Chapter 25: What to Do at the Yamen

So, she did it because she had previously bought their wild chickens.

So now she comes to her shop to buy things?

She's quite grateful.

The woman smiled with her eyebrows and eyes and said, "First meeting is strangers, second we become familiar; we won't bother with formalities. And don't call me 'proprietress'; my surname is Cheng, given name Xianglan; just call me Sister Xianglan."

She raises a child alone, knows how hard motherhood is, and that's exactly why she bought Qiao Sheng's wild chickens before.

One more friend, one more path.

They proactively extended an olive branch.

Qiao Sheng naturally climbed up the pole.

"Sister Xianglan, then I won't be formal with you. By the way, you don't know my name yet, so let me introduce myself: I'm Qiao Sheng, and this is my son Xiao Shitou."

They chatted a few sentences.

Qiao Sheng and Xiao Shitou left and went to buy other things the household lacked.

Actually.

Qiao Sheng also wanted to buy a quilt and such, but decided against it; they're pricey, and the Mountain God Temple doesn't even have a decent bed, so she'll buy them later.

She planned to buy wooden basins, wooden buckets, handkerchiefs, but the two of them couldn't carry that many, so she rented an ox cart.

She bought everything, spending 153 wen.

Qiao Sheng didn't go back immediately; instead she had the driver pull them to the Yamen.

Xiao Shitou asked curiously, "Mother, what are we going to the Yamen for?"

Hearing that, Qiao Sheng looked at Xiao Shitou and said, "I want to go to the Yamen to ask whether I can apply for a female household registration, and also about registering you."

Xiao Shitou didn't understand those matters, so said nothing more.

In less than a quarter of an hour.

They arrived at the Yamen.

Qiao Sheng looked around and thought the Yamen looked just like the ones in TV dramas.

At the lower side of the main gate stood a huge stone lion.

Between the two stone lions were rows upon rows of steps.

Qiao Sheng asked the driver to wait, lifted Xiao Shitou, climbed the steps to the Yamen's main gate, and as soon as they entered, a guard blocked their way.

"The Yamen is a restricted place; idle people may not enter without cause."

The two guards said in unison.

Qiao Sheng hurriedly explained their purpose: "Officers, I'm here to ask whether I can apply for a female household registration, and besides that I want to ask about registering my child."

Upon hearing that.

One guard, expressionless, said, "Follow me."

They passed through a couple of courtyards.

The guard led Qiao Sheng and the others into a spacious room, the place where Yamen officials handle affairs; as they entered, several officials turned to look at them.

Having learned Qiao Sheng's purpose, the official in charge of household registration called them over.

Qiao Sheng and the others went over.

The registration official began, "You want a female household registration? You don't look very old. Were you divorced by your husband's family, or did your husband die, or …"

It can't be that you have to meet such conditions to get a female household registration, right?

Qiao Sheng looked at the registration official and said, "Sir, I'm not married. I'd like to marry, but I'm so ugly that no one wants me, so I adopted a child. Because I'm unmarried, my household registration remains with my natal family, so the child can't be registered."

Xiao Shitou clenched Qiao Sheng's hand, as if to tell her he still has her.

The registration official, upon learning this, said to Qiao Sheng, "Miss, in your situation you can't get a female household registration unless you attract a husband."

What!

Isn't this forcing her to find a man?

(End of chapter)