7 Chapter 7 The Beautiful Young Mother_1

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The fool was picked up by the broker's wife on the side of the road this morning while she was out doing errands, lured with just a bun.

When the trader saw that his wife had brought back a fool, he said angrily, "Are you stupid? Why did you bring a fool back for? We can't sell her, and we'll have to feed her at our own expense."

The broker's wife replied, "You're the one who's stupid. Although she's a fool, she's also a young maiden. If we clean her up and sell her to some widower in the countryside, or someone who can't get a wife, even at the cheapest, she's still worth hundreds of big coins. Now is the perfect time to register her as a servant with the refugees; no one will know she was picked up by us. Do you also dislike free money because it sticks to your hands?"

The trader thought it made sense and chuckled, praising his wife. Just as the couple had finished speaking and before they had a chance to give the fool a bath, a poor man looking to buy people arrived.

Seeing Lady Wu still hesitant, the broker's wife said, "Seeing how tough Sister's days have been, I'll do a good deed and sell her to you for five hundred coins in total, I can't go any lower." Then, pulling the fool around, she pointed at her skirt, soiled to the point where its color was unrecognizable, and whispered, "Sister, look quickly, aren't those stains from her period that haven't been there that long?"

Lady Wu saw that there were indeed several clumps of dry, dark brown bloodstains at a special location on the back of the skirt. It was the only thing on her that still showed its original color and must have been from these past few days. She felt a hidden pity and sighed softly, "Oh heavens, what sins have been wrought."

The broker's wife also sighed, "It's pitiful, I was actually going to wash her, but you came in. She's just dirty now, but look at her eyebrows and eyes, you can tell she's a pretty girl. Since ancient times, the young have loved Chang'e, what young man wouldn't like a young and tender sister? Take her back, and your son will definitely like her, and he'll be able to enjoy the wedding night. But if you choose that woman," the broker's wife pointed at the ugly woman with the birthmark and said, "it's still questionable whether your son would want to share his wedding night with her."

Lady Wu, who was soft-hearted, was persuaded by the broker's wife's words and began to waver.

Seeing an opportunity, Granny Broker added, "Actually, she's not completely stupid, she can take care of herself, just not clever... Sister, think about it, with so little money and time pressing, where else could you buy a prime aged and child-bearing smart girl?" She then whispered, "And once she has a baby, if you still dislike her, just sell her directly."

"If she really gives me a grandchild, how could I bear to sell her?" Lady Wu said.

Granny Broker laughed, "Yes, yes, you can tell Sister has the heart of a bodhisattva. Take her home, she can add a grandchild for you, and you would be doing a good deed, as well as earning blessings for your son who's off at war, it's a triple win."

The last few words from Granny Broker struck Lady Wu right in her heart, and she actually paid to buy the fool. She still needed to accompany Granny Broker to the County Government Office to process the servant contract, but Lady Wu declined; her grandchild's mother couldn't be a servant.

The fool didn't want to leave, saying blankly a single word, "Afraid."

And she said it in official speech.

The broker's wife spoke kindly and gently, "Be good, don't be afraid, she will take you home to enjoy blessings."

Lady Wu, sighing, pulled the fool with her and said, "Come, go home with Auntie. To speak of blessings, I dare not, but as long as we have a bite, you'll have a bite too."

Perhaps influenced by Lady Wu's gentle demeanor, the fool obediently followed her.

The trader saw his wife had easily earned five hundred wen big money with just a bun and grinned from ear to ear.

Lady Wu led the fool out, heading straight for the city gate. When she asked the fool her name, she seemed not to understand and remained silent. Passing a noodle stall, the fragrance wafted from afar. The fool stopped, staring blankly at the stall.

Thinking she had saved five hundred big money by buying this daughter-in-law and seeing how pitifully thin she was, Lady Wu sighed and took her to sit down, spending five wen to get her a bowl of vegetarian noodles while she herself munched on a corn cake she had brought from home.

Although the fool ate quickly, her manner was graceful. After finishing, she spoke again, "Water."

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Lady Wu thought the girl must be thirsty and brought her another bowl of noodle soup. However, the foolish girl only rinsed her mouth, without drinking any.

Lady Wu shook her head when she saw this, "Even when you're this dirty, you're still picky."

Lady Wu led the foolish girl for over an hour before they finally reached Huaxi Village. She was embarrassed for the villagers to see her daughter-in-law looking so disheveled, so they took less frequented paths. Fortunately, the sun was blazing in the late afternoon, and they did not run into any acquaintances.

When Lady Wu returned home with the fool, Qian Yixiu, who had been hiding in the corner, jumped in fright. She truly couldn't associate this frail little fool with the magnificent image of her mother; the reality was too skeletal.

Qian Manxia said, "Mother, why did you bring home a fool? My older brother won't like this wife."

Lady Wu glared at her, "You're too young to worry about what's liked or not, and you should be ashamed of yourself." She then asked, "Where is your brother?"

"He went up the mountain to chop firewood, saying he wanted to cut more while he's home," answered Qian Manxia.

Her son had always been so sensible. Looking back at the fool, she felt like she was being unfair to her son. Lady Wu's heart was filled with helplessness and sorrow.

When Qian Sangui heard that Lady Wu had brought someone back, he used his crutch to make his way to the main room. Seeing the kind of person that had been bought back, his single leg trembled even more.

Lady Wu helped him sit down on a chair and sighed, "Husband, two guan money can't buy a healthy person. Ah, it's also my fault. I should have looked around some more, but the broker's words swayed me. I felt pity for her and thought about accumulating blessings for our son, so I..." Actually, Lady Wu had begun to regret it as soon as they left the county city. Her husband was seriously ill, their daughter was frail, and yet she had bought home another person who needed care. How would they get by in the future?

Qian Sangui comforted her, "We couldn't afford anyone truly satisfactory with such little money; don't blame yourself."

Lady Wu boiled water and found a set of her own old clothes before taking the fool to the kitchen for a bath. Qian Manxia wanted to go in and join the excitement but was pulled out by Lady Wu.

Qian Yixiu was also far too curious about the foolish young mother, ignoring the scorching sunlight as she floated over to the kitchen.

Lady Wu coaxed the foolish girl to undress, but she was uncooperative. She took a piece of rock candy from the cabinet, stuffed it into the fool's mouth, and threatened, "If you don't clean yourself properly, then just leave; we don't want you in this house. If you go out, maybe some bad people will kill you, or maybe a wolf will eat you."

The young fool was scared and let Lady Wu undress her, sitting down in the large wooden tub. Once cleaned, it was clear that despite being nothing but skin and bones, the fool was extremely beautiful. She was too thin, with a sharp chin and big eyes, resembling some overly cosmetically altered stars from a previous era. However, even in such a state, she still qualified as a rare beauty.

She also seemed quite young, maybe around twelve or thirteen... or even fourteen or fifteen years old; her exact age was hard to guess. She sat in the tub, dazed, allowing Lady Wu to scrub her.

If nothing unexpected happened, this fool would become her young mother. With a handsome father and a stunning mother, if she didn't suffer the misfortune of skipping a generation and unfortunately inherit Old Man Qian's dark features or Qian Sangui's squarish face, it was foreseeable how peerlessly beautiful she would be in a decade or so. Delighted by her beautiful young mother, Qian Yixiu circled around her a few times.

Once her excitement settled down, Qian Yixiu grew worried—how could this frail body bear a child? And even if a child were born, whether she would survive was another matter.

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