Chapter 48

Madam Lin heard her mother-in-law talking to her husband, Luo Dagen, last night. Her mother-in-law said, “Da Niu is already nine years old. This is the best age to sell her to Xiangman Brothel. The mama there loves girls of this age because they are easy to train and obedient. Fortunately, both Da Niu and Er Niu inherited Lin’s looks. Let’s sell Da Niu first. She is pretty and has good features, so she can fetch at least ten taels of silver. In a few years, when Er Niu is of age, we can also sell her. That way, we will have thirty taels of silver, and we can divorce Lin and find you a wife who can bear you a big, healthy son. What do you think, Dagen?”

Luo Dagen muttered, “If the neighbors find out that I sold Da Niu and Er Niu to Xiangman Brothel, they will drown us in spit.”

Even in the poorest of times, people here would sell their children to wealthy families or officials to be servants, not to a brothel, which would be disgraceful. He didn’t want to be scolded by the neighbors. His mother had sold his sister to such a place before, and the money was used to marry Madam Lin. As for selling his daughters, he didn’t feel much about it. What use are girls anyway? Raising them to adulthood was already a kindness to them.

Old Madam Luo whispered, “Xiangman Brothel is in Raozhou City, not in our Yuanbao Town. Who would know if we sold her to Raozhou City? If anyone asks, just say that our family is too poor to raise two girls, and we sold Da Niu to a wealthy merchant’s family to be a maid.”

Luo Dagen was somewhat tempted.

Madam Lin, lying in the inner room, trembled all over when she heard this. She covered her mouth but did not dare confront her mother-in-law and husband.

She couldn’t resist. Her mother-in-law beat and scolded her every day. Although Luo Dagen didn’t hit her often, he had done it before and was even more ruthless than his mother. She knew that her mother-in-law and husband were thinking about selling Da Niu and Er Niu to a brothel, but she was helpless.

If she could divorce and leave the Luo family with her two daughters, she would be willing to beg for food outside. However, the two daughters have the surname Luo, and she couldn’t take them away unless she could get the county magistrate to award her custody or the Luo family agreed to let her take them.

Even though she was furious, Madam Lin did not dare to leave. If she left, the two daughters would have no way to survive.

So the next day, when her mother-in-law asked her to go to Young Lady Xu’s restaurant to seek a job, she agreed, thinking that if she could earn 800 wen a month, her mother-in-law and husband would not think about selling Da Niu. She even thought about telling Young Lady Xu about her mother-in-law’s plan to sell Da Niu, hoping that Young Lady Xu would pity her and let her work at the restaurant. But when she saw Young Lady Xu, she couldn’t say anything.

Young Lady Xu had a fair and delicate appearance, but her eyes were different from other ladies. There was a firmness in her gaze that made Madam Lin unable to continue speaking. Young Lady Xu’s eyes were steady and did not dodge.

After being rejected by Young Lady Xu, she returned home and heard her mother-in-law talking like this again. Without thinking, she replied, she was no longer afraid of anything.

She looked at her mother-in-law woodenly, her mouth opening and closing as she repeated the words she had just heard, “I said Young Lady Xu is not a little slut, you disgusting old hag. If you dare to sell Da Niu, I, I will…” She had never threatened anyone before and didn’t know what harsh words to say.

Old Madam Luo had never seen Madam Lin dare to talk back, and she trembled with anger. She hadn’t even thought Madam Lin would know about her plan to sell Da Niu to Xiangman Brothel. She had originally planned to secretly take Da Niu to Raozhou City to sell her while Madam Lin was out doing laundry for others.

“You little wretch, how dare you!” Old Madam Luo had never been so infuriated, especially by her usually timid and submissive daughter-in-law. She grabbed a broom and swung it at Madam Lin.

Having spoken her mind, Madam Lin felt a mix of fear and exhilaration. When her mother-in-law cried and swung the broom down, she instinctively raised her arm and caught it.

Old Madam Luo’s face turned ugly as she tried to yank the broom back twice but failed.

Madam Lin was slightly stunned, realizing that her mother-in-law was just an ordinary, frail old woman, not even as tall or strong as she was. From the beginning, she could have easily raised her arm to block the abuse.

Trembling with anger, Old Madam Luo began to hurl insults at Madam Lin- all sorts of humiliating and harsh words.

Seeing the twisted face and the incessantly chattering mouth, Madam Lin couldn’t help but lift her foot and kick Old Madam Luo in the stomach. This wasn’t something she learned from Old Madam Luo.

Old Madam Luo always hit visible places, afraid that others wouldn’t know she was disciplining her daughter-in-law.

Madam Lin had thought countless times that if she had the chance to fight back, she would hit the least visible places, making the old hag suffer in silence, with no one believing her even if she complained.

She had wanted to resist countless times before.

Old Madam Luo was kicked down by this kick, lying on the ground and crying out in pain. She was already old, and this kick wouldn’t take her life, but it caused her abdominal pain, and she couldn’t struggle at all, just lying there.

Da Niu and Er Niu were hiding nearby, thinking that their mother was going to be beaten by their grandmother again. Er Niu had already started crying but didn’t dare to make a sound, tightly hugging her sister. Both children were already starting to get scared. But they didn’t expect that their mother didn’t let their grandmother beat her today. She grabbed the broom and even kicked their grandmother in the stomach. Their grandmother was lying on the ground, no longer looking as terrifying as before.

Da Niu and Er Niu were stunned, and Er Niu even forgot to cry, staring blankly at their grandmother and mother.

Old Madam Luo saw that Da Niu and Er Niu didn’t come to help and cursed, “You two little brats, your mother has gone mad. Hurry up and hold her back; she actually dared to hit me.”

Madam Lin looked at her mother-in-law on the ground with no expression, realizing how fragile she was. She stepped forward again and punched Old Madam Luo in the stomach. She didn’t use all her strength, but it still made Old Madam Luo’s face contort in pain. Then she swung punch after punch at Old Madam Luo’s body. These parts were not visible to others, and she didn’t use her full strength, so there shouldn’t be any bruises. She had been beaten by Old Madam Luo too many times and knew how much force wouldn’t leave marks.

Old Madam Luo looked at Madam Lin viciously and cursed, “You vicious whore, wait until Dagen comes back, I’ll tell him you dared to hit me, and I’ll have him beat you to death.”

Madam Lin said coldly, “Do you think they’ll believe I hit you? If you tell them, I’ll hit you again tomorrow.” She was no longer afraid of anything! She also knew how to deal with this old hag.

Old Madam Luo pointed at Da Niu and Er Niu and said, “Your two daughters saw everything. With them as witnesses, let’s see how you deny it.”

Madam Lin turned to look at Da Niu and Er Niu.

The two were not scared at all, their expressions were somewhat strange, and they looked at Madam Lin with full admiration.

Da Niu even shook her head at Madam Lin, indicating she wouldn’t tell her father and grandfather. Their grandmother beat and scolded them every day, and even at night, when their grandmother talked to their father, she heard it. Their grandmother and father talked in the main room, thinking they were all asleep, but she wasn’t. She heard her grandmother say she wanted to sell her to a brothel, which terrified her, and she didn’t dare to tell her mother. She hated her grandmother and also hated her father and grandfather. She hoped her mother could take her and Er Niu away, even if it meant begging on the streets with her mother, she was willing. She didn’t want to be sold to a brothel.

Er Niu didn’t like them either.

Madam Lin turned around and punched Old Madam Luo again and again.

When Old Madam Luo finally couldn’t take it anymore and began to beg for mercy, Madam Lin stopped and took Da Niu and Er Niu back to the room.

Back in the room, she whispered to her two daughters, “I will find a way to take you away. Are you willing to leave here with me?”

She already knew that by taking this step today, she was no longer afraid of anything. She wanted to force Old Madam Luo to divorce her from Luo Dagen and give her the two daughters. Otherwise, she would secretly beat her every day.

Both girls nodded vigorously.

Old Madam Luo lay in great pain on the ground for a while. She slowly got up and went back to her room to lie on the bed. After lying down for two hours, when the pain subsided, she ran out and saw some neighbors chatting in the alley. She went up to them and cried, “I am truly pitiful. Just now, I said a few words to my daughter-in-law, and she kicked me and punched me.” She wanted to tell all the neighbors so that everyone would scold Madam Lin.

The two women beside her looked at her in surprise.

An older woman sneered, “Old Madam Luo, what nonsense are you talking about? Everyone knows your daughter-in-law is the most obedient. You’ve been beating her for ten years, and she never dared to fight back. If she dared, you would have sent her to the authorities long ago.”

“I’m telling the truth!” Old Madam Luo was anxious and lifted her clothes to show her soft belly, but there was nothing but sagging skin and wrinkles.

The two women couldn’t bear to look directly and turned their heads away, “You really have no shame, lifting your clothes in public. Besides, there’s no mark on your belly. How can you falsely accuse your daughter-in-law?”

Old Madam Luo was stunned. It shouldn’t be like this. She was still in pain.

Madam Lin, of course, heard the commotion outside.

Even if Old Madam Luo had bruises, outsiders wouldn’t believe Madam Lin did it. In ten years, everyone thought she was weak and easy to bully, never fighting back when beaten by her mother-in-law. Even if Old Madam Luo had bruises, they would think she got them from bumping into something or that Old Man Luo hit her, as everyone in the alley knew Old Man Luo beat his wife.

Old Madam Luo angrily returned to the house but didn’t dare to scold Madam Lin, fearing another beating. She sat in the room, thinking hard, but couldn’t figure out why her daughter-in-law suddenly dared to hit her.

Could it be because her daughter-in-law knew she wanted to sell Da Niu to a brothel and resisted? Or was it instigated by Young Lady Xu?

Her daughter-in-law dared to hit her after she went to Young Lady Xu’s place. She cursed Xu Qinyu in her heart but didn’t dare to confront her, fearing she would retaliate with a knife.

Finally, at dinner time, Luo Dagen and his father, Old Man Luo, returned.

Madam Lin, as usual, was cooking in the kitchen with her two daughters.

Seeing her husband and son return, Old Madam Luo immediately cried to them, saying how Madam Lin kicked and beat her today.

Luo Dagen looked impatient. “Mom, do you even believe what you’re saying? Do you think we would believe it? My dad and I are both tired. Can we just rest for a bit? Besides, if she really dared to hit you, would she still be in the kitchen making dinner? Wouldn’t the sky have fallen by now?”

“Da, Dagen.” Old Madam Luo was anxious, “I’m not lying to you. She really hit me.”

Luo Dagen didn’t believe her at all and ignored her, going back to lie down.

Old Madam Luo stomped her feet in anger and went to tell Old Man Luo.

Old Man Luo pushed her aside and scolded, “Don’t block my way, can’t you see how tired I am?”

After saying that, he also went to his room to lie down, not believing his wife’s words at all.

Old Madam Luo was almost dumbfounded, but she still didn’t give up. When the family sat in the main room for dinner, she asked Da Niu and Er Niu, “Da Niu, Er Niu, tell your father and grandfather the truth. Did your mother kick and hit me today?”

Da Niu shook her head, “No, we didn’t see it. It was Grandmother who scolded mother.”

Er Niu also shook her head and didn’t say anything.

Old Madam Luo was almost furious, raising her hand to slap the two girls.

Before she could swing her hand, Old Man Luo punched Old Madam Luo in the face, “You old woman, enough is enough. Can we just have a peaceful meal?”

Every day, he was filled with resentment when he smelled the delicious food from every household in the alley. Because of his wife’s stinginess, they couldn’t eat such delicious fish and had to settle for tasteless boiled vegetables.

Old Madam Luo screamed in pain from Old Man Luo’s punch and shrank back, not daring to speak again.

Early the next morning, after her husband and father-in-law left, Madam Lin went to Old Madam Luo’s room and beat her again. Old Madam Luo wanted to scream, but Madam Lin covered her mouth and continued hitting her.

Old Madam Luo was a frail and short woman. Even though Madam Lin didn’t eat well every day, she was still in her twenties and strong. Old Madam Luo couldn’t resist her and got beaten again.

After the beating, Madam Lin, panting, said to Old Madam Luo lying on the ground, “Tell your son to divorce me, but Da Niu and Er Niu must come with me. Otherwise, I’ll beat you like this every day.”

She couldn’t beat Luo Dagen but could certainly beat this old woman!

After saying this, Madam Lin took Da Niu and Er Niu out to work. She took on some odd jobs and planned to keep her daughters with her for the next few days, fearing that Old Madam Luo might sell Da Niu to a brothel in Raozhou City while she was away.

When she went out, some neighbors saw her with Da Niu and Er Niu and couldn’t help but ask, “Why are you taking the two girls with you to work? Isn’t it troublesome?”

Madam Lin glanced at the neighbors, hesitating to speak.

Da Niu didn’t care about this and cried, “My grandmother said she would sell me to Xiangman Brothel in Raozhou City. She said the madam of Xiangman Brothel likes eight or nine-year-old girls the most for training. She also said that in a few years, when my sister grows up, she would sell her too. The money from selling us would be used for my father to marry another wife and have a son. My mother is worried, so she takes us with her when she goes out.”

Xiangman Brothel was the largest brothel in Raozhou City and was even known to the people of Yuanbao Town.

Hearing this, the neighbors’ faces changed.

“What a sin, how can Old Madam Luo be so heartless?”

“Don’t you know she sold her own daughter to such a place before? She sold her to a brothel in Yuanbao Town. Later, her daughter couldn’t bear the humiliation and killed herself by hitting her head on a pillar. Now, ten years later, she wants to sell her own granddaughters to such a place. How vicious.”

“Old Madam Luo isn’t afraid of retribution.”

Even though Yuanbao Town had cases of selling children, its residents wouldn’t sell their daughters or granddaughters to such places. If it happened, it was usually because the parents had passed away, and the brothers, sisters-in-law, or maternal uncles, driven by greed, sold their sisters or nieces to such places.

The neighbors in Osmanthus Alley began to condemn Old Madam Luo.

Old Madam Luo lay at home for half a day, then went out to complain to people. Not only did no one believe her, but the neighbors also scolded her, asking how she could think of selling her own granddaughter to such a place. Old Madam Luo thought it was her daughter-in-law spreading rumors, and she was both angry and frustrated, returning home in disgrace.

In the following days, Madam Lin would always beat Old Madam Luo whenever Luo Dagen and Old Man Luo were not around. She didn’t beat her every day, but sporadically. She also didn’t beat Old Madam Luo in front of Da Niu and Er Niu. No matter what, she hoped Da Niu and Er Niu could grow up to be upright and decent people, not like her, who had to resort to such methods to leave the Luo family.

No matter how Old Madam Luo complained to outsiders and family members, no one believed her. She even thought about going to the authorities to report that her daughter-in-law was beating her. But to go to the authorities, she needed evidence to prove her daughter-in-law was beating her. Besides herself, no one could prove it. Even if she called the neighbors, they would only tell the county magistrate that she had been beating and scolding Madam Lin every day for years. If she went to the authorities and falsely accused someone without evidence, she would be punished.

In less than half a month, Old Madam Luo aged significantly.

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In the past ten days, Xu Qinyu received over fifty job applications. She went to chat with Madam Wu from the Xia family.

Wu Wan had lived nearby for several years and knew more about the women in the neighborhood than Xu Qinyu.

Wu Wan knew almost all the women on Xu Qinyu’s application list. She immediately helped Xu Qinyu filter out more than half of them. The women who were filtered out had minor issues, such as being greedy, lazy, inefficient, or unclean. Only about ten candidates remained.

Finally, Wu Wan pointed to the names of two women on the list and said, “Both of them are diligent and capable, and they don’t slack off. This one named Yuan Yueying is a widow. Her husband died years ago while traveling with a merchant caravan, and she has been raising her two children on her own. She is very hardworking and efficient and doesn’t talk much; she just focuses on her work. Her children are also very obedient and filial. The other one, Chen Chunhua, is a straightforward person with good communication skills. Her in-laws are still alive, and her husband is a hunter. Their family is doing quite well, and she is also a quick and straightforward person.”

Xu Qinyu needed to hire three people in total, but Wu Wan was hesitant about the last one, as she didn’t know the remaining candidates well enough to help Xu Qinyu choose.

Xu Qinyu thanked Wu Wan, and they chatted for a while.

Wu Wan secretly told Xu Qinyu, “I’ve heard that Old Madam Luo at the end of your alley has been telling people that her daughter-in-law has been beating her. How could Madam Lin possibly hit her? If she wants to slander her daughter-in-law, she should at least make it believable.”

Wu Wan was familiar with Old Madam Luo from when she lived in Osmanthus Alley with Xia Yuanzhi. Old Madam Luo loved to take advantage of others. When she came to buy cloth at Wu Wan’s shop, she always asked for an extra piece for free. Once, she bought the cheapest cloth for just a few coins and even took a piece of silk when she left. That piece of silk was a large scrap that could be made into a pouch and sold for a few coins.

When Wu Wan discovered this, she took the silk back and scolded Old Madam Luo. Old Madam Luo tried to argue, but Wu Wan threatened to report her to the authorities, which scared her away.

Xu Qinyu had also heard about this incident.

Recently, in Osmanthus Alley, women liked to chat in front of their houses. They talked about the Luo family, saying that Old Madam Luo was slandering her daughter-in-law and wanted to sell her own granddaughter to a brothel.

Hearing this made Xu Qinyu’s fists clench. A girl not even ten years old was almost sold to a brothel by her own grandmother.

So, she often saw Madam Lin taking her two daughters out these days.

Every time she saw her, Madam Lin would nod slightly.

For some reason, while others didn’t believe Old Madam Luo’s claims that her daughter-in-law hit her, Xu Qinyu somewhat believed it.

If someone dared to sell their own daughter to a brothel, even the weakest person would resist.

Madam Lin might be weak, but she might have taken that step for her daughters. From the neighbors’ conversations, it seemed Madam Lin beat her mother-in-law every few days.

Xu Qinyu thought Madam Lin might be forcing her mother-in-law to persuade her son to divorce her.

Xu Qinyu thought that if she really had this idea, it would be difficult in the end. First, Luo Dagen didn’t have the money to remarry, so he wouldn’t easily divorce his wife.

Second, Madam Lin’s two daughters had the surname Luo. In this wretched ancient time, it was very difficult for a woman to take her children with her, whether she divorced or was divorced unless the man was willing. If Madam Lin beat Old Madam Luo to the point where she didn’t care and insisted that Luo Dagen divorce her but didn’t let her take the two daughters, she would be helpless.

No matter what, Xu Qinyu hoped Madam Lin could successfully take her two daughters away from the Luo family.

After chatting with Madam Wu for a while, Xu Qinyu left. She first went to the restaurant to check on the renovations. With Zhu Zi there, she was quite reassured. After checking and seeing that everything was going well, she returned to Osmanthus Alley.

In the afternoon, after finishing selling the fish and just about to close the stall, Xu Yunlan, Officer Xu’s daughter, came.

Xu Qinyu hadn’t seen Xu Yunlan for a while. Recently, it was always the maid or the servant from Xu’s family who came to buy fish, milk buns, and custard buns. She got to know Xu Yunlan because of the banquet at Officer Xu’s house. After that, Xu Yunlan occasionally came to buy Xu Qinyu’s food, and they got along quite well.

This time, Xu Yunlan didn’t come alone. A fair and chubby girl accompanied her. The chubby girl had fair skin and was wearing a begonia red dress, which made her skin look even fairer.

Xu Qinyu found the chubby girl adorable at first sight, but she was indeed a bit overweight. She was about 160 cm tall but weighed around 180 pounds, which was significantly overweight and had a considerable impact on her health.

Moreover, the girl was so cute even when chubby, with eyes that didn’t look small. She would be a real beauty with a peach blossom face if she lost weight.

However, the chubby beauty’s eyes were red, indicating she had been crying.

Xu Yunlan also looked indignant.