Zhu Yu's gaze drifted far away, as if stepping into the dusty past.
Her eyes were instantly filled with sorrow, yet faintly revealed a tiny trace of tenderness.
"My mother was called Bamei. She didn't have a real name; from birth, she was just Bamei. She told me that when she was young, her family was so poor they couldn't even afford to eat, so she was sold for five taels of silver to Wang Shi, a butcher in the neighboring Sanchao County.
Wang Shi was a drunkard. Every time he got drunk, he would beat and scold Bamei. It was only when she got pregnant that he held back a little—he didn't hit her belly, only her face. Later, the child was born, a baby girl. Before she could even be named, she was snatched away by Wang Shi. Bamei dragged her weak postpartum body and chased him all the way outside the county, but she ultimately couldn't catch up.
At that time, Wang Shi was heading out of town to resell a batch of dead pork, and he conveniently threw the baby into a ravine. Fortunately, his business was going relatively well at the time, otherwise he probably would have turned that child into a ghost infant to bring himself luck and wealth. You must have already heard about those shady dealings in Sanchao County."
Zhu Yu's voice lowered. "Pity that baby. It was snowing in the second lunar month, and the snow in the mountains was over a foot deep. She froze to death right there in the ice and snow. Before she died, she didn't even get to drink a single mouthful of her mother's milk."
"Later on, Wang Shi became addicted to gambling. The family's savings couldn't withstand his squandering, and as luck would have it, Bamei got pregnant again at this time. Wang Shi cursed her every day for being bad luck, calling her a slut who couldn't even give birth to a boy. He said that if her firstborn had been a son to bring good fortune, he wouldn't have lost so badly. He laid down a harsh ultimatum: if she gave birth to another useless girl, he would turn the child into a ghost infant to nourish his luck.
Bamei was terrified. She wasn't afraid of being beaten, but afraid that the child would truly meet a cruel fate. So she prayed to heaven and earth every day, only begging for a male fetus in her womb. But when the child was born, it was still a daughter. Fortunately, Wang Shi was being chased by debt collectors at that time and had fled to hide for a while.
Bamei knelt before the midwife, kowtowing until her forehead was bruised and bleeding, begging her to save the child's life. The midwife's heart softened, and she agreed to help keep the secret. Bamei then raised her daughter as a son, repeatedly warning her never to take off her clothes or pants in front of others.
A year later, Wang Shi returned from hiding and saw a chubby little boy at home, beaming with joy. The child grew up like this until the age of fourteen. The surrounding neighbors had long sensed something was wrong, but Wang Shi, as the father, never noticed.
For one thing, he spent all day in the gambling den; for another, Bamei handled all the chores big and small at home. He had never taken care of the child for a single day. If he had paid even a little attention, he would have seen something fishy long ago.
The child knew from a young age that her mother's face was always black and blue, never fully healed. Coupled with the neighbors' growing suspicions, she made up her mind to leave home alone and carve out her own path in the world.
She thought that the world looked down on women simply because women were trapped within the four walls of a courtyard. If she could step out and achieve more than a man, she could make Wang Shi bow his head, change the world's perception, and allow her mother to stand tall.
Hearing that his 'son' was going out to do business, Wang Shi naturally agreed without hesitation.
From then on, she packed her bags and left home.
On the day of her departure, her mother stuffed her bag full of meat buns and took off the wooden ring from her finger, slipping it onto the child's hand. Wang Shi had never given Bamei any jewelry; this wooden ring was something she had slowly carved herself in her spare time.
Her mother's eyes were brimming with tears as she said, 'Yu'er, go. Go as far away as possible and never come back. You must find your sister and set up a grave for her...'
But home is where mother is. How could she not come back?
She secretly swore that one day, she would definitely return home in glory.
At first, she carried goods at the docks. She carried twenty-pound sacks all day long, eating and living with the porters. No matter how careful she was, it was inevitable that some people would maliciously tease her for looking like a girl.
So she deliberately chose to work in places with the harshest sunlight, letting the wind and sun turn her face rough and dark, and only ate fatty meat during meals.
Becoming fat and rough, no one suspected her anymore.
She did all kinds of work—kitchen chores, running errands, acrobatics... Later, she slowly learned how to do business.
She woke up earlier than the roosters and went to sleep later than the dogs.
Heaven rewards the diligent, and she succeeded! At the peak of her business, half of the shops on the entire street in the capital of Xunzhou belonged to her. Everyone who saw her had to respectfully call her 'Boss Zhu'!"
Speaking of this, tears shimmered in Zhu Yu's eyes, her emotions surging.
But Chai Xiaomi could see clearly that she had merely downplayed the hardships she had endured, brushing over them lightly.
Zhu Yu probably wasn't very old, but the suffering she had experienced over those years had weathered her into the mature appearance she had today.
Chai Xiaomi asked softly, "Later, Boss Zhu returned home?"
"Yes..." Zhu Yu's eyelids drooped gloomily, and her voice sank. "She was the one who got her mother killed."
"She originally thought that returning home with shop deeds and banknotes would save her mother from her miserable life, so they would never have to be at the mercy of others again. Who knew that when Wang Shi found out she was a woman, he would fly into a rage. Even the people in the county, upon hearing that a lowly woman had shown her face in public and actually become highly successful, all shared his bitter resentment.
Wang Shi brought people to confiscate all her belongings and even wanted to marry her off to an eighty-year-old man in the county—after all, younger men wouldn't fancy her looks.
On the day of the wedding, they tied her up tightly and stuffed her into the bridal sedan chair.
Amidst the deafening sound of gongs and drums, Bamei appeared, carrying a hoe.
She had been beaten by Wang Shi her whole life. She only knew how to cry and had never resisted.
But that day, armed with a hoe, she carved a bloody path through the crowd.
Her stance was truly like one who would kill gods or Buddhas if they stood in her way.
She chopped the hemp ropes and desperately pushed the chubby bride in her wedding dress out of the crowd.
When Wang Shi chased after them, the hoe smashed his head in.
With her face covered in blood, Bamei screamed toward the outside of the crowd: 'Run! Run as far away as possible and never come back! You must find your sister and tell her that mother didn't abandon her...'"
Zhu Yu stopped abruptly, broken sobs choking in her throat as her entire body trembled.
She hugged the ghost infant in her arms even tighter, as if wanting to draw a little bit of warmth from it, but the ghost infant was icy cold all over.
So she trembled even more violently.
Her eyes revealed despair. The one she was holding was her only relative, but it had been dead for a long time.
"How about letting me hold it for a while?" Chai Xiaomi reached out her hands. Zhu Yu had been talking for so long while continuously holding the ghost infant; it looked quite tiring.
Zhu Yu hesitated for a moment, remembering that just now, after the ghost infant was summoned back, the first person it sought out was this girl, even begging her for a hug. It obviously liked her very much.
So she handed the ghost infant into Chai Xiaomi's open arms.
Chai Xiaomi's technique for holding a child was very clumsy. For fear of waking the sleeping infant, she didn't dare adjust her posture. She could only stiffly clamp her two arms, maintaining the pose without moving an inch.
It wasn't long before her arms ached terribly.
But she was the one who offered to hold the child. If she gave it back after only two minutes, it would feel like she was just putting on a hypocritical show. Besides, Zhu Yu had held it for so long without complaining of soreness. How could she be so pampered and spoiled that she couldn't even endure this little bit of fatigue?
