The 1970s’ Lucky Little Darling: The Whole Village of Rugged Men Dotes on Her

[1970s + Cherished by Everyone + Lucky Star Fortune + Tough Hero + Face-Slapping + Raising a Child]

In 1972, drought sweeps through Kaoshan Village, leaving the fields barren.

The Li family has had eighteen sons, and their grain jar is nearly empty. With a hard-hearted grandmother gritting her teeth, the family decides to abandon their newborn granddaughter in the mountains to fend for herself.

But when the baby cries, a long-awaited downpour drenches the cracked yellow earth.

The news spreads, and all of Kaoshan Village erupts with excitement.

Everyone says she’s the lucky star the village has been waiting for after fifty years of too many men and too few women!

Auntie Zhang brings over the old hen she couldn’t bear to slaughter, and Grandpa Wang brings the red-cloth coupons he’s saved for three years.

Even the village’s famously cold, tough men soften their steps and voices around her, afraid of startling the baby.

The village bully’s rascal son picks on her? That very night, his own father hangs him from a tree and beats him until he yelps.

People from other villages laugh at Kaoshan Village for going crazy, spoiling a little girl during a famine and sure to squander the family’s savings.

But before long, they watch in disbelief as Kaoshan Village returns from hunting with full loads, fills its granaries with grain, and serves meat at every meal in every household.

Green with envy, the neighboring villages gather people in the middle of the night to steal the little lucky star.

The men of Kaoshan Village line up at the entrance, gripping hoes and shoulder poles:

“Our village’s precious little darling is off-limits! Nobody lays a finger on her!”