“The medicine is already here. Stop arguing,” Bai Qianqian said.
Seeing the mute girl shivering in the cold and running a fever, she pushed Madam Zhou aside, trying to lead the girl inside.
“What are you doing? She can’t go in!” Madam Zhou shrieked, gripping the girl’s arm to hold her back. “What if she brings bad luck to my son?”
“What’s all the commotion?”
Du Xun appeared, his face a mask of annoyance.
“A-Xiu has a fever and no one to care for her,” Bai Qianqian explained, ignoring his tone. “It’s only right that she comes to her own father. And she owes me two hundred and fifty wen for the medicine I bought. You need to pay me back.”
She knew Du Xun was a man who cared deeply about his reputation, so she demanded the money directly.
Du Xun glanced at the mute girl. Her face was deathly pale, and Zhao Anyao was still holding the bundle of medicine. It didn’t look like a scam.
He turned to his wife. “Give her the coins. What are you waiting for? Do you want the whole village to know about this?”
“Husband,” Madam Zhou pleaded, “we can pay for the medicine, but A-Xiu cannot step foot in the house. Have you forgotten? When Xiao Man was a baby, she nearly brought him to his grave with her curse…”
Du Xun’s orders were final, and Madam Zhou dared not disobey them. But there was one condition: she would never allow this stepdaughter back into the Du family home.
She had fought so hard to drive the girl out in the first place. If A-Xiu moved back in and refused to leave, all her past efforts—and the money she’d spent—would have been for nothing.
Xiao Man was Du Xun’s late-in-life son, and hearing Madam Zhou’s words, Du Xun hesitated.
“Enough!” Bai Qianqian snapped. “Give me two taels of silver, and I’ll take her away. I won’t bring her back to the Du family again. If you keep bickering, she’ll freeze to death. A-Xiu is your own daughter, don’t you dare try to get out of this!”
Seeing that A-Xiu could barely stand while the couple still plotted against her, Bai Qianqian’s patience wore thin. She demanded the silver on the girl’s behalf.
“Two taels? Why don’t you just rob us!” Madam Zhou shrieked, ready to argue again.
“Give it to her!” Du Xun commanded.
He looked at his eldest daughter’s pale face and, showing a flicker of humanity, ordered his wife to fetch the money. “This two taels will be your winter expenses. If you get a headache or a fever, go straight to the doctor. Don’t come back to the Du family. Your younger siblings are still small; they can’t handle you coming back again.”
No matter how dissatisfied she was, Madam Zhou could only obey and go inside to get the silver.
Bai Qianqian took the money, lifted the mute girl onto her back, and carried her back to her own place.
“Anyao, go bring in some firewood,” Bai Qianqian said. The room was freezing, and she wanted to start a fire to drive out the chill.
The mute girl had been out in the cold for too long and was now running a fever. Bai Qianqian tucked her into a blanket before going to brew medicine for her and Zhao Anyao.
“Keep an eye on the medicine,” Bai Qianqian instructed Zhao Anyao. “I’ll go prepare something for you both to eat.” After that, she stepped out and closed the door behind her.
She’d acted on impulse by bringing the mute girl back, but she didn’t regret it. First, her own supplies were plentiful; she had enough to ensure the girl wouldn’t starve, even if she stayed for the winter. Second, Bai Qianqian wanted a reliable helper.
Having someone to assist her when she made her pastries would ease her workload. If the girl proved trustworthy, she’d be happy to bring her into the business and earn money together.
“One bowl of noodles each,” Bai Qianqian said. “And once you’re done, drink the medicine.” It was too cold outside, so she’d opted for a quick meal. The noodles, served with a perfectly fried egg on top, were a hearty and appetizing sight.
Zhao Anyao dug into his bowl—which was larger than his face—with gusto. The mute girl, however, hesitated.
“A-Xiu, you heard the Du family today,” Bai Qianqian said, handing her a bowl of noodles. “They don’t want you back. I took the liberty of demanding two taels of silver on your behalf.” She pulled the money out. “Take it. You can stay here until you’ve recovered from your illness.”
A-Xiu accepted only one tael, pressing the remaining one back into Bai Qianqian’s hand with a series of gestures.
Bai Qianqian figured the girl wanted to use the money to pay for the medicine and reward her for saving her life.
“Tell you what,” Bai Qianqian said. “I’ll take this one tael for your board this winter. You’ll eat whatever we eat. That way, you won’t get sick again in that dilapidated shack of yours.”
A-Xiu’s eyes welled up. She hadn’t expected Bai Qianqian to be willing to take her in, and she looked ready to burst into tears.
Seeing this, Bai Qianqian quickly urged her to eat. “Hurry up and eat before the noodles get soggy!”
After dark, Bai Qianqian performed a soul-calling ritual for Zhao Anyao, figuring it was better to be safe than sorry. Zhao Anyao fell into a deep sleep after taking his medicine, and when his fever didn’t return during the night, Bai Qianqian finally breathed a sigh of relief.
A-Xiu slept inside Bai Qianqian’s bed.
Bai Qianqian moved carefully, afraid to wake her by tossing and turning. Fortunately, the wooden bed was large enough. As long as she didn’t make any sudden moves, even someone of her ample build wouldn’t find the space too cramped with A-Xiu beside her.
Before dawn, Bai Qianqian woke up. Since she didn’t have to bake pastries today, she usually slept until she woke up naturally before preparing a meal. This time, however, a steaming bowl of lump soup was already waiting for her on the table.
“You’ve only just recovered,” Bai Qianqian said to A-Xiu. “Why are you up so early? Go back to bed after you eat.”
“Alright,” Bai Qianqian agreed, seeing A-Xiu gesture toward the door. “I’ll go help you move your things from your shack. You just stay here.”
By then, Zhao Anyao had gotten up on his own, dressed, and eaten. He drank his last dose of medicine and looked much more spirited than the day before.
The mute girl’s shack held few belongings: a few bowls and plates, some old clothes, and half a bag of grain. Bai Qianqian moved everything in a single trip, needing no help from the others.
“Why did you bring the Du family’s eldest daughter back here?” Auntie Liu asked, pulling her aside the moment she saw her returning with the belongings.
“I found her yesterday, passed out with a fever in that shack,” Bai Qianqian explained. “The Du family won’t take her in, so I figured I should see this through and bring her here.”
Bai Qianqian knew the village would be buzzing with the news of A-Xiu staying in her house, but she saw no reason to hide it. Let them gossip.
“It’s good that your temper has mellowed,” Auntie Liu said earnestly, “but you can’t let your compassion run wild. That Du girl has a cursed fate. Your Anyao is still young—what if she brings him down with her? Her own father didn’t even dare live with her!”
Auntie Liu spoke with such conviction that it was clear she truly believed in the girl’s cursed nature. After all, who would ever throw out their own daughter if they didn’t believe it?
“Auntie Liu, I know you mean well,” Bai Qianqian said. “But all this talk about a ‘cursed fate’ is nonsense. A-Xiu seems perfectly fine to me. Why is everyone acting like she’s so terrifying?”
Bai Qianqian didn’t believe in curses. She suspected Madam Zhou simply disliked A-Xiu and had conspired with a fortune teller to find a reason to throw the mute girl out.
Besides, if those superstitions were true, she was just as cursed. She had died once and woken up in this world—surely that meant she had a strong fate of her own.
“How can you be so stubborn?” Auntie Liu sighed in frustration. “Fine, I’m off. Just think about what I said!” She clearly felt she had overstepped by worrying about a matter that wasn’t her own.
“Take care, Auntie Liu,” Bai Qianqian replied as she carried the rest of the belongings back inside.
A-Xiu immediately sprang into action, tidying the things Bai Qianqian had brought. Her movements were so efficient and nimble that Bai Qianqian couldn’t help but feel delighted.
If I can have a helper like her when I start making pastries, it will cut my work time in half.
Unfortunately, it was winter, and there was nothing for the girl to do.