After leaving the third branch’s thatched hut, Fang Shi called toward Wen Li Yue’s room:
“Yue’er, Yue’er, come help me tend the stove!”
Wen Li Yue came out with a dark expression and followed Fang Shi into the kitchen.
“Mother, when can we move back to town? The bed here is cold and hard, and there are even lice.”
She had had enough!
Could people really live in a place like this?
Moreover, she always felt that she didn’t belong here. She should be living in town, enjoying a life of fine clothes and good food, not being some village girl.
“Move back to town? To what?” Fang Shi, who was usually gentle, rarely put on a stern face. “Didn’t you see? By the time we left, the cloth shop had already hired a new worker.”
“But… besides the Liu family’s cloth shop, couldn’t Father and Mother find work at another store?”
“You think finding a job is easy? Look around this village and all the idle men in town. Which of them can just find a job whenever they want?”
“Besides, even if we did find one, we’d be lucky if the pay was half of what it used to be. And even if food and lodging were included, it would only cover your father. Not every place is like the Liu family’s cloth shop, needing someone to watch the store and just happening to have an empty courtyard for our whole family to live in.”
Only then did Wen Li Yue realize what a wonderful job Wen Lao Er and Fang Shi had lost.
Their entire family could no longer return to town.
They could only remain village folk.
Seeing the hurt look on her daughter’s face, Fang Shi’s heart ached, and she secretly regretted speaking so harshly.
“Alright, don’t be upset. Your father and I will prepare a respectable dowry for you, and in another two years we’ll marry you back into town.”
Only then did Wen Li Yue smile, stamping her foot shyly.
“What marriage? I’m still young!”
“Yes, yes, our Yue’er is still young.”
Fang Shi smiled and teased her before beginning to knead the dough.
“During this time, you absolutely mustn’t offend Ye’er. Otherwise, you won’t be able to return to town.”
Wen Li Yue curled her lips.
“I can’t be bothered with those vicious people anyway.”
“In a while, you girls will go up the mountain together, and you’ll eat lunch there. I’ve prepared chive pancakes for them, and pickled-vegetable pancakes for you and Mei’er. I secretly added a little meat to yours, so don’t you dare trade food with the third branch.”
“I wouldn’t trade with them anyway.”
…
Not long afterward, Fang Shi had cooked four pancakes and wrapped them in lotus leaves.
The four girls each carried a basket on their backs and stood at the kitchen door.
Fang Shi handed the pancakes to them.
“Here, this is your lunch. Lan’er, Ye’er, dig plenty of shepherd’s purse. We’ll make enough dumplings for tomorrow’s breakfast.”
“Mei’er, Yue’er, no matter how much pig fodder you cut, after lunch you are not allowed to slack off. Go straight to the back mountain to gather firewood. Otherwise, we won’t have any wood to burn tonight.”
Wen Mei’s face darkened.
In the past, this kind of heavy work had always been done by the third branch. Since when had it become her responsibility?
And why did those two little jinxes only need to dig wild vegetables while she had to cut pig fodder and collect firewood?
She felt extremely resentful, but when she remembered Wen Ye’s crazed look when she had swung a knife at people, she didn’t dare complain.
Wen Ye put away her pancake and then picked up a handy little hoe. She tossed it a couple of times before throwing it into her basket.
The four sisters left together.
Only after they had gone some distance did Wen Lao Er come out of the house, supporting the limping Old Madam Wen.
“Hurry! Follow them!”
Old Madam Wen looked extremely excited.
The pancakes given to Wen Ye and Wen Lan had been drugged.
A quarter of an hour after they ate them at noon, they would faint.
As for Wen Mei and Wen Li Yue, they would leave to gather firewood before the sisters collapsed.
The couple intended to keep watch from nearby just in case.
As soon as Wen Ye and Wen Lan fainted, they would tie them up and deliver them to the slave traders waiting at the village entrance.
Just as Fang Shi and Wen Lao Er were about to follow after them, they saw Wen Yu’er walking over from around the corner.
“Uncle Duoliang, there’s a letter for you.”
“A letter for me?”
Wen Lao Er was bewildered.
Fang Shi and Old Madam Wen also exchanged glances and hurried over.
Wen Lao Er opened the letter and saw the following words:
If you still want to return to the cloth shop, come to town immediately and let’s talk.
“The cloth shop?”
The three of them instantly became excited.
Fang Shi hurriedly asked,
“Yu’er, who gave you this letter?”
“It was a young man in his twenties, skinny as a bamboo pole.”
Wen Yu’er thought for a moment and said,
“I was picking willow branches at the village entrance when he asked if I was from the village and then asked me to pass this letter to you.”
“Skinny as a bamboo pole… That’s Da Fu!”
Wen Lao Er exclaimed excitedly.
“It must be the manager who sent him to deliver the message, asking me to return to work at the cloth shop! I can go back! I can go back!”
He grabbed Fang Shi.
“Come on, let’s go to town right now!”
“Wait…”
Fang Shi paused and looked at Wen Yu’er.
“Thank you, Yu’er. You can go back now.”
“Mhm.”
Wen Yu’er agreed and stuck out her tongue after turning around.
Yesterday afternoon, Wen Ye had suddenly come running over cheerfully, handed her this letter, and told her to wait here today and give it to Wen Lao Er after the sisters had left.
She had even instructed her to say it had been delivered by a young man as skinny as a bamboo pole.
Wen Yu’er had no idea what Wen Ye was planning, but she was happy to help.
After Wen Yu’er had gone far away, Fang Shi lowered her voice.
“They’ve already gone up the mountain. If we fail to sell them today, we’ll have to return the money! And the slave traders aren’t people we can afford to offend.”
“What should we do? I absolutely have to return to the cloth shop.”
Wen Lao Er’s heart was already burning with excitement. It had practically flown to town already.
Fang Shi was equally anxious.
Wen Lao Er earned eight hundred copper coins a month at the cloth shop, and there was a small courtyard behind the store for their family to live in.
Even if she couldn’t return to work as a cook for the Liu family, she could still live in that courtyard and pick up some laundry work, earning another two or three hundred copper coins.
Compared to selling the girls, this job was far more important.
Old Madam Wen said,
“Then let’s split up. Second Son, go to town and see the manager. Second Daughter-in-law, go to the mountain and keep an eye on the girls.”
Fang Shi shook her head.
“No. When we left the cloth shop, the Liu family already hated us. I’m afraid my husband won’t know how to speak properly and will ruin our chance to return.”
She struggled inwardly, but after weighing the pros and cons, she still felt that the cloth shop mattered more.
“It’s better if I go with him to meet the manager. As for those two girls…”
Old Madam Wen said,
“Just have the slave traders go find them on the mountain.”
She was afraid that if they delayed any longer, the traders would demand their money back or cause trouble.
If she could, Old Madam Wen would have gone herself. Unfortunately, her back still hurt terribly, and even walking was difficult.
Fang Shi said,
“But they don’t know where the girls are digging for shepherd’s purse. Forget it. The job in town is more important. They’ll faint after lunch anyway, and they’ll be asleep for four hours. By the time we come back, they still won’t have woken up. Then we can hand them over.”
Old Madam Wen nodded.
“The slave traders are waiting at the village entrance right now. On your way out, tell them to return to their office first.”
Wen Lao Er’s mind was entirely occupied with the cloth shop.
“The slave traders are difficult people. If they know we can’t deliver the girls right now, they might even hit someone. Getting my job back is more important—we don’t have time to argue with them. Besides, maybe we’ll finish our business in town before lunchtime.”
Old Madam Wen smiled and nodded.
“That makes sense. Second Son is the smart one.”
Filled with excitement, Fang Shi and Wen Lao Er borrowed a donkey cart, avoided the main road, and headed toward town.
Today was truly a wonderful day!
Not only would they be able to sell those two wretched girls, but they might also get their jobs back at the cloth shop.