The Blessed Farm Girl Has a Spatial Storage
Chapter 29: Dividing the Tofu

Chapter 29: Chapter 29: Dividing the Tofu

Eldest Aunt’s Sun Xiaoxue was fine. She was six this year and didn’t take issue with this way of divvying up food. Even though her half bowl wasn’t enough and she wanted to eat more, she ultimately said nothing, just watched her brothers’ bowls with envy.

Aunt’s Sun Xiaoyu, who was only four and a half this year and the same age as Zhao Zhitong, didn’t have enough from her half bowl. She wanted to eat more, so she asked her mother for more.

Then Aunt from the Liu Clan rejected her, saying, "Haven’t you already eaten? We have guests at home; you shouldn’t be so ill-behaved."

Sun Xiaoyu wanted to cry but dared not, so she just pouted, feeling extremely wronged.

Zhao Zhitong was even more confused, so she asked Grandpa Bai, "Grandpa Bai, are Eldest Aunt and Aunt bad mothers?"

Grandpa Bai stroked his beard and fell silent for a moment. "One can’t really say that," he said. "It’s more of a habitual mindset, I suppose, determined by the general environment we live in. Is it because your parents dote on you that you’ve never realized that in this era, the phenomenon of preferring boys over girls has always existed?"

Zhao Zhitong’s small face was a picture of bewilderment. "Prefer boys over girls? Why would they prefer boys over girls? I’m not light at all; I’m heavy! Papa even said today that I’ve gotten heavier."

Grandpa Bai was amused by this, then said seriously, "Young girl, ’preferring boys over girls’ means male superiority and female inferiority. Within a family clan, males are considered the continuers of the family line. Elders naturally place more importance on them, and correspondingly, males have higher status and receive greater rights and benefits.

For example, if guests come to the house for a meal, women are not allowed to eat at the main table. The way your aunts are currently dividing the food among the children naturally favors the boys."

Zhao Zhitong listened in a daze. After all, she had previously lived in modern times where everyone was equal. Now, having transmigrated, she was also doted on by Sun Mei and Zhao Dong, so she had never encountered this kind of thinking.

At this moment, she found it somewhat incomprehensible. "Why?" she asked. "Grandpa Bai, I don’t understand. Mothers and aunts work so hard to prepare the meals, so why aren’t they allowed to eat at the table? Aren’t boys and girls equally precious to their parents? Why should boys be considered more esteemed?"

After pondering for a moment, Grandpa Bai explained, "Young girl, the era you are in now has long been dominated by agriculture. Due to differences in physical constitution, women cannot perform heavy manual labor, nor can they earn money to support the family. Thus, they have, to an extent, become appendages to men.

In such a societal environment, there’s no room for gender equality. It’s practically impossible for a woman to be considered equal.

Furthermore, more often than not, women are rigidly bound by the ’Three Obediences and Four Virtues.’ If they were separated from their men—that is, their husbands, fathers, or sons—they would starve to death. Therefore, in an era like this, it is very difficult for women to possess equal rights."

Zhao Zhitong listened with her mouth agape, her almond-shaped eyes wide with disbelief. After being stunned for a long while, she asked, "Then, Grandpa Bai, if women could also earn money to support the family, if they could survive without depending on their fathers, husbands, or sons and not starve, would they then cease to be appendages? Could they be valued by their parents just like boys are?"

Grandpa Bai chuckled and nodded. "In theory, that’s true. In fact, it has already been proven. The world where you previously lived, young girl, was already putting the idea of gender equality into practice.

With the continuous development of science and technology, households no longer rely solely on men’s physical labor to make a living. On the contrary, women can also hold up half the sky. Consequently, the status of men and women has gradually become equal."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Zhitong still felt quite sad. Yet, a trace of determination appeared on her small face. She clenched her little fists and said, "Then Tongtong will also hold up half the sky! That is, even if I leave Papa, I won’t starve to death."

Grandpa Bai stroked his beard, listening in silence, and did not say anything else.

At the table, a few boys still hadn’t finished eating. They were leaning over the table, sweetly relishing their tofu.

The two girls were watching the tofu in their brothers’ bowls, repeatedly asking, "Brother, is it good?"

Meanwhile, Zhao Zhitong was lost in thought, staring at her bowl of tofu.

Once her young male cousins also finished the tofu in their bowls, their gazes fixed on Zhao Zhitong’s bowl, which contained untouched tofu.

"Little cousin, little cousin, why aren’t you eating?"

The calls from her young cousins roused Zhao Zhitong from her trance. She glanced at her tofu and said, "When I was at home, Mother made a lot for me. I don’t feel like eating this now."

Her second male cousin, Sun Daqing, took the lead in approaching her. He said coaxingly, "Little cousin, if you’re not going to eat it, it won’t taste good when it gets cold. Let us have it, okay?"

Zhao Zhitong immediately shielded her bowl, saying feistily, "No way!"

Then, carrying her bowl, she ran to her two young female cousins and offered the tofu to them. "Little cousins, Tongtong is tired of this. You two can have this bowl."

The two young female cousins were taken aback by this pleasant surprise. "For... for us to eat?" they asked uncertainly.

Zhao Zhitong nodded vigorously.

Seeing Zhao Zhitong give it to their sisters but not to them, the young male cousins were displeased.

Sun Daqing grabbed Zhao Zhitong’s small arm and questioned, "Why did you only give it to them to eat and not us?"

Sun Daqing was the eldest son from Uncle’s family. He was nine years old this year and had inherited Uncle’s large build, making him tall and sturdy.

How could Zhao Zhitong be scared of him? She glared at her young male cousin. Then, This lacks impact, she thought, and turned to drag over a stool.

Then, with some effort, she clambered onto it. Hands on her hips, she glared furiously at her young male cousin and asked, "You’ve already had a full bowl, haven’t you? Our little female cousins only had less than half a bowl, right?"

Sun Daqing was genuinely taken aback by the little girl’s fierce demeanor and obediently nodded. "Yes, yes. What’s the matter?"

Zhao Zhitong stated self-righteously, "Since you’ve already had one bowl, you can’t have more. You should eat the same amount as our two little female cousins."

The family had always divided food this way. Even during regular meals, it was common for men to eat hearty rice dishes while women ate thinner porridge.

Therefore, the young male cousins didn’t think there was anything wrong with it. "But we’ve always divided it this way," one of them said. "Mom says men have to work, so they need to eat more to be full."

Zhao Zhitong disagreed. "Then let me ask you," she said, "don’t our little female cousins work? Don’t the aunts work?"

Sun Daqing and the others were taken aback by Zhao Zhitong’s questions. They pondered for a moment. Their two younger sisters at home, although young, already had to wash clothes, sweep the floor, and gather pig feed by the river. And their mother and grandmother also had to work in the fields alongside the men in the family.

So, they all nodded. "Yes, they do work."

"See?" Zhao Zhitong said. "If everyone works, why should there be a difference in how much we eat? Everyone needs to eat until they’re full to have the strength to work. So, you’ve been wrong all along."

Saying that, she climbed down from the stool, brought over her small basket, placed it on the table, and then took out nine pieces of candy from it.

She gave one piece of candy to each of the boys. Then, she gave an additional piece to each of the two young female cousins. "Now," she asked the boys, "I’ve given our little female cousins two pieces of candy each, and you only one. Are you happy with that?"

The young male cousins shook their heads repeatedly, indicating they were not happy at all.

Zhao Zhitong held her little head high and asserted, "So, from now on, you cannot snatch our little female cousins’ food, okay? Otherwise, I have lots more candy here, and I won’t give you any. And in the future, if there are tasty things, I won’t give you any either, HMPH."

"Yes, yes, yes! We’ll listen to our little cousin from now on!" one boy exclaimed.

"That’s right, that’s right! Whatever our little cousin tells us to do, we’ll do it!" another chimed in.

Seeing the candy, the young male cousins all instantly sided with their little cousin, nodding their heads repeatedly in agreement.

At this moment, Sun Xiaoxue and Sun Xiaoyu looked at Zhao Zhitong, their eyes practically sparkling with admiration.

Our little cousin is so amazing! they suddenly thought. She knows so much and is such a good speaker!

Zhao Zhitong stood triumphantly on the stool, looking like a victorious general who had become the leader of a monkey troop. She commanded her group of ’monkeys,’ "Alright, all of you, come with me. I have a secret to tell you."

After that, the group of "little radish heads" faithfully trooped behind Zhao Zhitong, ducking into a narrow alley behind the west room to begin plotting something important.