Chapter 7

Old Madam Zhao and Zhao Yanping’s moon-gazing session was less than enjoyable, but the atmosphere at the Zhu family’s dinner table was even more tense.

Madam Jin, Zhu Shiyu, and Zhu Shuangshuang all avoided looking at A-Jiao. Only Zhu Chang, who felt sorry for his niece, kept talking to her. This made Madam Jin even angrier—she refused to eat a single bite of mooncake and pretended to have caught a cold before excusing herself to her room.

As soon as Madam Jin left, Zhu Shuangshuang followed suit, shooting A-Jiao a disdainful glance before returning to her quarters.

Zhu Shiyu didn’t dare to be as brazen as his mother and sister. He kept his head down, eating mooncakes while sneaking glances at his cousin’s fair and delicate hands. Zhu Chang, recalling how this brat had dared to bully his niece, found his son increasingly displeasing to the eye and coldly ordered him away from the table.

Now, only A-Jiao and Zhu Chang remained at the square dining table.

Glancing at the three unused sets of chopsticks and bowls, A-Jiao spoke softly, “Uncle, why go through all this trouble? I already said that while you all enjoy the moon, I could have just gone to bed early.”

Madam Jin and her daughter didn’t want her around, and A-Jiao had no interest in forcing herself into their company either.

She truly had nowhere else to go—otherwise, she wouldn’t have stayed here at her uncle’s house. If her parents were still alive, even if they were dirt poor, even if she had to eat wild herbs and work in the fields under the scorching sun, she would rather endure that than live under her aunt’s watchful and resentful eyes.

Zhu Chang took a sip of wine and sighed. “We are family. There’s no need to speak like we are not.”

A-Jiao said nothing.

Zhu Chang didn’t know what else to say to his niece. He simply drank in silence, staring at the moon.

A-Jiao looked at her uncle. He was almost forty now, with many new wrinkles on his face. His eyes, strained from years of reading, had weakened—he often had to squint to see things clearly.

She had returned last year, and ever since, her uncle had been caught between her and his wife, rarely showing a genuine smile.

On one side was his wife and children. On the other, a niece he had been separated from for years. Who was more important?

The answer was obvious. Yet, for her sake, her uncle had been navigating endless conflict with his wife, son, and daughter.

A sour feeling welled up in A-Jiao’s chest. She took the wine from her uncle’s hand, lowered her gaze, and said, “Uncle, if someone comes with a marriage proposal—whether as a wife or a concubine, regardless of their family background—I will accept it.”

No matter where she ended up, it wouldn’t be worse than staying in this house. Leaving would at least allow her uncle to live more peacefully.

She had thought it through.

Zhu Chang sat frozen in his chair.

A-Jiao smiled. “It’s getting late. Uncle, you should rest.”

With that, she stood up and walked toward her room.

Just a few steps away, she suddenly heard suppressed sobbing. Her vision blurred, and before she knew it, tears were falling down her own face.

===

Zhu Chang slumped over the table and cried for a long, long time, as if releasing years of guilt and the torment he had suffered over the past year.

The bright moonlight cast a glow over his hunched figure, making him seem unspeakably desolate.

Once he had cried enough, he wiped his eyes and downed another bowl of wine. His steps were firm as he returned to his room.

Madam Jin had been secretly watching from the window for a while. Seeing her husband coming inside, she hurriedly lay down and pretended to be asleep.

Zhu Chang knew she was still awake. Standing by the bed, he spoke with finality, “I have wronged A-Jiao. But you have wronged her even more. From tomorrow onward, however you treat Shuangshuang, you will treat A-Jiao the same. If she never marries, then I will take care of her for the rest of her life. If you can accept this, good. If not, tell me now, and I will write you a divorce letter. You can remarry as you please!”

Madam Jin never expected to hear such words.

Earlier, when she had seen her husband crying at the table, she had felt some pity for him. But now that he was threatening to cast her out, her anger and grievance exploded. She jumped out of bed, pointed at him, and began wailing furiously.

“You heartless man! I bore your children and managed this household for you, and now you want to divorce me? What do you mean I wronged her? How did I ever wrong her? When she was sick as a child, wasn’t it me who brewed and fed her medicine? That year, you took our money and left for the imperial exams. Our son was gravely ill—we couldn’t afford to wait, so I had no choice but to sell her!”

“Then why didn’t you sell your own daughter?!” Zhu Chang roared, cutting her off. If she had sold their daughter instead, at least he wouldn’t be drowning in guilt now!

“She was my flesh and blood! I carried her for ten months! I’m not as heartless as you, selling off your own kin!” Madam Jin’s voice grew even louder, practically shaking the roof. “You became a scholar, your son survived, you got everything you wanted! And now you blame me for selling your niece? If you were so guilty, why didn’t you storm into the pleasure house and take her back? A few guards standing at the door were enough to scare you off, weren’t they? You’re a coward! You don’t dare fight outsiders, so you take it out on me instead!”

“Say one more word, and see what happens!”

“I’ll say it all I want—”

With a sharp slap, Zhu Chang’s palm struck her face, snapping her head to the side. The force sent her stumbling like a broken kite, collapsing onto the floor.

For a long moment, she didn’t move.

Zhu Chang’s hand trembled violently. As the fire in his eyes started to give way to fear and regret, just as he was about to step forward and check on her, Madam Jin moved.

Slowly, she propped herself up. Blood trickled from the corner of her mouth, but she wiped it away with the back of her hand. Tears streamed down her face as she looked up at Zhu Chang and sneered, “Divorce me, then. You never cared about me or my daughter. I don’t want to stay in this house any longer either!”

Zhu Chang pressed his lips into a thin line and sat down on the bed.

Madam Jin packed her things through the night. At the break of dawn, she didn’t even prepare breakfast before dragging Zhu Shuangshuang with her, preparing to leave.

Zhu Chang remained in bed, eyes open, bloodshot from exhaustion.

Zhu Shiyu stood in the doorway, trying to stop his mother and sister from leaving. Madam Jin, while tossing her luggage onto the family’s donkey cart, glared inside and shouted, “Shiyu, don’t try to stop me! I have wronged the Zhu family, wronged your precious little cousin. I will leave, and I will never return! Shuangshuang, get on the cart. We’ll go stay with your uncle. At least he cares for his nieces! Since your own father doesn’t want you, let’s go find someone who does!”

Zhu Shuangshuang knew her mother was only putting on a show. In a few days, their father would go to their grandmother’s house to bring them back. So, without much hesitation, she got onto the donkey cart.

Madam Jin snapped the whip a few times, urging the cart forward.

======

Next door at the Zhao residence, Zhao Yanping was woken up by Madam Jin’s loud shouting.

He lay in bed, frowning deeply.

Last night, before going to sleep, he had already heard Madam Jin and Zhu Chang arguing over her. And now, Madam Jin was making another scene, ensuring that the entire neighborhood knew about it. But the one suffering the most was surely A-Jiao, who had no choice but to rely on others for shelter.

Zhao Yanping didn’t understand—A-Jiao was just a quiet, delicate girl who barely ate much. How could Madam Jin be so unwilling to tolerate her? It was Madam Jin who had wronged her, not the other way around.

Since today was his day off, Zhao Yanping didn’t need to go to the yamen. Now that he was awake, he decided to get up and chop wood in the backyard.

Old Madam Zhao had just finished washing her face when she walked toward the back door. She saw her grandson swinging a large axe, splitting logs with steady, forceful movements. His upper body was bare, revealing a strong, broad back glistening with sweat. His muscular arms were long and powerful—it was no wonder that the old constable had taken a liking to him back then and made him an apprentice. With a physique like that, any petty thief would be scared out of their wits at the mere sight of him. Who would still have the nerve to run?

“It’s rare for you to have two days off. Let Guo Xing handle this work—go rest.”

Old Madam Zhao walked over, unwilling to see her grandson tire himself out.

Zhao Yanping continued chopping wood in silence.

Old Madam Zhao scoffed and stood to the side, saying, “Did you hear the ruckus at the Zhu house? If we don’t help A-Jiao now, she really won’t be able to endure this any longer. What does it matter if her uncle cares for her? Can that compare to having a husband by her side? Don’t be fooled—just because Scholar Zhu didn’t stop his wife from leaving doesn’t mean he won’t regret it later. For all we know, this might be a staged act between husband and wife to pressure A-Jiao into agreeing to become some rich man’s concubine.”

Old Madam Zhao knew her grandson well—he was cold on the outside but warm-hearted. Maybe he wasn’t interested in A-Jiao’s beauty, but seeing her suffer like this and refusing to help would weigh on his conscience, especially since A-Jiao’s situation was so similar to that of their late granddaughter, Xiangyun.

Zhao Yanping kept chopping wood.

Just then, Cui Niang called from the north door of the main hall, “Madam, what are we having for breakfast?”

Old Madam Zhao thought for a moment and said, “Make porridge, and fry some twisted dough sticks. Make extra.”

Cui Niang and her brother had come from the north. While Old Madam Zhao had taught her to cook Jiangnan-style dishes, she also enjoyed trying northern foods from time to time. Her favorite was fried dough twists.

Cui Niang wasn’t particularly sharp, but she was an excellent cook, and her hands were quick. Soon, breakfast was ready.

The golden-fried dough twists were piled in a large iron basin. Old Madam Zhao handed two to Cui Niang and her brother, while she and her grandson ate at their own table.

Zhao Yanping ate quickly, taking a bite of the dough twist followed by a sip of porridge.

When there were only three dough twists left in the pot, Old Madam Zhao sighed, “If I’d known you liked them this much, I would have asked Cui Niang to make more.”

Zhao Yanping said, “This is enough.” He was already full.

Old Madam Zhao pointed at the remaining three and asked, “You really don’t want any more?”

Zhao Yanping nodded.

Old Madam Zhao then said, “Then I’ll take them over to the Zhu house. They probably didn’t have the mood to cook breakfast this morning—I’ll go give them a little help.”

Suddenly, Zhao Yanping realized what his grandmother was up to—she was going over to discuss taking A-Jiao as a concubine.

“Hire a matchmaker,” he said, looking directly at his grandmother.

Old Madam Zhao frowned. “We live next door, and we all know each other. Why hire a matchmaker? The money for the matchmaker’s fee would be better spent on your wine.”

Zhao Yanping insisted, “She is from a respectable family. Even as a concubine, she should be treated as a proper one. We must not skip the formalities.”

Old Madam Zhao’s heart skipped a beat. She stared at her grandson. “A proper concubine? What, do you plan to have a grand procession with gongs and drums, and hire a bridal sedan to carry her into our home?”

In her mind, A-Jiao had nowhere else to go. The Zhu family was already in such a mess, and Zhu Chang and Madam Jin were desperate to send her away. If someone came forward to take her in, they’d be grateful—how could they still have the audacity to make demands about dignity and honor? But judging by her grandson’s attitude, he actually wanted to give A-Jiao all the respect and status befitting a legitimate concubine?

She knew her grandson had a kind heart, but was he taking it too far?

“Do we have too much silver lying around?” Old Madam Zhao glared at him unhappily. “The going price for a proper concubine in town is at least five taels of silver…”

Zhao Yanping cut her off. “Zhu Chang is a scholar, and she is a scholar’s niece. You also said she’s as beautiful as a goddess, so her value should be even higher. We’ll offer ten taels.”

Old Madam Zhao nearly choked on her breath!

Ten taels! She had scrimped and saved for years to accumulate just over thirty taels, hoping to use it for her grandson’s grand wedding one day. And now, he wanted to take a third of it just to buy a concubine?

“Don’t forget she was once a courtesan!” Old Madam Zhao grabbed a dough twist and slammed it against the iron basin, dramatically expressing her frustration.

Zhao Yanping threw her own words back at her: “Didn’t you say that marrying her would accumulate good karma for Xiangyun? The more dignity I give her, the more blessings the heavens will bestow upon Xiangyun’s soul.”

Old Madam Zhao was left speechless.

But she was furious—so much so that she didn’t even want to fetch the matchmaker anymore.

Seeing this, Zhao Yanping called for Guo Xing and ordered him to go hire one. Then he summoned Cui Niang and had her bring the two remaining dough twists to the Zhu house. There had originally been three, but one had been crushed in Old Madam Zhao’s grip.

Cui Niang, unaware of the conversation, asked in confusion, “Two dough twists—who are they for?”

Zhao Yanping answered sternly, “One for Scholar Zhu, and one for Miss A-Jiao.”

As for Zhu Shiyu, the scholar’s son—he was a disgrace to his studies for having bullied his own cousin. Letting him go hungry for a meal was no big deal.