The rain pattered softly on the roof of the thatched shed, creating a surprisingly soothing sound. After finishing lunch, Qin Xiaozhou yawned as she entered the house. She was sleeping exceptionally well now, unsure whether it was the sense of security provided by the Lu family, the tranquility of this other world, or the effects of those Chinese medicines.
A few days ago, she would sometimes have stomach upsets while sleeping at night, and occasionally have a dry, hoarse cough. Now, after taking two bowls of medicine, these problems are completely gone. Traditional Chinese medicine is indeed amazing. While lying in bed, Xiao Si sat on the bed playing with scraps of cloth, Wang Lan was cooking rice porridge in the kitchen to make insoles, Zhao Fen and Lu Yu were sewing clothes, and Lu Yan was playing with Xiao Si.
Peaceful and tranquil.
Qin Xiaozhou was half asleep when a loud, rough voice suddenly woke her up.
Zhao Huamei rushed in with her embroidery basket and said to Wang Lan in the kitchen, "Auntie, I've come to find Zhao Fen."
The woman, who was about thirty-seven or thirty-eight years old, had a loud voice. She and Zhao Fen were both from Zhao Jiataizi and had known each other since childhood. However, Zhao Huamei's mother-in-law was a formidable woman who usually didn't allow her to visit other people's homes. It was only because of the rain these past two days and the lack of work that she found an opportunity to come to the Lu family's house.
Zhao Fen came out of the room and said, "Sister Huamei, come in quickly."
Zhao Huamei ran to the eaves, scraped the mud off her shoes with a stick, and rushed into the house. "Xiao Fen, let me tell you, this morning there was news from the next village that Wang Cuihua died. It's said that she couldn't stand being beaten and scolded by her husband and hanged herself. But the exact cause of death is unclear."
Qin Xiaozhou sat up. "Cuihua? Grandma Ajin's youngest daughter?"
This time, Zhao Huamei noticed Qin Xiaozhou on the bed by the window. Remembering Qin Xiaozhou's fiery temper, she was a little scared and stammered, "Yes, yes."
Holy crap!
Qin Xiaozhou had just scolded her two days ago about Grandma Ajin selling her daughter and granddaughter, and now Cuihua was dead. She couldn't describe her feelings and asked anxiously, "Was she beaten so badly that she couldn't take it anymore and hanged herself? Didn't Zhou Meixiang take her son to her house to demand an explanation?"
Zhou Meixiang is Grandma Ajin's name, and Qin Xiaozhou only found out about it a couple of days ago.
Zhao Huamei sneered, "Zhou Meixiang went out. She just took her son out, but she's probably going to ask for money. She won't let such a good opportunity pass by. She'll definitely extort some money from her son-in-law's family. The money will be for her precious grandson. Poor Cuihua, she was kept at home by her mother and became an old maid. Now that she's dead, it's become a reason for her mother to ask for money."
She sighed and shook her head, lamenting Cuihua's tragic fate, but showed no indignation or resentment at Cuihua's misfortune, nor any regret or respect for life.
Even until her death, Cuihua was nothing more than a topic of conversation for others.
A vibrant life, yet no one truly cares.
Wang Lan brought rice porridge into the house from the kitchen. She cut a piece of cloth into the shape of a shoe sole, laid it on the cabinet, pasted it with paste, and carefully stacked and flattened it layer by layer. She gossiped, "Cuihua's life has been really unlucky. When she was little, that heartless Zhou Meixiang never gave her any food. She didn't have a full meal for more than ten years. She was thin and small. I heard that she never had her period until she got married."
"Poor thing, it's because she wasn't properly cared for that she didn't menstruate. Not menstruating means she can't have children, which is why no one proposed marriage to her. That black-hearted Zhou kept torturing her until she was eighteen, making her work at home like a mule, plowing the fields and planting crops. Her brother, on the other hand, was treated more precious than this little girl. Later, due to the government's arranged marriage, Cuihua was forced to marry and was allowed to leave home."
"It's better to be dead; at least I'll be free."
Qin Xiaozhou sat blankly on the bed, her mind filled with complicated emotions.
Lu Yu lowered her head, her finger pricked by a needle, blood staining the fabric. It was Lu Yan who noticed and exclaimed, "Auntie, your finger is bleeding!"
These words startled the gossipy women. Wang Lan anxiously took her youngest daughter's hand. Fortunately, there was only a pinhole, but she still couldn't help but scold her, "Oh dear child, you've been making clothes for so many years, how could you poke a hole in your own finger? Quickly wipe it clean."
Lu Yu bit her lip and went out of the house. She stood under the eaves and reached out to catch the rainwater falling on her fingers. Inside the house, the people started chatting about village life again. A pinprick wound was really nothing to worry about in the countryside. Everyone in the village would get scrapes, bumps, and falls while working. As long as it wasn't a serious injury, it was considered a minor injury.
In winter, a villager went to chop firewood and chopped off one of his toes. He managed to stop the bleeding with wood ash, rested for a day or two, and then went out to work as usual.
Qin Xiaozhou looked up at Lu Yu, who was standing silently under the eaves, and suddenly felt a sense of mission. She had to save Lu Yu from her predicament and not let her end up like Cuihua, being married off to a widower. There was still a year left. Only when she became strong could she take the initiative to choose a suitable man for Lu Yu to marry before her official match.
Because her family was powerful, the man didn't dare to lay a hand on Lu Yu.
According to Qin Xiaozhou's thinking, Lu Yu could choose not to get married, but this dynasty had just ended a war and the population was sparse. In order to increase the population, the court did not allow women not to get married. Unmarried women under the age of eighteen were forced to marry, and widows under the age of thirty were forced to remarry and have children after a year or two of widowhood. Even if they became nuns, they would be sent back to secular life. It was simply outrageous.
If anyone disobeys, not only will the woman be dragged away and forced into the home of the man she is betrothed to, and forbidden to leave the man's village for three years, but the woman's parents and relatives will also be fined. The fine is one tael of silver for each month of delay, and five taels of silver for two months. Villagers only earn three or four taels of silver a year, so how could they afford such fines? Therefore, as soon as the government's marriage list is released, the woman's family will definitely marry her off to the man within three months.
How unfair this is! But Qin Xiaozhou sadly discovered that she couldn't stop it, and she was powerless to do anything about it. She couldn't resist the imperial court or defy the law. The only way to improve the situation now was to make the Lu family rich and find a relatively stable man for Lu Yu to marry as soon as possible.
The rain stopped, Zhao Huamei left, and dusk fell. The Lu family was eating in the kitchen, and the story of Cuihua's tragic deeds was still on the table. In the distance, Zhou Meixiang's voice could be heard, and she seemed quite happy.
Every household in the village lived in an earthen house with a spacious courtyard, but the soundproofing was not very good. Zhou Meixiang's house was not far from the Lu family's house, with only two fences and a deserted open space in between. At this moment, Zhou Meixiang was speaking loudly, and her tone could be faintly heard.
Wang Lan sighed, "I guess we got the money."
In the middle of the night, three suona horns sounded from Zhou Meixiang's house, extremely eerie in the darkness. The village dogs barked wildly, as if they had seen something unclean. Lu Yan was startled awake and burst into tears, crying, "Mother, Mother—"
"Don't be afraid." Qin Xiaozhou patted her back and sat up as well. "What happened?"
Wang Lan was a light sleeper and had just woken up. Given her age, she quickly guessed what had happened and whispered a scolding, "Don't worry about it, don't make a sound, go back to sleep."
He then furtively got up and went to the next room, quietly telling his two grandsons to lie down properly and not to go out.
Qin Xiaozhou faintly heard voices, then fell silent again. A strange yet normal thought popped into her mind: Wang Cuihua had been forced into a ghost marriage!
The moment the thought crossed her mind, goosebumps rose all over her body, and a chill rose from the soles of her feet, instantly engulfing her entire body, as if she had fallen into an icy lake, suffocating and choking her.
She stared blankly, trapped in darkness, with no light of day.
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