Cheng Chun slowly raised her head, while Hongdou lifted the oil-paper umbrella in her hand a little higher. Looking at the young woman before her, she smiled and said, “Mrs. Qian!”
The young woman was taken aback for a moment, then stared blankly at Cheng Chun for a long time before suddenly realizing, “A-chun?”
Cheng Chun nodded with a smile. “Yes, it’s me, A-chun!”
Back then, when Cheng Chun was violated by the men who barged into the medicine shop, everyone on the street knew about it. Later, it was said that she couldn’t bear the shame and tried to hang herself. If she hadn’t been discovered in time, she would have been gone.
Mrs. Qian had known Cheng Chun even before she got married. At that time, they were both young girls, laughing and chatting happily. Later, after Mrs. Qian married, it wasn’t long before Cheng Chun’s misfortune struck. When she heard about Cheng Chun’s attempted suicide, she cried at home for quite a while.
Mrs. Qian grabbed Cheng Chun’s hand, examining her carefully from head to toe. “It really is A-chun! You… how are you now?”
She also knew about Cheng Chun being forced to marry as a concubine. Though she felt it was unfair—after all, such a fine girl deserved to marry into a good family and live a peaceful, happy life—at that critical moment, marriage was Cheng Chun’s only option. Being a concubine was still better than preserving her chastity with a white silk noose!
“Fifth Master treats me well. I have no worries about food or clothing,” Cheng Chun said softly, looking at Mrs. Qian.
Though Cheng Chun spoke reassuringly, Mrs. Qian still noticed the bruises on her wrist. She glanced at Hongdou beside her, thought for a moment, and finally patted Cheng Chun’s hand with a bitter smile. “That’s good, that’s good. A woman marries for food and clothing, after all!”
Mrs. Qian wanted very much to catch up with Cheng Chun, but she was afraid of displeasing Cheng Chun’s master, so she kept quiet, merely smiling politely. She placed the rouge box she had been eyeing into Cheng Chun’s hands. “When you got married, I couldn’t give you a wedding gift. Take this—it’s not worth much, but consider it a token of my affection.”
Cheng Chun quickly shook her head. “I can’t accept this!”
“Shopkeeper, our lady will accept the rouge, but you must also take the silver,” Hongdou chimed in promptly from the side. “Our lady is too modest to take anything for free. Before we left, our master instructed that whatever our lady likes, regardless of the cost, we must pay for it. We appreciate your kindness, but the silver must be paid.”
As Hongdou spoke, she smiled amiably, but her words carried a hint of sternness. Though Mrs. Qian had always been a shrewd businesswoman, bold and outspoken, she was still an ordinary commoner. Who would dare provoke the wealthy? She could only smile politely. “Yes, yes, of course. It seems your master treats A-chun well.”
“Fifth Master treats me quite well. These rouges are all made by you through hard work. How could I take one for free?” Cheng Chun said, reaching for her private savings.
Hongdou, quick-eyed and swift-handed, immediately took out a money pouch from her bosom and handed over a piece of broken silver. “From now on, we’ll rely on you for our lady’s cosmetics. Please keep us supplied with the latest rouge!”
Mrs. Qian accepted the silver and could only smile in agreement.
Cheng Chun could say no more and turned to leave.
As soon as Cheng Chun left, Mrs. Qian couldn’t help but sigh. “What a pity for such a fine girl!”
The auntie nearby had long been burning with curiosity. As soon as Cheng Chun walked far enough away, she quickly leaned in: “Was that Cheng Chun from Chengjia Zhuang?”
Mrs. Qian nodded: “Yes!”
The auntie’s face was full of astonishment: “I hardly dared to recognize her. I always thought this girl was pretty, not a bit like her parents—so pretty she didn’t seem like a country bumpkin. And look at her now, dressed in gold and silver, even more stunning!”
Mrs. Qian remained silent.
Cheng Chun now appeared wealthy, dressed well, ate well, and even had someone accompanying her with an umbrella when she went out. But Mrs. Qian could no longer see the smile in Cheng Chun’s eyes. In the past, although Cheng Chun had little money and no wealth, she was always smiling, her eyes crinkling with joy, and that smile would warm people’s hearts.
But now, even though she still smiled, her eyes no longer held the same sparkle as before.
Seeing the worry on Mrs. Qian’s face, the auntie stepped forward and patted her shoulder: “Look at Cheng Chun’s appearance—she’s blessed. Although she suffered misfortune, at least the other party is willing to take care of her and didn’t let her be driven to death. In this world, surviving such a thing is already the greatest blessing!”
“Who says it isn’t!” Mrs. Qian nodded, then lowered her head to arrange her stall, saying nothing more.
“Madam seems quite familiar with that shopkeeper from earlier,” Hongdou remarked as they walked, smiling.
“Before Sister Qian was married, she often bought medicinal herbs from our shop to make cosmetics. We got along quite well back then. She has a fiery temper, but she’s a good person. When I was bullied, she often stood up for me!” Thinking of the past, a faint smile touched Cheng Chun’s eyes.
Hongdou nodded, committing this to memory.
Most people on this street recognized Cheng Chun, but now, with her hair styled in a Furen Ji and an air of nobility about her, they dared not approach to speak, only watching from afar.
However, the shopkeeper’s wife from the medicine shop, having heard news of Cheng Chun, hurried over from a distance.
“A-chun!” The shopkeeper’s wife stood not far away, watching Cheng Chun for a long while before slowly approaching.
“Shopkeeper!” Cheng Chun walked over to her.
The shopkeeper’s wife looked at Cheng Chun like a mother gazing at her daughter, her eyes filled with heartache. She reached out and touched Cheng Chun’s face: “How have you grown so thin?”
“The weather hasn’t been good lately, very damp. I haven’t had much appetite, so I’ve lost a little weight,” Cheng Chun replied, looking at the shopkeeper’s wife with affection.
The shopkeeper’s wife glanced at Hongdou, then pulled Cheng Chun aside: “You… are you doing well now?”
Cheng Chun nodded: “Fifth Master is a good man.”
The shopkeeper’s wife still harbored deep resentment over the incident where Cheng Chun had been bullied. When she learned that Cheng Chun had attempted to hang herself, she was so distraught she couldn’t sleep for nights on end, always thinking that if only she hadn’t gone home that day and had stayed at the shop instead, such a thing would never have happened.
The shopkeeper’s wife only knew that Cheng Chun had married as a concubine and had no idea who this Fifth Master was. Her heart ached terribly. As someone who had been through life’s hardships and had years of experience in business, she was all too familiar with the scheming and intrigue that went on in grand households.
With such a delicate and unassertive nature as Cheng Chun’s, how could she possibly fare well in such a household? Though her heart ached, she could not speak of it, only saying, “Take good care of your health. Once you have a child, you will have something to rely on. You are blessed, and better days will come in the future!”