Liu Fengjiao finally understood why her mother-in-law had seemed so confident earlier— no wonder the old woman had been so calm.
She’d already planned it all out, intending to make life miserable for the eldest branch.
Starve them for a few days, and they’d surely beg to marry the girl off obediently.
Smirking, Liu Fengjiao dragged out half a sack of rice bran, dumped it on the ground, crossed her arms, and sneered with schadenfreude,
“Qing girl, you’d better think this through. Life after splitting from the family isn’t easy. Don’t come crawling back later like a dog begging for food at our door.”
Chen Qingqing’s eyes were cold. “Don’t worry. Even if I do end up begging, it won’t be at your doorstep. Just don’t regret it when our family gets rich later.”
“Oh? Such a big mouth you’ve got!” Liu Fengjiao covered her lips with a mocking laugh. “Qing girl, listen to your third aunt’s advice. If you don’t want your parents to starve, you’d better kneel, apologize to your grandmother, and obediently wait to be married off. Then this whole matter will be over.”
Chen Qingqing frowned, staring at the half bag of rice bran on the ground.
In years like these, no grain meant certain death.
When people were starving and freezing, morality vanished—everything revolved around a single mouthful of food.
She recalled something she’d once read in her previous life—
It was an old story about a little girl sold to a family as a servant.
At first, she only did household chores. But after some time, she realized strange men came to the house every few days.
Whenever one arrived, the girl and the male master would be sent outside, and the mistress would stay alone with the man for a long while.
Eventually, the girl grew old enough to understand—her mistress was “selling the bed” to make a living.
When a family was desperate, even wives were pushed into flesh trade by their own husbands.Who would choose such shame, if not driven by hunger?
As the saying went, “In chaos, a woman’s worth half a cake; in peace, she’s worth a fortune.”
So that was the old hag’s plan.
Once their food ran out, once they were starving, her father would be forced to his knees, begging his mother for mercy—and in the end, he’d agree to sell his daughter to anyone just to survive.
A cruel, clever trap.
But Old Madam Chen had underestimated her.
I have my medical skills, Chen Qingqing thought coldly.
I was a healer in my previous life—a good person. Even the King of Hell didn’t take me. How could I possibly starve to death now?
She let out a sharp laugh. “Save your concern. I’m perfectly capable of keeping my parents fed.”
“Hmph! Ignorant girl—let’s see how long that pride lasts,” Liu Fengjiao snorted, rolling her eyes.
Wu Bao’an, the headman, shook his head helplessly and turned to Old Madam Chen. “Auntie, what about money? Any silver to divide?”
“We don’t have a single coin,” the old woman said stiffly.
Chen Qingqing cleared her throat, remembering the fifty taels her grandmother had taken from the butcher.
“Since there’s no money, we’ll take none. But I’ll say this in front of Headman Wu— You accepted fifty taels of betrothal silver from the butcher in Qingshui Town. Since I refuse the marriage, you must return the money. The engagement is void. If you don’t return it and he comes looking for trouble later, it has nothing to do with our branch of the family.”
Old Madam Chen waved her hand indifferently. “Of course, of course. Don’t you worry about that.”
“Good,” said Chen Qingqing evenly, a faint, confident smile tugging at her lips. “Uncle Headman, please witness this matter as well, so no one can deny what was said today.”
Wu Bao’an looked at her with quiet admiration.
This girl was not the timid, dull child he remembered.
Her mind was sharp, her words clear, her reasoning sound. Not one to remain in the mud forever, he thought.
This one’s destined for something great.
“Very well,” he said with a smile. “I’ll be your witness. If anyone uses this matter against you later, I’ll speak on your behalf.”
Chen Qingqing inclined her head. “Thank you, Uncle Headman.”
Wu Bao’an nodded, turning to Old Madam Chen. “Auntie, which field do you plan to assign to Zhanshan’s family?”
Old Madam Chen frowned, thinking for a moment. “The two mu of land on the western hillside. That’ll do.”
“The western slope?” Wu Bao’an frowned. “That’s all sandy soil. Two mu of that can’t even feed a family of five.”
Old Madam Chen sneered. “I’ve already been merciful giving them that much.”
Chen Qingqing knew perfectly well that the western land was barren.
In a good year, it might yield a little grain, but in a drought, they’d lose even their seed.
Still, she wasn’t worried.
Once she made money, she’d buy fertile land for her parents herself.
“Father,” she said calmly, “whatever land Grandmother gives us, we’ll take it. Don’t worry. You and Mother are blessed— even sand will bloom under your hands.”
Chen Zhanshan’s shoulders trembled; his heart ached.“Mother, that field on the western slope hasn’t grown a single stalk this year. Are you trying to starve us to death?”
Old Madam Chen rolled her eyes in disdain.
“Didn’t your precious daughter say you’d get rich after the split? What are you afraid of? Just wait and enjoy your prosperity!”
Liu Fengjiao gave a mocking snort. “Big Brother, have you even thought of Chen Han and Chen Feng? When your third brother passes the exams, won’t your sons benefit too? All this just for one girl—is it worth splitting the family and starving to death? Just apologize to Mother and marry the girl off. Then everything will be fine.”
Chen Zhanshan’s eyes reddened; tears welled up. “Enough! I will never marry Qing girl to that butcher.”
“Don’t bother, Fengjiao,” Old Madam Chen cut in coldly. “Your big brother’s been bewitched by that wretched girl. He’s made up his mind. Headman, our family doesn’t have many rooms, so I won’t give the eldest any house. He can take the two old cowsheds next door for shelter. And—since I bore him, he owes me filial duty. Every year, he must give me one tael of silver for support. If he agrees to that, then you can write the deed.”
Wu Bao’an frowned. “Auntie, once this deed is written and sealed, you’ll be two separate households. Are you sure?”
“I know what I’m doing. Don’t try to talk me out of it.”
Wu Bao’an sighed and turned to the eldest. “Zhanshan, Qing girl—do you agree to the one-tael yearly support?”
Chen Zhanshan hesitated, torn. “Mother, I’ll support you, of course, but… one tael a year is too much, isn’t it?”
Old Madam Chen’s face twisted in fury.“You ungrateful beast! I bore you and raised you, and you begrudge me one tael a year? If I’d known you’d grow up heartless, I should’ve strangled you at birth!”
Chen Qingqing understood her father’s struggle.
For an ordinary farming family, even saving two taels a year was difficult—this was daylight robbery.
Still, no matter the era, children had a duty to care for their parents.
As long as the old couple didn’t come making trouble again, one tael was a small price to pay.
“I agree,” she said evenly. “We’ll give you one tael each year, but not now—at the New Year. My father will bring it himself.”