Chapter 610 A Dream of Youth 142
"This contract was obtained for you by your mother, who said you had found someone you loved."
However, since you've learned some medical principles from me, you should know that getting married and having children at a young age is bad for your health. Even if you have someone you like, it would be better for your health to postpone the marriage for a few years...”
Qingli's lowered face shifted for a few moments, but she didn't expose Yanniang's lie. She simply kowtowed heavily and then accepted the indenture Xie Ning handed her.
She was a slave, and even if her master agreed, it would be very difficult to get her indenture cancelled at the yamen. Since Xie Ning had given her the indenture, it meant he had agreed to help her to the end.
Back in her room, Qingli placed the indenture in front of Yanniang, "Mother..."
When Qingli met Yanniang's surprised eyes, she felt even more suppressed. Although she knew very well that her mother was plotting something for her, she just felt uneasy, especially when Xie Ning mentioned her fictitious sweetheart.
“My dear, it’s hard for slaves to escape their status, but we shouldn’t be slaves in the first place. Your mother found the young general and begged him. If you are willing to return our indentures, then we can be freed from our status…”
Yan Niang chattered on and on, a rare, radiant smile on her face.
"Madam and Miss are good people." Yan Niang's eyes were filled with gratitude. After all, if they were unwilling to return the indenture, she and her daughter would have to work as cooks and maids for several more years.
Yan Niang couldn't wait a moment longer.
"What little general?" Qingli looked completely bewildered.
“The young general is…” Yan Niang’s face showed a hint of melancholy and sorrow. “The young general is the son of the general your father followed. Over the years, your mother has been going out to search for him every day, and that’s how I found one of your father’s former subordinates.”
Although her husband was just a bodyguard, he did have his own soldiers under him, and one of those soldiers often came to deliver things to their house.
"It was through him that my mother found the general's house."
If they want to be exonerated, they need to overturn this fabricated charge.
Nobody wants to be a slave unless they really can't survive.
Qingli's expression softened slightly, but she still asked in a sullen voice, "Then what's this about Mother saying I have someone I like? I've already told you that I have no intention of getting married right now."
"How can we not get married?!"
Yan Niang's voice rose for a moment, but she quickly softened and comforted her, "Li'er, I know you've suffered these past years, but you've learned a lot from the young lady. You can read and do math, you're a very good young lady. The marriage I've arranged for you is also excellent, it's with a soldier..."
Before she could finish speaking, Qingli interrupted her, "Mother, I told you I have no intention of getting married. The young lady has transferred me to the weaving workshop, and I need to work hard there."
Yan Niang's face darkened. "Qing Li, do you even remember your surname?"
Qingli fell silent. She didn't want to remember her surname; she had a given name, a name that belonged only to her.
“Your surname is Xu, and you are the only child in the Xu family. If you don’t get married, who will carry on the family line? Your mother doesn’t ask for anything, she just hopes that if you have children in the future, they will have the surname Xu.”
Besides, you're getting older, how can you not get married?
Qingli felt a suffocating sensation and her mind was in turmoil. She had always been obedient and understood the hardships her mother had endured raising her. Even during those difficult times, her mother had never abandoned her.
But she didn't want her life to follow the path her mother had planned for her.
"Mother, let's talk about these things later."
Qingli didn't want to argue, so the next day she packed her things and went to the weaving workshop by carriage.
Xie Ning was also there; she had come specifically to help build the primary school in the weaving workshop.
When they said this, the female workers in the weaving workshop were all stunned.
The little girl, with a sallow complexion, stood among a group of female workers, curiously looking at the cleaned-up courtyard in front of her. Looking inside, she saw that the largest room had been tidied up and several old tables and desks had been placed there.
Xie Ning handed the rules she had written to Qing Le and asked her to stick them on.
"Girl, what does this say?"
The little girl's sudden voice startled the female worker next to her, because this newcomer was from a nearby village. Her family had sent her here because the weaving workshop paid well. She usually didn't talk and just worked quietly.
Moreover, she lived a very... well, the female workers didn't know how to describe it, because this girl not only took all her monthly wages home, but she also saved her daily meals and steamed buns to take home.
She only eats half a meal, and as a result, despite working here for quite some time, she remains very thin.
Even so, she stubbornly did not fall down, which the female workers found amazing.
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