Liu was pawned
The water in the canal tributary is turbid and reeds grow on the bank.
A dilapidated black-sailed boat was tied askew to a simple wooden pile, and the thatched roof had become sparse and yellow due to erosion by wind and rain.
This is the home where Liu and her husband make a living, and it is also where the four of them live together.
Liu was just in her early thirties, but her face was already weathered. She was wearing a coarse cloth dress that was washed white, with her trouser legs rolled up high, revealing her calves that were white and wrinkled from blisters.
At this moment, she was struggling to lift a bucket of river water onto the boat, with beads of sweat oozing from her forehead. In the broken pottery jar at the stern, there were a few wilted wild vegetables that she was going to cook for the children.
"Mom, where is Dad?" A little head popped out from the cabin. It was her eight-year-old daughter Zhaodi. Her face was pale and she asked timidly.
Liu paused, her eyes dimmed, and her voice was hoarse with fatigue: "Maybe he went to look for wine again."
She didn't want to talk much about the man in front of her children.
Back then, he had some strength and used to row the boat from dawn to dusk, hoping to earn a stable life for his wife and children. But as the years passed, the boat became more and more dilapidated, the cargo became less and less, and the rice jar was always empty.
The burden of life was like the muddy river water, which gradually drowned his strength and his spirit. He gradually became silent, then irritable, and finally escaped.
Escape from this broken ship, escape from this home, and plunge into the cheap drinks in the city and the cheap tenderness of those prostitutes.
Zhaodi was sensible and stopped asking questions. She helped her mother pour the water into the broken pot on the bow of the boat. Her small body was as thin as a reed.
As it was getting dark, a drunken figure staggered to the shore.
It was Liu's husband, Wang Er. He reeked of alcohol, his clothes were stained with oil, and his eyes were cloudy and distracted.
"Boss..." Liu was about to speak.
"Get out of here!" Wang Er roughly pushed away her hand that was trying to support him, staggered into the cabin, and fell headfirst onto the musty straw mat. He snored loudly and fell into a deep sleep soon. A strange smell of cheap cosmetics filled the small space.
Liu looked at his face, which was swollen from drinking, and her heart went cold.
She was packing silently, but she felt a few heavy things in the pocket of his worn coat that he had thrown away carelessly.
silver?
Her heart skipped a beat and she took it out with trembling hands. She took a closer look in the dim light and found that it was actually a few pieces of silver of decent quality. She weighed them and thought they were about ten taels!
Ten taels! Even if their family worked hard for a year, they might not be able to save this much!
Where did he get all this money? He's a drunkard, what else can he do besides rowing a boat and doing hard labor? Did he steal it? Or rob it?
The more she thought about it, the more scared she became, and she couldn't sleep all night.
The next day, Wang Er sobered up and saw Liu questioning him with silver. A flash of panic crossed his face, and then he returned to his usual carefree attitude.
"What are you yelling about!" He snatched the silver and put it back in his arms, shouting impatiently, "I earned it with my own ability!"
"Ability? What ability do you have to earn this money?" Liu's voice trembled.
"Wang Er, tell me the truth, where did you get all this money? Did you do anything against the law?"
"It's against the will of heaven?" Wang Er sneered, his eyes dodging, but he still managed to hold on to his pitiful self-esteem. "How can I break the law by selling my own things?"
"What to sell?" Liu's heart sank to the bottom.
“Sell…sell you!”
Wang Er seemed to have finally found an outlet for his anger, and with a desperate rage, he said, "That widower named Zhao from the neighboring village wants a son. He promised to give me ten taels of silver and pawn you for a year!"
"Just one year. Give him a son and I'll pay you back. Ten taels! That's enough for us to eat for a long time? It's enough for me to drink for a long time? It's enough for you to buy Zhaodi a piece of new cloth to make her a dress!"
a bolt from the blue!
Liu felt her eyes go dark. She looked at the man in front of her in disbelief, with whom she had slept in bed for more than ten years, and saw the matter-of-fact expression on his face.
"Wang Er! You are not a human! I am your legitimate wife and the mother of your child! You actually want to use me to buy wine? Do you still have any shame?"
“Bang!”
A loud slap landed heavily on Liu's face, causing her to stagger and blood to seep out of the corner of her mouth. It was unknown how many times she had been beaten.
"Shame on you!" Wang Er cursed, his face savage as he pointed at her nose. "I can't afford to support you anymore. How long can this shabby boat last? Zhaodi and Goudan will starve to death!"
"Ten taels of silver is life-saving money. You have to go whether you want to or not! I have already put my fingerprint on the document!" He roared, kicked the board again, and jumped off the boat cursing.
"Mr. Zhao said he will come to pick you up after the Shangsi Festival. You just stay here obediently!" After saying that, he went back to the city without looking back, with the few pieces of silver clinking in his arms.
The cabin was dead silent.
Liu covered her cheeks with her hands. The pain was burning, but it was not even one ten-thousandth as painful as the heartache.
When she was young, it wasn't that no one wanted to marry her. She was hardworking and also pretty. Wang Er at that time was tall and although thin, he looked strong and capable. He pointed at the boat and said that he was willing to work hard and give her a good life.
She believes it, why not?
It was easy when she first got married, and Wang Er loved her, but what happened later?
She slumped on the cold deck, tears streaming down her face, running down her fingers and the blood on her cheeks.
"Mom." Zhaodi crawled over at some point, hugged Liu's cold arms tightly with her small body, and burst into tears, "Mom, don't cry, Zhaodi is scared, Dad is bad, please don't hit me..."
Her daughter's crying cut into Liu's heart like a knife.
She hugged her daughter tightly, and the mother and daughter cried together in the dilapidated cabin. Despair was like the muddy river water, boundless and drowned all her hopes.
The noisy sounds of gongs and drums from the Shangsi Festival seemed to still echo in the distance, but Liu's world was filled with despair. In the days after the festival, Wang Er became even more outrageous. He treated his promise of using the money to live a good life as bullshit and threw all the money to wine shops and prostitutes.
Wang Er is useless.
Liu's heart was dead. She numbly paddled the broken boat to pick up and drop off a few passengers, her eyes empty, like a walking corpse.
Finally, in the afternoon of that day, two figures appeared on the shore.
One was the widower Zhao from the neighboring village, and the other was the sturdy man he brought with him to help drag Liu.
"Mr. Wang Er, the time has come, come with me." Widow Zhao stood at the bow of the boat, his tone condescending, as if he was looking at a piece of cargo that was about to be obtained.
The man next to him did not hide the contempt in his eyes.
Wang Er also came back from the city and stood behind Zhao the Widow. He lowered his head, not daring to look Liu in the eye. He could only mutter vaguely, "Go, it's only a year, just bear with it and it will be over..."
Liu looked at the three men in front of her and her cowardly and shameless husband. A surge of hatred suddenly rushed to her head, overwhelming all the fear and humiliation.
"Wang Er!" She stood up suddenly and cursed at her husband.
"You're a worthless loser. You can't support your family, can't raise your wife and children, and you're just selling your wife for alcohol! Are you even a man? I, Liu Xiaocui, was blind to marry a loser like you. You're worse than a dog, and a dog knows how to protect its nest!"
She cursed until she was hoarse, and every word was heartbreaking.
Wang Er's face turned red and white from being scolded. He was so angry that he raised his hand to hit her again: "You stinky bitch, you are so rebellious!"
Widow Zhao frowned, clearly impatient to watch the couple quarreling. He winked at the man beside him, "Stop talking nonsense and take it away. The agreement is here, written in black and white!"
The burly man stepped forward, grabbed Liu's thin arm, and tried to drag her to the shore.
Liu struggled desperately, her nails scratching bloody marks on the man's arm, crying and cursing: "Let me go, you beasts, Wang Er, you are not a human! Even if I become a ghost, I will not let you go!"
Zhaodi burst into tears and clung to Liu's legs tightly: "Don't catch my mother, don't catch my mother!"
Her brother stood there in a daze, not daring to move.
For a moment, the small black-sailed boat shook violently, and the cries and pulling sounds were heard everywhere, attracting the attention of scattered boatmen in the distance, but no one dared to step forward.
At this moment of chaos and confusion.
"Stop it!"
A loud shout rang out!
Immediately afterwards, a group of well-dressed men armed with long swords surrounded the black-sailed boat and the shore. They moved swiftly, instantly pinning Zhao the Widow and the terrified Wang Er to the ground.
“Kneel down!”
"Sir! This is unfair!" Widow Zhao, his face pressed against the cold mud, struggled and shouted, "I'm just following the rules. Wang Er pawned his wife to me, and I have the written evidence to prove it! This is a legitimate transaction, and we haven't broken any laws!"
"Yes, sir!" Wang Er was also terrified, his face covered with snot and tears. "We, we are not guilty! We just pawned our wives, and pawning a wife is not against the law!"
The soldiers remained expressionless and ignored their explanations.
Wang Er couldn't understand why pawning his wife would attract these killers?
The chaos suddenly stopped, leaving only Zhaodi's suppressed sobs and Liu's heavy breathing. Liu looked at the incident in shock and at a loss.
At this time, a figure separated the soldiers and slowly walked onto the bow of the ship.
The person who came was a young woman, wearing a plain green dress and with a beautiful face. She didn't have too many ornaments on her body, but she had an aura of majesty that made people dare not look directly at her.
Her eyes first fell on Liu's frightened face.
"Sister-in-law," the woman said in a low, soothing voice, "Don't be afraid. I have something to ask you."
Liu looked at her blankly and nodded subconsciously.
"Last winter, when the weather was freezing cold," the woman's eyes were fixed on Liu, with a hint of barely perceptible nervousness and anticipation.
"Have you ever fished anything out of the river?"
Liu was stunned. Salvage things?
They, the boatmen, make a living on the water. Every now and then they can pick up some floating objects, broken wood and cloth, drowned livestock, and even the occasional corpse of someone who has unfortunately fallen into the water...
There are too many to remember.
She shook her head blankly: "In reply to your words, I fished out a lot of things from the river, I don't remember..."
A flicker of disappointment crossed the woman's eyes, but she didn't give up. This was news she had finally gotten. She stepped forward, her voice almost earnest, "It's someone, a young woman. About eighteen or nineteen, very pretty..."
She described it, her voice trembling slightly, "Think carefully, last winter, when the weather was very cold..."
Dongyue, a young woman...
It was as if a stone was thrown into the depths of Liu's turbid memory, causing ripples to spread out, and her eyes suddenly widened!
"Ah! Yes, yes!" She seemed to be remembering something sad, her voice quickening. "Yes, it was last winter, the sky was very gloomy, and the river wind was so strong it hurt my face! I fished out a girl from the reed marsh!"
"She was wearing good material, even though it was soaked and rotten..."
"She was already dead. Her face had turned pale from soaking in the water, but you could tell she was a very pretty girl..."
As Liu spoke, a look of pity and fear crossed her face. "What a sin! She's so young, and I don't know where she came from. It makes me sad just looking at her."
"My husband saw it too and said it was bad luck, so he told me to throw it back into the river...
"But I, I can't bear it! We are all women, and our lives are miserable. Even after we die, we will float in the water without even a place to rest..."
She wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes and said, "I, I was alone. I secretly dragged her to the shore and found a secluded place. It's right over there..."
She pointed to a sparse willow grove on the far bank of the river.
"I dug a hole and buried her, hoping she would rest in peace and have a good life in her next life, so she wouldn't have to suffer so much..."
The woman's face turned pale as paper in an instant, and her calm eyes were drowned in surging tears. She bit her lower lip hard to prevent herself from losing her composure.
"Take me there..." Her voice was broken.
Liu looked at the noble man in front of her who collapsed in an instant and seemed to understand something. She nodded silently, picked up the still sobbing Zhaodi, led the woman and several silent soldiers, and walked towards the desolate willow forest on the river bank, one step deep and one step shallow.
Passing through a few clumps of withered reeds, under a crooked little willow tree, there was a mound of earth almost buried by weeds, lying there alone.
There is no tombstone, no incense or candles, only a few dead leaves swirling in the cold wind.
"It's right here..." Liu pointed at the mound. "She was wrapped in a tattered straw mat at the time. I'm sorry I couldn't get her a thin coffin..."
Ning Lingyi walked step by step to the small mound. She slowly squatted down, stretched out her trembling fingers, and gently brushed away a few dead leaves on the mound, as if she was afraid of disturbing the sleeping person.
She finally found it.
Sister Zhaoyang...
It’s not the cold river water, nor the helpless soul.
Here she was, under the willow trees on the desolate river bank, and a boatwoman with the same miserable fate gave her a small place to stay with her only remaining compassion and courage.
Ning Lingyi dug her fingers into the cold soil, her shoulders trembled violently, and her hot tears finally burst out, falling in large drops on the grave covered with dry grass. She seemed to want to pour out all her sadness, guilt, and longing on this silent land.
Liu held Zhaodi in her arms and stood aside, silently shedding tears. She was crying for the person in the grave, for herself, and even more for her daughter.
After a long time, Ning Lingyi was able to suppress her grief.
She raised her head and looked at Liu with tearful eyes.
"Sister-in-law," her voice was still hoarse, but with an unprecedented solemnity, "You saved her."
Although I was not able to bring her back to life, I gave her my final dignity. I, Ning Lingyi, will always remember this kindness in my heart."
Liu hurriedly waved her hands: "Your Excellency, you are too kind! I just couldn't bear it and did what I had to do..."
Ning Lingyi stood up and glanced at Wang Er and Zhao the Widowed who were being held down by soldiers in the distance.
"These two, one selling his wife, the other forcing a woman to marry, are both evildoers. How about I deal with them for you?"
"I can help you kill him." Her eyes fell on Wang Er.
Liu's whole body trembled, her eyes wide with fear, and she subconsciously hugged her daughter tightly. Killing, killing people? She was just an ordinary person, she didn't even dare to think about it!
She looked at her husband Wang Er, who was so scared that he peed his pants in the distance, with a complicated look in her eyes: hatred, numbness, and a hint of...
The faint reluctance that even she herself despised was intertwined with her.
Ultimately, “No killing required.”
Mrs. Liu's voice was very soft: "I only ask one thing of you."
"you say."
"Please," Liu's eyes were fixed on Wang Er's legs, which were swollen and trembling from years of alcoholism, "break his legs. He doesn't work, doesn't support his family, and only runs to the city to drink, find prostitutes, and sell his wife!"
She gritted her teeth and said, "I will never let him leave this broken ship again in his life, and he will never be able to travel far to harm others again!
"Then I want to take Zhaodi away from here, anywhere is fine, please..."
Ning Lingyi glanced at Liu.
This woman, who had been tortured by life and had almost lost all her luster, did not choose destruction at the end of despair. Instead, she chose to escape with her daughter and leave the man who had ruined half of her life with a punishment that best suited his "destination."
Trapped forever on that shabby ship he had long since despised.
"As you wish." Ning Lingyi nodded.
She didn't even look at Wang Er and Zhao Guanfu again. She said nothing and made no move, and the people she accepted started to take action.
"ah!"
A scream so shrill that it didn't sound like a human voice!
Then came another equally miserable howl!
Ning Lingyi didn't look back, but just stretched out her hand to Liu: "Sister-in-law, come with me and take your daughter with you."
Liu looked at the two figures writhing in pain in the distance, then at the clean yet strong hand in front of her, and then at her ignorant daughter in her arms.
She wiped away the last trace of tears on her face, put Zhaodi's little hand into Ning Lingyi's hand, and then held Ning Lingyi's arm tightly.
"Thank you so much!" She choked and bent down deeply.
Ning Lingyi helped her up: "No need to thank me. It was your own kindness that earned a way out for you and your daughter."
She paused and looked at Liu, "From now on, you and Zhaodi will have a new way of living in Mingzhou."
Liu left, leaving behind Wang Er and his son.
Liu only took her daughter Zhaodi away. Her son was still on the boat, motionless, just as he was silent when facing his mother's suffering. He watched his father rolling in pain.
No one knows their future, it doesn't matter.
*
A few days later, in the west of Mingzhou City, there was a valley with beautiful mountains and rivers.
Here, the trees are lush, the mountain springs gurgle, and wildflowers sway gently in the breeze. A newly built tomb stands quietly, its bluestone tombstone bearing only a few simple words, though no lengthy inscription.
Zhaoyang Ning Lingshu.
Ning Lingyi was dressed in plain clothes and stood in front of the grave.
She personally threw stacks of paper money into the burning brazier. The dancing flames reflected her calm but sad face. Liu and Zhaodi, who had changed into clean clothes, also stood silently by and burned paper.
"Sister, I brought you back."
"It's very peaceful here. There are mountains, water, flowers, and trees. There are no more disputes, no calculations, and no icy cold river water."
She squatted down, her fingertips brushing against the cold tombstone. "Sleep peacefully. You won't be homeless anymore."
"It was this Sister Liu who saved you. She also came to see you off. I've already thanked her on your behalf."
"Sister, I hope you will be born into a good family in your next life, live a safe and happy life, and live a long and healthy life."
As she spoke, she placed the last stack of paper money into the fire.
"Sister, I will never let any other woman in the world be forced to jump into the river like you did."
The flames gently licked the paper money, turning it into pieces of ashes, which swirled in the mountain wind and floated towards the clear blue sky, as if carrying the wishes of the living to the land of eternal peace.
Ning Lingyi stood up, the mountain breeze blowing through her hair, just like Zhaoyang once looked at her.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
