Last night, Mrs. Lin heard her mother-in-law and her husband, Luo Dagen, say, "Big Girl is already nine years old. Selling her to Xiangmanlou would be perfect. The madam loves girls this age; they're easy to teach and obedient. Luckily, Big Girl and Second Girl both have Mrs. Lin's looks. Sell Big Girl first. Big Girl is pretty and charming, with good features. She'll fetch at least ten taels of silver. Wait a few years, and when Second Girl is old enough, sell her to Xiangmanlou as well. That way, we'll have thirty taels of silver. We can divorce Mrs. Lin and help you find a wife who can give birth to a big, fat son. What do you think, Dagen?"
Luo Dagen muttered, "If the neighbors knew I sold Da Niu and Er Niu to Xiang Man Lou, they would drown us in spit."
Even if one is so poor here that he has to sell his children, they will be sold to rich families or officials to be maids and servants. Sending them to places like brothels would be considered shameful, and he doesn't want to be scolded by the neighbors.
In the past, his mother sold his sister to a place like that and used the money to marry Lin.
He didn't feel much about selling his daughters. What's the use of girls? It was a good thing for them to be able to raise them up.
Old Lady Luo whispered, "Manxianglou is in Raozhou City, not in our Yuanbao Town. Who would know if we sold it there? If anyone asks, we can just say we're too poor to support two maids. We can just sell the eldest girl somewhere else to a wealthy family as a maid."
Luo Dagen was somewhat tempted.
Lin, who was sleeping in the inner room, trembled all over when she heard this. She covered her mouth but did not dare to go out to confront her mother-in-law and husband.
She couldn't resist. Her mother-in-law beat and scolded her every day. Although Luo Dagen didn't beat her often, he had beaten her before, and his beatings were even more brutal than her mother-in-law's.
She knew that her mother-in-law and husband were planning to sell both the eldest and second daughters to brothels, but she had no way to stop them.
If she could divorce and take her two daughters away from the Luo family, she would be willing to do so even if it meant going out to beg for food.
She could go to the government to get a divorce, but the two daughters were surnamed Luo and she couldn't take them with her unless she could find a way to get the county magistrate to award the two daughters to her, or the Luo family was willing to let her take the daughters away.
Even though he was very angry, Lin didn't dare to leave.
If she divorced and left, her two daughters would have no chance of survival.
So the next day, her mother-in-law asked her to find a job in Xu Xiaoniang's restaurant, and she agreed, thinking that if she could get 800 coins a month, her mother-in-law and husband would not think of selling the girl.
She even wanted to act pitiful in front of Madam Xu and tell her that her mother-in-law wanted to sell the girl. Maybe Madam Xu would take pity on her and let her work in the restaurant. But when she saw Madam Xu, she couldn't say anything.
Miss Xu has a fair and delicate complexion, but her eyes are different from those of other young ladies. There is a feeling that makes her dare not continue speaking. Miss Xu's eyes are firm and she does not dodge when looking at people.
After being rejected by Miss Xu, she came back and heard her mother-in-law say this again.
She went back without thinking, she was no longer afraid of anything.
She looked at her mother-in-law blankly, opening and closing her mouth as she repeated what she had just said, "I say, Miss Xu is not a little bitch. You disgusting old hag, if you dare to sell the girl, I, I will..." She had never threatened anyone before, and now she didn't know what to say.
Old Lady Luo had never seen Mrs. Lin dare to talk back, and she was so angry that her whole body was shaking. She had never even thought that Mrs. Lin would know that she wanted to sell the girl to Manxianglou.
She originally planned to secretly take the girl to Raozhou City and sell her while Lin was out washing clothes for others.
"You little bitch, you're rebelling!"
When had Old Lady Luo ever been so humiliated? It was her timid and submissive daughter-in-law who made her angry. She picked up the broom next to her and swung it at Lin.
After saying what was hidden in her heart, Lin's mind went blank. She felt shocked and scared, but at the same time, she felt enlightened, fearless, and even a little refreshed.
When her mother-in-law swung the broom while crying, she subconsciously raised her arms and grabbed the broom with her hands.
Old Mrs. Luo looked extremely unhappy. She pulled the broom twice but failed to budge.
Lin was slightly stunned, and then she realized that her mother-in-law was just an ordinary thin old woman, not even as tall as her, nor as strong as her. It was obvious that from the beginning, she could easily raise her arms to stop the bullying.
Old Mrs. Luo was so angry that she was shaking all over and started to insult Mrs. Lin.
All kinds of humiliating and ugly words.
Looking at the face that was distorted by the scolding and the old mouth that kept chattering, Lin couldn't help but raise her foot and kick Old Lady Luo in the stomach.
She didn't learn this from Old Lady Luo.
Old Mrs. Luo would hit people in conspicuous places, for she was afraid that others would not know that she was beating her daughter-in-law to teach her a lesson.
She thought about it countless times in her mind. If she had the chance to fight back, she would definitely hit the most inconspicuous place, leaving the old hag with no way to express her pain. Even if she told others, no one would believe her.
She had wanted to resist countless times.
Old Mrs. Luo was kicked down and fell to the ground, screaming and crying.
She was old enough to be beaten, so the kick wouldn't kill her, but it caused her stomach pain and she couldn't struggle at all, so she just lay on the ground.
The eldest and second daughter were hiding nearby, thinking that their mother was going to be beaten by their grandmother again. The second daughter had already started crying, but she didn't dare to cry out loud. She hugged her sister tightly. Both children were already starting to get scared.
But I didn't expect that my mother didn't let my grandmother beat me today. Instead, she grabbed the broom and kicked my grandmother in the stomach.
Grandma was lying on the ground, no longer as scary as she used to be.
The eldest and second daughter were stunned for a moment. The second daughter even forgot to cry and stared blankly at her grandmother and mother.
When Old Lady Luo saw that Da Niu and Er Niu didn't come to help, she cursed, "You two little bitches, your mother is crazy. Why don't you go over and hold her back? How dare she hit me?"
Lin looked at her mother-in-law lying on the ground with an expressionless face. She was so fragile.
She stepped forward again and punched Old Lady Luo in the stomach. She didn't use all her strength, but it still made Old Lady Luo's face distorted.
Afterwards, she punched Old Lady Luo again and again. No one could see those parts of her body, and she didn't use her maximum strength, so there shouldn't be any bruises. She had been beaten so many times by Old Lady Luo that she knew how much force was needed to avoid leaving marks.
Old Lady Luo looked at Lin viciously and cursed, "You vicious whore! When Dagen comes back, I'll tell him about it. You dare to hit me? I'll have him beat you to death when he comes back."
Lin said coldly, "Do you think they will believe that I beat you? If you tell them, I will beat you again tomorrow."
She was not afraid of anything now! She also knew how to deal with this old hag.
Old Lady Luo pointed at the eldest and second daughters and said, "Your two daughters saw it all. They can testify for me. Let's see how you can quibble."
Lin turned around and looked at the eldest and second girls.
The two men were not frightened at all. They looked a little strange and looked at Lin with admiration.
The eldest girl even shook her head at Lin, saying that she would never tell her father and grandfather.
Her grandmother beat and scolded them every day. She even heard her grandmother talking to her father at night. She thought her grandmother and her father were asleep in the main room, but she was not. She heard her grandmother say that she would sell her to a brothel. She was so scared that she didn't dare tell her mother.
She hated her grandmother, her father and her grandfather. She hoped her mother would take her and Erniu away. She would even be willing to follow her mother out to beg for food. She didn't want to be sold to a brothel.
Erniu doesn't like them either.
Lin turned around and punched Old Lady Luo again.
When Old Lady Luo finally couldn't bear it anymore and began to beg for mercy, Lin stopped and took Da Niu and Er Niu back to the room.
Returning to the room, she whispered to her two daughters, "I will find a way to take you away. Are you willing to leave here with me?"
She already knew that after taking this step today, she was no longer afraid of anything. She was going to force Old Lady Luo to divorce her and Luo Dagen, and also to give her both daughters, otherwise she would secretly beat her like this every day.
Both girls nodded vigorously.
Old Mrs. Luo lay on the ground for a while, feeling very painful. She slowly got up, went back to her room and lay on the bed.
After lying in bed for two hours, when the pain in her body subsided, she ran out and saw some neighbors standing in the alley chatting. She went up to them and cried, "I'm so pitiful. I just said a few words to my daughter-in-law at home, and she came up and kicked me, punching and kicking me." She wanted to tell all the neighbors and make them curse Lin to death.
The two women next to her looked at her in surprise.
An older woman sneered, "What are you talking about, old lady Luo? Everyone knows that your daughter-in-law is the most obedient. She's been beaten by you for ten years, so how could she dare to fight back? If she dared to fight back, you would have sent her to the government office long ago."
"Everything I said is true!" Old Mrs. Luo was anxious. She lifted up her clothes to show them her soft belly, but there was nothing on her belly except looseness and wrinkles.
The two women couldn't bear to watch and turned their heads away. "You old woman, you really have no shame. Lifting your clothes and exposing your belly in public. What's more, there's no mark on your belly. And you still want to wrongly accuse your daughter-in-law?"
Old Mrs. Luo was also stunned. This shouldn't be the case. She was clearly still in pain.
Of course Lin heard the noise outside.
In fact, even if there were really bruises on Old Lady Luo's body, outsiders would not believe that she was the one who beat her.
For ten years, everyone thought she was cowardly and could be bullied. She would never fight back when beaten by her mother-in-law. Even if old woman Luo had bruises on her body, people would just think she got them from bumps or that old man Luo beat her, because everyone in the alley also knew that old man Luo would beat his wife.
Old Mrs. Luo returned to the house angrily, but she didn't dare to scold Lin for fear of being beaten by her again.
She sat in the room, thinking hard, but she couldn't figure out why her daughter-in-law suddenly dared to hit her?
Was it because the daughter-in-law knew that she was planning to sell the girl to a brothel that she rebelled? Or was it because of Madam Xu's instigation?
The daughter-in-law went to visit Miss Xu and came back to beat her. She cursed Xu Qinyu in her heart, but she didn't dare to really go to Xu Qinyu's house to cause trouble, for fear that she would be attacked by a knife.
After waiting for a long time until dinner time, Luo Dagen and his father Luo Laohan came back.
As usual, Mrs. Lin led her two daughters to the kitchen to cook.
When she saw her husband and son coming back, Old Lady Luo immediately cried and complained to them about how Lin had kicked and beaten her today.
Luo Dagen looked impatient. "Mom, do you think what you said is true? Do you think we will believe it? Dad and I are very tired. Can we just take a good rest? Besides, if she dared to hit you, why would she still be in the kitchen making dinner? Wouldn't she have been making a scene long ago?"
"Da, Dagen." Old Lady Luo was anxious. "Mom didn't lie to you. She really beat me."
Luo Dagen didn't believe it at all, ignored his mother, and went back to lie down.
Old Mrs. Luo stamped her feet in anger and went to talk to Old Mr. Luo.
Old Man Luo pushed her and cursed, "Don't block my way. Can't you see how tired I am?"
After saying that, he went back to his room and lay down, not believing what his wife said at all.
Old Mrs. Luo was almost dumbfounded.
She still refused to give up. When the family sat in the main hall to eat dinner, she asked Da Niu and Er Niu, "Da Niu and Er Niu, tell your father and grandfather the truth. Did your mother kick or hit me today?"
The eldest girl shook her head and said, "No, we didn't see it. It was my grandmother who was cursing."
Erniu also shook her head and said nothing.
Old Mrs. Luo was almost mad with anger and raised her hand to slap the two girls.
Before she could wave her hand, Old Man Luo punched Old Lady Luo in the face, "Have you had enough, old woman? Can you let us have a peaceful meal?"
Every day when he smelled the fragrance from every household in the alley, he felt so angry that his teeth itched. It was because the old woman was greedy that they could not eat such delicious fish and could only eat some unpalatable boiled vegetables.
Old Mrs. Luo screamed in pain after being punched by Old Man Luo, and she shrank back, not daring to speak.
…
The next morning, after her husband and father-in-law left, Lin went to Old Lady Luo's room and beat her again. Old Lady Luo wanted to scream, but Lin covered her mouth and beat her.
Old Lady Luo was a thin and short old woman. Even though Mrs. Lin didn't have enough to eat on weekdays, she was only in her twenties and was considered a strong laborer. Old Lady Luo couldn't resist her at all and was beaten again.
After the beating, Lin panted and said to the old woman Luo lying on the ground, "Tell your son to divorce me, but the eldest and second daughters must stay with me, otherwise I will beat you like this every day."
If she can't beat Luo Dagen, how can she beat this old woman?
After Lin finished speaking, she took the eldest and second daughters out to do some work.
She took on some odd jobs and planned to take her daughter with her whenever she went out these days, otherwise she was afraid that Old Lady Luo would take the girl to Raozhou City and sell her to a brothel while she was away.
When she went out, some neighbors saw her with her two daughters, and couldn't help asking, "Why did you bring two girls with you when you went out to work? Don't you think it's too much trouble?"
Lin glanced at the neighbor and seemed to be about to say something, but stopped herself.
The eldest girl didn't care about that. She wiped her eyes and cried, "My grandma said she wanted to sell me to Xiangmanlou in Raozhou City. She said the madam of Xiangmanlou liked girls around eight or nine years old who were easier to teach. She also said that in a few years, when my sister is older, she'd sell her to Xiangmanlou too. The money would help my father get married and have another son. Mom was worried, so she took us all with her when she left."
Xiangmanlou is the largest brothel in Raozhou City, and even the people in Yuanbao Town have heard of it.
Upon hearing this, the neighbors' faces changed.
"What a sin! How can this old woman Luo be so cruel?"
"Don't you know she sold her own daughter to that kind of place? She previously sold her to a brothel in Yuanbao Town. Later, her daughter couldn't bear the humiliation and hit herself against a pillar and died. Ten years later, she wants to sell her own granddaughter to that kind of place again. How can she be so vicious?"
"This old woman Luo isn't afraid of retribution."
Even if there are people selling their children in Yuanbao Town, they would not sell their own daughters or granddaughters to such a place.
Even if there are, it is because the parents have passed away, and the brothers and sisters-in-law or the uncles on the mother's side are greedy for money and sell their sisters or nieces to such places.
The neighbors in Guihua Lane began to condemn Old Lady Luo.
Old Lady Luo lay at home for a long time, then went out to complain to others. However, not only did no one believe her, but the neighbors also scolded her, asking why she wanted to sell her own granddaughter to that kind of place. Old Lady Luo thought it was her daughter-in-law who said it outside, and she was so angry that she could only go back in disgrace.
In the days that followed, Lin always beat up Old Lady Luo when Luo Dagen and Old Man Luo were not around. She didn't beat her every day, but every now and then.
She also did not beat Old Lady Luo in front of Da Niu and Er Niu. No matter what, she hoped that Da Niu and Er Niu could live upright lives in the future, instead of being like her, and finally having to leave the Luo family in this way.
No matter how Old Lady Luo complained to outsiders and her family, no one believed her.
She had also thought about going to the government office to report that her daughter-in-law had beaten her.
Because if she went to the yamen, she would need evidence to prove that her daughter-in-law beat her. No one could prove it except herself. Even if she invited the neighbors, they would only tell the county magistrate that she had been beating and scolding Lin every day for years.
If she went to the government office and made a false accusation, she would be beaten with a stick. She would be beaten with a stick if she had no evidence.
In just half a month, Old Lady Luo looked much older.
…
In the past ten days, Xu Qinyu received job applications from more than fifty people, so she went to chat with Xia's sister-in-law.
Wu Wan had lived nearby for several years and knew the women in the neighborhood better than Xu Qinyu.
She recognized almost all the women on Xu Qinyu's job application list, and immediately helped Miss Xu screen out more than half of them. The women who were screened out had some minor flaws, such as being greedy for petty gains, being lazy, not working efficiently, not liking cleanliness, etc.
There are only about ten candidates left.
Finally, Wu Wan pointed to the names of the two women above and said, "They are both hardworking and capable, and they don't cheat or play dirty. This one, Yuan Yueying, is a widow. Her husband died outside with the caravan a few years ago, and she relies on her two children. She is very hardworking and works very efficiently. She doesn't like to talk, just keeps her head down, and her two children are very filial and obedient. The other one, Chen Chunhua, is a very straightforward person with good eloquence. Her parents-in-law are still alive, and her husband is a hunter. Her family lives a prosperous life, and she is also a quick and straightforward person."
Xu Qinyu wanted to recruit three people in total, and Wu Wan was a little hesitant about the last one. She didn't know the rest very well and couldn't help Xu Qinyu choose.
Xu Qinyu thanked Wu Wan and they chatted for a while.
Wu Wan secretly told Xu Qinyu, "I heard that the old lady Luo at the end of your alley has been telling others recently that her daughter-in-law beat her. How could that Lin family member hit her? If she wants to slander her own daughter-in-law, it depends on whether others believe her."
In the past, Wu Wan and Xia Yuanzhi lived in Guihua Lane, so they were naturally familiar with Old Lady Luo. They especially liked to take advantage of her. When they came to her cloth shop to buy cloth, she always asked her to give her an extra piece of cloth. Once, she bought the cheapest cloth which cost only a few dozen coins, but when she left, she took away a piece of silk from her. The silk was a large piece of leftover material that could be made into a purse, so it could also be sold for a few dozen coins.
After she found out, she snatched the silk and scolded Old Lady Luo. Old Lady Luo tried to argue, but she finally said she would call the police, which scared her so much that she left in a hurry.
Xu Qinyu also heard about this.
Recently, in Guihua Lane, a few women like to gather in front of every house to chat. The women's chats are nothing but trivial matters of each household. They all talk about the Luo family, saying that the old woman Luo slandered her daughter-in-law and beat her, and that the old woman Luo wanted to sell her own granddaughter to a brothel.
Xu Qinyu's fists clenched when she heard this. A little girl who was not even ten years old was almost sold to a brothel by her own grandmother.
So she often saw Lin taking her two daughters out these days.
Every time he saw her, Lin would nod slightly.
For some reason, outsiders did not believe what Old Lady Luo said about her daughter-in-law hitting her, but Xu Qinyu believed it a little.
If anyone dares to sell her daughter to a brothel, she will resist even if she is weak.
So Lin might be weak, but for the sake of her daughter, she might really take that step.
Judging from what the neighbor said, it seemed that Mrs. Lin beat her mother-in-law every now and then.
Xu Qinyu wondered if Mrs. Lin was going to use this to force her mother-in-law to persuade her son to divorce her, right?
Xu Qinyu felt that if Lin really had this idea, it would be difficult in the end.
First of all, Luo Dagen doesn’t have the money to remarry, so he won’t divorce his wife so easily.
Second, Lin's two daughters were surnamed Luo. In the evil ancient times, it was very difficult for a woman to take her children away, whether she was divorced or divorced. Unless the man was willing, he would beat the old woman Luo and force Luo Dagen to divorce Lin, but not let Lin take the two daughters away. Lin would really have no choice.
No matter what, Xu Qinyu hoped that Lin could take her two daughters away from the Luo family smoothly.
After chatting with Xia's sister-in-law for a while, Xu Qinyu left.
She first went to the restaurant to see how the renovations were going. As long as the pillars were there, she was actually quite relieved. After checking that everything was fine, she went back to Guihua Lane.
When I finished cooking the fish in the afternoon and was about to close the stall just after selling all the fish, Xu Kongmu's daughter Xu Yunlan came.
Xu Qinyu hadn't seen Xu Yunlan for some time. Lately, it was the maids or servants from Xu Kongmu's family who came to buy fish, steamed buns with milk and custard buns.
She met Xu Yunlan because of the dishes she cooked for the county magistrate at Xu Kongmu's house. After that, Xu Yunlan would occasionally come to buy the food cooked by Xu Qinyu, and the two of them got along quite well.
This time, Xu Yunlan came alone. She was also accompanied by a plump, fair-skinned girl. She wore a crabapple-red dress, which made her skin look even whiter.
Xu Qinyu thought the fat girl was cute at first sight, but she looked a little too fat. She was about 160 cm tall and weighed almost 180 kg. This weight was already very overweight and had a great impact on her health.
Moreover, this girl is so cute even when she is fat, and her eyes don’t look small. If she loses weight, she will have a face as beautiful as a peach blossom and a real beauty.
But the fat beauty's eyes are red now, probably because she has been crying.
Xu Yunlan's face was also filled with indignation.
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