Four Harmonies and Good Fortune

Chapter 342 Meeting
Seeing that Steward He had left, Granny Jiang also left contentedly. She touched the lifelike flower on her head, grabbed a servant and instructed, "Be careful. The guests who came today are all from wealthy families. We can't offend anyone."

These things should have been given by Steward He, not Granny Jiang. The servant dared not contradict the old woman and could only agree.

Granny Jiang walked with a brisk pace, as if after today she could completely turn her life around and earn a future for herself.

……

Feng Erniang and several other women were locked in a dilapidated house, where they huddled together for warmth.

Feng Erniang had been beaten and exposed to the cold wind all day. For the past two days, her mind had been foggy and she was half-asleep. She vaguely saw her parents and brother beside her. Her mother brought her a bowl of her favorite bean water. The familiar smell made her eyes sting and she couldn't help but shed tears.

Her father had just brought back some cloth from the south, and he looked travel-worn, but he had a smile on his face. He was holding two pieces of fabric in his hand and said, "Do you like this fabric? Let your mother make you a dress."

Her parents only had three children. Her eldest sister died of a sudden illness when she was young, so they doted on her, their second daughter. Her brother also spoiled her, and she never suffered any grievances growing up.

Her father also betrothed her to the second son of the Guo family, simply because the elders of the Guo family were kind and gentle. The reason it wasn't the eldest son of the Guo family was because the eldest son of the Guo family looked a bit fierce, and her parents were afraid that she would be mistreated after marrying into the family.

Looking at her three relatives, Feng Erniang tried to grab them, but as soon as she reached out her hand, the scene in front of her vanished.

She opened her eyes and saw several haggard faces, with several women surrounding her.

"Finally woke up."

"This kind of fever will be fine once you wake up."

Someone brought her a broken bowl and fed her water. The icy water flowed into her throat, and Feng Erniang became more awake. She thanked the people in a hoarse voice.

"No need to thank us, we didn't do anything."

They were all women who had been abducted. They looked after each other in order to survive and have a chance to escape.

"Did they open their performance in Taiwan today?"

"It seems to be today."

Seeing that Feng Erniang was getting better, the women began to whisper among themselves again.

"Will they really let us go to the corner to resist Taiwan?"

“The manager said before that if we could go up on stage and beat those women, he would let us go home.”

A silence fell over the crowd upon hearing this, until one of them spoke up: "You believe them?"

"We've only just started practicing wrestling... how could we possibly beat those female wrestlers?"

Another voice said, "Going up there will only mean certain death."

Silence fell in the room once again.

Since they weren't taken away, the steward's words probably can't be taken seriously.

As everyone was pondering this, footsteps sounded outside, and then someone said, "The steward wants us to take them to the estate."

Then the door was opened and several men walked in.

Feng Erniang and the others instinctively backed away.

"The master said he's giving you a chance to leave. Whoever survives on the wrestling stage will get their contract back and reunite with their family."

"Who of you is willing?"

Knowing full well that these words couldn't be taken seriously, several women were still eager to try them out.

If they stay, they'll most likely be sold to brothels. Rather than that, they might as well fight for it; perhaps there's a glimmer of hope.

Feng Erniang thought of her brother. She had been forced to harm the Guo brothers and had long since lost the face to live in this world. The only thing she couldn't let go of was her eldest brother. Feng Erniang made up her mind and took a step forward. Three other women came out with her.

Seeing four people step forward made the men quite satisfied. With someone willing to go, they were spared the trouble of persuading them. This kind of thing had to be done willingly; otherwise, it wouldn't be meaningful to be forced onto it.

Especially Feng Erniang, the steward specifically instructed that Feng Erniang must be brought along.

Unbeknownst to others, this woman was certain to die today.

What a pity.

Feng Erniang felt the leader's gaze directed at her. Before she could discern its meaning, she was urged, "Once you've made up your mind, come with us. Don't let anything go wrong."

Feng Erniang and the others followed the man out the door. After a quick wash, they put on new clothes and were ushered into the carriage.

Several women huddled together, their delicate and haggard faces all revealing a resolute expression.

The man didn't sit idly by either, and said, "When we get to the wrestling arena, do as I say, or you'll be knocked off in no time."

He had to teach these things; the nobles preferred to watch life-or-death battles, not women kicking people off the stage with a single kick.

"The longer you stay on stage, the more money you can make for your employer. Even if you lose, as long as you don't die, your employer will still let you go."

"You only get one chance; it's up to you now."

Feng Erniang listened carefully, recalling the appearance of those women on the stage. Even if she couldn't defeat them, she couldn't defeat them immediately, otherwise she would have no chance. While thinking, she gestured with her hands. Before she knew it, the carriage stopped, and the man urged them to get off.

Several carriages and horses came into view, and indeed, quite a few people had arrived at the manor.

The women were both excited and nervous, unaware of what they were about to face.

"Finally I'm here."

Granny Jiang came out of the courtyard to greet them. When she saw Feng Erniang and the others, a kind smile immediately appeared on her round face: "Hurry up and wait for them. The distinguished guests are getting impatient."

Feng Erniang and the others were led by the man to the backyard.

Two men stood on the second floor, looking down.

"These are the female performers who are going to take the stage?" Ge Ying waved her fan and whispered to He Fan beside her, "You're going to use them to make money?"

"He looks too thin and weak; he might be thrown off the stage by the female dancers in no time."

He Fan remained silent, but his steward, He, understood and stepped forward to speak on behalf of his master: "These women are no ordinary people. They usually resist the most fiercely. How could they be so easily defeated?"

Ge Ying said in surprise, "They were carefully selected?"

He Fan said, "They're all restless. If it weren't for the wrestling match, we wouldn't have kept them until now."

It was also thanks to the deaths at the wrestling arena that they were able to set their sights on this business.

"Just you wait and see."

……

Feng Erniang and the others were taken into the house, and the servants brought leather armor for them to wear.

Shouts came from the stage, followed by a loud thud as a woman was thrown to the ground.

One round of wrestling has ended, and it's their turn to take the stage.

The man herded the four women onto the stage, where they waited for the VIPs to place their bets. Feng Erniang heard the murmurs around her, and pairs of eyes fell on them.

Something flew through the air and landed squarely in the bamboo basket in front of Feng Erniang. Feng Erniang looked down and saw that it was a piece of silver.