Chapter 27: Unrepentant Ambitions

Great-Uncle Five raised his walking stick. "You were going to roll the child up in a mat and toss her onto the mountain, and yet you think ten copper coins from Miss Xie is cheap? You should be grateful she’s taking her at all!"

Shuanzi’s father retreated two steps with nimble grace. "Please, don't be angry, don't be angry. Isn't it just that I’ve been scared by poverty? Look at this house of mine, look at my two sons, I..."

"Just because your family is poor, you think you have the right to extort others?" Great-Uncle Five’s clouded eyes glared fiercely at him. "You have no shame, but the rest of the Liu clan still needs to keep face!"

"If you and your wife truly believe you have a clear conscience, why don't you dare pull this stunt on anyone else in the village? Isn't it just because you’re bullying a young, soft-hearted girl who happens to be a newcomer with a damaged brain?"

"Use those dog brains of yours and think carefully: can a family that raises a daughter to be so delicate and full of poise be the kind of people that lowly commoners like us can extort money from whenever we please?"

Greedy, wicked, and stupid—how on earth did his eldest brother raise his descendants? Great-Uncle Five inwardly sent his condolences to his long-dead brother, lamenting that he had left behind such a blockhead as Shuanzi’s father.

Unaware that his pathetic display had prompted Great-Uncle Five to greet his buried grandfather, Shuanzi’s father muttered with lingering reluctance, "That brat can’t even remember where her home is or who her family members are. Even if she wanted to find someone to back her up, she’d have to have the ability to do so, wouldn't she?"

"Besides, that Madam Liu the human trafficker who came to our village a while back—didn't she give those parents five to eight taels of silver for the girls and boys she took?"

Great-Uncle Five brought his stick down hard on his shoulder. "She was buying children over eight years old, sturdy, good-looking, and clearly disciplined, diligent, and sensible!"

"Your little girl, Xiaoya, is only five, and she’s been raised by you two to be yellow and withered!"

"Never mind that she’s on the verge of death; even if she were healthy, what trafficker would spend several taels of silver to buy a burden who is so weak that at five years old, she doesn't even look as strong as a three-year-old from another family?"

"I’ll say it again: you have no shame, but the Liu clan does! If you are so greedy that you insist on making trouble, then fine—I’ll take charge and have you two heartless parents expelled from the clan!"

"That way, if the girl’s real parents ever come looking, the rest of the Liu family won't be implicated by you."

Shuanzi’s parents were terrified. They shook their heads and waved their hands frantically, not daring to mention raising the price again.

Once Chen Moqin, the village head’s second son, brought the brush, ink, paper, and inkstone, the village head sat in the main room of Shuanzi’s house and drafted a deed of sale for Xiaoya, referencing the standard forms used by human traffickers. The contents were as follows:

"I, Liu Dazhuang, a resident of Mingfu Village, Baihe Town, Tang County, hereby set up this deed of sale. Due to poverty and the inability to afford medical treatment for my youngest daughter, Liu Xiaoya, who is suffering from a grave illness, I am selling the five-year-old Liu Xiaoya to Miss Xie Wannian as a bondservant."

"The price is set at ten copper coins, to be paid in full by Miss Xie Wannian on this day. From the date of this sale, Liu Xiaoya shall belong to Miss Xie Wannian for life. Her fate, whether she lives or dies, or whether she is honored or lowly, shall be at the master's discretion, and she shall have no further connection to the Liu family."

"This is done voluntarily by both parties, with no coercion. To prevent future disputes, this deed is written as evidence."

"Witnesses: [Signatures]"
"Seller: [Signature]"
"Buyer: [Signature]"
"Date: Year, Month, Day"

In the witness column, the village head Chen Wenjie, the old physician Chen Guanghong, and Great-Uncle Five Liu Wushun signed or pressed their fingerprints. In the seller column, Shuanzi’s father, Liu Dazhuang, obediently pressed his fingerprint, followed by the buyer, Xie Wannian, who signed her name where required.

With this, Xiaoya’s fate was officially decided.

With Great-Uncle Five holding the line, Shuanzi’s parents didn't dare to stir up any more trouble. As for the Shuanzi brothers, they were torn between the pain of losing their sister and relief that she would finally receive treatment.

After Physician Chen finished checking Xiaoya’s pulse, administering acupuncture, and prescribing medicine—which he then had the eldest sister go off to brew—he was invited back by the onlookers to sign as a witness. He not only gladly obliged, but also announced to the crowd that because of the delay, Xiaoya’s condition had worsened, and the cost of treatment had risen to at least one tael and five mace of silver.

This amount caused many of the onlookers to gasp, a collective hiss filling the room as if the house were suddenly swarming with snakes.

Shuanzi’s parents widened their eyes in unison, secretly thanking their lucky stars that they hadn't chosen to borrow money to treat the child.

Xie Wannian, however, remained calm. She said to Physician Chen, "Please, use the most appropriate medicine for Xiaoya. While I don't have that much money right now, I can work to earn it bit by bit."

Physician Chen nodded. "Very well, I will put all expenses on your tab for now."

Xie Wannian nodded. "Good. While everyone is still here, there is one thing I must make clear to Xiaoya’s parents."

"Although I bought Xiaoya for ten copper coins, it will still cost me time, energy, and money to treat her illness, raise her, and teach her how to conduct herself."

"If her parents ever change their minds in the future and want to redeem her, I will not stand in their way, but they must compensate me in full for every bit of energy, time, and silver I have spent on her."

"Uncle Village Head, Master, Great-Uncle Five, everyone—is this request unreasonable?"

The crowd nodded in agreement.

Xie Wannian smiled. "Then it is settled. Xiaoya belongs to me from now on and has no further connection to the Liu family. Whenever her parents or siblings can produce the silver to redeem her, she will return to the Liu family, and from that moment on, she will have no further connection to me."

"I, Xie Wannian, am a woman of my word, and I ask all of you elders and neighbors to bear witness."

With that, she bowed to the crowd.

Everyone nodded in agreement, leaving only Shuanzi’s parents—who had once again been blocked from their path of playing the victim—feeling bitterer than if they had swallowed coptis.

After being suppressed by Great-Uncle Five, though they dared not mention raising the price, they had secretly resolved to keep in touch with Xiaoya on the sly.

As the old saying goes, "There are no faulty parents in the world." They, as the parents, had suffered all these hardships and endured all this pain because of the children; they had even given the children life.

Was this heavy, magnificent parental love, as vast as Mount Tai, not proof enough that they were the benefactors?

Even if they demanded the child be obedient, submissive, and make sacrifices for the family, and even if they used the child as a punching bag to vent their frustrations when life went poorly, they felt the child should accept it all without complaint.

The idea that she had nothing to do with them once sold was something Shuanzi’s parents refused to accept.

After all, among the children sold by parents and grandparents in their village—as long as they weren't taken to distant lands by traffickers and completely lost contact—didn't their parents and grandparents still manage to extract money from them after selling them?