“With Xi Xi in this state, what decent family would buy her? It couldn’t be for a ghost marriage, could it?”
“Maybe she’s being sold to the mines!”
“The mines wouldn’t want such a young girl either!”
“Or sold to those old bachelors who can’t find wives!”
The villagers began to discuss, while also wondering: wasn’t she said to have been taken away to be sold? How did she come back?
“Nonsense! I was just taking her to visit relatives at Prefect Shen’s house!”
Shen Zhiqiou’s face darkened. This old woman only knew how to talk nonsense—did she care nothing for the Shen family’s reputation?
“Is that so, Xi Xi? Did your grandpa take you to visit relatives?”
The village head gave Shen Zhiqiou a suspicious glance. Although Shen Zhiqiou was an old scholar, his reputation wasn’t exactly good.
“Grandpa took me to Prefect Shen’s house to sell me as a maidservant, but they didn’t want me because of the injury on my face. Then Grandpa hit me, saying I wasn’t worth anything!”
Shen Xixi looked innocent and naive, her big eyes still red and swollen—clearly, she had been crying. Especially noticeable was the dried blood scab on her forehead. Climbing down from the oxcart, she threw herself into Liu Taohua’s arms.
“Mom, Xi Xi doesn’t want to be a maidservant!” Her small shoulders shook as she began to cry.
“Hey, Shen Zhiqiou, I have to say—your family isn’t so poor you can’t get by. Why sell off this little girl? She just narrowly escaped death and is covered in injuries. Are you in such a hurry?”
The village head pitied the little girl. She was an orphaned child they had taken in, raised for so long, and now someone wanted to sell her off. Why was her fate so bitter?
“That’s right! If your eldest son cut back on eating, drinking, and gambling, you’d save plenty of money!”
“Exactly! The second branch is already struggling—how can you make things worse for them? This is favoritism! Why not sell the two girls from the eldest branch?”
The villagers had long disliked Shen Zhiqiou.
A scholar who usually acted high and mighty, yet at times he was less reasonable than these country bumpkins.
“My Shen family’s affairs are none of your business! I am the head of the Shen family—what I do is my decision. Even if you’re the village head, you have no right to interfere!”
Seeing everyone criticize him, Shen Zhiqiou thought the village head must be worried about losing his position, which was why he dared to be so disrespectful. In the past, he had always tried to curry favor.
“Nonsense! When my parents-in-law were alive, they clearly said the second branch was under my charge. If you want to sell someone, sell the children from the eldest branch!”
Grandma Shen was furious and quickly asked the village head, “The village head and all the clan elders were present at the time.”
“Feng Meixiang, you always took advantage of my parents’ favoritism, always trying to be the best in the family. Now that my parents are gone, you’re still like this. Believe me, I’ll divorce you!”
Shen Zhiqiou thought of Yan Liu’s gentle and considerate nature—this time she had even given him a hundred taels of silver. How unlike Feng Meixiang, who dared to shout and scream at him over just twenty taels, without a shred of femininity.
“Village head, you see? It’s not that I’m making trouble for no reason. He’s trying to ruin the second branch! Whose child isn’t a treasure held in their hands? Today, if he doesn’t get his way, he threatens to divorce me. Who knows who he’ll want to sell tomorrow? Village head, please uphold justice and grant us a divorce!”
Grandma Shen knelt directly before the village head. There was no hope that this man would support the second branch. At this point, not seizing the second branch’s medical funds for Da Shan and not selling the second branch’s children was already a blessing.
But how could a woman like her manage to control things.
“Please, Village Head, give our second branch a way out. Xixi’s father can’t work now, and he keeps trying to sell my children every few days, stealing our medical funds. If this goes on, our second branch might as well drink poison and die together.”
“In her current state, what kind of good family would take little Xi Xi? Could it be they’re selling her for a ghost marriage!”
“Maybe she’s being sold to the mines!”
“The mines wouldn’t want a little girl this young!”
“Or sold to one of those old bachelors who can’t get a wife!”
The villagers began to discuss the matter, feeling curious. Hadn’t they heard she was taken away to be sold? Why was she back?
“What absolute nonsense! I was visiting relatives at Prefect Shen’s house!”
Shen Zhiqiou’s expression was hideous. This old woman of his—all she knew was how to babble nonsense. Did she not care at all for the Shen Family’s reputation?
“Is that so? Xi Xi, did your Grandpa take you to visit relatives?”
The village head looked at Shen Zhiqiou with suspicion. Although Shen Zhiqiou was an old Xiucai, his reputation was not particularly good.
“Grandpa took me to Prefect Shen’s house because he wanted to sell me as a maidservant, but I have a wound on my face and they didn’t want me. Grandpa beat me and blamed me for being worthless!”
Shen Xixi had a look of innocent ignorance. Her large eyes were red, clearly from crying, and a scab of dried blood remained on her forehead. She scrambled off the ox cart and threw herself directly into Liu Taohua’s embrace.
“Mother, Xixi doesn’t want to be a maidservant!” Her small shoulders shook as she began to sob.
“Sigh, Shen Zhiqiou, I shouldn’t be the one to say this, but it’s not as if your family is on the brink of starvation. Why must you sell a little girl? She just escaped death and is covered in injuries, yet you’re in such a hurry!”
Seeing how pitiful the little girl was, the village head felt for her. She was a foundling with no parents of her own, and after being raised for so long, she was being sold off. Her fate was truly miserable.
“Exactly! If you let your eldest son go out less to eat, drink, and gamble, that money would be saved!”
“That’s right. The Second Branch is already living a hard life; how can you keep tormenting them? This is blatant favoritism. Why not sell the two little girls from the Eldest Branch instead?”
The villagers had long been unable to stand Shen Zhiqiou.
As a man of letters, he usually acted quite arrogant, yet in times like this, he was less sensible than them “Mud-legged” peasants.
“This is a matter of the Shen Family and has nothing to do with you! I am the head of the Shen Family. What I do is my decision. Even if you are the village head, you have no right to interfere!”
Seeing everyone’s accusations, Shen Zhiqiou felt that the village head only dared to be so disrespectful because he feared his position was about to be lost.
In the past, the man used to flatter him.
“Nonsense! When our parents-in-law were still alive, they already said that I am the head of the Second Branch! If you want to sell children, go sell the ones from your Eldest Branch!”
Grandma was fuming. She hurriedly turned to the village head. “The village head and the clan elders were all present at the time.”
“Feng Meixiang, you used to rely on my parents’ favor to be overbearing and sharp-tongued at home. Now that they are gone, you still act this way? Do you believe I will give you a divorce by repudiation!”
Shen Zhiqiou thought of Yan Liu’s gentle and submissive nature. This time, she had even given him a hundred taels. She was nothing like Feng Meixiang, who dared to shout and scream at him over a mere twenty taels, lacking even a hint of womanly grace.
“Village head, look at this! It’s not that I’m looking for trouble, but he wants to take the lives of the Second Branch! Every family’s child is a precious treasure held in the palm of their hand. Today, because things didn’t go his way, he wants a divorce by repudiation; tomorrow, who knows who he’ll want to sell? Village head, please uphold justice and grant us a mutual separation!”
Grandma knelt directly before the village head. She knew she couldn’t count on this man to support the Second Branch. At this point, it would be a blessing if he didn’t snatch the medical fees meant for Da Shan or try to sell the Second Branch’s children.
But as a woman, how could she control him?
“I beg the village head, please give our Second Branch a way to survive! Xixi’s father can no longer work, and now this man wants to sell my child and steal our medical money every few days. If this continues, it would be better for our Second Branch to just drink poison and die together!”