Qiao Xin had heard every movement in the courtyard. Knowing Madame Wang was heading her way, she had stepped aside long before the old woman reached the door—otherwise, she would have been struck by the door as it shattered.
“Grandma, I was just about to come out when you walked in,” Qiao Xin said calmly, her voice devoid of its usual cowering fear.
In her blind rage, Madame Wang didn’t notice the change in tone. “What time do you think it is? Only now coming out? You’re just lazy, you wretched, cursed broom-star!”
Madame Wang suddenly stopped mid-sentence, struck by a sudden thought. Her eyes narrowed, and she shrieked, “Did you steal from the house? It must have been you! Speak! Where did you hide it?”
“Grandma, what could possibly be missing? My room is barely a shed; where would I hide anything?”
Even Madame Wang realized how far-fetched the accusation sounded. The girl didn’t have the guts or the wit to pull it off. But the timing was suspicious—the house had been robbed the morning after the girl returned. She decided then and there: even if the girl didn’t do it, she was a magnet for bad luck.
“You are a jinx! You killed my son and left him without an heir, and now you’ve brought thieves upon us! Curse you, you little demon! I’ll beat you to death!” Madame Wang’s eyes blazed with malice, and she lunged forward, hands clawed, ready to beat Qiao Xin to a pulp.
Qiao Xin dodged effortlessly and took off out of the shed. As she sprinted, she screamed at the top of her lungs, “Help! Help! My grandmother is going to kill me! The scholar’s mother is murdering someone! Help!”
The words stung like a whip. Madame Wang nearly fainted from pure rage. “You little jinx! Shut your mouth! Stop right there!”
Old Man Qiao felt his heart sink, his eyelids twitching uncontrollably. He couldn’t let her keep shouting—their reputation was everything. “Third, what are you standing there for? Catch her!”
Qiao the Third nodded and lunged, but Qiao Xin was already at the courtyard gate. She darted out into the lane, continuing to scream her accusations at the top of her lungs. Despite their efforts, neither Qiao the Third nor Madame Wang could catch her.
Inside the kitchen, the two daughters-in-law huddled by the door, peeking out. They had boiled the water, but there was no rice to put in the pot. They had heard about the theft, and terrified of becoming the targets of the old woman’s wrath, they hid inside and listened to the chaos.
Qiao Xin ran until she reached the Great Locust Tree in the middle of the village. This was the gossip hub where the village women gathered. With no field work to be done, there were always a few restless souls sitting there.
“Help me! The scholar’s mother is going to beat me to death! Auntie Wang, please, save me!” Qiao Xin cried out, her voice breaking with sobs as she scrambled behind a round-faced woman with small eyes.
This woman, Auntie Wang, was a native of the same village as Madame Wang. The two had been rivals since childhood, and their feud had only intensified after they both married into Qiao Village. They were constantly bickering, trading barbs, and keeping score.
Seeing a chance to embarrass her rival, Auntie Wang didn’t hesitate. “Oh my, Wang Erni, I didn’t think even you were this cruel! To go after a little girl like this? You’re actually going to kill her? Just because you have connections to the village chief, you think human life means nothing? How will anyone dare marry their daughter into your family now?”
The words turned Madame Wang’s face a sickly, dark gray. Her youngest son was to take the scholar’s exam next year; their family’s reputation was paramount. If these rumors spread—especially from Auntie Wang—their name would be ruined. Not only would good families refuse to marry into theirs, but her youngest son’s career path could be irreparably damaged.
Qiao the Third went quiet, looking toward his mother for guidance.
Madame Wang held back her fury, her voice stiff. “Wang Zhaodi, stay out of our family business! That little brat is spouting nonsense. Move aside! I’m taking her home.”
Qiao Xin gave herself a sharp, painful pinch, forcing tears to stream down her face instantly. “Aunties, please! She really is going to beat me to death! The scars on my body are all from her. She hasn’t given me a scrap of food for days, and now she’s framing me for theft! I truly can’t live like this anymore, sob, sob, sob…”
She was still wearing the same filthy, ragged clothes from yesterday. Her hair was dry and brittle like dead grass, and her skin was a sallow, sickly yellow. Though she was eleven, she looked like a seven or eight-year-old, so thin and fragile she looked as if a strong breeze could blow her away.
The villagers were well aware of the situation at the Qiao household. They knew this little girl had been working like a pack mule since she could walk, but out of fear of the Qiao family’s connection to the village chief—and the fact that in these lean, drought-stricken times, everyone was struggling to feed their own—no one wanted to stick their necks out.
But seeing the girl in such a wretched state, many felt a pang of pity. Regardless of the circumstances, she was still a child; no matter how hard things got, no decent family treated a child this cruelly.
One village woman spoke up, her voice tinged with reproach. “Madame Wang, she’s the only bloodline your fourth son left behind. How can you look him in the eye when you treat her like this?”
Madame Wang, long accustomed to bullying the village, wasn’t about to be cowed now. Having been stifled earlier by the threat to her son’s reputation, she doubled down. “Oh? You’re so heartbroken for her? Why don’t you take her home then? Five taels of silver, and you can take her this instant.” She said it as lightly as if she were pricing a sack of potatoes.
The woman recoiled, shrinking back. She was barely scraping by on her own meager rations; there was no way she could take in another mouth to feed. She went silent, standing awkwardly in the crowd.
“Hmph. If you don’t have the silver, keep your noses out of my business!” Madame Wang sneered. “If any of you find my ways distasteful, feel free to buy the girl. Pay the price, and she’s yours.” As she spoke, she shot a pointed, sidelong glance at the rival woman, Auntie Wang. The implication was clear.
Auntie Wang didn’t want to burn the bridge completely. A bit of verbal sparring was one thing, but the Qiao family had the village chief’s support and two formidable sons. If she truly offended this old witch, her husband would skin her alive when she got home. She kept a look of disdain on her face, but held her tongue.
“The drought has been going on for years. There are plenty of people out there selling themselves for nothing more than a bowl of porridge. You really have the nerve to ask for five taels for such a little slip of a girl?”
A clear, youthful voice cut through the air. The crowd turned to see a young man standing at the edge of the clearing. Some recognized him immediately. “It’s the hunter’s boy—the one living at the foot of the mountain.”
Madame Wang looked Lin Qing up and down. She knew who he was. “What? You want to buy her? Five taels, or get lost and stop causing trouble!”
Lin Qing glanced at Qiao Xin and played the part, feigning distaste. “I’m looking for someone who can cook and handle chores, but she’s so young! What can she actually do? For five taels, I could buy two in the town.”
Qiao Xin: “Okay, we’re acting, but do you have to be so insulting about it?” Hmph.
Madame Wang, once only looking to vent her anger, now saw a golden opportunity. She’d be more than happy to trade this “jinx” for silver and never have to look at her again. “Don’t look at her size! She can handle any work inside or out, and soon enough, she’ll be a wife who can keep a man warm at night. Five taels is a steal. You have no idea how hard it was to raise her all these years.”
Lin Qing: “You old hag, just you wait. I’ll settle this score with you soon enough.”
Qiao Xin: “You old demon! ‘Wife’ at my age? I mean, I am technically his wife, but right now I’m a child! I really regret not beating her senseless last night. I absolutely must go back tonight.”
Lin Qing put on a show of reluctant consideration, gritting his teeth. “Five taels, fine. But she is being sold to me. You must cut all ties with her. She is no longer your granddaughter, and I don’t want her having any contact with any of you ever again.”
Madame Wang didn’t even hesitate. She agreed instantly. Five taels would be enough to buy grain and sustain the family for a while.
“Let’s go to the village chief to witness this and sign the papers. Then I’ll pay you,” Lin Qing insisted, maintaining his firm stance.
“The chief should be at our house right now. Come back with me; once he witnesses the deal and you pay, you can take her.” A rare smile finally broke across Madame Wang’s face. To be rid of this jinx was a blessing from the heavens.
The group made their way back to the Qiao house. Qiao Xin walked quietly by Lin Qing’s side. From start to finish, not a soul asked if she wanted to be sold. Of course, it was a plan she and Lin Qing had concocted, but she hadn’t expected it to go quite so smoothly.
Behind them, some villagers sighed. A biological granddaughter, sold off at the drop of a hat. Others looked on with secret envy; five taels—in this economy, that was enough to save an entire family’s life.