Chapter 231 A Black-Hearted Woman
"Sister Liu, please have mercy and give me more money. Five taels is really not enough. My girl is beautiful, she's famous throughout the village. I didn't even sell her to the Jiang family!"
Jiang Nuanzhi was driving her donkey cart home when she passed by her family's fields, thinking she'd check on the crops. Just then, she heard a commotion coming from Liu Ma's yard. Looking over, she saw Liu Ma saying impatiently, "Alright, alright, what's with all the wailing? Five taels, not a penny more. If you don't like it, you can sell it to that black-hearted Jiang Pangya. Do you think I don't know she only gives two taels of silver?"
As Liu Ma spoke, she saw Jiang Nuanzhi's donkey cart and immediately shoved the old woman: "Look, Jiang Pangya is here. You want ten taels of silver? Go ask her if she'll give it to you. Go ask her."
This old woman was clearly the same one who had caused trouble with Widow Wang at Jiang Nuan's house just now. Seeing Jiang Nuan, a hint of fear flashed in her eyes, and she gripped Liu Ma's hand tightly, refusing to let go: "Sister Liu, we've been neighbors for most of our lives, and you've watched my little Ya grow up. Please give her more. You can sell her wherever you want, I won't be picky. Just give me another tael of silver, six taels, is that alright?"
"Pah!" Liu Ma angrily shook off the old woman's hand. "You heartless wretch! Think it over. If you're not going to sell, then get out of here with your people. Say another word and you won't get five taels of silver!"
"Sell! I'll sell, okay? Please don't be angry, old sister!" With that, she pushed the young girls in front of her aside: "Five taels it is. Old sister, look..."
Liu Ma snorted coldly, then angrily pulled out some silver from her bosom. After glancing at the old woman's smiling face, she threw the silver on the ground.
"Take the silver, put your fingerprint on it, and get out of here!"
The old woman's eyes were fixed on the silver. Almost as soon as the silver hit the ground, she picked it up, weighed it in her hand, then breathed on it as if it were a treasure, rubbed it on her sleeve, took a bite, and then put it in her bosom with a big smile.
"Perfect, perfect." He said, pressing his fingerprint on the contract of indenture.
"Grandma, Grandma, where are you going?"
Little Sprout panicked. Forgetting to wipe the tears from her face, she clung tightly to the old woman's clothes.
The old woman paused in her turn, her hand unconsciously tightening. She frowned for a while, then suddenly pried the little girl's hand away forcefully: "Ya'er, it's not that your grandma doesn't want to raise you, it's just that your younger brothers are still too young, and our family can't afford to pay taxes. When you earn money at a wealthy family in the future, don't forget your grandma, and remember your brothers at home, and help the family out."
"Grandma."
Little Sprout was bewildered and helpless, desperately trying to grab the person in front of her, but her bright red little hands were pulled away again and again.
"Pah! You wish! With a face like that, she can work for a wealthy family? She'll most likely end up as a prostitute. If you don't want the men in your family to ever take the imperial examinations, just go find her!"
Upon hearing this, the old woman's face turned pale. The next second, she brushed the little girl's hand away as if shoving away a plague, and left without looking back even once.
The little bud was crying out in an especially pitiful way that evening, and Jiang Nuanzhi watched it, unable to come back to her senses for a long time.
"What are you wailing about? Shut up! It's a blessing for you to leave such a family. If I were you, I would be so happy to kowtow to God three times."
As Liu Ma said, Xiao Ya'er was still crying, so she took a handkerchief and stuffed it into the child's mouth, then handed it to someone next to her: "Take her inside and lock her up with those two."
As she spoke, Liu Ma turned around and saw that Jiang Nuanzhi was still not far away. She immediately frowned and said, "What are you looking at? Are you going to sell the child?"
Startled by her shout, the waiter beside her trembled and almost instinctively looked at Jiang Nuanzhi.
Xiao Er suddenly remembered something from the past: Ah Nuan seemed to have wanted to sell him and his younger sister. It was such a long, long time ago, so long that he had completely forgotten about it.
His intuition told him that Ah Nuan was good to him and wouldn't do such a thing, but he couldn't help but think the worst.
Before selling Zhu Zi, his mother, lived at the west end of the village. She bought him a bag of candy, and he even got one. But after that, he never saw Zhu Zi again.
Today, Anuan treated him to lots of delicious food and bought him a lot of treats.
Thinking this, Xiao Er's face suddenly lost its color, and he subconsciously grabbed Jiang Nuanzhi's clothes.
Seeing that Xiao Er looked a little nervous, Jiang Nuanzhi reached out to pat his head, but the boy suddenly flinched and dodged.
Her hand paused, then she pulled the child into her arms and gently patted his back: "Silly boy, what are you thinking? You don't really think I'd sell you, do you?"
"Remember this: even if I sell myself one day, I will never sell you."
As she spoke, Jiang Nuanzhi frowned and looked at Liu Ma: "Liu Ma, I was just passing by. One minute you're making up stories about me being heartless, and the next you're scaring my child. Isn't that a bit too unfair?"
"Ha, what do you mean 'not thick'? You're probably cursing me in your heart too, aren't you? You're probably thinking I'm a mean, heartless, black-hearted woman! Don't think I don't know!"
Jiang Nuanzhi couldn't help but find it amusing: "You can tell fortunes? You knew it before I even said anything? You're wrong. Not only do I not think you're heartless, I also think you're a rare and kind person, Aunt Liu."
"Don't you dare speak so veiledly!" Aunt Liu glared at her.
Jiang Nuanzhi waved her hand: "If you don't believe me, then so be it."
Then he went to her field and pulled up the weeds growing along the edge of the field.
Jiang Nuanzhi turned around and saw Liu Ma staring at her with a suspicious look.
"Do you really want to?" Aunt Liu asked.
Jiang Nuanzhi raised an eyebrow: "Would I lie to you? I only pay two taels of silver to buy people, but you pay five taels. Judging from that, you are definitely kinder than me."
Recalling what Aunt Liu had just done, Jiang Nuanzhi suddenly felt that she was quite pleasing to the eye, and thus became interested in chatting with her for a while.
Liu Ma was stunned by these words, then snorted coldly, "Giving you two taels is indeed too much." She thought for a moment and then said, "But those people are shameless too, actually coming to your house to borrow money. You are a bit annoying, but they are even more disgusting. Back then, they also came to my house to borrow money, and I took a broom and beat them out."
Jiang Nuanzhi raised an eyebrow and looked at the burly men inside the house: "So, at this time of year, you've hired a few thugs to guard your home?"
"Ha, do you think our business is so easy? We've seen all kinds of people in this industry, we always have to keep some secrets."
As Liu Ma spoke, she frowned again: "These damned bastards, it's one thing to collect more taxes, but to send people to the army is simply outrageous!"
"And it just so happens to be this time! If it were autumn harvest season, as long as everyone doesn't mess around like your family and plant all sorts of random things, everyone would have some surplus grain. Selling the grain would bring in some silver, and paying taxes wouldn't be a problem."
(End of this chapter)
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