“The life is out of her; find a tattered straw mat, roll her up, and bury her far away!”
A hoarse and grating voice sounded—cold, indifferent, and filled with utter disdain and resentment.
“Grandma, please, find a doctor to take a look at Xia’er,” a soft, female voice pleaded. It was tinged with timidity and desperation; one could tell she had gathered all her courage just to utter these words.
“This jinx and money-pit, how could she be worth a doctor?” a sharp-faced old woman with prominent cheekbones scolded the girl kneeling on the ground.
She turned to look at the crowd gathered behind her. “What are you standing there for? Hurry up and carry that jinx away. Don’t dirty the An family’s land. The fortune-teller said our An family is destined to produce great people.”
The people from Hulu Village who had come to help, hearing Old Lady Qian’s words, walked toward the straw mat.
At this moment, a young girl lay on the mat. The blood from her forehead had coagulated into plasma, mashing together with her wet hair against her deathly pale face. A large scar on her right cheek looked even more swollen from being soaked in water, appearing cold and ghastly.
Those in Hulu Village who were less courageous dared not look directly at her. Only a few daring ones glanced secretly before immediately lowering their eyes.
If there were ever a term for seeing a ghost in broad daylight, it would describe this scene.
Everyone scrambled to work together, gingerly attempting to lift the straw mat.
At that moment, An Xia suddenly opened her eyes!
“Oh no!”
“She’s risen from the dead!”
The people holding the mat trembled, shouting in terror.
The onlookers were also shocked and fearful, not excluding Old Lady Qian, who had just been issuing orders.
An Xia narrowed her eyes slightly. She raised one hand to block the glaring sunlight and used the other to support herself as she slowly sat up on the mat.
Seeing this, the crowd retreated several steps in defense, keeping far away from the mat.
Only two young girls rushed toward An Xia with faces full of joy, crying and laughing, their faces smeared with tears and snot.
“Xia’er, Big Sister knew you were fine.”
“Second Sister, you scared me to death. They all said you were dead, but I didn’t believe it.”
An Xia looked at the people dressed in ancient clothing around her, pausing for a moment.
She closed her eyes slightly, organizing the extra memories that had appeared in her mind.
She had transmigrated.
These two girls were the original host’s big sister, An Chun, and her younger sister, An Qiu.
She said softly, “Big Sister, Qiu’er, I am fine. Don’t worry.”
Seeing that An Chun and An Qiu were unharmed by An Xia, the crowd realized she hadn’t “risen from the dead” but had simply come back to life. They immediately breathed a sigh of relief.
“Xia girl, are you alright now? Why on earth did you jump into the river?” the Village Chief asked with a sigh.
Before An Xia could speak, the Village Chief turned to Old Lady Qian and said, “Since she is awake, find a doctor to check on her so there are no lasting issues.”
Old Lady Qian’s eyelids drooped, her cloudy eyes full of calculation. She smiled and said, “Don’t worry, this girl is tough; what could possibly be wrong with her?”
Having said that, she turned to An Xia, her expression immediately souring. “Xia girl, your grandmother went through so much trouble to find you a good match; why are you so ungrateful, actually refusing it!”
An Xia slowly stood up from the straw mat, her gaze sharp and mocking as she questioned, “A good match? Is marrying someone who is both foolish and crippled a good match?”
Old Lady Qian was choked by the sudden question, thinking to herself that she must have seen a ghost.
This girl was usually as silent as a stone, soft-natured, and even worse than her sister An Chun. Today, she actually dared to talk back.
She straightened her body, acting puffed up and righteous. “Matters of marriage are decided by one’s elders. You look the way you do; the Liu family is doing you a favor by not minding.”
As soon as Old Lady Qian said this, the villagers of Hulu Village, who had been criticizing her moments before, now looked at An Xia with complex expressions and pity.
With such a large scar on her face, no good family would want to marry her. They figured Old Lady Qian must have been out of options.
“Xia girl, you are a pitiful child, but one must learn to accept their fate.”
“Don’t be stubborn; having someone to take care of you in the future is a good thing.”
The crowd chimed in with their opinions.
Seeing the villagers taking her side, Old Lady Qian straightened her back even more, looking quite pleased with herself.
“I won’t marry!”
An Xia’s words were resonant and firm, leaving no room for negotiation.
Old Lady Qian was instantly enraged, raising her hand to slap An Xia across the face.
But this time, she did not get her way as usual. A hand as withered as tree bark was firmly caught by An Xia, rendering her completely unable to move.
“I said, I won’t marry!” An Xia said, sounding light and breezy.
Old Lady Qian, however, felt as if her wrist were about to be crushed by the girl, and she began to curse while baring her teeth.
“You little bitch, you actually dare to lay hands on your elder! Have you turned against the heavens?”
“Second son, what are you standing there for? Why aren’t you hurry up and discipline this unfilial daughter of yours?”
As Old Lady Qian spoke, An Laifu grabbed a shoulder pole.
“You unfilial daughter, you actually dare to strike your grandmother? I’ll beat you to death today!”
Having said that, he swung the shoulder pole without hesitation, intending to beat An Xia to death, showing no mercy at all.
An Xia glanced at An Laifu, stretched out her other hand, and easily snatched the shoulder pole from him, throwing it far away.
The onlookers watching the scene no longer felt pity; they only felt she was too rebellious.
For a young woman to lay hands on her own father and grandmother was simply too sacrilegious.
The Village Chief shook his head and shouted, “What are you all doing? Stop this at once!”
An Xia shoved Old Lady Qian’s hand away and looked at the Village Chief and the crowd. “Speaking of which, my grandmother isn’t just marrying me off; she sold me to the Liu family for ten taels of silver. She even wrote a slave contract. My grandmother is hiding it on her person right now, though it hasn’t gone through the official government channels yet.”
The people who had been standing on Old Lady Qian’s side were stunned. Upon hearing that An Xia had been sold and a contract was written, the looks they directed at Old Lady Qian became ominous.
Is this even a grandmother? Once a slave contract is signed, she becomes a贱籍 (low-caste/slave status). At that point, the Liu family could kill her or do whatever they pleased to her!
They did not doubt the truth of An Xia’s words at all.
After all, for the Liu family, this was the most secure way. With the power of life and death in their hands, the wife they bought wouldn’t dare run and would have to be obedient.
The Village Chief frowned as he looked at Old Lady Qian. “Is what Xia girl said true?”
Old Lady Qian mumbled, lifting her eyelids to glance at the Village Chief with a guilty conscience. “That… that was what the Liu family said, to give them peace of mind. I… I had no other choice.”
“But the Liu family said they would treat Xia girl well in the future. They just wanted some security.”
A few of the women couldn’t help but laugh when they heard Old Lady Qian say this. “Old Lady Qian, you believe that? Who in Hulu Village doesn’t know what kind of person that Liu woman is?”
She was just as shrewish and mean-spirited as Old Lady Qian. Could she possibly treat a daughter-in-law well?
Look at how badly she had tormented her eldest daughter-in-law!