“This year, with no harvest in sight, there are already two families in the village selling their daughters. One of them is your uncle’s family’s youngest granddaughter—a five-year-old girl who was sold for five taels of silver. When your grandmother heard about it, she was tempted and wanted to secretly sell these two girls of yours. She had even gone to the matchmaker. Fortunately, your little uncle couldn’t bear it and secretly told you, which is why you were able to escape with them. Miss, please, take them in,” the woman explained briefly, pleading.
“Madam, I am helping you not out of mercy, but because the world is harsh, and even we can barely protect ourselves,” Bai Nianqing said. Although she felt some sympathy for the two girls, she wasn’t naive; in these times, sympathy alone accomplishes little.
“Miss, please be kind. The girls eat very little; just give them a bowl of food each. Please take them in. They are hardworking. You’ll see how much food they’ve already eaten. Please, Miss, accept them,” the woman pushed the two girls forward.
“Waa… Miss, please take us in!”
“Miss, we beg you… buy us, please!”
The two little girls knelt on the ground, kowtowing repeatedly.
“Get up quickly. Xiao Chun, help them up,” Bai Nianqing thought. In her modern mindset, she was uncomfortable with them bowing so deeply.
“Quickly, get up,” Xiao Chun went forward and helped the two girls to their feet.
“Madam, although we have some farmland, as you just said, there’s no harvest at all. We don’t even know what the coming days will bring. The food shortage is one thing, but if there’s no water, that’s a disaster. I must be honest with you: if this situation continues, we will also have to flee to the mountains,” Bai Nianqing explained patiently, careful not to offend anyone.
“Miss, please help us…” the woman continued her desperate pleading, unsure if she was being understood.
“Xiao Chun, give this madam two taels of silver,” Bai Nianqing said after a moment’s thought.
“All right, Miss,” Xiao Chun took two taels of silver from her purse and handed it to the woman.
Bai Nianqing then said, “Madam, take this silver and go home with the children. This is all we can do for you—beyond this, we are powerless. And one more thing: hide this silver well. If your grandmother sees it, she will surely take it from you.”
“Miss…” the woman whispered, looking at Bai Nianqing.
At that moment, a group of women arrived outside the village.
“There she is! I knew that wretched girl ran away for a reason—she came here to find the lady,” a sharp-voiced, long-faced woman with slanted eyes called out.
“Look, there she is! Let’s go!”
In an instant, several women arrived nearby.
The woman, terrified, pulled the two trembling children behind Xiao Chun for cover.
“Who sent you here? Go back immediately,” a man in his late twenties with a simple, honest face scolded quietly.
“Gensheng, quickly tell Mother that I am selling the girls. We will make them work more and eat less. The two girls too, they’ll have to work, even if they starve,” the woman pleaded. Seeing the man, she seemed to find courage.
“Mother, the household is in hardship. We should follow her advice,” the man said timidly.
“Gensheng, I can sell them,” the woman cried bitterly.
“Father, they will be sold!”
“Father, the girls will work harder, and Grandma wants to sell them,” the two little girls cried, begging as well.
“This… Madam…” The man hesitated, unsure what to say.
A woman with slanted eyes, accompanying them, saw the man wavering and nudged the older woman next to her, signaling her to speak.
The older woman, who looked very much like the younger woman—clearly mother and daughter—spoke:
“Old man, selling them is for their own good. Look at the fields—the crops have dried up. Keeping them at home would mean starvation. I checked—these girls will be sent to a household as maidservants. Being a maid means comfort and security, much better than starving at home. Besides, with this silver, we can buy some food to survive a bit longer.”
Indeed, the old woman’s reasoning was persuasive; at least Gensheng was convinced.
“Mother, what you say makes sense. If the girls go work as maidservants, at least they will eat and wear warm clothes. You know our home situation—if we buy grain now, there won’t be any left later. With this weather, it’s best to stock up while we can,” Gensheng said, clearly persuaded.
“Yes, but I’ve heard that being a maid means signing contracts and risking beatings. The girls are so young. What if they’re hurt?” The woman called Yaoniang spoke hesitantly, revealing her doubts.
“That’s still better than starving. Madam, if I had daughters, I’d let them enjoy life as maidservants,” the slanted-eyed woman said coldly.
“Yes…” Yaoniang looked at her mother-in-law, then at Gensheng, and finally at the two timid girls leaning on her. She gave no more argument.
“Yes, the matchmaker is waiting at home. Hurry, go back now. Quickly, leave,” the older woman urged repeatedly.
This time, Yaoniang said nothing and took the two girls with her.
In truth, the entire scene lasted only three to five minutes.
Bai Nianqing and Shen Wenhe watched the group arrive, then leave in a rush.
“So… that’s it? Just over?” Bai Nianqing was dumbfounded.
“It seems so. Were the girls sold or not?” Shen Wenhe, having never seen this happen before, found it strange.
Only Xiao Chun, perhaps from her own past experience, felt sympathy for the two girls.
Since Miss and the young master hadn’t experienced such things, they didn’t realize the harsh reality Xiao Chun had lived through.
If she hadn’t been fortunate to have the Miss and her father by her side, she would have been sold too. Thinking that these two girls might now face the same fate, Xiao Chun could not help but speak up.
“Miss, can we buy the two girls?” Xiao Chun asked softly.
Bai Nianqing glanced at her and understood her heart had softened.
But at a time like this, being soft-hearted was dangerous. She had to explain clearly so that Xiao Chun understood the gravity of the situation.
“Xiao Chun, you must understand—my heart may be kind, but in times like these, being soft-hearted can be fatal. Do you understand?”