A fierce wife enters the house: She helps up a house full of spineless people.

After finishing the accounts at night, Wang Jinzhu put down the abacus, tilted her neck and turned it a couple of times, her joints cracking.

A pair of hands pressed down on her shoulders from behind.

The pressure was just right, not too light or too heavy, pressing precisely on the sore and stiff spot.

"Does Chen Xinghua work for our family?" Chen Tianfang asked.

Wang Jinzhu hummed in agreement: "What's wrong with her?"

Do you know anything about her family situation?

Wang Jinzhu, with her eyes closed, said, "Her husband died last year, and she's raising her three-year-old daughter alone."

"Anything else?"

Wang Jinzhu opened her eyes and turned to look at him.

Chen Tianfang frowned as she stared at him: "What kind of look is that?"

"Tianfang, you wouldn't be like those other people in the village, would you?"

"Finish what you have to say."

"Do you think she's unlucky and brings bad fortune to her husband?"

Chen Tianfang withdrew his hand from her shoulder, sat down on the chair next to her, and his face darkened.

"Is that the kind of person you think I am?"

Wang Jinzhu touched her nose, coughed lightly, picked up the water bowl on the table, took a sip, and covered up the misunderstanding.

"Then you tell me."

"Her in-laws have a young son, nineteen years old, who should be getting married," Chen Tianfang said in a low voice. "The woman's family is asking for a dowry of six taels of silver, which her in-laws can't afford. I heard in the village today that her in-laws are after her."

Wang Jinzhu put down her water bowl: "What idea?"

"Her in-laws want to sell her to raise money for their youngest son's dowry. They say they've already found out that someone is offering seven taels of silver!"

Wang Jinzhu's heart sank instantly. Women in this era were so tragic; they didn't even belong to themselves. "Where is her family?" Wang Jinzhu asked.

"Her family members are all gone."

Wang Jinzhu leaned back in her chair and stared at the roof beam for a long time.

"She can earn thirty or forty coins a day now, which adds up to at least one or two taels of silver a month. Do her in-laws know?"

"So what if we know?" Chen Tianfang said. "It takes six months to save up one tael of silver for the betrothal gift. Her in-laws can't wait, and neither can her youngest son. If we sell her, we'll get the silver, and the marriage can be arranged that very month."

Wang Jinzhu didn't say anything more.

The next day, work began as usual, and Chen Xinghua arrived half an hour early as expected. The stove was lit, the water boiled, and the flower petals were steamed in the steamer—everything was perfectly set.

Wang Jinzhu didn't mention what happened last night, but just glanced at her a couple more times.

Chen Xinghua pulled her sleeve down a little, but it still couldn't cover the bruises around her wrist.

Wang Jinzhu didn't ask anything.

On the third day, Chen Xinghua did not come.

Chen Tianwei waited at the door for fifteen minutes, then returned to report: "Sister Xinghua didn't come, and no one brought a message."

Wang Jinzhu put down her work and glanced at Chen Tianfang.

Chen Tianfang was already changing his shoes.

"I'll go take a look."

"Together." Wang Jinzhu wiped her hands, took a money bag off the wall, weighed it in her hand, and put it in her pocket.

Not far away, we heard a wail.

The gate to Chen Xinghua's in-laws' house was wide open. Three people were standing in the yard—a woman in her forties with her hands on her hips, and a middle-aged man who was unfamiliar with her, wearing a worn brown short jacket with a rope tied around his waist.

Human traffickers.

Wang Jinzhu recognized him at a glance; he looked exactly like the person who wanted to buy Chen Tianwei back then.

Chen Xinghua was being pulled by the arm and pushed towards the courtyard gate by her mother-in-law, who was tightly holding a little girl in her arms. The little girl was about three years old and was crying so hard that she couldn't catch her breath, her little hands clutching her mother's clothes tightly.

"What are you howling about!" Chen Xinghua's mother-in-law slapped her on the back. "You killed your husband! How dare you stay in this house? Selling you to your second son to get him a wife, you've done one good deed!"

Chen Xinghua gritted her teeth and remained silent, only holding her daughter even tighter.

The vendor stepped forward and reached out to pull her.

"Wait."

Wang Jinzhu's voice came from the courtyard gate, neither too loud nor too soft, but everyone present heard it clearly.

The trafficker turned to look at her, his eyes scanning her body first, then taking a look at Chen Tianfang behind her—tall and broad-shouldered, with a muscular build, he didn't look like someone to be trifled with.

"Sister-in-law, who are you—"

"Buyer." Wang Jinzhu walked into the courtyard, her steps neither fast nor slow.

Chen Xinghua's mother-in-law released her grip and looked her up and down: "You want to buy it?"

How much did she cost?

The mother-in-law's eyes darted around: "Eight ounces."

The vendor next to her changed his expression: "Aunt Zhao, didn't we agree on this—"

"How much are you offering?" Wang Jinzhu asked, looking directly at him.

The trafficker hesitated for a moment: "Seven taels, including the child."

"Eight taels, I'll buy it." Wang Jinzhu took out her money bag from her bosom, counted out eight taels of silver in front of everyone, and stacked them on the millstone in the courtyard.

The old woman's eyes lit up immediately, and she reached for the silver.

Wang Jinzhu slapped her hand down: "I can give you the money, but buying and selling people is no child's play. Go and invite the village chief here. In front of the village chief, write a contract of sale, clearly stating in black and white: Chen Xinghua and Cao'er will have no further connection with your family. Once it's signed, you can take the money."

The old woman paused for a moment, then shouted into the house, "Second son! Go quickly and fetch the village chief!"

Chen Tianfang took a step forward, his gaze falling on the peddler. The peddler felt uneasy under his gaze, and seeing that he was about to alert the village chief, he muttered "bad luck" and turned to quickly leave the courtyard.

Before long, the village chief arrived, understood what had happened, sighed, and asked someone to bring paper and pen.

The indenture was written by the village chief himself. It stated that Chen Xinghua voluntarily sold herself into servitude, receiving eight taels of silver, and from then on had no further connection with her husband's family, including marriage and funerals. It also specifically stated that her daughter, Cao'er, would stay with her mother and also belong to the buyer.

The old woman was illiterate, but after the village chief read it once, she couldn't wait to press her fingerprint on the document.

Wang Jinzhu carefully read the contract and, after confirming that it was correct, pushed the silver over.

The mother-in-law grabbed the silver, counted it over and over, beaming with joy, then turned and went into the house without giving Chen Xinghua and her daughter another second glance.

The village chief sighed and said to Wang Jinzhu, "Jinzhu, take her back and treat her well. Keep this contract safe; from now on, she and her daughter are your family."

"Thank you, village chief." Wang Jinzhu carefully folded the contract and put it into her bosom.

Only Wang Jinzhu, Chen Tianfang, Chen Xinghua, and the little girl remained in the courtyard.

Holding her child, Chen Xinghua knelt on the ground and kowtowed heavily towards the village chief and Wang Jinzhu. Tears fell silently onto the ground.

Wang Jinzhu didn't stop her from kowtowing. After she finished, she bent down and took the little girl from her arms.

The little girl was crying with snot all over her face, her two yellow braids were half undone, and her face was thin and bony.

"What's your name?"

Chen Xinghua said in a hoarse voice, "Cao'er... her name is Cao'er."

Wang Jinzhu wiped Cao'er's face with her sleeve and gently placed the child back in Chen Xinghua's arms.

"Let's go, we'll talk about it when we get back."

The three adults and one child crossed the low hills, passed through the bamboo forest, and returned to Chenjia Village.

Wang Jinzhu led Chen Xinghua to her old house where she used to live. The house was small, but it had been cleaned up, with tables, chairs, and bedding readily available.

"You and Cao'er can stay here for now." Wang Jinzhu handed her the key.

Chen Xinghua clutched the keys, her hands still trembling.

"Sister Jinzhu...you bought my life, and from now on—"

"Listen carefully." Wang Jinzhu interrupted her, took out the contract of sale from her bosom, unfolded it, and placed it on the table.

"It says eight taels of silver here. You'll be paid your wages for working in the workshop, not a penny less. When you've saved up eight taels and want your freedom, come back to me and exchange them for this contract. I'll burn it in front of you."

Chen Xinghua was stunned. She looked up at her, and tears welled up in her eyes again.

"From today onward, you will work for yourself, and work for the grass. You're not becoming my slave, you're earning your own freedom."

After Wang Jinzhu finished speaking, she turned and walked out.

As I reached the door, I heard a short, choked sob behind me.

The little girl tugged at her mother's clothes, looking up at her as she cried, tears welling up in her eyes as well. But she didn't cry or make a fuss; she only called out softly—

"Mother, don't cry."

Wang Jinzhu paused for a moment, but without turning around, she stepped out the door.

Chen Tian waited for her outside, and the two walked side by side toward the workshop.

After walking about ten steps, Chen Tianfang suddenly asked, "How much silver did you take with you today?"

"Ten taels."

"Eight taels for the person, what about the remaining two taels?"

"It's for Cao'er." Wang Jinzhu glanced at him. "A three-year-old child is so skinny. Buy two pounds of meat, make some bone broth, and feed him first."

Chen Tianfang didn't ask any more questions, and the corners of his mouth curved upwards slightly.

That night, Chen Xinghua coaxed Cao'er to sleep, but she herself couldn't fall asleep for a long time. How long had it been since they had such a comfortable day?

Eight taels of silver.

She can earn one or two taels a month.

Eight months.

Eight months later, she was a free woman.