Chapter 7
“It’s a long story, but it’s not that I can’t tell you. You can know about this, but you can’t tell anyone else. I promised them when I left, or they wouldn’t let me go.”
“Tell me, tell me!” Lu Sanniang’s gossipy nature immediately sparked.
“I had just married into my in-laws’ family for less than two months when my husband went to serve in the military. The Tian family didn’t treat me well when he was around. After he left, my mother-in-law started torturing me even though I was pregnant…”
Qiao Mai then told Lu Sanniang about the Tian family abusing her.
Lu Sanniang gritted her teeth. “What a bunch of animals. Where is your family from? Why didn’t they back you up?”
Qiao Mai’s eyes reddened. “My paternal family is from Lihua Village. From the day I got married, they didn’t let me come home. They said that a married girl was like spilled water, so I should cut off all ties with my family in the future.”
“Your own flesh and blood can be ruthless to say these words. If the Tian family knew about your embroidery skills, they definitely wouldn’t treat you like this, right?”
Qiao Mai sneered. “I secretly learned this skill from an elderly woman at my family’s home. I wanted to take on a job after I mastered it so that my family would be better off. In the end, before I could say anything, my family sold me to the Tian family for a betrothal gift of 100 catties of wheat.”
“The Tian family never knew that you knew embroidery?”
Qiao Mai shook her head. “After seeing what my biological parents did, how could I dare to expose myself so easily? I planned to wait for a while before deciding. Who knew that they would treat me like this the moment I joined the family? Fortunately, I didn’t expose myself. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be able to step out of the Tian family for the rest of my life.”
“Why should you work and earn money for them? Sister, you did the right thing. You should leave.”
Lu Sanniang was furious. She held Qiao Mai’s hand and looked at it. Her eyes couldn’t help but turn red.
“Don’t worry. With your embroidery skills, it won’t be long before your life becomes better. Let’s go! There’s still a room under my name that hasn’t been rented out. You can stay there and take care of your body first.”
“Thank you, Sister Lu.” Qiao Mai wiped her tears with her sleeve.
“Don’t cry. You’ve hurt your body due to premature birth. It’s not good for your eyes to cry. Even if you do embroidery in the future, you can’t be so desperate.”
“Sister is a good person. It’s my blessing to meet you.”
“Alright, let’s not talk about it anymore. If we talk too much, we’ll get angry. You can’t be angry now.”
Lu Sanniang told Ruyi, “Go inside and tell your sister to stop embroidering. Come out and guard the shop with you. I’ll be right back.”
She walked behind the counter and took a key and a money pouch. She put them in her pocket and held Qiao Mai’s hand as they walked out.
Knowing that Qiao Mai had just given birth a few days ago, she didn’t walk fast either, so she comforted her along the way.
“Don’t worry. You can stay in my room for as long as you want.”
“Sister, I’m afraid I’ll have to trouble you in the future.”
“There’s no need to be so polite with me. We’re business partners. This is what I should do.”
After Lu Sanniang saw Qiao Mai’s craftsmanship and heard her story, she sincerely wanted to help her and also wanted Qiao Mai to stay as a business partner.
When she passed the clothing store, she bought two sets of clothes for Qiao Mai. At the store, she also bought a thick mattress, a thick quilt, a thin quilt, and a pillow.
They passed the grocery store and bought all the daily necessities. She held Qiao Mai’s hand and walked in front, followed by a few delivery men. They went to her house in an imposing manner.
It was a courtyard house. It was very new and should have been built not long ago with green bricks and tiles. It was clean inside, and one could faintly smell the fragrance of wood.
“Girl, come in quickly.”
Lu Sanniang brought her into the bedroom of an upper room. The delivery men put the things in the courtyard and left. Lu Sanniang took several trips to carry everything in.
She laid out the bedding, then placed a large cloth bag in the corner.
“Girl, there are clothes inside. Change your innerwear too. I’ll burn the wood. You’re dressed so thinly, and your body is so weak. Hurry up and lie down under the blanket.”
“Ah, then I won’t stand on ceremony with you.”
Qiao Mai was a little touched. She had to admit that this woman was straightforward, diligent, capable, and especially kind.
From the beginning to the end, she had never despised her.
Qiao Mai took advantage of Lu Sanniang’s absence to take off her clothes and change into a new set of inner garment. She didn’t care if her hands, feet, and face were dirty. She quickly got into bed. She really needed a good rest.
The inside of the blanket was made of fine coarse cloth, while the outside was made of old coarse cloth. The core was made of cotton, which was loose and soft. It felt comfortable on her.
At this time, Qiao Mai could not be particular about anything. She had to warm her body first.
Lu Sanniang raised the stove and saw water in the vat. She boiled a large pot of water in the big iron pot.
Then, she went out again and bought a charcoal stove, a large clay pot, a bag of charcoal, a basket of eggs, a small bag of flour, and a millet. She placed them in the kitchen.
She boiled a dozen eggs first, then washed the millet and boiled it in a clay pot. Then, she made a big bowl of brown sugar water.
With brown sugar water in one hand and a boiled egg in the other, she entered the bedroom.
“Girl?”
Qiao Mai opened her eyes. “Sister Lu.”
“Come, eat while it’s hot. I’ve boiled eggs for you with brown sugar water. Eat more so that your body can recover faster.”
Qiao Mai was really touched. Tears fell from her eyes.
“Sister, you’re so nice!”
“You don’t have to be touched. I’m treating you like this because I feel sorry for you. Secondly, I have high hopes for you. We’ll be working together in the future. You must keep your spirits up and take good care of your body. If you lack anything, just tell me.”
“Sister, don’t worry. I’ll get better soon.”
Qiao Mai ate five eggs in one go and drank a big bowl of brown sugar water.
Lu Sanniang covered the corner of the blanket for her, then placed the bowl on the side of the brick bed. She touched the brick bed. The stove was already burning, and the brick bed was warming up.
“Sleep well. I made some millet porridge for you in the kitchen. If you’re hungry, get up and warm it up.”
“Sister Lu, go ahead and do your work. Don’t worry about me. I can move.”
“I’ll leave after it’s done. I’ll lock the door for you from the outside. I’m worried about a woman like you, so I’ll come back to see you tomorrow. Oh right, if you want to go to the toilet, go to the backyard.”
Qiao Mai sniffled. “Got it, Sister Lu.”
Madam Lu gently touched her face, then turned around and left the room, gently closing the door.
Sighing softly, she went to the kitchen and boiled a small pot of millet porridge. She put out the fire in the kitchen, locked the door, and went back to her shop.
Qiao Mai only opened her eyes when she heard Lu Sanniang had left and entered her space in a flash.
The little thing was moaning. If she didn’t come soon, she would have cried. She must be hungry.
Qiao Mai first opened the swaddling cloth to take a look. When she saw feces and urine on it, she quickly cleaned it up for the child and changed it to a clean one.
She took the dirty ones outside, found a shelf, and put the diapers on it.
Qiao Mai came back and made some milk powder for the child. This time, she only made a little. After feeding the child, she turned her body sideways and patted her back gently.
Seeing that the baby was asleep, she walked out of the house and looked at the diapers in a daze.
Her space’s dirt removal function was especially strong. It had only been a while, but the diapers were almost clean. It was too convenient.
Back in the house, she lay down next to the child and covered herself with a silk blanket. She fell asleep soon after.
She had wanted to go back and sleep on the brick bed, but she thought her body was too dirty. The space had a cleaning function, so she planned to sleep and let the space clean the dirt on her body.
Lu Sanniang returned to the shop. Her eldest daughter, Lu Ruxin, and second daughter, Lu Ruyi, were sorting out the goods collected in the shop.
“Mother, why did you take so long? It’s almost dark.”
“You don’t know, but this little woman is too pitiful. She wobbles when she walks, and she’s so skinny that only bones are left.”
“There are too many pitiful people. You can’t help them all.”
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