Chapter 24: Selling a Daughter

Zhao Dasao’s face, already pulled tight with displeasure, grew even longer. She reached out and pinched her daughter hard. “You wretched girl, are you trying to get yourself killed? It’s not like we can’t put food on the table, so why on earth would we sell our children?”

“Where did you hear such nonsense? Do you really think entering a wealthy household means living in luxury? Those are places that devour people whole without spitting out the bones¹.”

Zhao Xiaohua had not expected that her well-laid plans would be blocked by her own mother at the very first step.

She estimated the time, terrified that she would miss this opportunity and fail to snatch Zhao Xin’s fate of becoming Empress. “Mother, I’ve had the exact same dream every night for the past few days. As long as you sell me to the Wan Family, I will meet a prince and become the Empress.”

“I think you’ve lost your mind with these foolish dreams. Empress? Would even the Emperor himself spare a glance for you?” Zhao Dasao scolded impatiently. “Hurry up and go cook. If your father hears this later, he’ll give you another beating.”

At the thought of the beating she had received a few days ago, Zhao Xiaohua shrank back in fear.

Zhao Wencheng valued his reputation. When he heard her talk about selling herself, he had beaten her severely and forbidden her from mentioning it again.

Zhao Xiaohua’s body still ached terribly, and she did not dare to pester her father again.

But as soon as she thought of the glorious years Zhao Xin had enjoyed in her previous life, Zhao Xiaohua forgot the pain. “Mother, if I only dreamed it once, you could call it a fool’s talk. But I dream it every single night. This is a sign from our ancestors.”

Zhao Dasao didn’t really believe her. She didn’t even know where the Zhao Family’s ancestral graves were, so how could their ancestors have such influence?

Seeing that Zhao Dasao remained unconvinced, Zhao Xiaohua thought long and hard before suddenly saying, “Mother, the ancestors also told me something else. In three days, there will be a heavy rain. It will last for half a month and flood our entire village.”

Even after many years, Zhao Xiaohua still remembered that rain clearly. A single storm had ruined the entire village’s autumn harvest. With no crops, every household had been forced to tighten their belts² just to survive.

It was because of this rain that the villagers had been too busy looking after themselves to care about Zhao Chun and his siblings. Many people had starved to death that year.

Without Zhao Mengcheng, the Zhao siblings had almost starved to death as well. It was only because her father sold them that they not only had enough to eat and drink but also became powerful figures.

What was hateful was that the Zhao siblings were ungrateful. Instead of being thankful, they resented her family for it.

“Mother, that heavy rain is coming soon. When it happens, you’ll know that everything I said is true,” Zhao Xiaohua said with absolute certainty.

Her daughter’s sudden change in demeanor made Zhao Dasao’s skin crawl. She felt as if the girl was possessed by a ghost.

Zhao Dasao gave her another hard pinch. “What are you babbling about? Our Qingshan Village is on high ground. How could it possibly be flooded? If you keep talking nonsense, I’ll beat you.”

“Mother, just wait and see. If our village really gets flooded, you must believe my words,” Zhao Xiaohua promised solemnly.

“I don’t care about other families, but our family must harvest the rice early. Otherwise, when the rain comes, everything will be ruined.”

Zhao Dasao was momentarily hesitant.

When Zhao Wencheng got up, Zhao Dasao spoke to him about the matter in private.

Zhao Wencheng was dismissive, curling his lip. “You’re actually taking a child’s nonsense seriously? There’s been very little rain this year. It doesn’t look like it’s going to rain at all.”

“But what if it does?”

“Am I worse at farming than a child?” Zhao Wencheng scoffed. “If we harvest early and the yield is low, will you take responsibility?”

Zhao Dasao fell silent immediately.

“Dear, Xiaohua has been acting like she’s possessed lately. Do you think we should find a spirit medium to look at her?” Zhao Dasao asked hesitantly.

“Does a spirit medium not cost money? Besides, if word gets out, it’ll sound terrible. How will she ever get married in the future?” Zhao Wencheng refused flatly.

Despite Zhao Dasao’s loud voice, Zhao Wencheng was the one who truly called the shots in the family. Zhao Dasao could only suppress her thoughts.

Zhao Wencheng slurped down his porridge and asked, “You went to sell vegetables this morning. How was the business over there?”

Zhao Dasao knew he was asking about Zhao Mengcheng’s business. “How else could it be? It’s doing very well. That brother of yours is truly cunning. Back when Yunniang was dying, he claimed he had no way out and went everywhere to borrow money. Yet look how quickly his business has grown.”

Zhao Wencheng snorted coldly. “He’s been sly since he was a child.”

“I think he was probably hoping Liu Yunniang would die early. Once he made some money, he could marry someone young and beautiful. He really has a black heart,” Zhao Dasao fabricated the rumor to herself.

Zhao Wencheng loved hearing bad things about his brother and chimed in, “He’s exactly that kind of person. It’s hateful how the villagers have all been bought off by him. Now they only speak of his virtues.”

“It just goes to show he has the face of a Buddha but the heart of a demon³,” Zhao Dasao cursed.

The couple was so focused on cursing Zhao Mengcheng that they didn’t take Zhao Xiaohua’s words to heart at all.

Zhao Mengcheng slept until broad daylight. When he woke up, he felt refreshed.

He reached out and squeezed his arm. In less than half a month since his Mental Power began to recover, his muscles had started to return. His former eight-pack abs were within sight.

The children in the next room were still sleeping. Zhao Mengcheng looked up; today was another clear, sunny day.

Zhao Mengcheng frowned slightly, keenly sensing that something was wrong. the moisture content in the air was too high. Logically, it should have rained long ago, yet it had been sunny for over half a month.

He flipped through the original owner’s memories. The area around Qingshan Village was usually rainy, and a year with so little rain like this was rare.

However, even though there was little rain this year, the streams had not dried up yet. It hadn’t affected the villagers’ farming or water usage. Everyone was so busy with the tofu business that they had ignored the abnormal weather.

“Dad, watch your hands, it’s hot.”

Zhao Mengcheng set down his bowl and saw that Zhao Chun had gotten up.

“Dad, what are you thinking about? The fire was about to burn your hand.” Zhao Chun walked over like a little adult, checking repeatedly to make sure he wasn’t hurt before sighing in relief.

Zhao Mengcheng patted the boy’s head with a smile. “It’s nothing. Breakfast is ready. Go call the others to get up and eat.”

“They’re all up and putting on their clothes.” As Zhao Chun spoke, his hands didn’t stop. Without needing Zhao Mengcheng to say a word, he ladled out the porridge and carried it out.

Breakfast at the Zhao house was never half-hearted. Today it consisted of boiled eggs, four small side dishes, and multigrain porridge.

After finishing the meal, Zhao Mengcheng went out to find the Old Village Chief.

The Old Village Chief was busy with the accounts. He was happy to see him. “I was just about to look for you. The space at the village entrance isn’t big enough anymore. I’m wondering if we should clear another plot of land.”

“Uncle, you can make the decision on that.” After handing over the secret recipe, Zhao Mengcheng didn’t intend to keep managing the village’s affairs.

Liu Bingkun hadn’t gone out today either. When he saw him, he greeted him warmly. “Brother, come in and sit. I’ll go brew a cup of tea for you.”

“Don’t bother.”

“It’s no trouble. These are tea leaves I brought back from the mountains. They taste better than the ones we have here,” Liu Bingkun said with a smile.

Zhao Mengcheng sat down and brought up the abnormal weather. “There’s been too little rain since autumn began. The autumn harvest is coming up, and I feel uneasy.”

When the Old Village Chief heard this, he also frowned. “It is a bit less than in previous years. Fortunately, the rice is ripe and doesn’t need irrigation now.”

Zhao Mengcheng pointed toward the sky. “I’m afraid of a sudden heavy rain. If that happens, the rice in the fields will be ruined.”

“This…” At the thought of that possibility, the Old Village Chief couldn’t even continue smoking his pipe.

Although every household in the village had made some money this year thanks to the tofu business, the land was the root of the people’s lives. If the autumn harvest was ruined, the entire year’s work would be for nothing.

The Old Village Chief hesitated. “It shouldn’t come to that, right? Looking at the sky, it doesn’t seem like it’s going to rain.”

Zhao Mengcheng knew that while the sky didn’t look like it, the moisture sensed by his Mental Power could not lie.

“Uncle, my family has no land left, so I’m just worried about the villagers. Think about this matter some more. Harvesting early will result in a slightly smaller yield, but it’s better than taking the risk.”

Zhao Mengcheng said no more and stood up to leave.

Behind him, the Old Village Chief’s brow was furrowed tight, unable to make up his mind for a moment.

The Village Chief’s wife said, “Mengcheng is a good man, but he hasn’t farmed since he was a child, so how would he know how to read the weather? If you rush the harvest and ruin the yield, people will blame you.”

Liu Bingkun, who hadn’t spoken until now, said, “Father, I think Brother Mengcheng is a capable man, and he cares about our village. You should take his words seriously.”

Ever since Zhao Mengcheng led the whole village in selling tofu, Liu Bingkun had been incredibly impressed by him.

Seeing the Village Chief still hesitating, Liu Bingkun added, “Brother Mengcheng wouldn’t speak without reason. He was willing to lead us all to make money, so he certainly wouldn’t intentionally harm us.”

The Old Village Chief thought about it and realized he was right.

“I’m going out now to ask your Third Great-Grandpa and the others.”

The Old Village Chief acted immediately, going to find the elders of the village to discuss the unusual weather this year.

Several old men were all skilled farmers. When he mentioned it, they also began to feel uneasy. “If you hadn’t said anything, I wouldn’t have noticed, but it really is strange this year.”

“Looking at the sky, it doesn’t seem like it will rain heavily anytime soon.”

“Third Brother, do you remember that time when we were kids? That year, there was a water shortage in the summer, and then in the autumn, the heavy rain wouldn’t stop. Our village was flooded.”

The Old Village Chief was startled. “Our village is on such high ground, yet it could still be flooded?”

Third Great-Grandpa nodded. “Our Qingshan Village is on high ground, but we’re surrounded by rivers on three sides. If the water levels of all three rivers rise at once, the water will flow backward and surge up. No matter how high we are, we won’t be able to hold it back.”

“You weren’t even born then, and I was just a young lad. Decades have passed in the blink of an eye.”

The Old Village Chief’s heart sank at these words.

“Uncle, do you think harvesting the rice early is feasible?” the Old Village Chief finally asked.

Third Great-Grandpa pondered for a long time before saying, “If we harvest less rice, everyone can just tighten their belts and get by. But if the harvest is a total loss, I am afraid people will starve to death.”

The Old Village Chief made up his mind and grit his teeth. “Then we’ll harvest early.”

No sooner said than done. That very day, the Old Village Chief spread the word that heavy rain was coming and suggested the villagers begin the autumn harvest ahead of schedule.

For a time, the village was abuzz with discussion. Looking at the cloudless sky, no one believed it would rain.

Some even said, “Has the Village Chief gone senile? It’s been sunny lately. This doesn’t look like rain at all.”

Regardless of what the villagers thought, the Village Chief first took his sons to the fields to begin the emergency harvest.

His eldest and second sons also thought it was ridiculous. They complained privately, “I don’t know what Dad is thinking. If the rice grows a few more days, the yield would be higher. Why can’t he wait even these few days?”

They even grabbed Liu Bingkun. “Dad listens to your advice the most. Go talk some sense into him.”

Liu Bingkun shook off his elder brother’s hand. “Dad has more experience in his little finger than we have in our whole bodies. I’m listening to him.”

“What a sycophant.”

The two sons had no choice. Their father’s stick was right behind them, so they could only bend over and work, exhausting themselves to race against time.

Once the Village Chief’s family moved, the families who trusted him also began to act.

Seeing more and more people harvesting early, the other villagers couldn’t sit still. They thought that maybe it really would rain; otherwise, why would everyone else be harvesting early?

With this thought, the families who originally hadn’t planned on it also went out to the fields.

Overnight, every household in Qingshan Village was out in the fields for the emergency harvest. They worked with such fervor that even the tofu business was neglected.

Zhao Mengcheng’s family became the most idle people in the village. Since all his fertile land had been sold, he didn’t need to go to the fields.

He didn’t just lie around, however. He simply picked up a sickle and went to the Wang Family’s fields to help.

Uncle Wang and Auntie Wang both tried to dissuade him. “You haven’t fully recovered yet. Our family has plenty of strong labor; we don’t need you.”

In truth, there were only three people in their family. Their eldest son had been in the city for six months without returning. Zhao Mengcheng knew their family struggled every autumn harvest. In previous years, they would even turn around to help him and Liu Yunniang.

Zhao Mengcheng was paying back the kindness the original owner of his body owed.

Zhao Mengcheng just smiled. “I’ll work slowly. If I get tired, I’ll stop and rest.”

Uncle Wang and Auntie Wang couldn’t talk him out of it, so they let him be.

Zhao Chun and the others also went to the fields to help. The three little ones followed behind Zhao Mengcheng like tails. Zhao Chun and Zhao Mao helped bundle the rice, while Zhao Xin was responsible for gleaning the fallen stalks.

Auntie Wang couldn’t help but smile at the sight. “With a family of four coming to help, our family has really hit the jackpot.”

After a while, the three children were drenched in sweat.

Zhao Mengcheng felt for the children but didn’t stop them. When the sun rose higher, he said, “Dad is thirsty. You three go home and bring some water back.”

“Let Third Sister go. I’ll keep working,” Zhao Chun shouted.

He wore only a short tunic, and with his sleeves rolled up, small muscles were visible on his arms.

Zhao Mengcheng was helpless. “I’m not comfortable with Xin’er going alone. All three of you go together.”

Only then did Zhao Chun reluctantly leave the rice field.

Zhao Mao got annoyed seeing him like that. “Dad cares about us. He asked us to go home for water because he wants us to rest.”

Zhao Chun sighed. “Dad cares about us, and I care about him too. Dad hasn’t fully recovered from his illness. I’m afraid he’ll overwork himself again.”

“Are you stupid? Dad is helping Grandpa Wang’s family. How could he overwork himself? Do you think everyone is like you?” Zhao Mao rolled his eyes at his brother.

The three of them walked quickly back. Halfway there, they happened to run into Zhao Xiaohua.

Zhao Xiaohua was acting strange. Even in the sweltering heat, she wore a heavy bamboo hat as she walked toward the fields carrying a basket.

Seeing them, Zhao Xiaohua snorted coldly. “Cousins, you really ought to thank me.”

Zhao Chun asked curiously, “Is something wrong with your head? Why on earth should I thank you?”

Zhao Xiaohua said with a cold face, “If it weren’t for me, the village wouldn’t be harvesting early. You’re all benefiting from my good fortune.”

The three little ones found this even stranger.

“Harvesting early was Grandpa Village Chief’s idea. What does it have to do with you?” Zhao Chun retorted without hesitation.

Zhao Xiaohua shrieked, “If it weren’t for me, would he have thought of this?”

Zhao Mao added, “You really know how to take credit for yourself. Besides, our family’s land was all swindled away and sold by your father. We don’t even have to farm now.”

Zhao Xiaohua’s face darkened. She was about to say more, but Zhao Mao pulled one brother with one hand and his sister with the other.

“Let’s go. Ignore her.”

Watching the backs of the three little ones, Zhao Xiaohua ground her teeth. It was just like in her past life. Even though she had humbled herself to get Zhao Chun and Zhao Xin to soften, Zhao Mao had always stubbornly stood in the way.

A moment later, Zhao Xiaohua grew smug again.

Once the rain fell tomorrow, her parents would know she was a mystic. Then they would surely believe her words and sell her into the Wan Family.

Once she entered the Wan Family, she would be just one step away from meeting the Prince and becoming the Empress.

Ahead, Zhao Chun felt a chill down his spine. He looked back and happened to see the crazed look in Zhao Xiaohua’s eyes.

He shuddered violently and quickened his pace. “Hurry, hurry! This woman is acting weird.”

Zhao Mao was pulled so hard he almost tripped. “What are you afraid of? She can’t beat us in a fight.”

“I don’t know. It’s just creepy.” Zhao Chun’s animal-like intuition was very accurate.

Zhao Xin spoke up, “Cousin is getting more and more annoying. She wasn’t this bad before.”

“Anyway, we’ve broken off relations. We should stay far away from their family,” Zhao Mao instructed.

Zhao Xin soon forgot this little interlude. She kept saying, “Let’s hurry home. Dad will be waiting. Let’s put some sugar in the water later. Dad will surely like it if it’s sweet.”

“I think you’re the one who likes it,” Zhao Chun muttered.

Zhao Xiaohua arrived at the edge of the field with a dark expression. Zhao Wencheng and Zhao Dasao were currently harvesting.

Originally, they hadn’t believed it would rain. But now that everyone was harvesting, the couple felt panicked. They grit their teeth and joined in.

However, because they were doing it reluctantly, their pace was a bit slow.

Seeing her daughter bring water, Zhao Dasao stopped to catch her breath. “What took you so long? I’m dying of thirst.”

Zhao Xiaohua said aggrievedly, “Mom, why did you tell others about the rain? You let them benefit for nothing.”

Zhao Dasao curled her lip. “I didn’t say anything. Most likely someone overheard and spread it.”

She suspected that someone had eavesdropped while the couple was talking at home. She had even gotten into a fight with the neighbors over it, though she hadn’t won.

Zhao Xiaohua grew even angrier. “Now everyone is harvesting. No one will be grateful to me when it rains. You should have gone to the Village Chief earlier. At least you could have gotten some benefits for our family.”

She looked at her parents and felt they were only holding her back. They were unwilling to sell her, and they had even leaked the news of the rain, letting others take advantage for free.

“Water.” Zhao Wencheng came over. He snatched the canteen directly from Zhao Dasao and began to drink.

Zhao Dasao was furious and took her anger out on her daughter. “You think you’re so smart? The Village Chief doesn’t like us. What could I do?”

As she spoke, she glared in Zhao Mengcheng’s direction, clearly believing the Village Chief looked down on them because Zhao Mengcheng had spoken ill of them.

Zhao Wencheng was exhausted. “Xiaohua, you’re not a child anymore. You should come down to the field and help.”

In previous years, he hadn’t been this tired. Thinking back, Zhao Wencheng remembered that during the autumn harvest, Zhao Mengcheng would always come home to help.

Zhao Mengcheng had little land of his own, so he and his wife could finish quickly with the children. Every time they finished, they would come over to help him.

Remembering this now, Zhao Wencheng didn’t feel he had been out of line. Instead, he hated Zhao Mengcheng for being heartless. He would rather help the Wang Family, who were barely related to him, than lend a hand to his own brother.

Zhao Xiaohua quickly countered, “Working in the fields will make me tan. Dad, I’m going home.”

Without waiting for her parents’ reaction, she turned and hurried away.

The surrounding villagers watched the joke and said mockingly, “Zhao Laoda, your son won’t come back for the harvest and your daughter won’t work in the fields. Isn’t it exhausting for just the two of you to work yourselves to death?”

Zhao Wencheng’s face darkened, and he said nothing.

Zhao Dasao, however, shouted, “What’s there to be tired of? My son is studying to become a top scholar, and my daughter is grown. It wouldn’t be good for her to get a tan before she’s married off. We care about our children, so what? If you have the ability, go care about yours!”

A villager sneered, “A servant’s lot but a lady’s pretensions⁴. We can’t afford to be that caring.”

The next morning, the people who came to buy tofu were dumbfounded.

“What’s going on? Is your village stopping the tofu business?” Today, the amount of tofu was less than half of what it usually was.

Liu Lei was so tired he was nodding off. He forced himself to perk up and said, “We’re harvesting the rice. I only managed to make this much by pushing myself to the limit.”

“Why harvest so early? Can’t you wait a few more days?” The vendor also farmed his own land and asked curiously.

Liu Lei explained, “The elders in the village said it looks like heavy rain is coming. Fearing the harvest would be ruined, we started early.”

The vendor took it to heart. Upon entering the village, he saw that every household was indeed harvesting. The fast ones were already drying their grain.

He felt a bit panicked. That day, he didn’t even go to sell the tofu but hurried home to tell his own village chief. When people from neighboring villages came to see and ask, they also began to worry.

Starting from Qingshan Village, one village after another was affected by the atmosphere of the emergency harvest. They all began to harvest their rice ahead of schedule.

Zhao Mengcheng’s unintentional act saved many lives that year.

While the countryside was busy with the early harvest, the impact on the town was minimal. The only difference was that the tofu sellers stopped coming.

Many who loved eating tofu grumbled about missing that taste, but it was just a few complaints before they turned to buy something else.

Ordinary families were like this, and wealthy families were even less affected.

Although the Bai Family was not what it used to be, as a young master, Third Young Master Bai could get whatever he wanted to eat. He only complained that the kitchen’s cooking was not delicious enough.

On this day, he was in a foul mood and threw a massive tantrum, flipping over a table full of food without eating a single bite.

The maid looked at the fish and meat scattered on the floor with regret, but she did not dare to say a single word.

“Where is everyone? Where the hell have they gone?”

Third Young Master Bai shouted in a rage. The manager rushed forward. “Have you still not found a beautiful girl? If you don’t find one soon, it will be too late.”

The manager wiped his sweat. “I don’t know what’s happened lately, but the country folk aren’t coming into town anymore.”

How could he know that the sudden early autumn harvest had kept the nearby villagers busy with work?

“What kind of decent-looking girl could there be in the countryside? Look in the town; I want the one with the best looks,” Third Young Master Bai cursed.

The manager groaned inwardly, thinking that finding one in town was no easy task. They had almost been caught after secretly snatching two girls before.

The current Lord Huang was not easy to fool. The manager had spent a great deal of effort hiding those people and did not dare to act rashly again.

Leaving with a long face, the manager could not help but complain to his subordinate, “Lord Huang has sent people to patrol the town. If we are discovered, Third Young Master will be fine, but I will be finished.”

The subordinate had a sharp chin and monkey-like features; he was the very person who had gone to Qingshan Village to swindle the Tofu Secret Recipe.

He had been scolded for messing up that job previously. Fortunately, Third Young Master Bai’s mind was occupied with the girls and he had not pursued the matter, allowing the man to stay.

Hearing the manager’s complaints now, his eyes darted around, and he suddenly said, “As for a decent-looking girl, I actually know of one.”

The manager’s eyes lit up. “Which one?”

He added a hint of caution, “She must not be from a wealthy family; we cannot afford to touch those right now.”

Monkey Face lowered his voice. “It’s that Zhao Family. They have a girl who looks to be four or five at most. Oh my, she looks just like the Golden Boy or Jade Maiden⁵ beside the Bodhisattva Guanyin. She is incredibly pretty.”

The manager felt a stir of interest.

Seeing that he was indeed interested, Monkey Face added, “Country kids love running around everywhere. It’s normal for them to go missing. Lord Huang can control the town, but can he really send people to watch the countryside?”

The manager knew to some extent that Zhao Mengcheng had some ability, so he hesitated.

“If we can’t find a suitable person soon, Third Young Master will definitely take it out on someone. I’m just one man with no family to worry about, but I’m afraid his anger will fall on you.”

The manager gritted his teeth. “Find an opportunity to check first. If she is truly that beautiful, it is worth taking a bit of a risk.”

“Don’t worry, Manager. I’ll get right on it.”

Monkey Face smiled triumphantly. Wasn’t Zhao Mengcheng supposed to be so capable? He had caused Monkey Face to fail his task and get scolded, and had even led a group of hicks to beat him.

Since Zhao Mengcheng loved his children so much, he would let him taste the pain of losing one.

Translator’s Notes