Chapter 48: Chapter 48 Persuasion_1
Chapter 48: Chapter 48 Persuasion_1
Qian Yixiu vividly rembered that two years ago, one night, her soul had once again drifted into Zhang Zhongkun’s study, the Moon-viewing Pavilion. Zhang Zhongkun was teaching his son, Zhang Yang, about dicine, and they ca upon the topic of Serpent Vine Chrysanthemum. He stood up, approached the bookcase, and opened a secret compartnt to take out a stack of yellowing manuscripts for Zhang Yang to see. According to the records, Serpent Vine Chrysanthemum blooms only once every five years, in June, with petals as thin as silk and colors as bright as the morning glow… It grows on uninhabited cliffs or high mountains. Where there is Serpent Vine Chrysanthemum, there will be a White Snake guarding it. If such a flower truly exists in this world, obtaining it would be harder than ascending to the heavens; it requires destiny…
Hovering above the beams of his house, Qian Yixiu was overjoyed and imdiately floated out, heading straight for Shixi Mountain.
Under the moonlight, by the cave, those two flowers that resembled Serpent Vine Chrysanthemums stood proudly on the cliff, their silken petals fluttering in the breeze, their beauty nearly bewitching. Only, a White Snake as thick as the mouth of a bowl was coiled around the flowers.
Nature truly was marvelous. If Qian Yixiu hadn’t had this special encounter, she would never have witnessed this incredible scene. Moreover, she was incredibly lucky that in such a secluded place, where the flower only blood once in five years, she had unintentionally seen it the previous night.
The White Snake seed to see Qian Yixiu’s soul, staring at her with eyes the size of green peas and occasionally flicking its fresh red tongue at her. Qian Yixiu was frightened and drifted back a ter. She looked up at the peak piercing the clouds, then down at the unfathomable depths below. Her heart suddenly turned ice cold; as a human, she couldn’t hope to reach this place unless she had martial arts and lightness skills like Yang Guo.
If the flower she saw was indeed Serpent Vine Chrysanthemum and could really cure epilepsy, and she could pick it, it would be worth a lot of money.
Qian Yixiu turned over and saw little mother Jingjing quietly hiding by her side, like a sleeping lotus, tranquil and beautiful. She suddenly rembered that in her previous life, she had read sowhere that epilepsy was also a brain disease. Could it be that the Serpent Vine Chrysanthemum, if it could cure epilepsy, could also cure little mother’s illness?
Qian Yixiu sat up excitedly. If she could pick that Serpent Vine Chrysanthemum…
She then lay down despondently again; she was neither Yang Guo nor Little Dragon Lady. She hadn’t crossed into a martial arts novel, nor a cultivation fiction.
Qian Yixiu found herself even more sleepless—her heart ached. So things were better not known, for knowing yet being powerless was too painful.
The next day, Qian Yixiu got out of bed with dark circles under her eyes. Lady Wu teased, “Look at you, you can’t sleep soundly without money, and now you can’t even with money.”
They cooked three eggs for breakfast, and not only did Qian Sangui have a share, but the two younger siblings did as well. Qian Yixiu didn’t hesitate, eating hers in a few bites; she wanted to grow strong quickly.
After breakfast, Lady Wu and Qian Manxia were about to head to the fields. Before leaving, they also promised Yijin, “Mommy will finish work early this morning and go buy so at from Xu Family at Shop.”
Yijin had heard that they ate so much at at the Zhang family that her mouth watered at the thought.
Qian Sangui also instructed Lady Wu, “If you see big brother and second brother, remind them about picking Xia Grass.”
They agreed and had just opened the courtyard gate when Lady Tang, Qian Ergui’s wife, rushed in like a whirlwind.
Lady Tang’s waxen yellow face had high cheekbones and a wide mouth; she was around forty. Although the clothes she wore had no patches, they evidently lacked the neatness and tidiness of Lady Wu, who was covered in patches. It was rare for her to visit this family even once a year, yet now she was here, knocking on the door so early.
Lady Wu asked in surprise, “Er Gui, what wind has blown you this way?”
“Auntie.” Qian Yijin called out.
Qian Yixiu tugged at the corner of her mouth at Qian Yijin’s address. With Lady Tang looking dignified like that, she would never fit into that particular profession in her past life.
Lady Tang ignored Qian Yijin’s greeting and, taking Lady Wu by the hand, said, “Sister-in-law, I’ve co especially to tell you so good news. Since we are relatives, as soon as I heard about this, I imdiately thought of your family.”
“Oh? What good news could you possibly think of that concerns our family first?” Lady Wu was a bit puzzled.
Pointing to Cheng Yue, who was following her daughter around the yard, Lady Tang said, “Sister-in-law, what’s the use of keeping your silly daughter-in-law? Other than eating, she’s good for nothing. I heard Old Man Fang from Darong Village is a widower now, and he says as long as a woman looks lively, he will pay five taels of silver for a dowry, regardless of whether she’s been married or not. Since Manjiang is dead, this silly daughter-in-law is of no use to you. You might as well marry her off to Old Man Fang, that way you’ll have five taels of silver to spend, and Lady Cheng will have a full al to eat. Sister-in-law, what do you think? If you agree, I can do you a favor and act as an interdiary.”
Qian Yixiu was so angry she could almost feel her nose skew. This woman was just too wicked. Thinking of selling her nephew’s wife—what did she take herself for? And to discuss such an indecent matter in front of the child’s birth mother.
Not to ntion Qian Yixiu, but everyone in the yard was outraged. Qian Yijin squatted down, picked up a stone, positioned himself in front of Cheng Yue, ready to throw it at Lady Tang if she dared to pull his mother. Dashan saw his little master was angry, so it stood beside him, ready to bite this woman’s neck off at the master’s command.
Lady Wu shook all over with rage; she was aware of Old Man Fang’s talk about buying a wife. Although from the neighboring village, his reputation was well-known around the surrounding villages. His family ran a at shop, and people from Darong Village and Huaxi Village went to him to buy at. He had an infamous nickna, King of Hell Fang. In his youth, he was a hunter, but after that he opened a pork stall and started butchering and selling pigs with his children and grandchildren.
He had a volatile temper, was incredibly strong, and it was said that the several wives he’d had were all tortured to death by him; sotis when he was pleased, he’d even let his son, Boss Fang, have a turn with his wife. He also had relatives serving as constables in the County Governnt Office, so nobody dared cross him. The families of his dead wives were bought off with money, hence no households who cared for their daughters were willing to sell them to him since entering his household was synonymous with entering Yama’s realm.
Now Yama Raja Xu had announced that if a woman was lively-looking, he would offer ten taels of silver as a dowry. Not only was Lady Tang unscrupulous and heartless, but she was also trying to pocket the dangerous sum of five taels of silver.
Lady Wu pointed at Lady Tang and cursed, “You’ve lost your conscience! Aren’t you afraid of retribution, of suffering in the eighteenth layer of hell? My daughter-in-law can not only eat but also bear children; she is the mother of my grandchildren. My son may have died, but we will treat his wife even better. Who doesn’t know how wicked that Fang Yama is, beating his wives to death? If you’re so eager for that ten taels of silver as a death-paynt, why not sell your own daughter-in-law to Fang Yama? Or better yet, clean yourself up and marry him yourself.”
Lady Tang knew her actions were immoral, but she figured nobody could resist silver. Besides, since the third branch of the family had borrowed so much money and surely couldn’t repay it, she thought she could persuade them to sell off the silly daughter-in-law, so she could get five taels of silver for herself, acting as a go-between behind Qian Laoer’s back. She hadn’t expected such a harsh reaction from the third family or such harsh words.
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