When they opened the door, it wasn't Changwu and the others outside, but Lao San, followed by a disheveled girl. An Shuyi and Xia Hua exchanged a glance, and a flock of crows flew overhead, cawing loudly.
Her son has stopped gambling and started playing the hero, rescuing damsels in distress. He's still too young and hasn't considered the consequences of his heroic act.
"Third brother, who is that girl behind you?"
The third son stepped forward and said, "Mother, this is the girl I just rescued. She escaped from the Hundred Flowers Brothel but was captured by the brothel's thugs who wanted to take her back. I felt sorry for her, so I had no choice but to bring her back."
"Mother, I didn't gamble, but the money is all gone. Mother, are you angry?" He then glanced cautiously at his mother and aunt.
An Shuyi wiped her face. "Third brother, you should know she's a girl. I don't object to you saving her. After all, the money is yours to spend as you like. But have you thought about how to settle her down?"
"You're nineteen now, and your second brother's child is already over a year old. You should be getting married by now, but you haven't met the right person. If you bring a girl back now, will she be your maid or your wife?"
“If she’s to be a maid, there are plenty of wealthy families in Jinnan City who would buy maids. We could send her there. It would be better than sending her to our village. But if she’s to be a wife, you’re about to join the army. Wouldn’t that be a waste of her time?”
The third son turned around and said, "Mother, can't we let her stay in the village? She's not a maid; we can let her work in the workshop, and wait for her...!"
"Stop!" Xia Hua interrupted him directly. "Do you think someone of unknown origin can stay in our village? Third brother, are you brainless? I guarantee that as long as you bring her, you'll be kicked out before you even reach the village entrance."
"And you will be the same. In fact, your fate won't be as simple as being kicked out of the village. You'll be forced to work in the workshop. Do you think that's possible?"
Looking at his calm mother and then at his sarcastic aunt, the third son realized that he had made a mistake. He shouldn't have brought someone of unknown origin back to the village, let alone let her work in the workshop.
He shouldn't have taken advantage of the girl's pitiful state to try and bring her back. His mother and the village chief had repeatedly warned him not to reveal the village's secrets, yet he now wanted to take her back.
“Mother, I know I was wrong. I didn’t think things through enough,” he said, then turned around and said, “Girl, you are safe now. The thugs from that brothel won’t bother you anymore.”
"I'll give you some more silver. Find yourself a place to stay. You don't need the silver. Take care of yourself."
"Mother, could you give me another five taels of silver? Consider it a loan from your son, and I'll pay you back later." He had spent all one hundred taels on buying this girl, and now he had no silver left.
Seeing his naivety, An Shuyi couldn't help but sigh inwardly, "He's still too stupid." She took out a silver ingot from her bosom and gave it to him, saying, "Here you go." She just hoped this girl would be more sensible.
The third son took the silver she handed over, saying, "Thank you, Mother." He turned and handed the silver back, saying, "Girl, this is all the silver I have right now. It shouldn't be difficult to find a place to stay."
bang
The girl knelt down on the ground and said pitifully, "Madams, I was bought by Young Master Lin. Although I have been to brothels, I am still a virgin. I do not ask to be your wife. I will be happy to be your maid."
“I have nowhere to go now, and I have no household registration. If I leave here, I will only be sold into a brothel. Please help me.”
She didn't want this either, but her mother not only wanted to sell her into a brothel, but also to disfigure her and break one of her legs. She couldn't go to the brothel. Although being a maidservant didn't sound good, the lady said that the young master was about to join the army, so he wouldn't touch her. She was still innocent.
Once she's settled, she'll write to her maternal grandparents, and then she can reclaim the family property.
Seeing her like this, the third brother wanted to help her, but he didn't have a good way to do it and could only stand by and watch.
An Shuyi glanced at the girl and said, "What a clever girl. You really think that you can keep your chastity just because my son went to join the army? Let me tell you, I have six sons. Even if I don't have this one, I have others."
"Then I can make you a concubine for one of my sons. My son will spend a hundred taels to buy you, and you still want to scheme against him. Do you really think I'm an easy woman to talk to?"
"Madam, I..." The young lady wanted to say something, but the words caught in her throat, and she didn't know how to say them, after all, what the lady said was the truth.
“Madam, I know that one hundred taels of silver is a lot of money, but could I stay in your village for a few days? I will write to my maternal grandparents and they will come to pick me up, and then I will leave.”
Xia Hua suddenly asked, "Judging from your words and actions, your family must be well-off. But now you're disheveled and say you're writing a letter to your maternal grandfather, but not to your parents. Could it be that you were sold out by your family?"
Seeing her surprised expression, he continued, "I guess either your father is going to sell you, since you mentioned your maternal grandfather, or your stepmother. I think it's the latter, but aren't you being a little too naive?"
"You must have written to your maternal grandfather, but they didn't reply. Do you think they would listen if you wrote to them again?"
This is just like a scene from a novel. However, this girl is a bit naive. She still hopes that her maternal grandparents' family will take care of her. If her maternal grandparents' family is willing, they will not only think about her all the time, but also take care of her often.
Judging from the girl's appearance, she must have been out of the loop for quite some time. Since they haven't looked for her for so long, they probably don't want to bother with her.
"That's impossible, my grandparents wouldn't do that." After saying that, he collapsed to the ground, tears streaming down his face as if a dam had been opened.
Actually, she already knew, but she just didn't want to believe it. Two months ago, her father fell seriously ill, and she asked her maid to deliver a letter. Even though the place wasn't far away, no one came.
Before her father even passed away, her stepmother sold her to a brothel. She managed to escape only after using a bracelet to coax the old lady at the back door of the brothel to leave for a while.
But she had been sold or run away the whole way from Qingyan City to here. If she hadn't been so dirty this time, and the brothel madam hadn't had someone take her to wash up, she wouldn't have had the chance to escape.
"I don't care if you can do it or not," Xia Hua turned her head and saw that Chang Wu and the others had already driven the oxcart over. "Third brother, you're responsible for your own affairs. Chang Wu, come in and move your things." After saying that, she stood to the side with An Shuyi.
The third brother quickly went over and pulled her away, but he couldn't reach out, so he could only let her stand aside. "Miss, you should listen to me. Take the money and settle down first. If there's anything, go find the county magistrate, or the prefect."
"I can't help you much. This five taels of silver is borrowed from me. You should leave now, or I'll be finished if I anger my mother."
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