beautiful were her eyes, blinking like stars twinkling in the sky.
The aunt, worried that she might upset her stomach, came forward to feel Tao Ti's stomach only to find it was not as distended as expected, it was flat, just like Tao Ti said—looking unfed.
In her anxiety, the aunt hastily dialed Chen Bin's number to report the situation.
Chen Bin thought the aunt was exaggerating and didn't take it seriously, breezily saying, "Let her eat as much as she wants, the company can afford a little food."
After hanging up, Chen Bin received a call from the reality show "Pastoral Life."
Manli's reality show had been produced and aired on the Durian Channel, marking Tao Ti's first appearance in front of the television audience. Tao Ti received a lot of attention and praise, which kindled a small fame for her.
Therefore, the "Pastoral Life" program team wanted Tao Ti to participate.