Chapter 8: Taking Responsibility for Supporting the Family

Wang San shook his head:
“No, no one in our family can read or write. Why would we need that? It’s expensive anyway.”

He was right; in this era, paper and brushes were precious and unaffordable for ordinary people.

“Can you read?” Wang Man asked.

Wang San shook his head, then nodded:
“A little, not much. I learned some from those outside.”

“Oh? You little rascal are doing well—someone even taught you to read,”
Wang Man said with sarcasm.

Wang San lowered his head, embarrassed.

Wang Man walked up to him. Instinctively, he pulled his leg back, afraid she might really break it.

He had just carefully tested his leg and, indeed, it wasn’t broken like Wang Man said.

It was an intense pain, deep and piercing.

Wang Man reached out and quickly tore off the piece of clothing in front of Wang San, then brought Wang San’s hand up to his own mouth.

“Come on, bite it.”

Wang San…?

“What for?”

He wasn’t crazy—why would he bite his own hand? And why tear his clothes? She specifically tore where there was no patch.

“Enough with the nonsense. Just bite it,” Wang Man said impatiently.

Wang San didn’t dare refuse. He put his entire finger into his mouth, ready to bite down. Wang Man tugged at him.

“Just bite the fingertip until it breaks, harder. I want to see blood.”

Under her instruction, Wang San didn’t resist. He bit through the tip of his index finger, nearly biting off a chunk of flesh. The pain made him hiss and gasp sharply.

Wang Man dipped her finger in his blood and quickly rewrote a servitude contract on his clothing, modeled exactly after the original.

Only the names were switched.

Wang San was the one selling himself, and Wang Man was the one buying him.

Then Wang Man had Wang San sign his own name.

After looking it over, she felt something was missing, so she had Aunt Ma Liu sign it too.

Aunt Ma Liu couldn’t write, so she simply pressed her fingerprint.

Only then did Wang Man nod in satisfaction.

Wang San had so confusedly and absentmindedly bitten through his own finger, letting Wang Man use his blood to write a servitude contract selling himself.

The entire process was hazy; he didn’t understand what was happening at all.

It wasn’t until Wang Man’s voice rang out again that he realized something was wrong.

But it was already too late. Wang Man said:

“Wang San, now your servitude contract is in my hands. If you try to void my contract, I’ll void yours. Otherwise, we’ll each hold the other’s servitude contract and see who’s stronger.”

Wang San…?

Who am I?

What am I doing?

Why can’t I understand a word Wang Man is saying?

Not even a bit.

But Aunt Ma Liu was quick to respond:

“Manya, this isn’t right. How can Wang San be sold to you like this?”

“Yeah, you didn’t even give any silver. How can you say you bought him? That’s not fair.”

Wang San thought, if Wang Man gave him five taels of silver, he would return her servitude contract; otherwise, he’d be foolish to agree.

Wang Man showed no shame at all.

“Oh, I’ll owe you for now. I’ll pay you once I have the silver.”

Wang San wanted to curse but didn’t dare.

“What, you don’t agree?”

Wang Man didn’t think she was being unreasonable. On the contrary, she felt this was fair.

“Don’t worry, even if you void the servitude contract, I’ll still be your wife.

It’s just that this way, you won’t dare to sell me off again so easily.”

Wang San suddenly realized:

“So, you’re afraid I’ll sell you, so you came up with this scheme?”

His mouth was truly reckless—how could he say such a thing out loud?

Look at that—he’d sold himself off, so now no one could bully the other. It really was fair.

A smile crept to Wang Man’s lips.

“Yes, what do you think of my plan?”

Wang San…

Wang Man felt much better now, even the dizziness from the concussion had eased considerably.

She sat down beside him, holding a stick casually and crossing her legs with ease.

“Wang San, you still haven’t told me—where did you go these past two days, leaving your powerless Mother and wife behind? What exactly have you been up to?”

Wang San felt drained of all energy at that moment, harboring a sense of reckless resignation.

“I went to town.”

“To town? What did you do there?”

Wang Man asked again.

Wang San irritably scratched his head.

“What else could I do? Just played around.”

“What kind of things did you play? Tell me.”

Wang Man remained calm, her expression unreadable.

Wang San was genuinely annoyed.

“Why do you care what I play? You’re so controlling—who do you think you are?”

Wang Man jabbed the stick against the ground, producing a sharp, “clack clack clack” sound.

Aunt Ma Liu was startled so much that her heart jumped into her throat, and she secretly glared at Wang San:

He just doesn’t learn his lesson—after getting a beating, he’s already starting to be disobedient again.

Wang San was also frightened by Wang Man’s action, thinking he was about to get hit again, so he quickly replied:

“I’ve just been hanging out at the gambling house these past two days. Didn’t go anywhere else.”
Wang Man straightened up:

“Where did you get the silver to gamble?
Don’t tell me you only watched and didn’t actually bet.”

Wang San gritted his teeth:
“I helped with unloading goods and earned thirty copper coins.”

 “You mean you’ve been gambling at the gambling house for two whole days with just those thirty copper coins?
You didn’t lose, or did you borrow money from the gambling house?”

This question almost made Aunt Ma Liu stumble in shock:
“Ah San, how could you even dare to borrow silver from the gambling house? Are you trying to get yourself killed?”

Wang San stiffened his neck and loudly defended himself:
“No, I didn’t.
I know you’re not supposed to borrow money from the gambling house, and I never have.”

This was all true—he really had never borrowed money from the gambling house.

Even if the gambling house people had offered to lend him money, he would explain that his family only had a blind Mother and that he had no means to pay it back.

Several uncles had long cut ties with him and wouldn’t help him settle debts.

The gambling house staff would check and immediately know this, so they never offered him a loan again.

This was the one thing Wang San was good at—he had some self-control in certain areas.
For example, borrowing money from the gambling house was absolutely off-limits for him.

Wang Man didn’t believe him:
“Then how exactly have you been playing these past two days?”

The people at the gambling house were terribly dishonest—they rigged the games so only they won. There was no way anyone else could win, otherwise, the gambling house wouldn’t be making so much silver.”

To prove that he was telling the truth, Wang San pulled out a worn-out money pouch from his 怀 (bosom/pocket).

Hearing the jingling inside, it was clear there was quite a bit of silver.

Wang Man reached out her hand:
“Give it here.”

Wang San immediately covered the pouch against his chest:
“What for?”

Wang Man curled her finger invitingly:
“Give it to me, I’ll count how much you have.”

Wang San wasn’t falling for it:
“I don’t even know how much is in there myself. You want to count it?”

Wang Man said with a sly tone:
“Will you give it yourself, or do you want me to take it?”

Wang San…

This was a plain-out threat.

He dared not refuse.

Reluctantly, he stepped forward and slowly handed over the money pouch, his heart bleeding.

It hurt so much!

As if someone was cutting into his flesh with a knife.