A Mei was sold.
Staring at her father's evasive and guilt-ridden eyes in the dim room, A Mei clutched her starving, wailing brother tightly in her arms and said in a hoarse voice, "Father, after I leave, you must take good care of little brother. You absolutely cannot go gambling again. When you have money in the future, buy food first. If you don't keep your word, I will haunt you even as a ghost!"
A Mei's father's face flushed with shame and embarrassment. He seemed on the verge of saying something, but ultimately held his tongue. He let out a deep, heavy sigh and nodded emphatically.
Her crying brother finally fell asleep. A Mei laid him down on the tattered, thin bed, turned, and walked out of the low earthen house. She stood motionless by the gable wall for a long time, gazing up at the half-moon in the sky.
Tomorrow was her wedding day. Other girls, no matter how poor, would at least have a red bridal veil prepared. But her? Forget a veil, her family didn't even have a single grain of rice left.
Her father and brother were waiting for the money from the buyer tomorrow to buy food. Without it, her brother would soon starve to death.
A Mei sat by the door all night, finally waiting for the buyer.
The man who came was a middle-aged-looking steward from the city. He drove a carriage and wore an expression of utter contempt for A Mei's father. Without much talk, he produced a marriage contract stamped with an official red seal, made A Mei and her father press their thumbprints on it, tossed down a money pouch, and took A Mei away.
The capital was large, and they traveled for a long time before arriving. The place A Mei was sold to was a modestly-sized residence. The plaque above the gate read "An Estate." Though the place wasn't big, its location wasn't far from the imperial palace, making it undoubtedly expensive.
Upon arrival, a flicker of pity appeared in the steward's eyes. He said, "Little girl, you'll have to fend for yourself now."
With that, he got off the carriage, motioned for A Mei to follow closely, and went up to knock on the door. It soon opened.
Following behind him, A Mei stole a glance. The person who opened the door was a thin, stooped old man. The steward handed him the marriage contract and pointed at A Mei behind him.
The old man nodded at A Mei and spoke with a smile.
"Your trouble is appreciated. Here is your reward."
The old man's voice was overly thick, gravelly, and piercingly shrill. A Mei was startled upon hearing it and couldn't help stealing another look at him.
The steward hastily accepted the reward money, a flash of disgust in his eyes, though his mouth uttered words of gratitude.
And so, A Mei entered the An residence, her heart filled with dread and a sense of fatalistic resignation.
A Mei followed the old man into the inner residence. Being young after all, her curiosity gradually overcame her fear, and she couldn't help looking around furtively.
The old man suddenly turned around. His murky gaze fell upon A Mei as he stated bluntly in a sinister tone, "You are the wife we bought for our godson. Now that you've entered our An family, you must behave properly and live a decent life. If you harbor disloyal thoughts, don't think that just because we are eunuchs, we lack the means to make you suffer."
A Mei knew she was marrying a eunuch. If it weren't for that, they wouldn't have offered so much money. After all, she wasn't from a servant or lowly household. If not for her father's gambling addiction that ruined the family, what decent family would marry their daughter to a eunuch?
Moreover, while it was called a marriage, rumors in the streets said eunuchs weren't real men. They hated their own incompleteness, yet perversely longed to be normal men. Their so-called marriages were often just a public pretext for tormenting women. A Mei had heard people at the market say that eunuchs who gained enough influence to establish households outside the palace all vied to take wives and concubines, ruining many women. Quite a few were abused to death. Although the authorities looked down on this, those eunuchs able to set up households outside were all favorites of the noble masters. No one dared to interfere, and matters were usually left unresolved.
Hearing his words and remembering this, A Mei's face turned deathly pale with fear. Her lips trembled as she managed a faint "Mm."
An Gui, seeing the girl's terrified appearance, snorted coldly and nodded with satisfaction. "From today, you will call me Godfather along with Sheng'er. Sheng'er is on duty these past few days. He'll be back in a few days, and then you will marry."
Thus, the anxious and unsettled A Mei began living at the An Estate. But for half a month, apart from Godfather, she saw no one else in the residence at all.
Although A Mei was young, she was always hardworking and resilient. She took the initiative to handle all the chores, cleaning the entire house from top to bottom until it was neat and tidy. After tasting a meal A Mei cooked once, Godfather directly entrusted all three daily meals to her.
Since her mother's death, A Mei had never felt so fortunate. Apart from missing her young brother, she now had new clothes to wear, meat to eat, and a warm, large bed to sleep in. She didn't have to worry about the next meal all day long or fear the roof leaking on rainy days. Although Godfather had a strange temper, he hadn't made things difficult for her. All of this felt like a dream.
One day, A Mei was steaming buns in the kitchen when she heard the sound of a commotion outside. Her heart skipped a beat, thinking perhaps the eunuch she was to marry had returned.
Not daring to think too much, A Mei hurried out. As soon as she stepped outside, she saw a crowd of people swarming into the small courtyard. At the front were three men who looked like government officers, wearing swords at their waists, looking quite imposing. Behind them were four servants carrying a stretcher. On the stretcher lay a person, bloodied and battered beyond recognition.
A Mei had never seen such a scene before. Her legs immediately turned to jelly, and she almost couldn't stand.
The officer at the front naturally saw A Mei, frozen in fear. Assuming she was a servant of the estate, and seeing no one of authority emerging from the An residence despite the commotion, he grew both anxious and angry, shouting:
"Is anyone from the An Estate here?!"
A Mei drew a sharp breath, nearly fainting. Currently, there were only two people in the An Estate, and Godfather happened to be out buying supplies. That left only her.
She pinched her own thigh hard. The piercing pain forced her to steel herself and step forward, stammering meekly, "S-sir, I'm the only one here. G-godfather went out on business."
Hearing this, the officer's eyes widened. Looking again at the tiny place, he thought to himself that Eunuch An was considered a favorite of the Second Prince. Though not old, he was a veteran in the palace. How could his residence be so shabby... Working under the same master, he had always looked down on these fawning eunuchs, but now he felt an inexplicable twinge of something else.
However, the situation was critical, leaving no room for further thought. He said to A Mei, "Quick, take us to the bedroom. Eunuch An is severely injured. The physician arranged by our master will be here shortly."
A Mei hastily led everyone to the bedroom. Seeing she was just a young girl who couldn't manage alone, the officer left two men behind to assist and then went back to report.
Soon after, the physician arrived in a hurry. Upon seeing the injuries, he instructed them to boil plenty of hot water. A Mei had been steaming buns and happened to have a large pot of hot water ready. She busied herself, running back and forth to prepare things for the physician.
By the time An Gui returned, he saw his godson clinging to life on the bed and A Mei, exhausted, slumped on the floor.
Seeing Godfather, A Mei finally couldn't hold back and burst into tears with a sob. Pointing towards the cabinet, she cried, "Godfather, the physician prescribed medicine. I took money from the cabinet to send someone to fetch the medicine. I didn't steal it."
This abrupt and fragmented sentence revealed A Mei's fragility and also served as a warning to An Gui.
An Gui took a deep breath and, looking at the blood-stained clothes scattered on the floor, forced himself to remain calm as he stepped forward to sit on the edge of the bed. His gaze fixed intently on his godson's face, marked with bloodstains.
After a long moment, he turned to look at A Mei, his eyes shadowed and unreadable. "Good child, you did well."
Just then, the person sent to fetch the medicine returned.
Seeing the man dressed in the uniform of the Imperial Guards, An Gui was startled. He quickly rose and bowed respectfully. "Thank you for your trouble, sir. This old servant is deeply grateful."
The officer waved his hand. "We are just following orders. No need for formalities." As he spoke, he handed both the medicine and the prescription to An Gui.
An Gui glanced down at them. There were still many things he needed to inquire about from this officer, so he first sent A Mei away.
"Boil three bowls of water down to one. Go prepare the medicine quickly."
A Mei dared not delay. She took the items and hurried off to brew the medicine.
...
By the time A Mei returned carrying the medicine, the officer had already left. An Gui was standing motionless by the head of the bed, seemingly lost in thought.
"Godfather, the medicine is ready," A Mei called out softly.
An Gui snapped back to reality with a hum. Sitting on the edge of the bed, he tried to lift his godson to feed him the medicine. But An Gui was old, and An Sheng's body was entirely wrapped in bandages, making it difficult to find a way to handle him.
"Come here quickly and help me lift Sheng'er so we can give him his medicine!" An Gui glared at A Mei.
A Mei looked at the bandages still seeping blood on the man's body, took a fearful step back, and stammered, "I... I don't dare."
An Gui's clouded eyes instantly turned venomous as they fixed on A Mei. In a sharp, deliberate voice, he said, "Don't dare? This is your husband. Whether you dare or not, you must do it. Since the marriage contract is signed, your fortunes are now bound together. If he dies, you become a widow. Believe me, I have plenty of means to send you down to join Sheng'er in the afterlife, so you can remain a ghostly couple!"
An Gui's words struck A Mei like a blow to the head, searing deeply into her terrified heart.
How could A Mei dare to refuse now? She hurried over and, together with An Gui, carefully lifted the man to feed him the medicine. While doing so, she stole a glance at his face. That single glance made her tremble, lower her head, and vow never to look again.
It was nothing else. Two fierce, ghastly, bloody gashes now crossed the man's face, making him appear exceptionally terrifying and horrifying, utterly unrecognizable.
Once An Sheng was laid back down, A Mei completely collapsed onto the floor, unable to get up.
Such a sudden and drastic change had thoroughly frightened A Mei. Then, she heard her godfather's voice drifting down from above her.
"These are whip wounds. The worse they look on the surface, the less likely they've damaged the inside. Those executioners in the palace are cunning. He had to suffer this punishment, but that damned executioner went too far. We mustn't let scars form on his face."
A Mei listened meekly from the side, not daring to speak.
An Gui didn't expect A Mei to say anything either. He sighed, stood up, and retrieved a wooden box from a cabinet behind him. Pulling a key from his pocket, he openly unlocked the box in front of A Mei, took out a small purse and tucked it into his own robe. Then, he took out a red jade bracelet and beckoned to A Mei. "Come here."
A Mei gritted her teeth, pulled herself up from the floor, and walked over to An Gui. "G-Godfather."
An Gui nodded, took A Mei's hand, and slipped the bracelet onto her wrist. In a hoarse voice, he said slowly, "Godfather knows you are a sincere girl. This bracelet is the only keepsake Sheng'er's mother left for him. It was always meant for his wife, so I am passing it to you on his behalf."
A Mei felt her hand, now wearing the bracelet, burning. Meeting An Gui's sharp gaze, she didn't dare voice any refusal.
Then An Gui turned to look at his godson on the bed and, unusually, confided in A Mei: "An Sheng is a ruthless man, heavy-hearted, and ambitious. But he treats his own people well enough. As your godfather, I acknowledge you as his wife. Now that Sheng'er has met with misfortune, this is your chance to prove yourself. In the future, you must not provoke my godson's anger. Manage the household well."
A Mei nodded, only half-understanding.
Whether A Mei truly grasped his words or not, An Gui didn't care. He stood up. "Sheng'er is not in mortal danger, just weakened from blood loss. He needs careful nurturing. Use the money in the cabinet freely, but be sure to take good care of him. If he wakes and asks for anything, prepare it."
"I am going out for a trip. I'll be back in at least three days, at most seven. If he doesn't ask, don't volunteer information. If he does ask, just say I've gone out on business."
Finally, An Gui looked meaningfully at A Mei, a half-smile playing on his lips. "I bought you to marry Sheng'er with a proper marriage contract. If you run away, not only will the authorities hunt you down, but your father and younger brother won't live either. Think carefully about that."
A Mei struggled to digest An Gui's words, her face deathly pale, lips pressed tightly together. Finally, she nodded. "G-Godfather, don't worry. A Mei will definitely take good care of my husband."
Only then did An Gui leave, satisfied.
