Xiao Yunying applied medicine to the girl's forehead, and a warm drop fell onto the back of her hand holding the medicine bottle.
"Why are you crying again? Did I hurt you by being too strong?"
The girl shook her head, her voice nasal as she said, "It doesn't hurt, it's just... it's just that no one has ever been so kind to me before..."
Xiao Yunying suddenly felt a pang of sadness for no apparent reason; she knew she had once again sympathized with the girl's plight.
Perhaps this girl has her own ulterior motives, but she just wants to escape the hellish environment of her family of origin and live a good life, which is not wrong.
After carefully applying the ointment, Xiao Yunying said, "Don't torture yourself anymore. No matter what, protect yourself and live well so you can plan for the future."
"You should rest first, then get some sleep. We can talk about everything else tomorrow."
She thoughtfully closed the door before leaving. Xiao Yunying rubbed her forehead in the room, trying to calm the strange emotions in her heart.
It has nothing to do with that Miss Zheng. Since this morning, she has felt strange and uneasy all over.
It was as if her body was giving her advance warning of something that was about to happen.
It was an indescribable feeling; she didn't feel uncomfortable, which truly baffled her.
Seeing her rubbing her temples, Luo Xin asked, "Mother, are you feeling unwell?"
Xiao Yunying lowered her hand and said, "Mother is not feeling unwell, she just wants to distract herself."
"Is it that older sister who's causing Mother trouble?"
"It has nothing to do with Miss Zheng, so Mother has no worries."
Xiao Yunying gently kicked away the pine nut that was biting her trouser leg, and changed the subject:
"Hmm... Xin'er hasn't taken a bath for several days. Now that we have time, let's both take a bath."
"OK."
The two took a bath in the afternoon, and since there was nothing else to do at home, they soaked for a while.
When the children returned from school in the evening and had dinner, Xiao Yunying recounted to them the background, experiences, and desire of the young lady Zheng to stay and sell herself into slavery, and also shared her own thoughts.
Luo Chen didn't really want a stranger to live in her home, but seeing that Xiao Yunying seemed to want her to stay, she didn't say anything more.
"Since Mother thinks this girl is capable, I have no objection."
Xiao Yunying looked at Luo Yang: "What do you think?"
“Mother has thought things through. There should be someone in the house to look after it. I agree to let her stay.”
"Luo Li, what about you?"
Luo Li squatted on the ground, teasing the two dogs: "Mom, you can decide this yourself from now on. As long as it's what you want to do, I have no objection."
Luo Yang said, "Mother, Ali is right. We will support whatever you want to do."
Xiao Yunying smiled and said, "After all, we are family and live together, so naturally I need to discuss things with you."
Are we family...?
Xiao Yunying was unaware of the emotional impact her words had on the children. She poured herself a glass of water and said, "Luo Yang, go and write two contracts of sale. I'll have Miss Zheng sign and put her fingerprint on them tomorrow."
After taking the indenture drafted by Luo Chen, he let the children review their lessons for a while before leading Luo Xin back to the house.
The next day.
Xiao Yunying got up early as usual to cook breakfast and send the children onto the carriage, just as dawn was breaking.
Luo Xin was still asleep. She ate something, heated the food in the pot, and lay back on the kang (a heated brick bed) to doze off for a while.
When it was completely light, they woke Luo Xin up, helped her wash up, and fed her by herself.
He brought a breakfast and knocked on Miss Zheng's door, which immediately opened from the inside.
Xiao Yunying went inside and put down the food: "You got up so early, are you feeling better?"
The young woman, surnamed Zheng, closed the door and replied, "I am much better now, thanks to my benefactor's miraculous medicine."
"Come on, let's eat. I'll clear the dishes in a bit."
As she was about to leave with the tray, Miss Zheng called out to her, "My benefactor..."
Xiao Yunying stopped: "What is it?"
The young woman, surnamed Zheng, nervously gripped the hem of her dress: "My benefactor said yesterday that he would discuss it with his family, but I don't know... I don't know how the discussion went..."
Seeing her nervous expression, Xiao Yunying said, "You can stay, but you must sign a contract of servitude."
The young woman, Ms. Zheng, was initially shocked, then excitedly exclaimed, "Really? Thank you so much, my benefactor!"
Seeing that she was genuinely happy, Xiao Yunying felt a pang of emotion. Perhaps for her, as long as she could escape that so-called "home," she would be happy even if it meant selling herself into slavery.
At least I can completely sever ties with them.
Infected by the other person's emotions, Xiao Yunying smiled leisurely: "So now you can eat in peace?"
"Okay, I'll eat. I'll get better as soon as possible and help my benefactor with his work."
Eat slowly, there's more if you're not full.
After washing the dishes, Xiao Yunying gave the indenture to Miss Zheng.
After grinding the ink, he remembered to ask, "Can you write? If not, you can just leave your handprint."
"I learned a few words when I was in the variety show troupe, but I don't have a proper name. My benefactor, could you help me come up with one?"
Xiao Yunying said with difficulty, "Me? That's not a good idea. I'm not your parent or elder."
“My benefactor, servants in wealthy households are all given new names by the steward. It is a blessing for a servant to receive a name from his master. I haven’t had much schooling and really can’t think of a good name. Can’t you give me one?”
Xiao Yunying couldn't resist the other person's pitiful yet expectant gaze: "If you don't mind, I'll give you a name."
She thought for a moment and said, "The surname is passed down from our ancestors, so I won't change it for you. You don't mind? Follow the generational order of my Xiao family. My generation belongs to the Yun generation. I picked you up at night, so how about Zheng Yunwan?"
"Yunwan, Zheng Yunwan, I have a name now, and it sounds really nice."
Just when Xiao Yunying thought she was about to cry again, Miss Zheng, no, it was Zheng Yunwan, sniffed, suppressed her tears, picked up a brush, wrote her name on the indenture, and pressed her fingerprint on it.
Xiao Yunying couldn't help but remind her again: "Are you really sure? Once this contract of servitude is handed over to the government, you will truly become a slave."
Zheng Yunwan said firmly, "I am already very grateful that my benefactor is kind and willing to take me in. I am willing to stay by my benefactor's side and serve him."
"Oh well."
Xiao Yunying took a dried copy of the indenture and folded it neatly before realizing that she hadn't mentioned the indenture payment or monthly allowance.
This girl, too, didn't ask a single question.
I really don't want to go back no matter what, and I'd rather sell myself to her even if I don't get a single penny.
She told Zheng Yunwan to wait a moment, then went back to her room, threw the indenture into the supermarket, and came back with two five-tael silver ingots.
"This ten taels of silver is your payment for selling yourself into servitude. From today onwards, you are a member of my family."
You'll be living in this room from now on, eating with us. Your monthly salary is one tael, which will increase if you perform well. These are your basic benefits. You can tell me if you have any thoughts.
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