The name “Bei Luocha” sounded powerful and mysterious, as if she could do anything.
But in truth, she was only an orphan living in her mother’s family, the Cheng family.
The Cheng family were small landowners by the sea in Ningbo. They controlled a salt field through secret deals. Officially, the government did not allow private people to own salt fields, but everyone knew the real way things worked. The Cheng family bribed officials and paid the fixed salt tax. Then they controlled the salt field and forced the salt workers to pay more tax, keeping the extra for themselves.
(In simple words: the government asked for a certain amount, but the Cheng family made the workers give more, and they kept the extra part.)
The Cheng family were not very powerful, but they made money from salt and lived well. They had a house with two courtyards and more than ten servants. Xu Miaoxue was their niece by marriage, so she should have lived well.
And she did live well — she even had her own small house.
That “house” used to be the dog’s shelter in the backyard. After the family dog died and Xu Miaoxue arrived, they used straw and boards to make a bigger hut and let her live there.
The Cheng family did not keep useless people. If Xu Miaoxue wanted food, she had to work at the salt field like the other women. If she upset her aunt Jia, she would be beaten by family punishment.
The only good thing was that Xu Miaoxue had some freedom. She lived at the edge of the house, and no one cared about her. Her aunt never checked the hot salt ovens, so Xu Miaoxue could show up and then sneak away.
But bad things always come when you don’t expect them.
When she pushed the door open, the metal bells under the roof suddenly rang. She saw her room was brightly lit. It was too late to run.
Her luck had already been used up earlier. Today was very unlucky. When A-Li came back, she ran into the aunt’s maid, who went out to use the toilet. The maid told Aunt Jia. Aunt Jia saw how used to this A-Li was and knew this was not the first time. She tied A-Li up at once.
The Cheng family still cared about their reputation. Unmarried girls could not stay out all night. If people heard about this, it would shame the whole family and affect the younger children’s marriages.
“Where did you go?” Aunt Jia asked coldly.
Xu Miaoxue knew this look well. A storm was coming.
But she did not care. She kicked over the jar of pickled crabs at the door and said loudly, “You don’t give me food or clothes. I must earn money myself. I just went to Nongchao Alley to sell smiles. It makes money faster than boiling salt.”
Her bright eyes showed no fear or shame, only cold mockery. That made Aunt Jia even angrier.
Aunt Jia shook with anger and shouted, “If my family hadn’t taken you in, would you still be alive? You ungrateful money thief! Now you bring trouble to my house! When your father died, he should have taken you with him!”
“Yes, yes, I am the great sinner of the Cheng family. But my father didn’t take me, so what can I do? Aunt, you can’t beat me to death. My cousin will take the exam this year, right? If people hear that the lady of the house abuses her niece… I’m afraid your ‘good name’ will ruin his future.”
Xu Miaoxue spoke softly but every word hurt. She did not curse, but she stabbed right at Aunt Jia’s weakness.
“You, you—” Aunt Jia was so angry she could not speak clearly. Then she saw A-Li kneeling nearby and felt brave again. “If I can’t deal with you, can’t I deal with your little servant? Come! Drag this maid out and beat her to death!”
“How dare you!” Xu Miaoxue’s eyes turned sharp and wild, like an untamed animal. “A-Li’s contract is with me. She belongs to the Xu family, not the Cheng family. You have no right to touch her. If you kill her, I will report you to the government, and your family will never have peace!”
She always protected her own people. Hurt her, fine. Hurt her people, never.
Aunt Jia felt scared under Xu Miaoxue’s stare. She knew she could not really kill Xu Miaoxue.
But she was the elder, and she had many ways to make Xu Miaoxue suffer.
“Bring the family punishment!”
Xu Miaoxue was used to hearing that.
The bamboo stick hit her back, but she looked as if it did not hurt. When she saw A-Li crying, she even raised her eyebrow to comfort her, as if this beating was nothing new.
She was held down on a bench and could not move, but she kept talking.
“Aunt, didn’t you eat today? Why are you so weak? Oh wait, you love to take advantage of everyone and eat everything. Why do you still have no strength?”
Aunt Jia was furious and hit her harder.
“You stubborn pig! Let’s see if your mouth is harder or my stick is harder!”
Even the inner yard was disturbed. Lights were lit across the house.
Her cousin Cheng Kaishou came out in a coat. Xu Miaoxue smiled at him with bloody lips.
“Cousin, don’t catch cold. Don’t miss your exam… or your mother will blame me again.”
“Shut up, bad luck star! How dare you curse my son!” Aunt Jia screamed.
The bamboo stick broke. She shouted, “Get a new one!”
Cheng Kaishou stepped forward and held his mother’s arm. He looked calm but was clearly worried. “Mother, if someone dies, we cannot explain it.”
“She won’t die! This girl is tough!”
Xu Miaoxue breathed hard and tasted blood. Now she knew the stick had been soaked in salt water. No wonder it burned so badly.
Of course it hurt.
She was once a loved child too. Even a small fall used to make her cry for her parents.
The servants felt her stop resisting. She could no longer stand.
She could have begged and it would have ended.
But she learned that crying only made them more excited. So she chose to be hard like stone, wild like a beast, so people would stop caring and leave her alone.
Also, coming home late tonight could have meant death for a maid in any family. Xu Miaoxue had to take all the anger onto herself so A-Li would be safe. They would not really dare to kill her.
Aunt Jia still wanted to hit her, but her son held her arm tightly. She had no choice but to stop.
“Drag her away and make her kneel in the salt pond to think about her mistakes!”
As she was dragged away, Xu Miaoxue heard her aunt curse, “All people named Xu are unlucky! So stubborn, just like her father! Born to steal money!”
Yes, “money thief.” Everyone called her that. Her father was dead, so they could only curse her.
At first, she felt hurt. Later, she stopped caring.
Xu Miaoxue knelt in the salt pond. Rough salt pressed into her knees, and the wounds burned badly.
At times like this, she wanted to leave this family forever. But where could an unmarried girl go? She would have to hide her name and run everywhere. Maybe life would not be better, and she would even lose the name “Xu Miaoxue.”
That name was the only thing her parents left her.
So she stayed here for many years.
At least today she only suffered wounds. The money she earned was still safe in her pocket, and her friends were all safe.
She felt very tired. Her shadow in the moonlight was long and thin, like a fishing line pulled tight. The sea wind was wet and salty. Her nose was full of the smell of salt and blood. She could not tell which it was. Her throat burned, and her body felt light, like standing on a shaking boat.
She closed her eyes and let her mind drift away.
She dreamed of the sea again.
Burning white sails were swallowed by the sea, but the fire was higher than the waves. Behind her, at Ruyi Harbor, cannons roared. Countless dreams and futures were burned away.
She only looked at the sea and wondered what was on the other side.
She sailed a small fishing boat with no mast and no sail, going toward the end of the sea.
But inside the huge waves, she heard the repeated sound of chisels knocking—