Mysteries of the Great Zhou Dynasty

Chapter 44 Extra Show Girl (2)

Xiuniang shook her head, her eyes feeling a little sore.

"My health is getting worse day by day. You've seen the situation at home." Master Xu hammered his legs a few times and then said, "What are your plans?"

Xiuniang's eyes were already filled with tears: "Master, you are a good person, you will definitely live a long life... I will follow your arrangements in everything."

Mr. Xu nodded and said, "What do you think about those rumors outside?"

Xiuniang knew that Mr. Xu was referring to those rumors, such as that she was so old and if she didn't get married she would become an old maid in the future; that Mr. Xu treated her better than his own grandson and that she must be an illegitimate daughter; and that she was actually Mr. Xu's concubine; in short, there were all kinds of nasty words.

A trace of grievance flashed in Xiuniang's eyes, but she said stubbornly: "It's okay for me to be criticized. I'm just angry that they are making up stories about you, Master."

Mr. Xu said to Xiuniang earnestly, "The more foolish and narrow-minded people are, the more they will dictate other people's lives. Child, don't let those words defeat you. When you are a little better than them, they will start to envy you; when you are much better than them, they will start to curry favor with you. So work hard to become stronger!"

Mr. Xu's nose was sore. He looked at the poor child with great reluctance and continued, "Do you know why I didn't recognize you as my goddaughter?"

The embroiderer shook her head, thought for a moment, and asked, "Do you want me to marry..."

Mr. Xu shook his head, dismissing her idea. "Don't be fooled. The Xu family may be wealthy and powerful, but they've long been weak. The eldest family is petty, selfish, and short-sighted, and their three children are mediocre. The second family is unethical and untalented. Li Zhun has been spoiled and pampered, and now he's addicted to gambling. I heard he spent a fortune trying to snatch a courtesan from someone!"

Mr. Xu was so angry that he pounded the table and started coughing. Xiuniang hurried forward and patted him on the back.

Mr. Xu sighed deeply. "Although the third son has a kind heart, he is a coward. He's afraid that after I die, I won't be able to take care of myself, so how can I take care of you? Our Xu family doesn't have the blessing to marry you as a granddaughter. Although I didn't adopt you as my goddaughter, you have long been closer to me than my four biological grandsons. I didn't adopt you as my goddaughter because I didn't want to put the burden of the Xu family on your shoulders. You can have a broader life and shouldn't be bound by the Xu family."

Xiuniang shed tears silently. The old man in front of her actually cared so much about her.

Mr. Xu pulled out a box from the bookcase, took out a stack of banknotes and handed it over: "This is the money from my private vault. They don't know about it, so you can take it with confidence."

Xiuniang hid her hands behind her back and shook her head repeatedly: "I don't want it..."

Mr. Xu smiled, took Xiuniang's hand, and put the banknote into her hand: "This is the money I lend you. I didn't say you can't pay it back. But not now, but after I die... Take this money and open a small shop or a store. It's enough for you to support yourself. I believe that with your ability, maybe one day you can become the richest person in Fengxian County!"

Xiuniang clutched the banknote and burst into tears. Knowing she couldn't refuse, she accepted it: "If the Xu family needs me in the future, I will go through fire and water for them."

Mr. Xu shook his head, a smile still on his pale face. "Silly child, you will have your own life to live in the future. Don't think about the Xu family anymore. You never sold yourself to the Xu family in the first place. I told them before that I brought you back because you saved my life. These five years of raising you is just repayment for that life-saving grace. If they want my property, they are not allowed to cause trouble for you. While I'm still alive, I can help you for a while, but from now on, you have to rely on yourself."

Xiuniang knelt down and kowtowed three times. She knew that it was Mr. Xu who was arranging her funeral and paving the way for her.

The master continued, "When you make money in the future, don't forget your original intention. Do more good deeds and think more about the poor. That will be enough, and it will not be in vain for me to teach you for five years. Finally, there is one more thing... I want to hear you call me Grandpa."

Xiuniang's nose felt sore, tears started to fall, and she trembled as she called out, "Grandpa!"

"Hey, good boy." Mr. Xu responded with tears in his eyes and a smile.

----

Three days later, the largest restaurant in Fengxian County held a banquet to celebrate Mr. Xu's 70th birthday. In front of the county magistrate and the local prominent gentry, Mr. Xu signed a document:
Xiuniang, having saved his life, raised him for five years and gave him fifty taels of silver as capital, allowing him to establish his own family. He was to have no further ties with the Xu family, and no one, no matter who, was allowed to interfere. Anyone who violated this order would be disqualified from inheriting the estate. The Xu family had been loyal and virtuous for generations, and their descendants were to practice good deeds and cultivate virtue, avoiding extravagance and debauchery, or they would be expelled from the family.

If any of the descendants engage in prostitution or gambling, they will be expelled from the family and treated equally without any leniency.

------

A year later, just after midnight, there was another violent knock on the door. This was the third time that month. Xiuniang wrapped herself tightly in the quilt and tried to ignore it. If this continued, Xiuniang thought, she would consider reporting it to the police, but how would she explain it? A man frequently knocked on a woman's door in the middle of the night. How could a single man and a single woman explain it?
"Xiuniang, I know you're in there. Open the door and let me in!" Xu Lizhun's voice came from outside the door. It was obvious that he was drunk again. "You bitch, why are you pretending to be so noble? You're playing it safe! I've seen a lot of this!"

The words of the outsider became more and more outrageous, each word more unpleasant than the last.

It's not that Xiuniang didn't explain to him, but he was always immersed in his own logic, taking her explanations and rejections as excuses for her reserve. Xiuniang really regretted that when she learned that he was kicked out of the Xu family for gambling and stealing, she shouldn't have felt sympathy and asked the waiter to deliver something to him.

Just because she asked the waiter to deliver things twice, Xu Lizhun was sure that she loved him.

Maybe he didn't recognize her, but Xu Lizhun was desperate and Xiuniang was the lifeline he grabbed.

"You bastard, are you ever going to stop? Believe it or not, I'll chop you into pieces with a knife! Can't you let me sleep in the middle of the night?" A burst of angry curses came from next door, followed by footsteps and the sound of a knife being drawn. Next door was the family of Brother Yan, a butcher. He was famous for his bad temper.

At this time, the noise outside died down a little, and Xu Lizhun walked away cursing. As the cursing became farther and farther away, Xiuniang finally breathed a sigh of relief. However, she didn't know when he would come again in the future. Living in fear like this was not a solution after all.

Xu Lizhun had been causing trouble at the restaurant before, and even calling in more servants didn't seem to help. He himself said that the barefoot aren't afraid of the ones wearing shoes. If he got angry, he was really worried that he would do something out of the ordinary.

So when Xiuniang learned that day that Xu Lizhun was arrested for cheating in the imperial examination and the murder of Liu Meiqing, she felt relieved. She knew that this was really unfair to that woman, but if it weren't for this, she might have been the next to die.

Xiuniang could finally sleep peacefully.
-
Three years later, on Qingming Festival, Xiuniang pulled out the weeds beside the tombstone, cleaned it up, lit a stick of incense, and offered wine.

Suddenly, she heard some movement behind her. Turning around, she saw that it was Uncle Fu, the old butler of the Xu family.

Xiuniang quickly stood up and went to support the old housekeeper.

Uncle Fu burst into tears when he saw Xiuniang. "I can't believe that after all these years, you're the only one who remembers the master. The Xu family's descendants are unfilial, and now the family is dwindling and in decline. Fortunately, you now have a place to settle down and are not dragged down by those parasites in the Xu family. I believe that the master would be comforted if he knew about this."

Xiuniang also silently shed a few tears: "Uncle Fu, you don't have to work for the Xu family anymore. Why don't you come to my place and I will take care of you in your old age."

The old housekeeper waved his hands and said, "No, no, I have one foot in the coffin, how can I be a burden to you, young lady?"

Xiuniang wiped away her tears and said, "Uncle Fu, please don't say that. The master passed away in a hurry, and I was not there to fulfill my filial piety. I feel very sad. If you can let me show my filial piety, I will feel better. I really want you to live with me in my old age, so that we can rely on each other for survival. I have no other relatives in this world, please help me realize this dream!"

The housekeeper was so moved that he burst into tears. He wiped away the tears from the corners of his eyes with his rough hands and nodded in response: "Okay, okay, okay..."

After offering sacrifices to Mr. Xu, Xiuniang supported the old housekeeper and slowly walked down the mountain path, gradually walking away.

(End of this chapter)