Gulan couldn't help laughing, "How sleepy your dad is! How can I sleep right after waking up? It's getting late, dad should get up and help you cook."
"Dad, we have already eaten." AnAn looked at his mother with a little pride.
"Have you eaten? How did you eat it?" Their expressions already told her that they made it themselves.
"Daya made rice porridge and fried an egg. Erya and I helped to light the fire.For Dad, Daya are warming it in the pot."
AnAn, who couldn't hide the truth in front of his mother, spilled out all the information they had done before, and his eyes, like Gulan's, also curved because of his efforts.
"Really?" Gulan looked at her son in surprise,
"My son is awesome, and Daya is amazing too." After praising her son, she did not forget to praise Daya next to him as well. The excited little girl's face flushed.
"Okay, then Dad will just stay lazy tonight and eat the ready-made food." Gulan scratched her son's nose.
"Uncle, I'll go serve the food." Hearing this, Daya said quickly with a red face, and Erya also hurried to follow her sister.
"You run pretty fast," Gulan laughed.
She took in these two children because she was soft-hearted and pitied them. She didn't expect such small children to help her do anything. Not only did they help her look after her son, but they also did some simple things, especially Daya, who could wash clothes and cook.
Now that they have arrived in Yunzhou City, Gulan fell into deep thought as she looked at the shaking wooden door. It's time to think carefully about the future of the two little girls. I was thinking about having a good chat with the two children after dinner. After all, they wasn't really selling theyself, and she didn't really use money to buy it. If the two sisters had the idea, she would fulfill their wish.
"Uncle, it's time to eat." Daya quickly brought the meal over and interrupted Gulan's thoughts.
"Okay," Gulan nodded.
Looking at the thick porridge in the bowl, Gulan's eyes flashed a smile. The little girl has done very well now, and she remembers her eating preferences very clearly.
After the meal, Gulan stopped Daya who was about to clean up, "Daya, don't be busy. I have something to ask you and your sisters."
"Uncle."
Gulan looked at them so seriously that Daya couldn't help but get nervous.
"Don't be nervous, it's just a few words, sit down," Gulan lowered her voice.
"It's like this. I want to ask you what your plans are for the future."
The two little girls looked at Gulan in confusion, not understanding what he meant.
Well, the child is still young, she should have been more careful.
After thinking for a while, Gulan said, "Now that we have arrived in Yunzhou City, this is a good opportunity. If you don't want to follow me, I can help you to live on your own. Of course, I don't object if you want to go back to find your parents."
After hearing this, both Daya and Erya understood. Daya didn't say anything, but Erya just shook her head. She didn't understand much else, but she understood that the master said they could go back to their parents. Erya's face changed immediately. She didn't want to go back to her parents. In her memory, apart from her sister, the only things she remembered about her parents were endless beatings and hunger. She didn't want to go back.
"No, I won't go back." The little girl looked at Gulan nervously.
The fear in her sister's words made Daya quickly hug her sister, with uneasiness on her face, and asked in panic: "Master, don't you want us anymore?"
Gulan didn't expect the two little girls to react so strongly.
She shook her head and said, "It's not that I don't want you, I just want to make the situation clear to you so that you have the right to choose."
"My sister and I don't want to go back, nor do we want to live on our own." Daya said quickly, fearing that the master would not want them if she was a step slower.
Children from poor families have to grow up early. Even though Daya is only nine years old, she already understands a lot of things. Knowing what it means to live alone, and knowing what their two children will face in the future? Life is so difficult nowadays, adults can't even support themselves, let alone their two children, Daya dare not imagine.
"Don't be so hasty to make a decision, Daya. I understand that you don't want to go back to your parents, but you don't want to live on your own. Are you afraid that you can't support you and your sister?"
Daya hesitated for a moment and nodded. She had indeed thought of this just now.
"Don't worry about that. With the village chief and I here, you sisters will definitely grow up safely. And if you want to continue to follow me, there are conditions. You must sign a contract to sell your body. You must know that once you sign the contract, you will never be free again without my consent. You must think it through."
When Daya heard the words "selling body contract", her eyes opened wide and she then lowered her head. She knew about it. Her mother had sold her and her sisters several times when they were fleeing famine. She had seen it all. The children chosen by the buyer would sign a piece of paper with their fingerprints, and she heard that it was a contract to sell their bodies. She also heard from the village chief grandfather who stopped their parents from selling them that as long as they signed the contract, they would become someone else's slaves and could be beaten and scolded at will, and even if they were beaten to death, no one would ask the government.
To be honest, she was a little scared when her master mentioned the three words "selling body contract", but she immediately thought of the kindness of her master. They had a share of everything they ate and used. Except that they didn't treat the young master as well as she did, everything else was really good to them. In the past two months, she and her sister have long since gotten rid of their pale and skinny appearance, and have gained weight and even grown taller.
As for the master's suggestion of living independently, Daya really didn't have the courage to live alone with her sister. She was also afraid that without the master's protection, her parents would not let her and her sisters go, and that they would return to a life worse than that of animals.
After a while, Daya thought a lot, then looked at her sister, "Erya, what do you think?"
Erya didn't think as much as her sister. She just knew that after following her master, she would never be hungry and had meat to eat. Not only that, she also had new clothes and could eat many things she had never eaten before. In the little girl's heart, she definitely didn't want to leave her master. Without hesitation, she said to her sister, "I want to follow the master."
Her sister's words made Daya stop hesitating for the last time, and she looked at Gulan with a firm gaze.
"Master, we sisters have made up our minds and only want to follow you, Master."
"Are you sure?" Gulan gave them another chance.
"Yes," Daya nodded firmly.
"Okay, now that's the case I know what to do, you guys go and have a rest." After saying this, she waved to the two girls and didn't restrain them anymore.
The two children have been with her for some time, and she is really reluctant to leave Gulan. Although it's a bit cruel, it's better this way. If there's nothing to restrain her, she wouldn't dare to keep anyone at home with so many secrets.
"Dad, what is a body contract?" AnAn, who had been silent all this time, glanced at the backs of Daya and her sister, and looked at her mother in confusion. He was a little confused by what his mother and Daya said. He didn't understand why his mother wanted Daya and the others to make a choice. He endured it with great difficulty and didn't interrupt.
Looking at her curious son, Gulan touched his head and said, "The selling body contract is a piece of paper legalized by the government. Don't underestimate this piece of paper, it can determine a person's fate. If it's a living indenture, it's ok. As long as you save enough money within the specified time, you can redeem yourself. But if it's a dead indenture, unless the master is willing to release you, otherwise you will be someone else's slave for the rest of your life, even until death, and you can't control your life or death." Gulan patiently explained to her son.
"If we can't control our life and death, then why should we sign a contract to sell ourselves?" AnAn asked another soul-earching question, he really couldn't figure it out.