Next steps
The voice was filled with anxiety. An Hongdou pushed open the door and hurriedly asked the person, "Who are you? Where did you get this message from? What happened to him?"
"Madam, I am Liu Wangfu, a constable in the manor! I even came over to start the fire when Miss Dongxue was cooking rice porridge a couple of days ago. Don't you remember me?"
"Today, a few brothers from my team and I went with the magistrate to supervise the construction on the riverbank. During the inspection, we found a gap, and the magistrate insisted on going down to check it himself. Neither the clerk nor the brothers could stop him. Unexpectedly, the magistrate slipped and fell into the river, and was swept away by the current!"
Before the other person could finish speaking, An Hongdou's mind went blank, and she didn't know how to react.
She stared at the messenger's face, trying to recall if she had ever seen him before.
After confirming the identity of the person, her first instinct was to rush out the door and get to the scene of the incident before making any further plans.
Wu Linglong pulled her back abruptly. Seeing An Hongdou's distraught state, she said with exasperation, "Where did you go so late at night? Even if you were there, would you have come back?"
She helped An Hongdou back into the house and sat her down, comforting her, "I asked him to inform Zeren and have him take people downstream to search. You wait here for news. If there's still no news by tomorrow morning, I'll go with you."
“It’s so dark and raining outside. We haven’t found him yet, and you’re going to fall into the river. Besides, with Zeli in trouble, we need someone to take charge here.”
An Hongdou listened, barely managing to remain calm, and nodded in agreement.
Seeing this, Wu Linglong instructed Dongxue to bring in the embroidery frame.
"It seems you won't be able to fall asleep tonight. I'll keep you company while I embroider something! It'll be too agonizing for you to stay up all night if you don't do something to distract yourself."
An Hongdou couldn't refuse and was forced to sit in front of the embroidery frame. Wu Linglong sat opposite her, observing her expression.
At first, Wu Linglong shared interesting anecdotes she encountered along the way with An Hongdou. An Hongdou remained silent, and Wu Linglong also fell silent, leaving only the sound of threading a needle in the room.
The rooster crows at dawn, and the sky brightens.
For the first time, An Hongdou found the rooster's crow so pleasant. She rubbed her tired eyes and pushed open the door. Wu Linglong followed closely behind, carrying a shawl.
The weather was kind; the rain stopped today. However, An Hongdou had no interest in appreciating it. She quickly called out to the constable on duty, asking if there was any news of Li Zeli.
"Madam, the constable and his men are still searching along the river. Now that the rain has stopped and it's daytime, news should arrive soon."
"Let's not wait any longer, Linglong, let's go."
An Hongdou skillfully hitched up the cart and headed towards the riverbank.
"How is it? Any news?" An Hongdou looked expectantly at the search team.
The team leader shook his head.
An Hongdou was somewhat lost, gazing at the rushing, turbid river, unsure of where to look for the person.
Wu Linglong tied a shawl around her neck and comforted her, "He's been smart since he was little, he might have escaped danger on his own long ago. Let's go find Zeren first and see what's going on with him."
When they arrived at their destination, Li Zeren was eating heartily.
Upon seeing the two of them enter, Li Zeren said, "Oh, sister-in-law, it hasn't been long since we parted. I didn't expect you to have matured so much since we met. Qingyin County has truly been a place that tempers people."
"Second brother, you've had a long and arduous journey. But with Zeli's fate uncertain, I have no heart to entertain you. I'll apologize properly to you after this is over," An Hongdou said.
"I wonder if there's any news about Zeli on your side, Second Brother?"
“No—” Li Zeren answered slowly.
An Hongdou felt somewhat disappointed after hearing this.
"Ouch, my dear wife, stop pulling my ear, it hurts!"
Wu Linglong had somehow appeared beside Li Zeren and was twisting his ear with one hand.
"What kind of time is this to be joking around? Tell me everything you know, or I'll give you a good beating!"
"Don't worry, my wife, I haven't finished yet. Sister-in-law, it's alright! Zeli is sleeping in the back room. We found him downstream. He managed to grab onto a tree trunk and wasn't swept away. He's just exhausted and is resting now."
An Hongdou was finally relieved.
"Don't you know how worried you are about Hongdou? You can't even joke around properly!" Wu Linglong said bluntly to Li Zeren, who was begging for forgiveness.
Turning to An Hongdou, she said, "When he came in, he seemed so calm and collected, so I guessed that Zeli was alright! That rascal, he was just trying to scare you!"
After Li Zeli rested, Li Zeren pulled him aside to discuss his escort agency plan.
After listening to Li Zeren's plan, Li Zeli suggested, "The prefecture is currently short of grain. Why not go back and prepare more to donate to the prefecture? I will take this opportunity to introduce you to the prefect. If the prefect agrees, then obtaining travel permits and other necessary documents will not be a problem."
Both men had their own plans. Li Zeren returned to his hometown to procure food, while Li Zeli wrote a letter to test the prefect's reaction.
Wu Linglong chose to stay with An Hongdou. The two set up a soup kitchen in front of the county magistrate's mansion to help the disaster-stricken people.
That day, the two were distributing porridge as usual. A little girl holding a bowl was nervously looking around in the line. When it was her turn, she kept her head down, and you could still vaguely see that her cheeks were dirty.
Upon seeing this, An Hongdou lowered the spoon, preparing to scoop more rice for her.
Wu Linglong tugged at An Hongdou's sleeve and whispered, "She just came by. You can't break the rules just because you feel sorry for her."
An Hongdou patted Wu Linglong's hand to indicate that she understood.
She held the girl's hand, filled the bowl to the brim, and instructed, "Take this and finish it over there before you leave."
The girl glanced up slightly, then quickly looked down, nodded, and walked away protecting the porridge.
An Hongdou handed over her work to Qiuyu and Dongxue, and pulled Wu Linglong to follow the child.
The girl led them into a makeshift relief shelter. She stopped in front of a woman who was feeding a boy porridge.
"Mother, I smeared my face, so they didn't recognize me. They gave me a bowl of porridge, so please have some," the girl said ingratiatingly.
The woman looked up at her and said, "At least you have a conscience; I didn't raise you for nothing."
"Mother, from now on, all my porridge will be for you and my brother. I can find other food to eat. Please don't sell me."
The woman took the porridge and said irritably, "We only have a small plot of land. We lost our house in the disaster this year. Do you want us all to starve to death by staying here?"
"It's rare for someone to be willing to buy you back as a child bride. If you can live, everyone can live. What's there to be dissatisfied about?"
"Mother, I don't want to go," the girl pleaded.
“I’ve always treated you well, haven’t I? In the village, other families consider a daughter their first child a financial loss, but I’ve never mistreated you. But things are different now. Your brother is sick, and I need money for his medical treatment!”
"Mom, I can find a way to earn money!"
"By the time you earn money, your brother will be beyond saving! Da Ya, why don't you understand? You're going to get married sooner or later anyway, so how can I be considered to have sold you out? But I'll use your dowry money to save your brother as soon as possible!"
"Besides, I think that family is kind-hearted, so you won't suffer too much if you go there. If their son weren't mentally challenged, you probably wouldn't even have a chance!"
Seeing that her mother had made up her mind, the little girl could only timidly sob to the side.
Wu Linglong felt distressed upon seeing this and turned to ask, "Hongdou, did you know the reason beforehand, which is why you gave her an extra bowl?"
An Hongdou nodded: "Yesterday I saw her get the porridge, but her mother snatched it away. She lingered nearby for a long time and didn't dare to come back. I don't know how long it's been since she's had anything to eat."
Wu Linglong sighed: "Her mother is forcing her! She'll give in and let her go to someone else's house when she can't stand the hunger anymore."
An Hongdou agreed, and after thinking for a moment, she said, "Linglong, what if we hire her to work and use the wages to pay for her brother's medical treatment? Would her mother change her mind?"
Wu Linglong shook her head and said helplessly, "It's hard to say. Who knows if she'll sell her daughter again under the pretext of needing to rebuild the house after the disaster?"
"The most terrifying thing is that she felt this wasn't selling her daughter, but marrying her off. In her mind, her daughter would get married sooner or later, and it didn't matter who she married; the outcome would be the same whether the child stayed with her."
An Hongdou remained silent, agreeing with Wu Linglong's opinion. But ultimately, neither of them could bear to do it. After some discussion, the two stepped forward.
“Madam, we are responsible for distributing porridge in front of the county government office. We are short-handed recently. We saw that your daughter is clever and would like to hire her to help out. What do you think?” An Hongdou asked.
The lady initially looked the two men warily, but after they explained their purpose, she lowered her guard and smiled, saying, "Oh, that's wonderful! My youngest son is sick, and I need money to take him to see a doctor!"
"But how will the wages be calculated? Are you really distributing porridge? Or are you trying to trick my girl into selling herself for money?"
"Don't mention it. If you're worried, just go to the door every day to watch your daughter work. As for the wages, since you need them urgently, I suppose you can't wait, so I'll settle it all at once!"
After Wu Linglong finished speaking, she took out a piece of silver and handed it to the woman. The woman was surprised that she was so quick to take the money and hurriedly reached out to accept it.
“But let me make this clear first,” Wu Linglong said, pulling her hand back before the woman could even touch the silver. “Although the money has been paid in advance, this child can’t be lazy during the porridge distribution. If we find out she keeps coming back or isn’t doing any work, I’ll ask for the money back.”
The woman repeatedly assured her that Wu Linglong would give her the silver, and then she and An Hongdou left with the little girl.
After settling the little girl in, An Hongdou and Wu Linglong began their late-night conversation.
“Red Bean, what I saw today makes me uncomfortable! Tell me, is there any way for women to earn money and support their families, so that they don’t only have marriage as their only option?”
“Nowadays, schools do not accept women, and even craftsmen do not accept women as apprentices. They have too few ways to make money, and it is difficult for them to even support themselves, let alone start their own businesses.”
“If it were in the past, it would be fine, Hongdou, but now you are the wife of the county magistrate! As a relative of the local official, even if you can’t command everyone’s respect or change customs, you can at least set an example!”
"Linglong, you think too highly of me!"
“You underestimate yourself, Red Bean. Starting tomorrow, let’s brainstorm ideas together and put them into practice. I refuse to believe there’s no way out.”
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