Chapter 10: Becoming a Concubine

The Hua family residence on Xiuzheng Lane.

As evening approached, Hua Minghe and his two brothers returned from work, and the Hua family courtyard immediately became lively.

Hearing the commotion outside, Hua Changxi opened her eyes from cultivation in the side room.

[Realm: Qi Refining 35/1000]

Seeing that her realm points had increased by one, Hua Changxi was pleased.

However, she now had a new doubt.

What exactly was the use of raising these realm points?

She could feel a force accumulating inside her, but how was she supposed to use it?

The sound of Old Madam Hua calling everyone to dinner came from the courtyard. Hua Changxi suppressed her doubts, walked to the door, and peered through the crack at the courtyard.

Her mother and two aunts carried dishes into the main hall, and the children playing in the courtyard followed them in one after another. Soon, no one was left outside.

Hua Changxi rubbed her empty stomach, feeling indignant. Every time she did something that went against the old man and old woman's wishes, she would be locked up and forbidden to eat.

She wondered how many days she would be starved this time.

She just hoped it wouldn't delay her from registering at the Medical Bureau!

Hua Changxi pulled at the door bolt, trying to shake it open several times, but she couldn't break the iron lock on the outside.

She could feel her strength growing, but 35 realm points were probably still too low to break the iron lock.

Hua Changxi looked around the sealed side room, especially at the window blocked with mud and stones, and twitched her mouth. The old man really went to great lengths to punish them.

Fortunately, she had the soul of an adult, so she wasn't afraid of the dark or being alone.

If it had been a real child, being locked in once or twice would probably have scared them senseless, and they would have obeyed whatever the adults said.

The sky gradually darkened, and moonlight spilled over the earth.

Hua Changxi saw moonlight streaming through the crack in the door and quickly moved her meditation cushion to the doorway, then sat with her back against the door, letting as much moonlight fall on her as possible.

"Hoo..."

Hua Changxi closed her eyes again. Under the moonlight, she began cultivating once more, and she could clearly feel the warm current flowing inside her growing stronger and faster.

During this time, the courtyard became lively again for a while.

It must have been after dinner, with everyone coming to the courtyard to enjoy the cool and chat.

Gradually, the courtyard quieted down again, and the entire Hua residence slowly fell into silence.

"Jiu Niang~"

In the dead of night, even the slightest sound was enough to startle someone awake.

Hua Changxi snapped her eyes open. Peering through the crack in the door, she saw Hua Liulang sneaking around furtively.

"Sixth Brother."

Hua Changxi's expression brightened, and she quickly asked, "Sixth Brother, did you go to the Medical Bureau to see Pharmacist Xu?"

Since she had been dragged to the clan elder's home today and couldn't register at the Medical Bureau, she had asked Hua Liulang to go on her behalf and explain to Pharmacist Xu why she couldn't come.

Hua Liulang nodded. "I saw him. Pharmacist Xu told me to tell you that if you want to take the Medical Bureau exam, you should go register as soon as possible. He said this additional recruitment drive is a bit unusual, and he's worried you might not be able to register if you go too late."

Hua Changxi's expression tightened. "Why can't I register?"

Hua Liulang: "Because there are too many people signing up. When I went to the Medical Bureau today, I saw a lot of people, all there to apply as apprentices."

He paused, then added, "You're locked up now, so don't worry about registering for now. Here, eat something first."

As he spoke, Hua Liulang tried to stuff a white steamed bun through the crack in the door.

Just then, a shadow loomed over Hua Liulang's head.

"Ah!"

Startled, Hua Liulang fell to the ground with a thud, and the bun in his hand dropped as well.

Hua Changxi was also startled. When she saw the shadow clearly, she felt both exasperated and annoyed. "Grandmother, don't you know that scaring people can kill them?"

Old Madam Hua snorted, bent down to pick up the steamed bun from the ground, and said to Hua Liulang, "Your grandfather and I punished Jiuniang to correct her temper—it's for her own good."

"Liulang, do you realize that what you're doing is actually harming Jiuniang? If her temper doesn't change, she'll bring trouble to the family. Then not only will she implicate the whole family, but she'll also harm herself."

Hua Liulang lowered his head. "I was just worried Jiuniang would go hungry."

Old Madam Hua said, "We won't starve her to death. You go back to your room and sleep right now. Tomorrow, you're not allowed to eat a single meal."

Hua Liulang glanced through the crack in the door at Hua Jiuniang, gave her a helpless look, then slunk away.

As soon as Hua Liulang left, Old Madam Hua turned to Hua Changxi: "Aren't you supposed to be so capable? You even dared to offend that old lady from the main clan, and you still think you deserve to eat?" With that, she took the steamed bun and left.

The next moment, Old Madam Hua's voice rang out in the courtyard.

"Eldest son, Jiuniang's temper must be thoroughly tempered. Since you can't bear to discipline her, your father and I will play the villains."

"If you want her to grow up into a reckless troublemaker who invites disaster on this family, then go ahead and undermine us behind our backs."

Hua Changxi listened to these words and was furious.

She just wanted to retain a little human dignity—how did that bring trouble to the family?

In the eastern side room of the main house, Hua Minghe and Yao were still awake.

After hearing Old Madam Hua's words, Hua Minghe said to Yao, "Let's not get involved in Jiuniang's punishment this time."

Yao frowned deeply. "But with Jiuniang's temper, I'm afraid she won't bow her head. Are we going to watch her faint from hunger again?"

Hua Minghe scratched his head in frustration. "Let's take it one step at a time. If it really comes to that, I'll go plead with Father and Mother again."

A night passed, and the Hua family courtyard became lively once more.

At breakfast, Old Master Hua announced to everyone, "I'll go to the main clan's estate later. Jiuniang offended Aunt Yu'e, so I'll go apologize on her behalf."

Hua Ming'ang, the second son, immediately spoke up: "How can Father go apologize for trouble Jiuniang caused?"

Hua Minghe frowned slightly, looking at Old Master Hua with disapproval: "Father, isn't this making a mountain out of a molehill?"

"Jiuniang did talk back to Aunt Yu'e, but it didn't go too far, and she gave a reasonable explanation. If we rush to apologize now, it makes us look as though we're the ones truly in the wrong."

Old Master Hua slapped his tobacco pipe on the table with a crack: "What do you mean it didn't go too far? Just how far do you want Jiuniang to go in someone else's home?"

Hua Ming'ang quickly handed him a cup of tea: "Father, please calm down. Getting angry so early in the morning—you need to take care of your health."

Old Master Hua didn't drink the tea. After a moment of silence, he spoke again: "Dà Láng will graduate from the martial academy next year. What about his future? Do you have any prospects for his marriage?"

"And Sān Láng and Sì Láng have also reached the age to start families and establish careers."

"Without the clan's support and relying only on ourselves, ask yourselves honestly—can we pave the way for these children?"

Hearing these words, Hua Minghe, Hua Ming'ang, and Hua Mingcheng all lowered their heads.

Although they all held positions in the yamen, those positions were coveted by others as well. To place one's own people in them required not only spending a great deal of silver to grease palms but also having solid connections.

Not to mention that the Hua family didn't have that much silver to spare, the connections they had accumulated in the yamen weren't strong enough to just casually insert someone.

Old Madam Hua stepped in to smooth things over: "Alright, it's getting late. Everyone, hurry up and eat."

Hua Minghe thought for a moment, then looked at Old Master Hua: "Father, I'll ask the chief constable for leave later. When I come back, I'll go with you to the main clan's estate in the afternoon."

The clansmen always looked down on those beneath them and kowtowed to those above. An old man like Father going to apologize would inevitably mean humbling himself. As his son, how could he watch his own father bow his head to others?

After all, he was a fifth-grade martial artist; the clan would show him at least some respect.

Seeing that Hua Minghe was willing to accompany him to the main clan's estate, Old Master Hua's expression brightened noticeably.

His eldest son had always been stubborn too. Years ago, there had been a falling-out with the clan over the matter of his marriage, and ever since, he had rarely had any dealings with the clan.

Now that his eldest son was willing to interact with the clan again, he was genuinely happy, because in the future, this family would still have to depend on the eldest son to hold it up.

Old Master Hua smiled. "Good. In the afternoon, the two of us will go see the main clan's elder together."

Unfortunately, plans changed faster than expected.

Not long after Hua Minghe and his two brothers left for work, the steward from the main clan's estate arrived and invited both Old Master Hua and Old Madam Hua over at the same time.

In the side room, because she could cultivate, Hua Changxi felt that this confinement wasn't as hard to endure as before.

However, given the scene last night, Old Madam Hua had acted under the banner of "for her own good." Hua Changxi guessed that this time, her parents probably wouldn't secretly take care of her like they used to.

Going hungry wasn't something Hua Changxi worried much about—after all, her family wouldn't starve her to death.

What made her anxious now was the matter of applying to be an apprentice at the Medical Office.

"Mother~"

"Mother~"

Knowing that Old Master Hua and Old Madam Hua had gone out, Hua Changxi pounded on the door with a "bang bang bang" and called loudly for Yao.

Helpless, Yao came outside the side room.

Hua Changxi: "Mother, let me out. I want to go register at the Medical Office. I promise to go and come back quickly, and I'll definitely be home before Grandfather and Grandmother return."

Yao stood still and didn't move: "I spoke with your father about applying to the Medical Office. He doesn't agree."

Hua Changxi panicked: "Why does Father disagree? Besides, this is my business. His disagreement doesn't matter."

Yao frowned: "He is your father. Of course he has the right to disagree. Enough, calm down. I'll go get you something to eat."

Hua Changxi quickly called her back: "Mother, you can't do this. If I miss the chance to apply to the Medical Office, I will hate you."

Upon hearing this, Yao stopped, turned to look at Hua Changxi, and her expression was shocked: "If we don't let you apply to the Medical Office, you'll hate me and your father?"

As soon as the words left her mouth, Hua Changxi regretted them.

Her parents in this life had been quite good to her.

With her modern values, no matter how she pretended, her words and actions clashed a bit with the young ladies of this era, but her parents had tolerated it and hadn't forced her too hard.

For this, she felt quite fortunate and grateful.

However, applying to the Medical Office concerned her cultivation, so she had to fight for it to the end.

Seeing her daughter hang her head without speaking, Yao remained silent for a long time before finally speaking: "Your grandmother always says you have a bad temper and constantly defy your elders. I never took it to heart because I thought you knew your limits."

"But now, just because a small matter doesn't go your way, you would hate your own parents? Jiuniang, you've really disappointed me. Your temperament truly needs to change."

After saying this, she left without looking back.

Hua Changxi shouted: "It's not a small matter—it's a big matter, an extremely important matter..."

Afterward, Hua Changxi called for Yao for a while longer, but couldn't get her to come back.

"Why is it so hard to do something on my own?"

At the fourth quarter of the Hour of the Goat (14:00), Old Master Hua and Old Madam Hua returned.

"Father, Mother, you're back. I'll go bring you some food right away."

Seeing the old couple return, Second Aunt Hua immediately stepped forward attentively to greet them.

Old Madam Hua shook her head: "No need. We already ate at the main clan's home."

Hearing this, Yao and her two sisters-in-law couldn't help but show a flash of joy on their faces.

Second Aunt Hua smiled: "They kept you for a meal at the main clan's home. It seems they're no longer angry at our family, right?"

Old Madam Hua didn't answer Second Aunt Hua, but instead raised her head to look at Fourth Aunt Hua without saying a word.

Fourth Aunt Hua sensed something was off and couldn't help asking: "Mother, is there something wrong?"

As soon as she spoke, Old Master Hua stood up: "You talk to them. I'm going out for a walk." With that, he strode out of the main hall.

In the side room, hearing that Old Master Hua and Old Madam Hua had returned, Hua Changxi pressed herself against the crack of the door to peek outside.

"Hey, why did they just come back and leave again?"

Seeing Old Master Hua walk out the door with his hands behind his back, Hua Changxi was a bit puzzled. The next moment, she heard Fourth Aunt Hua's angry shriek.

"No—"

"I don't agree!"

Hua Changxi thought something must have happened. She pressed against the door crack, trying to hear the conversation in the main hall, but the sound was suppressed by Old Madam Hua.

However, not long after, someone came to clear up Hua Changxi's confusion.

"Jiuniang, the main clan really has no good intentions. They want Fifth Sister to become a concubine to a man over thirty years old."

Hua Qiniang rushed to the outside of the side room in a huff, her eyes red and her voice still choked with tears.

Hua Changxi fell silent upon hearing this.

Her earlier speculation had come true!

"Don't panic. As long as Grandfather and Grandmother and Fourth Uncle and Fourth Aunt don't agree, the clan won't dare force Fifth Sister to be a concubine."

Hua Qiniang's eyes grew even redder: "But Grandfather and Grandmother have already agreed."

Hua Changxi looked surprised. Although Old Master Hua and Old Madam Hua favored males over females, she couldn't believe they would sell their daughter for personal gain.

"Then did the clan threaten Grandfather and Grandmother?"

Hua Qiniang shook her head: "I don't know, but the clan offered benefits—said they would give one admission slot to a martial academy and cover the training resources for the first three years."

"Grandmother said that as long as Fifth Sister agrees to be a concubine, the slot will go to Eleventh Brother."

Upon hearing this, Hua Changxi didn't know what to say. The clan's offer would likely tempt not only Old Master and Old Madam Hua, but even Fourth Uncle and Fourth Aunt.

The Fourth Branch had five children: from oldest to youngest, Hua Wuniang, Hua Qiniang, Hua Shiyilang, Hua Shisanlang, and Hua Shisiniang.

Shiyilang was the eldest son of the Fourth Branch. With family resources mostly already taken by the First and Second Branches, he had to find another way out.

Entering a martial academy with all training resources covered for the first three years was undeniably an excellent opportunity for Shiyilang.

"What did Fourth Aunt say?"

Hua Qiniang's sobbing grew thicker: "Mother initially disagreed, but... after being persuaded by Grandmother for a while, she hesitated and said she would wait until Father returns to discuss it."

Hua Changxi sighed, already foreseeing the fate awaiting Hua Wuniang: "Go and keep Fifth Sister company."

Hua Qiniang could no longer hold back; she crouched down and began to cry.

Before long, Hua Shierniang was called over by Old Madam Hua, who had her take Hua Qiniang back to their room.

Hua Changxi felt a pang of sorrow for Hua Wuniang. This was the plight of a woman reliant on her clan—when the clan decided to trade her away, she had no power to resist.

That day, the main hall never quieted. After Second Uncle and Fourth Uncle returned from work, a fierce argument erupted. It wasn't until after Hai hour that the courtyard finally grew calm.

Having gone hungry for two days, Hua Changxi had no energy to eavesdrop on the main hall. She could only sit leaning against the door, cultivating under the moonlight.

Sunlight poured over the earth again, and a new day began.

When Hua Changxi woke from cultivation, the sun was already high in the sky. Turning her head, she noticed an oil-paper packet by the crack of the door. Delighted, she quickly picked it up.

Seeing several pieces of green-bean cake inside, Hua Changxi beamed with joy.

She knew her father, mother, and Third Brother and Sixth Brother wouldn't abandon her.

After finishing the cakes, Hua Changxi stood up and started pounding on the door again, intending to call her mother over. But when she pulled the door bolt, the door swung open.

"Hmm?"

Hua Changxi stared at the open door for half a second, then erupted into ecstasy, quickly stepping out of the side room.

The courtyard was quiet; no one was there.

Hua Changxi looked up at the sun in the sky. Cultivating in the morning light had been so comfortable that she had been too deeply immersed to notice when her family had left.

Not bothering to wonder where everyone had gone, Hua Changxi hurried to her parents' room. She needed to grab the household registration and register at the Medical Bureau.

Yao (Mrs. Hua) never hid things from Hua Changxi when putting things away, so Hua Changxi quickly found the household registration in the wardrobe.

After obtaining the registration, Hua Changxi returned to her room, changed into clean clothes, and rushed straight to the Medical Bureau to register.