Chapter 7: Truly a bunch of beasts

"It's a long story, but it's not impossible to say. However, you just need to know this, don't spread it. When I came out, I promised them, otherwise, they wouldn't have let me go."

"You say, you say." Lu Shopkeeper's gossip factor immediately sparked.

"I had only been married into my husband's family for two months when my husband went to serve in the military. When he was around, the Tian family didn't treat me well. After he left, my mother-in-law started tormenting me, even when I was pregnant..."

Qiao Mai told Lu Sanniang everything about the Tian family's abuse of her.

Lu Sanniang gritted her teeth listening. "Truly a bunch of beasts. Where is your maiden home? Why didn't they stand up for you?"

Qiao Mai's eyes turned red. "My maiden home is in Lihua Village. From the day I married, they wouldn't let me go home, saying that a daughter married off is like water splashed out, and from then on, I should break ties with the family."

"Your own flesh and blood could actually be so heartless to say that? With your embroidery skills, the Old Tian family wouldn't have treated you like that if they had known, right?"

Qiao Mai sneered. "This skill was secretly learned from an old woman when I was at my maiden home. I originally wanted to learn it well and then take on work to make my maiden home's life better, but before I could even say it, I was sold to the Tian family by my family for a bride price of a hundred jin of wheat."

"The Tian family never knew you had embroidery skills?"

She shook her head. "Having seen my own parents' behavior, how would I dare to easily expose it? I originally planned to wait a year or half a year before saying anything, but who knew they would treat me like that as soon as I entered the house? Fortunately, I didn't expose it, otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to step out of the Tian family for the rest of my life."

"For a family like that, why work like an ox and a horse for them and earn money for them? Sister, you did the right thing, you should leave."

Lu Sanniang picked up Qiao Mai's hand to look, and her eyes couldn't help but turn red.

"Don't worry, with your embroidery skills, it won't take long before your life gets better. Come, Sister has a house under her name that hasn't been rented out. You live there, nourish your body first. Oh my, look at how thin you are."

"Thank you, Sister Lu." Qiao Mai wiped her tears with her sleeve.

"Don't cry, you injured your body from the premature birth, it's not good to cry, it's bad for your eyes. Even if you do embroidery in the future, you can't embroider until you die, remember to protect your eyes well."

"Sister is a good person, meeting Sister is my good fortune."

"Alright, let's not talk about it, let's not talk about it. Talking too much is just anger, and you can't get angry now."

Lu Sanniang said to Ruyi, "You go inside, tell your sister to stop tracing flowers, come out and watch the door with you, Mother will be back soon."

She walked behind the counter, took a key, and a money bag, tucked it into her bosom, took Qiao Mai's hand, and walked out.

Knowing that Qiao Mai had given birth only a few days ago, she didn't walk fast, comforting her all the way.

"Don't worry, you can live in that house of mine for as long as you want."

"Sister, I'm afraid I'll trouble you a lot in the future."

"Why are you being polite with me? We are partners, these are all things I should do."

Lu Sanniang was truly willing to help her after seeing her craftsmanship and hearing her story, and also wanted to keep her to cooperate with her.

Passing by the clothing store, she bought two sets of clothes for Qiao Mai from inside to outside. At the cloth store, she bought a thick mattress, a thick quilt, a thin quilt, and a pillow.

Passing by the grocery store, she bought all the daily necessities, took Qiao Mai's hand and walked in front, followed by several delivery workers, and went to her house with great momentum.

This was a quadrangle courtyard, very new, probably just built not long ago, green bricks and blue tiles, very clean inside, and one could faintly smell a woody fragrance.

"Sister, come in quickly."

Lu Sanniang took her into the bedroom of the upper room. The workers put the things in the courtyard and left. Lu Sanniang moved several trips inside and out.

She laid out the kang, laid out the bedding, and then put a large cloth bag on the corner of the kang.

"Sister, there are clothes in here, you change everything inside and out. I'll go burn the kang. You are dressed so thinly, and your body is so thin, hurry up and lie in the quilt, leave the rest to Sister."

"Okay, then I won't be polite with Sister."

Qiao Mai was a bit moved. It had to be said that this woman spoke straightforwardly, was diligent, capable, and had a very kind heart.

From beginning to end, she never disliked her.

Taking advantage of Lu Sanniang's absence, Qiao Mai changed into new inner clothes. Regardless of whether her hands, feet, and face were dirty, she hurriedly burrowed into the quilt. She truly needed a good rest.

The inside of the quilt was fine coarse cloth, the outside was old coarse cloth, and the core was cotton, soft and fluffy, very comfortable to cover with.

At this time, she couldn't be particular about anything, just let her body warm up first.

Lu Sanniang lit the stove for the kang, saw there was water in the vat, and boiled a large pot of water in the large iron pot.

Then she went out again, bought a charcoal stove, a large casserole, a bag of charcoal, a basket of eggs, a small bag of flour, and a small bag of millet, and put them in the kitchen.

First, she boiled a dozen or so eggs, then washed the millet clean, simmered it in the casserole, and then brewed a large bowl of brown sugar water.

Carrying the brown sugar water in one hand and the boiled eggs in the other, she entered the bedroom.

"Sister?"

Qiao Mai opened her eyes. "Sister Lu."

"Come, eat while it's hot. Sister boiled eggs for you, paired with brown sugar water. Eat more, so your body can recover quickly."

Qiao Mai was truly moved. She shed tears.

"Sister, you are truly good!"

"You don't need to be moved. I treat you like this, one is because I truly feel sorry for you, and two is because I think highly of you. We will cooperate in the future. You must pull yourself together, nourish your body well. If you lack anything, just tell Sister, don't be polite. Only by nourishing your body well can you do embroidery, and Sister can take advantage of you to earn more silver."

"Sister, don't worry, I will get better soon."

Qiao Mai ate five eggs in one breath and drank a large bowl of brown sugar water.

Lu Sanniang tucked the quilt for her, then put the bowl on the edge of the kang, touched the earthen kang—the stove was lit, and the kang was beginning to warm up.

"Sleep well, I simmered millet porridge for you in the kitchen. If you are hungry, get up and warm it."

"Sister Lu, go be busy, don't worry about me, I can move."

"I'll leave after it's simmered. I will lock the door for you from the outside. You are a woman, I'm not at ease. I'll come see you tomorrow. By the way, if you need to use the toilet, go to the backyard, the latrine is in the back, very clean."

Qiao Mai sniffled. "Got it, Sister Lu."

Lu Shi gently touched her face, then turned and left the room, gently closing the door.

She even sighed low, went to the kitchen, simmered half a pot of thinner millet porridge, extinguished the fire in the stove, and then locked the main gate and returned to the shop.

Hearing Lu Shi leave, Qiao Mai opened her eyes and flashed into the space.

The little one was humming and hawing. If she didn't come, it would cry soon. It should be hungry.

Qiao Mai opened the swaddling clothes to check, saw there was feces and urine, hurriedly cleaned the child, and changed into a clean one.

She took the dirty one directly outside, found a rack, and draped the diaper on it.

She came back, brewed milk powder for the child, this time only brewing a little. After feeding the child until full, she turned her to the side and gently patted her back.

Seeing the little one had fallen asleep, she walked out of the room and looked at the diaper on the rack in a daze.

This space's cleaning function was particularly strong. After just a little while, the diaper was almost clean. Truly too convenient.

Returning to the room, she lay down next to the child, covered with a silk quilt, and fell asleep before long.

Actually, she wanted to go back and sleep on the kang, but thinking that she was truly too dirty, and the space had a cleaning function, she planned to sleep and let the space clean the dirt off her body.

Lu Sanniang returned to the shop. Her eldest daughter, Lu Ruxin, and second daughter, Lu Ruyi, were organizing the goods collected in the shop.

"Mother, why were you gone for so long? It's almost dark."

"You don't know, this little woman is truly pitiful, walking unsteadily, her body thin to the point of only a pile of bones."

"There are too many pitiful people, you can't manage them all."

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 8 =====