Seeing this, An Qiu took over the conversation. “Second Sister, let me beg Father to take you to see a doctor.” After she finished speaking, she wiped away a tear.
An Xia coughed heavily a few times, looking miserable and weak as she said, “Don’t you know how Father has treated us all these years?”
“Why would he find a doctor for me? My only hope now is that after I marry into the Liu family, they will treat me there.”
An Qiu hung her head and said nothing, her back trembling as if she were sobbing bitterly.
Zhao Chunmei, the eldest daughter-in-law of the Liu family, watched An Xia, who was half-lying on the ground, and a glint of shrewdness flashed through her eyes.
Originally, she had been quite satisfied with An Xia marrying into the Liu family. Since she was a bought bride, couldn’t she be made to do whatever labor was required? Plus, the three sisters of the An family were famously diligent in all of Hulu Village.
She had been thinking that once An Xia married over, she would be able to relax a bit. But with the current situation, what kind of work could the girl do once she arrived? Would she have to wait on her? Think again!
Zhao Chunmei thought it over and lost all interest in cutting pig feed. Carrying her empty basket, she ran toward the Liu family house.
An Qiu tilted her head slightly and, seeing that Zhao Chunmei was far away, shook An Xia.
“Second Sister, she’s gone. Get up.”
An Xia pressed a point on her own body, her complexion returned to normal, and she stood up with the help of An Qiu.
An Qiu very thoughtfully brushed all the weeds off An Xia’s back.
“Second Sister, let’s go back. If we’re late, our stepmother will scold us again.”
An Xia said nothing, her expression stern as if she were contemplating something.
Half a quarter of an hour later, the sisters returned to the An family home and placed the pig feed under the eaves.
Zhang-shi was holding five-year-old An Yu, coaxing him to eat an egg.
“My dear Yu’er, you must eat more eggs so you can become smarter. In the future, when you go to school and return a top scholar, Mother will be able to enjoy the good life.”
Eight-year-old An Dong watched the egg in Zhang-shi’s hand and swallowed slightly. “Mother, can you share a little with me? Younger brother doesn’t seem to be able to eat anymore.”
Zhang-shi shot An Dong a sharp look. “Can you become a top scholar if you eat it? All you know how to do is snatch food from your younger brother.”
But because he was her own child, Zhang-shi still broke off a small piece of the egg and handed it to An Dong.
“Dong’er, go over there and check if those little wretches are slacking off.”
An Dong nodded repeatedly and ran to the eaves to check the pig feed gathered by An Xia and An Qiu.
Without even really rummaging through the baskets, she commanded An Xia and An Qiu with an imperious tone, “There’s only this sparse bit of pig feed in the basket. How are you doing your work?”
An Xia gave An Dong a cold look. “What’s wrong? It’s always been this amount.”
An Dong said angrily, “This isn’t enough at all. Go and gather two more baskets.”
“Not enough? Is it because you’ve developed a taste for pig feed recently?”
“If you want to eat it, go outside and graze on it yourself. It’s so fresh!”
An Xia had run out of patience.
An Dong’s face flushed red with anger, and she raised her hand, wanting to slap An Xia across the face. An Xia cast a sharp glare, and An Dong held back.
After swallowing in fear, she ran crying to Zhang-shi to tell on them.
“Mother, the wretches are bullying people!”
An Xia sighed inwardly. It seemed that in the An family, the three of them were targets for everyone to bully.
Once this engagement was broken, she had to find a way to split the family! But for three girls to try to live independently was not an easy thing in this era.
When Zhang-shi saw her daughter crying from being bullied, she became enraged, so angry that even her scalp turned red.
She cursed and ranted as she charged toward An Xia and An Qiu. “Don’t think that just because the Village Chief helped you speak a few words yesterday, you can run wild in this house. I don’t buy that.”
An Xia’s expression was cold as she stood motionless, watching Zhang-shi. “I advise you to think carefully before you throw a tantrum. An Yu wants to go to school, and the academy will send people to visit. The first person they will ask is the Village Chief.”
“Your reputation is already terrible. If I go to the Village Chief to file a complaint, I fear you will personally destroy your son’s path to becoming a top scholar.”
Zhang-shi, who had been flushing red with rage, now turned a purplish-bruised color; she was furious. But for the sake of her son’s future, she forced herself to restrain her temper.
“You wretch, you actually dare to threaten me.”
But ultimately, Zhang-shi only satisfied herself with verbal abuse and dared not cause further trouble.
An Qiu looked at An Xia with pure admiration.
About half an hour later, Mother Liu arrived at the An household, bringing her eldest son and her eldest daughter-in-law, Zhao Chunmei, in a menacing manner.
When Zhang-shi and Old Lady Qian saw that it was Mother Liu, they acted as if they had seen the God of Wealth and welcomed them happily.
“In-laws are here! Come in and sit.”
Mother Liu did not enter the house.
She looked at Old Lady Qian and An Xia’s stepmother, Zhang Cuihua, and said with displeasure, “Your An Xia—our Liu family doesn’t want her anymore.”
Upon hearing this, the smile on Zhang-shi’s face vanished. Her willow-leaf eyebrows stood on end, her triangular eyes widened, and she pointed a finger at Mother Liu. “What? Your family says it’s over, so it’s over? What about our daughter’s reputation?”
Mother Liu wasn’t one to be scared off. She didn’t flinch at all, staring straight at Zhang Cuihua. “The fact that your An family has an ugly girl is known all across the ten miles; what kind of reputation could she have?”
“I was willing to pay ten taels of silver to buy her back to carry on the Liu family line, but now that she’s jumped into the water and soaked like that, who knows if she’s injured her health?”
“Don’t let it be that when she can’t bear children, our Liu family is stuck supporting this weakling.”
“Auntie Wang, my health is fine. Look at me, I’m perfectly well.” An Xia interjected at the right moment.
At this moment, An Xia indeed looked quite healthy.
But the more she appeared this way, the more certain Mother Liu became that this family had colluded to set a trap for the Liu family.
She said impatiently, “I don’t care whether you’re ill or not; our Liu family cannot afford to marry someone like you.”
After saying this, she looked at Old Lady Qian and Zhang-shi. “Give me back the five taels of deposit money. Otherwise, my brother isn’t someone to be trifled with.”
Mother Liu’s brother was a notorious hoodlum in the area, which naturally frightened Zhang Cuihua.
The An family didn’t dare provoke the Liu family either.
Zhang-shi was a bully who feared the strong. Once Mother Liu acted tough, Zhang-shi lost her nerve. She turned to look at Old Lady Qian, hoping she could convince Mother Liu not to cancel the marriage. Otherwise, where would the money for her son’s schooling come from?
Old Lady Qian’s brow furrowed into deep lines.
She knew full well that her grandson needed money for the academy, but one couldn’t choose money over life!
Having understood this, Old Lady Qian said quite reluctantly, “Since your family is unwilling, then so be it. We live in the same village, no need to harm our relationship over these matters.”
After saying this, she took five taels of silver from her purse and handed it to Mother Liu.
Mother Liu reached out to take it, but noticed Old Lady Qian’s eyes were glued to the silver, filled with reluctance.
She shot Old Lady Qian a look of disdain and plucked the silver, which Old Lady Qian was gripping tightly, from her hand.
“Haven’t you ever seen silver? How shortsighted; this is someone else’s silver.”
After mocking her, Mother Liu led her eldest son and daughter-in-law away with a flourish.