Yuan Qi slammed his fist on the table and asked him, "You were just saying your wife was hardworking, how come she's selfish now?"
Ma Wu explained hastily, "She is hardworking, but she is selfish. She uses the money she earns and the money I earn to buy food, and she doesn't save any for me."
Yuan Qi had had enough: "Then let me ask you, how many copper coins does she earn a day, how much do you earn a day, and how much do you give home?"
Ma Wu proudly held up his hand: "I work as a porter at the docks, earning fifty copper coins a day. Sometimes I do some work at night and can earn a hundred. I spend ten coins on drinks, and I keep forty copper coins. I give thirty to my mother to keep and ten to my wife to help with household expenses. My wife earns twenty copper coins a day, but I don't take a single one from her. She keeps them for herself. So, am I a good man?"
"Good my ass!" Yuan Qi really wanted to hit him. "Then who pays for your family's expenses?"
Ma Wu said matter-of-factly, "Of course she's my wife. My money and her money are both in her hands. If she doesn't pay, who will?"
"Then whose food and drink does your mother eat and drink?" Yuan Qi asked helplessly. He wondered who had brainwashed Ma Wu, who actually thought this was good for his wife and that his wife was incredibly happy.
Ma Wu understood Yuan Qi's meaning: "Of course my mother eats and drinks what I give her. The money I give her is all saved by her. She says she can't touch that money; it's for my son's education and for my son's wedding. But this money will eventually belong to me and my wife; it's just that my mother is holding onto it temporarily. Little Taoist priest, isn't this perfectly natural? Why are you angry?"
Yuan Qi countered, "How much money did your mother leave for your wife when she died?"
Ma Wu sighed, "My mother died three years ago. She was sick and needed medical treatment, so all the money she had saved was spent. After buying a coffin and holding a funeral, there was hardly anything left. But I can't blame my mother for this; she..."
Yuan Qi interrupted him impatiently: "Alright, stop making excuses for yourself. You and your mother have been bullying your wife for so many years. You beat your wife every day, and you still make her do your laundry, cook for you, take care of the children, and earn money. You still say your wife is living a life of luxury? Did a donkey kick your brain?!"
Ma Wu thought for a moment, "Oh, that's how it is..."
He hesitated for a long time before finally saying, "But isn't this how all women in the world go through it? When my mother married my father, she did these things every day, and my father even beat her. Why can't my wife do it? How can you be like this, little Taoist priest? All women in the world go through this."
Yuan Qi angrily pointed at him and cursed, "I'll make sure you're a woman in your next life!"
No matter what she says, Ma Wu's wife is already dead, and she can't change that fact.
"Then tell me, what brings you here today?"
Ma Wu countered, "Everyone says you're accurate with your calculations, can't you tell?"
Yuan Qi twitched his lips: "I can tell, you feel aggrieved because your wife died, so you've been tormenting yourself every day."
Ma Wu immediately became excited: "That's right, that's exactly it! Little Taoist priest, you're amazing! I'm asking you, can you make my wife stop bothering me? Tell her to leave quickly, I'm so annoyed. She comes to my dreams every day, constantly whipping me, making me work, cursing me for being heartless, cruel, and inhuman. I can't take it anymore."
"Serves him right! I'm not taking this job." Yuan Qi thought Ma Wu deserved it.
Ma Wu said, "No, I didn't kill her, so why is she bothering me? Besides, how much money have I spent on her over the years? She hanged herself with a rope, leaving behind two children. If I were to find another wife, people would look down on me because I have two burdens. You have to take care of this."
Yuan Qi chuckled: "You're still trying to cling to me?"
Ma Wu said matter-of-factly, "It's not that I'm trying to take advantage of you. I paid you, and since you took the job, you should do my job."
Yuan Qi packed his things angrily: "Fine, I'll go with you and settle this score."
Ma Wu lived in a remote alley in Kyoto, where all the poor people lived. When they saw Ma Wu arrive with a young Taoist nun, they all came to watch the spectacle. Some even shouted, "Come and see, everyone! Ma Wu has brought that capable young Taoist from Tianshui Street!"
After he shouted, many more people emerged from various places, pointing and gesturing along with Yuan Qi.
"Don't let his young age fool you, this young Taoist priest is incredibly skilled!"
"I heard she can see ghosts. You know, Cuixiang has been dead for over a month. Could her ghost still be around?"
"She probably didn't leave, otherwise why would Ma Wu dream about her every night?"
The neighbors all know that Ma Wu has been harassed by Cui Xiang for over a month, and he can't sleep well every night. Moreover, in his dreams, Ma Wu can't even beat Cui Xiang.
Ma Wu's home was also very simple. There was no courtyard wall, but a fence. In the yard, a boy and a girl were working together, wringing out clothes.
Seeing the pretty Yuan Qi, they looked over curiously.
The yard was a bit dirty and messy, obviously it hadn't been cleaned in a long time.
The pots and pans in the kitchen were unwashed. Ma Wu went into the kitchen, glanced at them, and shouted at the little girl, "Didn't I tell you to wash the pots and pans? Why haven't you washed them yet?"
The little girl quickly hung the clothes in her hand on the clothesline and ran to wash the pots and pans.
The slightly older boy said, "Dad, my sister has been working the whole time; she hasn't been slacking off."
Ma Wu patted his son's head: "Don't speak up for her. Your mother is dead, so she should do the work your mother did. She's a burden, and she'll get married sooner or later anyway. The more she learns to work now, the less likely she'll be looked down upon in the future. As for you, you can't do these kinds of jobs. You're destined for great things. When I have money, I'll send you to school. If you study, you can become a high-ranking official..."
Yuan Qi muttered sarcastically from the side, "Still making empty promises? They can't even afford to eat, yet they still spout such grand words, tsk tsk..."
He actually knew that studying was a legitimate way out.
Even in broad daylight, Cuixiang's ghost dared not linger in the courtyard.
Yuan Qi looked at the girl and the boy, both of them were thin, and although they were about the same age as her, they were much shorter than her.
Feeling a little sorry for her, she took out a piece of dried meat from her cloth bag and handed it to the girl: "Are you hungry? Eat this."
When Ma Wu saw the meat, he ran over, saying, "A girl doesn't deserve to eat meat!"
The little girl shuddered in fright, almost dropping the jerky on the ground.
Yuan Qi protected the little girl: "Shut up! This is for her, mind your own business!"
Ma Wu shut his mouth in frustration. He was also surprised that he was silenced by a little girl's shout.
He licked his lips; he hadn't eaten meat in ages, had he?
The little girl divided the jerky in half, handing one half to her brother. The two siblings ate it in small bites, thoroughly enjoying it.
After only two bites, the two decided to save the rest for the next meal. They couldn't possibly eat all of this delicious food at once.
"Eat up, and I'll give you another piece after you finish."
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