Annual Ceremony

Chapter 68 Lesser Cold (Part 1)

Upon receiving the letter, Zhenyi, despite her illness, got up, discussed the matter briefly with her family, and then hurriedly left home the next morning with her eldest brother on a mule cart.

Orange originally wanted to come along, but Zhenyi was really worried about its health, so she asked it to stay at home and entrusted it to Luo Ge'er, who loved cats and dogs very much.

Wang Yuan and his sister Zhenyi left Jinling and braved the bitter cold of midwinter, heading south towards Huzhou Prefecture.

The malaria outbreak in the summer and autumn took away many faces that Zhenyi knew. Mrs. Jiang, who had worked hard for many years for the business left by her husband and her son, was always energetic, shrewd and strong-willed, and even when she mourned for others, she would cry and sing in a dignified manner, also passed away from malaria.

Jiang Mao was a dissolute and incompetent young man, and Shuyi was completely clueless about business. With neither of them having any ideas, the business that Mrs. Jiang had been desperately trying to protect soon fell into the hands of her clan. Jiang Mao, on the other hand, was a womanizer and a gambler. He was tricked by his clan and ended up with a mountain of debt. The clan paid off his debts and, in doing so, expelled him from Jinling.

Jiang Mao and Shuyi took Shan Jie'er to Huzhou Prefecture to seek refuge with Jiang's wife's brother.

But Jiang Mao's bad habits were hard to break, and he could not make people feel at ease no matter where he went. His uncle was already quite kind, giving him three mud houses and two acres of land, and then severing all ties with him.

These events occurred within a few months.

A malaria outbreak brought about too many changes, and the Wang family was also in chaos. Shuyi left Jinling in a hurry, while Zhenyi clearly learned from her sister-in-law last month that her elder sister had written to report that she was safe and sound, saying that she had settled down in Huzhou and was doing well, and that the family should not worry about her.

Unexpectedly, a month later, Shuyi sent another letter home, but it was a plea for help.

Shuyi was not asking for help for herself, but for her daughter Shanjie.

After losing everything, Jiang Mao turned his attention to his young daughter.

When Zhenyi and her elder brother arrived at the remote, unnamed village and found the three mud houses, they saw five or six local thugs blocking the way. Jiang Mao was tearing at Shuyi, who was lying in the mud and refusing to let go of Shanjie, and was cursing, "Let go! Otherwise, I'll sell you to a brothel too!"

These days, not to mention the gambling dens that are open everywhere, there are countless idle men squatting at the entrance of villages and towns gambling, and the sight of gamblers selling their wives and daughters is everywhere.

Jiang Mao chose to sell his daughter first because his wife could still take care of him, and the older one was always more useful than the younger one. Besides, she might even give him another child.

But his wife, who had always been submissive, dared to fight back against him. No matter how much he punched and kicked her, she held onto her daughter and refused to let go.

Shuyi placed great importance on ladylike decorum from a young age.

At this moment, she was wrapped in coarse cloth clothes, rolling in the mud, her hair disheveled, her hands and face covered in frostbite. Her "three-inch golden lotuses," which she was so proud of, no longer had a pair of silk stockings to match them. They were naked and disheveled, revealing the deformed and incomplete nature that had once been hidden under her brocade shoes.

Shuyi struggled to her feet, but in her haste, her legs gave way, and she collapsed to the ground in despair, clutching her daughter. A thought, inappropriately echoing in her mind, flashed back to words she had uttered in her youth—

She had once regarded Lady Yuanji's experience as a form of spiritual practice, but now she herself had fallen into a similar predicament.

Shuyi, whose feet had been thoroughly disciplined, was filled with fear, despair, and helplessness, yet she could not muster a shred of anger.

Without anger, even resistance is destined to be powerless, and its scope is limited to the three inches of ground beneath one's feet.

Shuyi was terrified, but she only thought about running into the house to hide instead of desperately trying to escape.

Enraged, Jiang Mao recklessly swung a thick stick at Shuyi.

However, the next moment, his collar was suddenly grabbed and he was pulled backward. As he stumbled, a fist suddenly landed on his ferocious face.

Jiang Mao was knocked to the ground by the punch, and before he could even stand up properly, a loud slap landed on his face in anger. Seeing that it was Wang Yuan and Zhenyi, Jiang Mao was stunned for a moment, then flew into a rage, grabbing the stick to retaliate: "...You little bitch! Have you eaten the gall of a mad bear?!"

Before he could fully raise his arm to swing the stick, he was subdued by a man in a green robe.

This person was none other than Zhan Mei.

Jiang Mao's body was ruined by wine and women, and he could only bully weak girls and children. Now that Zhan Mei had him down, he could only helplessly curse and struggle.

Wang Yuan's eyes were red-rimmed, and he was about to attack Jiang Mao again when Zhan Mei stopped him, saying, "Brother!"

While Jiang Mao is certainly despicable, it would be a great loss to take legal action against such a scoundrel.

The thugs and many villagers were peeking out from behind.

Zhenyi quickly went to help Shuyi and her daughter.

In less than half a year, Zhenyi could hardly recognize her older sister.

"Zhen'er, Zhen'er..." Shuyi took her muddy and blood-stained hand and grasped Zhenyi's hand, her eyes trembling with tears as she repeatedly pleaded, "Save Shan'er, take Shan'er away!"

Having discerned the purpose of the Wang family's trip, Jiang Mao felt even more confident.

These kinds of people are difficult to deal with, but there are ways to get rid of them, which is nothing more than exchanging money for them.

Jiang Mao owes gambling debts, and the thugs outside are hired by the creditors who want to take Shan Jie away. They won't leave until they see the money.

Having found the Wang family's weakness, Jiang Mao began to make exorbitant demands. Not only did he want the Wang family to pay off his gambling debts, but he also demanded an extra hundred taels of silver: "She is my child, clearly written in the household register! If you don't satisfy me today, no one will be able to take her away!"

Such is the state of the world. Even for someone like Mr. Yuan Mei, bringing back Mrs. Yuan Ji and her daughter back home was a difficult process, requiring considerable effort and negotiation.

The Wang family had anticipated this, and they scraped together nearly a hundred taels of silver to give to Wang Yuan.

At this moment, Zhan Mei also took out the travel money he had on him.

Having paid off his gambling debts, Jiang Mao had very little left. He was barely satisfied, and with a few loose silver coins in his pocket, he grumbled as he left: "...Get out of here before I get back!"

"Big brother, Zhen'er... and the Zhan brothers, I will always remember your great kindness today!" Shuyi thanked them with tears in her eyes, and pushed her daughter to Zhenyi: "But this is not a good place, I really can't keep you here. I'm afraid he will come back and make trouble again. You should leave quickly!"

As the Lesser Cold approaches, all things wither, and snowflakes begin to fall again from the gray sky.

Zhenyi, who was being pushed and urged to leave by her older sister, stepped forward and grabbed her sister's thin arm: "Big sister, don't rush, we're going back together."

Shuyi was stunned: "...Go back?"

“Yes, elder sister.” Zhenyi’s red eyes were full of determination: “Elder sister, let’s go home together.”

A round, muddy tear rolled down Shuyi's cheek. Coming to her senses, she simply shook her head: "I can't go back. Don't talk nonsense. Let's go, Zhen'er!"