Chapter 5: Selling the Wedding Dress

After the meal, Su Yi’an carefully folded the wedding gown and placed it in a bamboo basket, leaving it uncovered. The vibrant red fabric stood out prominently.

Su Yi’an intended to sell the gown openly, preferably with the entire village knowing. The He Family was so impoverished that they had to sell the bride’s wedding dress. The money would be hard-earned and legitimate, making it difficult for creditors to simply seize it.

“Yi’an, perhaps I should go alone,” Madam He said hesitantly from outside the door.

Yongyang Village was remote, at least an hour’s walk from Huai’an Town. With the round trip and selling the gown, they wouldn’t return until noon. Su Yi’an, raised in sheltered comfort, was accustomed to sedan chairs and carriages. Walking all the way to town would be exhausting.

Su Yi’an even packed the embroidered red shoes into the basket. As she stepped out of the house, she said, “Let’s go together, Mother. It’s not safe for you to carry the money alone.”

That made sense. Huai’an Town was full of all sorts of people. If someone took notice…

Madam He shivered at the thought.

He Xingchen rushed to find Su Yi’an after delivering his father’s meal, afraid he’d be too late and his aunt would leave without him.

“Grandma, I want to go too!” He Xingchen tugged at Madam He’s hand, his round eyes pleading earnestly.

Madam He had no intention of taking him, but before she could come up with a reason, Su Yi’an spoke first.

“If we all go, who will stay home to protect Second Uncle and Father?” Su Yi’an appealed to the boy’s heroic instincts.

As expected, the mention of protecting others made He Xingchen shake his head vigorously, abandoning his request.

Seeing this, Wan Xu quickly led the child back inside, fearing he might try to follow them once they left.

With no one around, Su Yi’an slung her basket over her arm and walked toward town with Madam He.

The He family lived at the foot of the mountain, and the only route to town passed through the village. Given the incident at yesterday’s wedding procession, Madam He felt uneasy.

She dreaded encountering the village women, who would surely tease them relentlessly. She could endure the mockery herself—she had grown accustomed to it since moving here—but Su Yi’an’s fiery temper might not tolerate such taunts.

Madam He’s thoughts raced as she quickened her pace, hoping to leave before the villagers emerged.

“Oh my, who do we have here? Isn’t this the He family’s new daughter-in-law?”

What Madam He feared most came to pass. Though she wished to ignore the group of women, they had accurately gauged her temperament. Seeing only the two of them present, they closed in.

Second Daughter-in-law Yang, stung by yesterday’s humiliation, was even more venomous today. “What are you doing out so early? Planning a trip back to your maiden home?”

Yesterday, the wedding party had deterred the villagers, but today, with only the two women present, Second Daughter-in-law Yang felt no restraint. After all, Su Yi’an was now a married woman. No matter what kind of lady she had been before, once she stepped into Yongyang Village, she had to abide by its customs.

Su Yi’an shifted her basket forward, as if to ensure they could see its contents clearly. “Sisters-in-law, would you like to take a look?” she said with a sigh. “We were just about to take this wedding gown to town to sell for some silver. If any of you fancy it, we won’t rush to town.”

The women froze, clearly surprised by her response.

Unlike yesterday’s aloofness, Su Yi’an’s demeanor was noticeably softer today. Second Daughter-in-law Yang’s carefully prepared barrage of insults died in her throat.

“Why sell that?” Yu Family Daughter-in-law stepped forward with her wooden basin and glanced at the gown. Her family had many sons in this generation, and their land holdings were substantial. While not wealthy, they were far from poor, so she looked down on the idea of selling clothes.

Su Yi’an pursed her lips, feigning reluctance. “Why else would we sell clothes if we had money?” She glanced at Madam He, her disdain barely concealed.

Second Daughter-in-law Yang’s heart swelled with satisfaction. She couldn’t suppress her grin as she leaned forward to touch the red wedding gown. Though she secretly admired the fabric, she remarked with feigned regret, “The material’s nothing special. Selling it is no great loss. After all, families so poor they can barely keep the pot boiling often sell clothes to make ends meet.”

Su Yi’an quickly offered the basket. “Sister-in-law, take another look. If you buy it, we won’t need to go to town.”

A used red cotton wedding gown like this would normally fetch three to four hundred cash.

But this was Yongyang Village, where the villagers disliked the He family and, by extension, Su Yi’an, the so-called bride. They wouldn’t pay even a hundred cash for it.

Who would want to become the laughingstock of the village by buying a wedding gown, especially one from the He family? Talk about inviting bad luck!

The eldest daughter-in-law of the Yang family waved her hand, changing the subject. “It’s getting late. I need to wash clothes by the river. If you’re heading to town, you’d better hurry.”

Madam He had been eager to leave for some time. Seeing the women were no longer pressing the issue, she quickly tugged at Su Yi’an’s sleeve.

“We’ll be going now. See you later, sisters-in-law,” Su Yi’an said with a smile. The moment she turned away, her smile vanished completely.

Having experienced much in life, Su Yi’an could immediately sense these women’s ill intentions. Arguing with them would be pointless; it was better to humor them and say what they wanted to hear.

However, she regretted her earlier tone. Those words weren’t meant for Madam He’s ears, and she feared the older woman might misunderstand, thinking Su Yi’an truly looked down on the He Family.

“Yi’an is so clever,” Madam He chuckled, glancing at Su Yi’an. “If this old woman had tried to reason with them, they would have kept pestering us.”

Anyone else might have taken Su Yi’an’s words as a complaint about the He Family, but Madam He understood they were merely for show, meant for the village women’s ears.

Seeing Madam He understood, Su Yi’an offered no explanation. The two exchanged knowing smiles and continued on their way.

Once they were out of earshot, the group of women huddled together again, whispering among themselves.

“What’s so strange about the He Family’s new bride? She even called us ‘sisters-in-law’!”

“Exactly! Yesterday, she seemed like someone you wouldn’t want to mess with. I never imagined she’d change her tune overnight.”

“Did you hear? The debt collectors went to the He Family last night, and the new bride’s dowry chests were empty!”

Second Daughter-in-law Yang’s eyes widened. “What? You mean those two chests were completely empty?”

The woman beside her nodded. “That’s right. The news spread like wildfire last night. I bet the bride got exposed and lost her nerve. After all, now that she’s married into the family, where could she possibly run?”

Yang’s heart bloomed with glee. Yesterday, the bride and her attendants had been so arrogant, even daring to hit Gou Er. She’d assumed they were powerful, but today the bride was meek, obediently calling them “sisters-in-law” and rushing to sell her wedding gown.

“Speaking of this ‘auspicious marriage,’ has anyone heard how Second Young Master He is doing? Is he still alive?”

“He must be. Otherwise, would Old Madam He have gone to town so calmly?”

“True. Let’s wait and see. With this new bride in the He Family… things will likely stay the same.”

Their gossip turned more confident, and Yang nearly ran to the He Family to pry for more details, but she held herself back.

After walking for about two hours, they finally reached Huai’an Town.

Compared to Yongyang Village, Huai’an Town was bustling with activity. People carrying bamboo baskets on their backs streamed into the town through its gates.

Although Su Yi’an had passed through Huai’an Town before, she had only glimpsed it from her bridal sedan chair during her wedding procession. She hadn’t even stepped down, so she had never truly seen the town’s layout. Today, she couldn’t help but look around curiously. Small shops lined the streets, selling everything imaginable, but most vendors still hawked their wares from roadside stalls.

With winter approaching, hot food stalls dominated the scene. At a glance, Su Yi’an counted half the stalls selling steaming dishes, their white vapor rising like inviting clouds. The mere sight of it warmed her.

Noticing Su Yi’an staring at a steamed bun stall, Madam He assumed she was hungry. After all, they had only had a light rice soup for breakfast, and after walking all morning, their stomachs must be empty.

“Are you hungry?” Madam He asked. “I’ll buy you a couple of buns to try.” She had specifically brought the half tael of silver Su Yi’an had given her, figuring it was best spent on her.

Su Yi’an shook her head and averted her gaze.

She hadn’t been staring at the bun stall because she was hungry. She simply wanted to observe what people ate and sold in this era.

Everyone needed a way to earn a living. Su Yi’an knew she couldn’t embroider or sew, so she would need to find another way to support herself in the future. Food stalls seemed promising, but she couldn’t manage one alone.

In this world, it’s unheard of for a woman to run a business alone.

Su Yi’an had observed clearly: among the numerous stalls, not a single one was run solely by a woman. Every stall with a woman present also had a man nearby.

Remembering her earlier idea of living in seclusion, Su Yi’an smiled wryly. How naive she had been! Twenty taels of silver wouldn’t even buy a modest courtyard, let alone support a life of seclusion.

“Let’s sell the clothes first,” Su Yi’an said. “Where should we hawk them?”

“We’ll go to the alley next door,” Madam He replied. “These clothes won’t sell well on the main street. We usually sell them to that household, and we’ll do the same this time.” With the crowd pressing around them, Madam He took Su Yi’an’s arm and led her into the narrow alley.

The alley twisted and turned, and they walked for nearly a quarter of an hour before Madam He finally stopped.

She stood awkwardly before the gate, took a deep breath, and knocked.

The gate creaked open, and a servant boy peeked out. He glanced at them and immediately moved to close it.

“Wait!” Madam He stepped forward, bracing her hands against the gate. “Granny Wang knows us. She’s the one we usually deal with.”

Before Madam He could finish, the servant boy snapped impatiently, “We’re not taking any more of your family’s goods. Get lost!”

He slammed the gate shut, heedless of Madam He’s hands still gripping the edge.

Seeing the situation, Su Yi’an quickly stepped forward and pulled Madam He away. But just as the servant was about to slam the door, she wedged her foot against it.

“You!” The servant glared at her, his tone harsh. “Stop acting like a rogue. If we’re not accepting your things, we’re not accepting them. Get lost.”

“You’ve taken our things before,” Su Yi’an retorted. “If you’re refusing now, you owe us an explanation. We carried these goods all the way here. If you’d told us last time you wouldn’t accept our things anymore, we wouldn’t have bothered coming.”

The servant realized they were persistent, determined to stay until he explained. Grumbling, he finally said, “My young master used to have some acquaintance with Second Young Master He of your family. That’s why we took your things before. But dealing with you people has brought us nothing but bad luck.”

Su Yi’an frowned, confused. “What do you mean?”

“What else could it mean? My young master has made enemies because of you. Understand? Don’t come here again.” With that, the servant slammed the door shut.

Madam He retreated, the light in her eyes extinguished. The servant’s words pierced her heart like tiny daggers.

When the He family first moved to Yongyang Village, they had to sell many of their belongings. The largest collection was He Yunhuai’s extensive library, all purchased by the young master of this household.

Later, they sold many old clothes, all of which were bought by the same household. It was clear this was a kindness extended to them.

“I wonder how their child is doing,” Madam He murmured, gazing toward the back gate with a sigh. “Could he be suffering the same fate as Erlang…”

“He’s probably just confined to the house,” Su Yi’an replied, taking Madam He’s arm as they descended the steps. “Judging by the servant’s demeanor, he’s likely unharmed, just being disciplined. If their young master had been crippled, that servant wouldn’t have acted so calmly. He might have even brandished a stick and attacked someone.”

Madam He nodded silently.

Too much had happened lately. Having spent her life confined to the inner quarters, Madam He had never imagined human malice could run so deep. Out of consideration for Su Yi’an, she kept her thoughts to herself. Both women carried unspoken worries, feigning ignorance to avoid upsetting each other.

Since the wedding robes hadn’t sold, they continued wandering the alley, approaching anyone they encountered with inquiries.

But wedding preparations weren’t everyday occurrences, and wedding robes proved difficult to sell. By late morning, they still hadn’t sold a single garment.

Just as they were about to take a break before resuming their sales efforts, a woman hurried toward them.

“Are you the ones selling wedding robes?” the woman asked, sizing Su Yi’an up and down.