He was even more furious inside, thinking he should have sold this little girl earlier; now that her face is scarred, she’s not worth much.
“No need, our mistress said it’s not necessary. If we can’t find one, then we don’t need to look. The young lady’s grave can remain empty; there’s no need to find someone specifically to serve her in the afterlife!”
This was the explanation given to outsiders, claiming they were looking for a companion for the young lady.
Of course, they had only asked a Yahang to help find one. Somehow, Shen Zhiqiu had found out about it.
It seemed that Shen Zhiqiu had gone to great lengths to gather information in order to sell his granddaughter for a high price.
Nanny Fang looked at the little girl with a hint of sympathy. The child was thin and frail, a pitiful sight indeed.
No matter how much Shen Zhiqiu tried to persuade her, Nanny Fang did not relent.
Shen Xixi simply lowered her head, sobbing, clutching Grandpa Shen’s clothes as she cried bitterly, “Grandpa, I’ll eat less from now on and just work. Please don’t sell me, I beg you. My mother and father would be so heartbroken if they knew!”
Her cries caught the attention of many maidservants. Perhaps it stirred up sad memories, as they all looked at the little girl with sympathy.
“Heavens, is he selling his granddaughter behind her parents’ backs?”
“How heartless, such a young child!”
“Look at the injuries on her face and hands—she’s clearly been mistreated!”
Several maidservants nearby whispered among themselves, frequently glancing in their direction.
“Look, look, let’s not talk about that. This child is so pitiful. You should take her back. She’s old enough to work now and won’t cost much to feed!”
Nanny Fang was agitated by the crying, reminding her of six years ago when she witnessed the wet nurse by the mistress’s side dragging the young lady to a human trafficker. The young lady had cried just like this.
Though she couldn’t bear it in her heart, she was merely a servant.
Especially this little girl’s eyes—they bore a striking resemblance to the young lady’s.
As soon as they stepped out of the Shen residence, Grandpa Shen slapped Shen Xixi across the face.
Shen Xixi fell to the ground, looking as though she had been knocked down by the blow.
“Cry, cry, cry, all you know is crying. Why didn’t you beg them to take you in? Useless thing!”
Strange looks were cast their way from the surroundings. How could someone hit a child in the middle of the street?
“Grandpa, it’s all Xixi’s fault. Xixi will go kneel at the door and beg her to buy me. I only ask that the money from selling me be used to treat Father’s illness, not taken by Eldest Uncle for gambling. This family has already been ruined by his gambling.”
“If you sell Xixi this time, who will you sell next? I beg you, after selling Xixi, please don’t sell my little brother. He’s only a few years old, so small. He’s Mother’s life; she would go mad with grief.”
“Xixi kowtows to Grandpa. Please, spare our Second Branch family!”
With that, Shen Xixi began kowtowing repeatedly, touching her forehead each time. Blood soon covered her face, startling even Shen Zhiqiu.
“You… what nonsense are you spouting…” Grandpa Shen was furious, and a crowd had gathered around them.
What was this little girl talking about?
“Oh dear, child, stop kowtowing! With all that blood on your face, you could lose your life!” An old woman nearby trembled with concern.
“Heavens, how can there be such a wicked person? Selling someone else’s child for the eldest son’s gambling, and after selling this one, planning to sell the younger one too.”
“This is like taking the parents’ lives. From what she said, her father is sick, and she wants to sell herself to pay for his treatment. What a filial child!”
“What good would that do? Once she’s sold, the money will just go to the old man’s eldest son for gambling. How pitiful!”
“This family is truly wretched!”
“The child is already in such a state, yet they blame her for not selling herself. Don’t let this turn into a tragedy—old man, you’ll end up in prison!”
A young man’s voice rang out, and Shen Xixi found it somewhat familiar, though she couldn’t quite place it.
“Xiao Zhu, hurry and report this to the authorities. This could turn deadly.”
Shen Xixi suddenly looked up, her eyes meeting the young man’s teasing gaze, his lips curled as if in a smile.
It was him.
“No more selling, no more selling! There’s no need to report to the authorities. This child must have heard something from someone—that she could be sold to pay for her father’s treatment. I’ve never intended to sell a child!”
As the crowd grew larger, Shen Zhiqiu felt utterly humiliated. Though he was a down-and-out Xiucai (Scholar), he still had his pride.
Shen Xixi was dragged away, her eyes fixed on the master and servant pair.
Xiao Zhu even waved at her.
He felt even more annoyed in his heart. Had he known, he should have sold this girl earlier; now that she was disfigured, she wasn’t worth much.
“There’s no need. Our Madam said we don’t want her anymore. If we can’t find a suitable one, we won’t look. The Eldest Miss’s tomb can just stay empty; there’s no need to find someone specifically to go down and serve her!”
This was the excuse given to the public—that they were looking for a companion for the Eldest Miss.
Of course, they had only asked the Yahang to look for one, but somehow, Shen Zhiqiou had found out. It seemed Shen Zhiqiou had done quite a bit of snooping to sell his granddaughter for a high price.
Nanny Fang looked at the little girl with a hint of sympathy. The little girl looked so gaunt and frail—sigh, how pitiful. No matter how much Shen Zhiqiou tried to persuade her, Nanny Fang would not relent.
Shen Xixi just kept her head down and wept aloud, clutching Grandpa Shen’s clothes as she cried sorrowfully, “Grandpa, I’ll eat less from now on and do all the work. Grandpa, please don’t sell me, I beg you! My mother and father would be so heartbroken if they knew!”
Her weeping caught the attention of many maidservants. Perhaps it stirred up their own painful memories, for they all looked at the young girl with expressions of sympathy.
“Heavens, is he selling his granddaughter behind her parents’ backs?”
“How heartless, she’s such a small child!”
“Look at the wounds on her face and hands; she’s clearly been mistreated a lot!”
Several nearby maidservants began to whisper and gossip among themselves, glancing over frequently.
“Look at this, just look… Stop talking about it. This child is so pitiful; you should just take her back. At her age, she can already work, and she won’t consume much food!”
Nanny Fang was feeling flustered and irritable from the crying, which reminded her of six years ago when she had personally seen the Madam’s wet nurse drag the young miss in front of human traffickers. The young miss had cried just like this.
Even though she felt pity, she was merely a servant. Moreover, this girl’s eyes bore a slight resemblance to the Eldest Miss’s.
As soon as they stepped out of the Shen residence’s gate, Grandpa Shen swung a slap toward Shen Xixi’s face. Shen Xixi collapsed immediately, making it look as though she had been struck down to the ground.
“Cry, cry, cry! All you know is how to cry! You didn’t even think to beg them to take you in. You useless brat!”
Many strange looks were cast their way from the surrounding people; why was someone beating a child in the middle of the street?
“Grandpa, it’s all Xixi’s fault. Xixi will go kneel at the gate right now and beg her to buy me. I only ask that the money from selling me be saved for Father’s medical treatment. Don’t let Eldest Uncle take it to gamble; he’s already gambled away the entire household.”
“If you sell Xixi this time, who will be next? I beg you, once you sell Xixi, please don’t sell my younger brother. He’s only a few years old, so small… he is Mother’s life; she won’t be able to take it and will go mad.”
“Xixi is kowtowing to you, Grandpa! I beg you, Grandpa, please let the Second Branch family go!”
Having said that, Shen Xixi began kowtowing—thud, thud, thud—and as she did, she smeared the blood from her forehead across her face until it was covered in red. Even Shen Zhiqiou was startled.
“You… what nonsense are you talking about…” Grandpa Shen was fuming as a crowd gathered around them. What was this girl blathering about?
“Oh my, child, stop kowtowing! With your face covered in blood, you’ll lose your life!” An old woman nearby watched with a trembling heart.
“Heavens, how can someone be so wicked? Selling someone else’s child to fund his eldest son’s gambling, and after selling this one, he plans to sell the little one too!”
“This is as good as taking the parents’ lives. From the sound of it, her father is sick, and she wanted to sell herself to pay for his treatment. What a filial child!”
“What’s the use? Once she’s sold, the money will just go to the old man’s eldest son for gambling. How pitiful!”
“This family is too miserable!”
“The child is in such a state, yet he blames her for not successfully selling herself. If a life is lost here, old man, you’d better prepare to rot in jail!”
A youth’s voice rang out. Shen Xixi found it somewhat familiar but couldn’t quite place it.
“Xiao Zhu, go report this to the officials quickly; a life is about to be lost.”
Shen Xixi snapped her head up and met the youth’s half-smiling gaze. The corners of his mouth were turned up as if he were laughing.
It was him.
“I’m not selling her anymore, I’m not selling! No need to report to the officials. This child… I don’t know who she heard it from that she could be sold to treat her father. I never intended to sell the child!”
Seeing more and more people gathering, Shen Zhiqiou felt utterly humiliated. Although he was a destitute Xiucai (Scholar), he still cared about his reputation.
Shen Xixi was dragged away, her eyes fixed on the master and servant pair. Xiao Zhu even waved at her.