Chapter 30

Before Li Qinghe could say anything more, Qian Laiman looked taken aback for a moment; the surprise quickly slid into discomfort.
She was defending someone who wasn’t him. Qian Laiman forced a helpless smile. “They’re waiting on me. If it’s not for sale, I’ll be on my way.”
Watching him hurry down the hill, Zhou Chengkang had been a little surprised by Li Qinghe’s bluntness; he could see the other fellow hadn’t given up yet and felt pleased. “Qinghe, I don’t trust him, don’t pay him any attention from now on.”
Li Qinghe’s face turned serious. “Today her cousin humiliated me in front of everyone and called me a seductress.”
Anger flashed in Zhou Chengkang’s eyes, but he kept his voice soothing. “She’s talking nonsense. Don’t get upset.”
The two of them walked down the hill. Even after hunting wild rabbits and pheasants they couldn’t avoid people; when they reached the Zhou family gate, Zhou Chengkang handed her the two small rabbits to take home and an extra larger one besides.
Hearing the noise, the Zhou family came out and saw the scene. Mrs. Zhou smiled and invited Li Qinghe in as if she held no grudge.
Li Qinghe split the mushrooms in half and then took the rabbits back home. By then dusk was falling and the family had already eaten. Li Fu came out and, surprised to see her carrying rabbit, brightened. “You actually caught a rabbit?” Then he noticed the mushrooms in her basket. “Are those even safe to eat?”
Li Qinghe set her things down and shook her aching arms. “They are. I only picked two kinds, people in town buy them, so they’ll be fine.”
Zhao Wanwan ran out of the house and was happy to see the rabbit. “Is that for eating?”
Madam Qian also stood at the door, watching for a long moment.
Li Fu took the fat rabbit in to skin it, while Zhao Wanwan helped Li Qinghe sort the mushrooms. They were full of dirt and dead leaves and had to be cleaned, boiled once, then could be stir-fried or made into soup. Madam Qian glanced at the two girls and snorted, “Hardly any effort.”
Li Qinghe, who never feared Madam Qian, shot back on the spot, “Nobody asked you to help!”
Madam Qian went inside. “Don’t say I didn’t offer, just don’t expect me to eat that. What if it’s poisonous?” With that she went back in and picked up her sewing.
Zhao Wanwan kept her head down and worked diligently. Li Qinghe glanced at her and asked in a low voice, “Don’t you think your mother seems rather lazy?”
Though it felt a little awkward to talk about someone’s mother, Li Qinghe couldn’t help herself. During her time back at home she’d noticed Madam Qian rarely lifted a hand for Li Fu, she wasn’t incapable, she just didn’t want to do the work. Cooking, sweeping the yard, feeding the chickens and collecting eggs, most of it fell to Zhao Wanwan.
Zhao Wanwan smiled. “My mother makes me do more so it’s good for me. If she didn’t, the Hu family might not have taken to me.”
So the Hu family liked you because you can work?
Li Qinghe thought about it. It did seem that way, and she had nothing to say. The two of them worked quickly and soon had washed and parboiled the mushrooms, ending up with half a basin.
Zhao Wanwan looked at the clean, slippery mushrooms and laughed. “Sister, I’d actually like to go. Why don’t we get a few more people tomorrow? Qingmiao heard about it and wants to come too.”
“I’ll see if I have time,” Li Qinghe answered casually, she couldn’t promise she’d be available every day.
The next morning, Li Qingmiao arrived early. She bounded into the yard and asked excitedly, “Qinghe, I heard you caught a little rabbit yesterday? Let me see.”
Li Qinghe was washing up and pointed to the cage in the corner.
Li Qingmiao hurried over, crouched down and fussed with it for a while, then said, “Too bad Second Brother can’t hunt. Qinghe, if you catch another one, could I raise it?”
Seeing her so eager, Li Qinghe laughed. “Do you like baby rabbits, or do you just like rabbit meat?”
Li Qingmiao glared. “Can’t I like both?”
Just then another woman stood outside the yard, the neighbor next door, also surnamed Li, both of them in their forties and childless. “Qinghe, I heard your family caught a rabbit?”
Li Qinghe looked up and smiled. “Third Aunt, the rabbit’s injured and we’re nursing it. Not sure if it’ll make it.”
Third Aunt came in and crouched down. “If you raise it, it should be ready to kill by New Year, right?”
Li Qinghe fell silent, one by one they were eyeing other people’s meat.
As the three of them watched the rabbit, a woman outside walked by with a smile and told them, “There’s something odd at the village entrance. Someone brought a few people over and is asking if anyone wants to buy.”
They exchanged glances. Such a thing hadn’t been seen in years. Everyone had heard of people being bought and sold, but that was something that happened in special places in the county seat, bringing it into the village was really a first.
“Let’s go see.” Li Qingmiao went to the well to wash her hands and called, “Qinghe, come along.”
By the time the three of them reached the village entrance, a crowd had already gathered beneath the big tree. The woman who’d told them the news was gone, and more people were still arriving.
A thin, sharp-featured man in his forties was speaking eagerly. “The prices written up there are negotiable. Take her, for example…”
He pointed at a fair, delicate-faced girl and said, "Eight taels of silver."
The town chief frowned. "Don't loiter here. Ordinary farming families don't have that kind of money. Besides, common households can't keep maids or servants, if they look like merchants, their grain tax will go up ten percent."
Those words were less aimed at the man than at the onlookers gathered around.
Hearing that, the chattering crowd exchanged glances; anyone who'd been tempted quickly fell silent.
The man didn't get angry. Smiling, he stepped forward. "You're an elder of the village, then? From the way you speak, you've read the law?"
The town chief nodded. "So, these women of yours... you'd better take them away."
"You don't know the whole story," the man said. "Most of these girls are alone. If anyone in your village wants a wife, consider me doing them a favor, finding them a husband. They'll have someone to rely on, there'll be fewer bachelors causing trouble, and I take a little matchmaker's fee. Win-win." Seeing a few nods in the crowd, he brightened. "If you don't need a beauty, three taels will do. Isn't that about what a wife costs?"
The town chief's face soured, but some people had already stepped forward to ask, and in the end five women were left behind.
The man cheerfully led the rest away, but noticed a frail girl in the corner who looked as if she were asleep. He gave her a couple of kicks, no response. Frowning, he crouched and looked: her face was flushed; she had a fever.
That looked like a fever; he wouldn't risk taking her back with the others, if she infected the rest he'd be ruined. He left her and walked away with his party.
Once he left, the onlookers began to disperse, but someone sharp-eyed noticed the remaining girl. Approaching, they found she was ill and unconscious.
Someone immediately asked the town chief, "Uncle, what shall we do?"
It was a real dilemma. If she died, everyone could pitch in for a burial. But she was alive, one couldn't stand by and let her die.
A clear-headed person spoke up quickly, "That man wouldn't take her, does he reject her because a sick girl can't be sold, or because her illness is contagious?"
At that, the crowd stepped back. Li Qinghe guessed the same.
The crowd drew away, leaving the frail girl lying in the middle all the more conspicuous. Third Aunt stepped forward, bent down, and touched the girl's forehead. "If we leave her, it's too cruel. I'll take her home and see if I can save her."
Many showed disapproval. A common household is ruined by an ill family member: they can't work, and medical expenses are steep. Who could afford to take a sick person home? If she died, it would be bad luck enough.
Besides, Third Aunt has no children, if she had a son she might bring her home to nurse, and if she survived she'd be a ready-made daughter-in-law. But Third Aunt taking her home, what's in it for her?
Those close to her tried to persuade her, but Third Aunt was resolute. "It's still a human life."
No amount of persuasion would change her mind.
Third Aunt took the girl home and sent Zhou Chengkang to town for a doctor. Li Qinghe also went to her house. The girl on the bed was frail, pale-skinned, with a few calluses on her fingertips.
Li Qinghe had heard Madam Xu mention such calluses before: women who embroidered often had them.
With Zhou Chengkang's cart, the doctor arrived quickly. After feeling her pulse he shook his head. "It's that kind of fever. Do what you can." He prescribed two doses and had Zhou Chengkang take them back.
After the doctor left, Li Qinghe also returned home, she hadn't fed her fish yet today. She hadn't expected Third Aunt, who usually wasn't close to their family, to be so kind; it was surprising.
Life passed quietly for two days. One afternoon, Li Qinghe went to feed the fish at the pond and, passing Third Aunt's door, was called, "Qinghe."
Li Qinghe paused. "Third Aunt called me?"
Third Aunt looked a little embarrassed. "I wanted to ask you for a favor."
Li Qinghe went in and saw her adding hot water to a basin. Third Aunt dipped her hand to test it. "Qinghe, I want to sponge the girl down, but I'm afraid I'll be too slow and she'll get chilled. If you help wring the cloth it'll go faster."
That was doable. Li Qinghe followed her inside. The girl on the bed slept heavily, but her color had returned. She was plain-featured but, with her fair skin, prettier than many village girls.
Li Qinghe helped wring the cloth while Third Aunt wiped her down. They'd finished most of the sponging when the girl furrowed her brow and opened her eyes.
Third Aunt brightened. "You're awake?"
The girl's first instinct was to pull the quilt over herself. When she saw only two women in the room helping her, she relaxed. Scanning the small room, she said in surprise, "Where am I? The countryside?"
Li Qinghe's eyelid twitched. From her surprise, this girl probably wasn't from the countryside.
Third Aunt felt her forehead. "How are you? Do you remember your name? Is anything hurting? Should I call the doctor again?"
The girl's face went from puzzled to panicked. "Where is this?"
Li Qinghe sighed. "This is Wang Village, Luoyue Town."
"Ah!" The girl clutched her head. "What kind of place is this? How did I end up here?"
Li Qinghe explained, "Someone brought a group of you to the village to sell. You fell ill, and they left you behind. Third Aunt couldn't bear to see you sick and abandoned at the gate, so she brought you home and called the doctor. You were unconscious for two days; if you hadn't woken, you might never have. If she hadn't brought you back, you probably would've died."
She deliberately emphasized the last sentence. Third Aunt looked embarrassed. "Saving a life, doing a good deed, that's nothing."
The girl clutched her head. "Please leave me alone for a little while."
The two of them tidied the basins and went out. Third Aunt looked worried. "Shall we call the doctor to come and take another look?"
Li Qinghe shook her head. "No need. Didn't the doctor say that if she wakes up she'll be all right? If she feels unwell later, we can call him then."
Third Aunt nodded. "Then you hurry back. We've kept you so long, I've simmered some soup; I'll bring some over in a bit."
"No, thank you." Li Qinghe hastened to refuse; it was obvious the soup was meant for the patient inside.
When she came back from feeding the fish, she saw the girl standing in the yard, looking around. At sight of Li Qinghe, the girl forced a small smile. "Thank you for earlier. I want to ask, how long would it take to get to the county town?"