Chapter 176
For servants sold into indenture like them, if their masters were benevolent, they might receive some wages. If they encountered harsh ones, they worked purely for free without pay. The monthly allowance for first-class maids and servants in wealthy households in town was mostly three to four hundred copper coins. After Zhao Ger inquired around, considering the work in the shop was laborious—unlike the tasks in large courtyards which involved just serving tea and water and attending to people—this was strenuous labor, he set their wages at five hundred copper coins per person per month.
This was considered quite generous.
Through this incident, Li Yanmei could be said to have seen through the fickleness of human relationships. When Lin Xiaoxia first got into trouble, her maternal relatives, fearing she would come to borrow money, found excuses to keep her from entering their homes, each avoiding her family of three like snakes and scorpions.
Previously, unable to repay the debt, their family of three sold themselves into servitude, working for others without pay. In ten or twenty years, they could have cleared the debt. But that household was not good, they did not treat their servants as human. There was a young master in the family, seven years old. The master ordered Jiaojiao to go serve him. But Jiaojiao was only three years old, what did she understand? The two children were playing in the backyard. The young master made Jiaojiao act as a horse for him to ride. Jiaojiao was big-boned and sturdy, but after being hungry for several days, she had little strength. In the middle, she accidentally let the young master fall off.
The master, hearing the news, rushed over. Seeing his child crying and checking that he was unharmed, he turned and slapped Jiaojiao.
Lin Xiaoxia, unable to stomach this, argued back a few words. The master was wary of him and didn't dare say much on the spot. However, probably thinking they ate a lot, and now they dared to openly talk back, making him lose face—next time, they might just jump up and hit him.
Lin Xiaoxia was like an untamed tiger. The master pondered it over. They had already repaid over two hundred taels of the three hundred tael debt, and that batch of goods wasn't worth three hundred taels either. After some thought, not feeling at a loss, he sold off their family of three.
After twists and turns along the way, they ended up back in Fu'an Town.
Li Da originally wanted to borrow some money to redeem them, but Li Da's daughter-in-law cried and screamed, refusing to agree.
They had already borrowed from everyone they could before. There was nowhere left to borrow another ten-odd taels now. Moreover, even after redeeming them, the question of what to do next remained.
Even in modern times, having a criminal record left a stain. After release, without connections or a backdoor, it was extremely difficult to find decent work.
Lin Xiaoxia had been registered as a slave. Even if it was later removed, the reason for him being sold off would inevitably lead to much speculation from others. Finding work would definitely be even harder.
The house they lived in before had already been sold. Coming out, they could only go back to live with Li Da's family. However, Li Da's family home wasn't very spacious either. In front was a meat stall, and behind was a small courtyard with only three rooms inside. His grandson was already eight years old and naturally could no longer squeeze into one room with his parents. If Lin Xiaoxia's family moved in, there would be no way to accommodate them. Moreover, food and clothing would still have to be provided by the family. Li Da's daughter-in-law was unwilling.
Li Da's son was also unwilling. Li Da himself had to rely on his son for support in old age, so he could only reluctantly give up.
Li Yanmei stayed at the slave broker's for over half a month, enduring hunger. Not seeing Li Da come, she knew her father had already given up on her.
She couldn't say she hated her father, just felt somewhat disappointed.
Lin Xiaoxia was tall and inevitably had a somewhat fierce and menacing air. In the same town, though they didn't live together, people knew of their fierce tempers. Buying them back would likely be difficult to control, and his family had big appetites. For these reasons, no one had bought them.
Fang Zichen, without hesitation and only remembering their one previous encounter, bought them back. Li Yanmei was extremely grateful and indebted to him. She worked extremely hard. Flipping the wok was a task requiring strength. Zhao Ger, being considerate and afraid she would wear herself out, originally thought of closing the shop in the afternoon. Li Yanmei was unwilling, saying business was good and there was no reason to close since there were still customers.
She didn't mind the tiredness, didn't want to rest, so Zhao Ger let her be.
The Lin family of three had settled in and weren't lacking anything. The shop's business was also still good. Fang Zichen, with his hands behind his back, strolled around, inspected everything, then returned satisfied.
He Huihui always waited for him at the village entrance, pretending to run into him by chance. Zhao Ger was annoyed to death, but the road belonged to everyone. He Huihui pretended to be idling there; he couldn't say anything, so he arranged for Guaizai to come a bit earlier.
Seeing Fang Zichen, He Huihui's face lit up with joy, and she was about to go towards him when Guaizai came running from ahead, waving his little short arms.
"Father, Father, Guaizai is here, oh! Guaizai came to pick you up to go home, yo!"
Seeing his son, how could Fang Zichen care about anyone else? Without even giving her a glance, he picked up Guaizai and left.
He Huihui twisted her handkerchief and stamped her foot hatefully.
After several back-and-forth instances where Guaizai ruined her plans, He Huihui took an extreme dislike to Guaizai.
This day she came out to wash clothes. Seeing Guaizai squatting by the small river in the distance, she paused her steps, changed direction, and walked towards him.
"You're Guaizai?" she asked, already knowing the answer.
Guaizai stood up and turned around, looking at He Huihui. He had seen He Huihui a few times when going to meet Fang Zichen, but they had never spoken. "Yes! Hello, Auntie."
He Huihui saw he held a small hoe in one hand and a clenched fist in the other, seeming to grasp something inside. The back of his hand was covered in mud. He had changed clothes before going out, now wearing a small gray apron over his clothes. "What are you doing?"
It had been raining for several days recently, damp and extremely cold. The soil was sticky. Guaizai was digging for earthworms barehanded, inevitably getting some on him. Plus, his hands were wet, freezing until they were purplish-blue. Together with the dark brown mud by the river, it didn't look very pleasant to look at.
Guaizai opened his hand. An earthworm wriggled in his small palm. "Guaizai is digging for wormies."
Earthworms have no smell.
But He Huihui covered her nose and took a few steps back. Her eyes showed disgust, her tone was cold, and her expression was not gentle. "Why are you grabbing this kind of thing? It's filthy. You too, how can you be so disgusting."
Guaizai began to become flustered, his little face instantly flushing red.
Similar words—even words ten times harsher than these—had once been hurled at him repeatedly.
He wasn't unaware. Though he didn't fully understand the meaning of some words, he vaguely knew they were insults, not good things.
Fang Zichen once thought he was sensible and sensitive.
But a three-year-old child should not really be like this. It was only because he lived in hardship and under oppression that he learned too early to read people's expressions and to be cautious.
Back then he had no clothes. The two sets of small clothes he wore at birth were still sent over by Aunt Liu, who had Liu Xiaowen deliver them.
After Liu Xiaowen went to the border, Zhou Ger fell ill. The family, already not well-off, was like adding frost on top of snow.
Without Liu Xiaowen, the family essentially completely lost its source of income. Uncle Liu was only in his forties that year, but after years of labor, his face was severely aged. Going to town to find work, no one would hire him. The Liu family could hardly keep themselves fed and warm, so naturally they couldn't take care of Zhao Ger.
Zhao Ger found every step difficult at the Ma family. Just filling his own and his child's stomachs almost exhausted all his energy.
When Guaizai grew bigger, he had only one set of clothes. Although Zhao Ger bathed him every day, the village children always said he was dirty, unclean.
Ma Xiaoshun once even spat at him.
Having endured so much, he should have become used to it, should have become immune. But people are ultimately flesh and blood, creatures of warm emotions. He still hadn't developed Fang Zichen's ability; these words still made him somewhat uncomfortable.
He Huihui's disgust and disdain were not concealed in the slightest. Guaizai put his hands behind his back, retracted his feet, and pressed his legs tightly together, his posture stiff with unease. He glanced up at He Huihui, then quickly lowered his head, letting it hang deeply. He shrunk into a small, hunched figure, head bowed, staring at his own toes. His voice was tiny and faint.
"Not dirty. Guaizai will wash his hands. Not dirty."
He seemed to be insisting. He Huihui merely looked down at him, her posture aloof as if she were gazing down upon a lost, helpless, and pitifully frail creature. Her thin lips parted slightly, exuding a lofty sense of superiority. "I heard you are a wild seed (illegitimate child)."
Guaizai frowned and immediately looked up. "That is not true!"
He Huihui's tone was sharp. "Why not? I've heard people say you are not Ma Wen's son. You were born from your daddy's illicit affair. If you are not a wild seed, then what are you?"
"Don't talk nonsense. Don't say bad things about Daddy," Guaizai seemed provoked by these words, his eyes turning red. "And don't make me angry, or I'll tell my father to hit you."
He Huihui: "..."
He Huihui felt somewhat speechless. When she remained silent, Guaizai thought he had intimidated her and added, "My father fights super-duper strong. Someone like you, if father throws one punch, you'll go flying away, yo."
He Huihui laughed. "You think your father would hit me for you?"
"Why wouldn't he? I am father's little treasure. You are not." Guaizai said.
"I'm not right now. But after I marry your father, then I will be."
These words seemed to poke Guaizai's sore spot. The whole child bristled, like a cat whose fur was practically standing on end. "You are not allowed to steal Father from Daddy! Father said that is wrong. Someone like you is a home-wrecker, is a fox spirit, is a bad egg."
He hugged his bamboo tube and ran off with a clatter. Realizing he had forgotten his hoe, he turned back to retrieve it. Seeing He Huihui still watching him, he did not forget to toss out a final remark as he left. "Guaizai will not talk much with bad eggs anymore."
He Huihui: "..."
She almost laughed in anger, glaring after Guaizai's retreating figure with contempt.
This child was truly just like his dad—thoroughly irritating and detestable.
After Guaizai returned home, he remained listless all day. Between father and son, even the slightest shift in mood was perceptible to the other.
Zhao Ger asked him what was wrong. Guaizai merely twisted his little hands and said nothing.
Guaizai's eye shape was round, the outer corners slightly drooping down, like puppy dog eyes, moist and pitiful.
"What's wrong? Can't you tell Daddy?" Zhao Ger asked.
Guaizai went to grab his hand, tightly holding his index finger. After hesitating for a while, he voiced again that question he hadn't dared ask or mention before.
"Daddy, what is a wild seed?"
Zhao Ger froze, the color draining from his face in an instant. It was as though an invisible hand had closed around his throat. His lips trembled, his eyes reddened, and for a long moment, he could not speak.
Guaizai buried his face in Zhao Ger’s chest. "Daddy don’t cry. Guaizai won’t ask anymore. Won’t ask."
Zhao Ger took several steadying breaths, then gently brushed the stray hairs from Guaizai’s forehead. "Daddy doesn’t know either," he said softly. "When father comes home, you can ask him, alright?"
Guaizai looked up. "Can I ask Father?"
"Yes."
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