Chu Suian looked up at the sky. It was a brilliant blue, with a few white clouds drifting by. He could see quite far; the air here was clearly of excellent quality.
However, no matter how good a foreign land was, it was not home. To be away from home was to be cheapened; this adage held true even for a transmigrator. Though the air here was fresh and the water sweet, she would rather go back to being a “moonlight clan” member in a small town—someone with a modest income but a stable life.
At that moment, she stood among the crowd, clutching the half-piece of steamed corn bun in her bundle. She tried her best to suppress the anxiety in her heart, yet she feared her expression might appear too calm, making the talent-selecting tooth-mothers think she was indifferent and choose not to pick her. Thus, she kept her eyes wide, fervently meeting every gaze that came her way.
However, as the saying goes, bad luck comes while good luck stays away. The gaze that fell on her was filled with disdain. “Oh, how did a scraggly yellow-haired girl end up in here? So thin and frail—can she even carry two catties of firewood?”
This remark drew a burst of laughter from the other children waiting to be sold, with several who had already been reserved laughing particularly loudly.
Suian could understand this sort of sycophantic laughter; it was merely the fawning of those below toward those above, a means of survival. It was just that, falling upon herself, it grated on her ears.
Chu Suian opened her mouth to speak, but a slave broker who knew her stepped in to help. “Old sister, it’s rare for you to misjudge someone. Her father is Chu Tongsheng of Shangshui Xiang. It’s just that luck wasn’t on his side; he fell gravely ill while traveling for the exams. This girl has learned quite a few characters from him. I tested her with a book, and she could recite the general gist…”
As soon as he spoke, the surrounding gazes shifted instantly. The mockery in most eyes faded, replaced by respect, and in a few, there was even a hint of envy.
Seeing someone speak up for her, Chu Suian hastily offered a grateful bow.
The tooth-mothers exchanged looks. In this era, being literate was like knowing a second language; with such a skill, there was always a way to earn a living.
It was currently fashionable for wealthy families to hire a resident tutor to teach their children at home. Since a teacher was hired, they naturally needed to be paired with several literate study companions, be they young manservants or maidservants. Thus, someone like Chu Suian had a market.
In the crowd, an old woman took an interest and asked with a smile, “Then do you plan to sign an indentured contract or a lifelong contract?”
Suian took a deep breath, steadied herself, and first performed a curtsy before replying, “In response to this auntie’s question, whether it is a lifelong contract or an indentured contract, I will work hard. My father is very ill, and my family is in desperate need of money.”
“Oh, you’re a child with some filial piety. It’s just that you’re so thin and scrawny; I can’t blame my old sister for misjudging you. If a master buys you, they’ll have to nourish you well for two years. If you sign an indentured contract, wouldn’t they just be raising a daughter for your father?”
To Suian’s ears, it sounded like being raised for two years only to be slaughtered. Her heart fluttered with anxiety at the mention of those two years, and she gritted her teeth, saying, “Auntie, I eat plenty; I just don’t put on weight.”
Her stomach cramped sharply at the lie.
But Suian was determined to sell herself. At this point, even if her stomach protested or her lungs rebelled, she would suppress them ruthlessly.
The woman smiled brightly. “Fine. They say one should do a good deed every day. I’ll sign you to a deposit contract first. I have some work for study companions here, but whether you can do it isn’t for me to decide. If the master doesn’t take a fancy to you in the future, there’s nothing I can do; I’ll just consider it a loss of a few meals’ worth of money.”
As she spoke, she gestured to a lean, dark-skinned man beside her to bring out the paper for the deposit contract. She then loosened her purse and counted out a hundred coins. Suian took the contract first and scanned it rapidly.
“Does the little girl recognize what this is?” the dark man asked with a chuckle, testing her.
“Uncle, this is a deposit contract. It states that a deposit is paid first, and if I cannot find a master in the future, this deposit must be returned,” she answered seriously.
The old woman had actually been feeling a bit apprehensive, but hearing her speak so clearly and sensibly, a trace of a smile appeared in her eyes, though she quickly hid it.
Suian pressed her thumbprint and took the deposit. She turned and handed the money to Li Song, a fellow villager who had accompanied her, instructing him to use it to buy medicine for her father immediately.
Li Song felt panicked and whispered, “Nannan, this money…” The woman had just said that if no one wanted her, the money would have to be returned. If they bought medicine, what would they use to pay her back?
Suian knew what he was going to say and said firmly, “Song Erge, take the medicine to treat my father first. I will definitely be staying.” She didn’t want to sell herself either, but could she just watch her own father die of illness?
She had to do everything in her power to stay. Only if her father recovered would she have someone to rely on in this world.
Li Song thought about how it would take several days for Suian to go and return. He could go into the mountains to hunt; if he happened upon some wild fowl, he could sell them for money. Then, by borrowing a little, raising a hundred coins should be easy enough. Once he rationalized it, he felt more at ease and repeatedly told her to take care of herself.
It wasn’t that Li Song was overthinking; Suian’s situation was truly as bad as it could be. The Chu family had reached the point where they couldn’t even afford one full meal a day. When Suian was little, she was clearly a fair and plump girl; the difference between then and her current sallow, emaciated state was like night and day.
Suian took a deep breath, bolstered her courage, and agreed to meet Li Song here in three days for news. Then, she scrambled onto the tooth-mother’s donkey cart.
However, her submissiveness didn’t make the tooth-mother happy. The woman counted the heads, glanced at Suian sitting on the edge of the cart, and said to the dark man driving, “I can’t help but feel this is a losing business…”
Suian lowered her head gloomily. After the tooth-mother’s comment, she felt that if she couldn’t successfully sell herself, she would almost be doing the woman a disservice.
As luck would have it, at the first house, they were rejected by the steward without even seeing the mistress. At the second house, though they saw the mistress, she didn’t ask a single question and still didn’t keep her…
The tooth-mother’s expression grew increasingly grim. “This is the last house. Although their family has only risen to prominence in the last twenty years, their rules are even stricter than the ones before.”
Along the way, Suian went from a desperate gamble to near despair. Her initial bit of courage was like a balloon pricked by a needle, almost completely depleted. Seeing the tooth-mother speak, she hurriedly asked, “Auntie, what does their family do?”
“It’s not bad, actually. A family of a fourth-rank military official. The eldest master is currently leading troops as a General. He even shares your surname. However, few of the young masters in this house enjoy studying.” This last sentence was like a bucket of cold water dumped over Suian.
Upon entering the Chu Mansion, she followed the others in bowing woodenly. Suddenly, a crisp voice pierced her mind: “Since you are choosing people for me, why can’t I have the final say?”
Suian was jolted back to her senses by the voice and stole a quick glance. She saw a tall boy dressed in a bright red cloak entering from a door beside the main hall.
The voice of the mistress seated above was filled with laughter and affection. “How could you not have the final say? Naturally, we’ll choose someone you like. Come and look at these few; they are all literate and have decent looks. They’re just a few years older than you and seem to have steady temperaments. Wouldn’t they be good for serving in the study?”
Suian’s heart plummeted into the abyss. Even if another person was chosen, they wouldn’t choose from those who had already been passed over. Even if the tooth-mother wanted to recommend her, she wouldn’t dare contradict the mistress’s decision to her face.
The figure in red walked a circle around the selected girls, nodding as he went. “Yes, each one is as gaudily dressed as a flower. But let me put this out there: my study is connected to those of several brothers and nephews. Don’t look at my young age; these girls might just sneak into someone’s bed in a few steps…”
These words were truly biting.
One couldn’t help but wonder if such things actually happened in this mansion.
The mistress above suddenly went silent. The hall was pin-drop quiet. Suian breathed cautiously and finally heard the mistress speak again. “Then, according to your wishes, choose a few more.”
This meant the previously chosen girls were dismissed. Suian’s heart stirred, and she looked fervently at the red-clad youth who held the decision.
At that moment, the youth’s gaze happened to look over as well.
Since his biting words had just been uttered, the girls who previously thought they were chosen were now tearing up, and those who hadn’t been chosen felt it wasn’t a good job, many of them shrinking back.
But Suian didn’t care. Her mouth was pressed into a tight line, her teeth biting her inner lip so hard she nearly drew blood. She met the youth’s gaze as if to say, I will never crawl into anyone’s bed.
The youth in red was none other than the Ninth Master of the mansion, Chu Yi. Suian’s gaze caused him to momentarily daze.
He saw that her looks were only average and her face was thin, which only served to make her eyes look large and bright, radiating a light of longing.
For no reason, Chu Yi thought of two black pearls resting on white silk. Looking at Suian again, he felt a strange, inexplicable sense of pity.
Perhaps because the longing in those eyes was too intense, he raised a finger and pointed. “Just keep her. My study isn’t that large; she alone is more than enough.”
The mistress’s gaze shifted over. Suian quickly dropped to her knees, keeping her eyes fixed on the floor before her according to the rules.
“A bit on the ugly side…” the mistress said with distaste.
Suian’s self-esteem shattered.
The Ninth Master grew impatient and waved his hand. “Are there not enough handsome people in this house? Having one ugly person in my study is just right.”
Suian kowtowed with a determined gaze.
The Ninth Master left. The mistress, perhaps reminded of something, fell into a daze. The tooth-mother followed the managing dame out to settle the payment. The room grew quiet, with no movement.
After a long while, the mistress sighed and said, “This child is willful, choosing such a girl.” Her gaze returned to Suian, as if questioning, yet also as if talking to herself: “What is so good about you?!”
Suian wasn’t sure if she was being asked, and she hesitated, not knowing if she should answer. Then, a voice like a warbler’s came from the side: “The Madam is asking you a question, why don’t you answer?!” The tone was arrogant.
Suian straightened her back, her eyes fixed on the floor in front of her. “This servant was born in the countryside and has limited horizons. I do not know what my future holds; I have only a loyal heart. I ask Madam to judge for herself.” She first explained that her lack of skills was due to her environment, then declared her loyalty to the Ninth Master, which served as an answer to his earlier harsh words—indirectly stating her resolve.
The mistress smiled upon hearing this. “She may look lacking, but she is well-spoken.” She asked Suian her name. Hearing her surname was Chu, she smiled again. “It makes her sound like a servant born to our own household.”
Suian already knew this family’s name was Chu, so she wasn’t surprised. She remained steady, which inadvertently won some favor from the mistress. “Since you were sent by Liu Yapo for selection, you must be literate. How much do you know?”
Regarding this, Suian felt more confident. “Replying to Madam, this servant recognizes all the characters in the Four Books, though I only have a rough understanding of the meanings and have not studied them deeply.”
She truly had no other skills; neither needlework nor cooking were of any use. To sell herself within a limited time, she had to focus her efforts on academics. Not only had she read through most of her father’s books, but she had also memorized the Analects.
However, regardless of her past efforts, the mistress didn’t really care. She asked languidly, “Fine. We’ll keep her for now and see.” She waved her hand to have someone lead her away.