Little Lotus

After his wife left home, Old Zhang and his only daughter depended on each other. He spent all day sighing.

"Why couldn't you have been born a boy? The Zhang family will end with you and your mother."

Xiao Lian crunched on a fresh lotus root, its crisp, sweet juice running down her mouth.

"Dad, I give you permission to buy a son."

"How am I supposed to buy one? I spent all my money on your schooling, food, and clothes. I don't have a penny to buy a son."

Old Zhang knew where he stood. His daughter was his own flesh and blood, even if she was a money-losing burden. An adopted son was just a showpiece, there to carry on the family line, carry the coffin, and make offerings.

Unable to afford a son, Old Zhang went out every day, hoping to get lucky and find one someone else didn't want.

And as luck would have it, this blind cat found a dead rat: he came across a deaf boy.

When Xiao Lian learned that the boy he'd found was deaf, she made a fuss and threw a tantrum.

"He's going to be my little brother? Everyone will laugh at me! Throw him away!"

"Xiao Lian, your little brother is very well-behaved. He just can't hear. There's nothing seriously wrong with him."

Old Zhang coaxed and pleaded until his daughter finally agreed to keep the deaf boy he'd gotten for free. He was already doing the math: if his daughter married and he couldn't see her, and finding a live-in son-in-law was too expensive, then he could raise this free son and use him as her husband instead.

In Qingpu Town, Xiao Lian was a famous female head of household. Her father had found her plenty of little brothers. Everyone knew that cheap things were no good, and free things came with even more problems: the eldest was deaf, the second was mute, and the third was blind.

When Old Zhang went out to try his luck and find a fourth, she finally snapped.

"Dad, give it a rest! No one will marry me and bring a bride price when they're like this. It doesn't matter how beautiful or learned I am. At this rate, how will the Zhang family ever carry on?"

"Daughter, I'm only thinking of you. They're all useless. They climb into your bed every night, but none of them have gotten you pregnant. They must be the problem. I refuse to believe there isn't a good one out there."

Xiao Lian flushed with anger. She'd been annoyed enough before, but now she was furious.

"If you weren't so stingy, I'd already be married! Why would I need these defective goods? They can only shake the bed, not make a baby. They're completely useless."

The three rejected adopted sons fidgeted uneasily. If they couldn't have children, would she kick them out?

Small-town family life and neighborhood squabbles.

Theme: Cherish your happiness.