"A Mei, tell your father the truth. That man, does he really treat you well?"
A Mei was sitting in front of the stall, using a stick of candied hawthorn to coax her little brother, when she turned and heard her father's abrupt question.
It was already past noon. Most of the street vendors had packed up and gone home, leaving only a few scattered stalls, one of which belonged to A Mei's father.
A Mei's little brother was called Douzi, and his mouth was currently smeared with sugar syrup. A Mei took out a handkerchief and wiped his mouth.
"He does, father. Why do you always ask the same thing? Didn't I tell you before, my husband treats me quite well."
A Mei smiled at her father, then turned to hug Douzi affectionately, missing the look of worry and regret in her father's eyes.
Her father didn't believe this. How could a family like that treat his daughter well? A Mei's father looked at his son and daughter before him, his gaze gradually turning resolute. He swore silently to himself that he must truly reform his ways, work hard to earn more silver, and redeem his daughter from that living hell as soon as possible.
At that moment, A Mei took a purse from her bosom and handed it to her father.
"Father, take this money. Rent a better place for you and Douzi."
A Mei had always been troubled by the room her father rented. It wasn't that it was particularly dilapidated—having lived in an earthen house herself before, she naturally wouldn't look down on it—but the room was simply too small, barely big enough to fit a bed. Now that A Mei lived in the spacious, bright, and comfortable An residence, seeing her father and brother like this truly pained her heart.
A Mei's father was stunned. His brow furrowed deeply as he stared at the purse in his hand. He weighed it, then opened it directly to take a look. His eyes widened in astonishment. His lips trembled, and it took him a long moment before he could speak, asking uncertainly, "A Mei, did you take this money and give it to me without permission?"
It was no wonder he was shocked. This sum was clearly more than what the An family had given him before.
A Mei shook her head. "No. It was given by my husband and my father-in-law."
Her father was incredulous. "Why would they give you so much money?"
A Mei replied matter-of-factly, "I told my husband and father-in-law that the room you and Douzi live in is too shabby and small. My husband then told me to give you this money so you can rent a better place nearby."
Actually, the original words were An Sheng glancing at A Mei with impatience: "Just go give your father some money so he can rent a better place. Stop muttering about it in my ear all day, do you want to annoy me to death? Get out!"
A Mei's father was confused. Could it be that the eunuch really favored his daughter? But no matter what, he was still a eunuch. A Mei's father felt the money in his hand was like a hot potato. Selling his daughter in the first place was something he could never live down for the rest of his life; he was absolutely determined not to take this money.
A Mei's father returned the money to her, refusing to accept it no matter what, and repeatedly urged A Mei to give it back.
So, when A Mei returned home, she gave the money back to her husband.
An Sheng didn't speak. He stared at the purse with a sinister gaze for a long while, finally saying with sarcasm, "It seems my esteemed father-in-law looks down on this eunuch son-in-law of his."
A Mei shook her head. "Husband treats A Mei so well, how could father look down on you? Father said the money given before was enough, and he cannot take any more from you."
An Sheng raised an eyebrow. Looking at A Mei's sincere gaze, the ferocity in his eyes lessened slightly. His narrow eyes squinted. "Tell me, how exactly do I treat you well on a daily basis?"
A Mei immediately began counting on her fingers, detailing: "If Father-in-law hadn't bought A Mei back then, A Mei and Douzi might have starved to death. Then, at home, I eat well, live well, dress warmly. Father-in-law treats A Mei well, and husband also treats A Mei well."
An Sheng snorted with a laugh. "No ambition. Is being well-fed and clothed what you consider being treated well?"
A Mei widened her sincere eyes and nodded like a chick pecking at rice. "Mm-hmm."
An Sheng's face darkened. His gaze suddenly turned icy, his tone sharp. "If people found out that the wife of this humble servant is satisfied with just food and clothing, wouldn't they laugh their heads off at me, An Sheng!"
Though he was a eunuch, he considered his usual salary and rewards not low. Having struggled and climbed all these years, always cautious, he had finally built up his current family fortune. He was determined to climb even higher in the future. His long-standing goal was to become that figure by the Emperor's side. By then, immense wealth and overwhelming power would be within easy reach. Yet, when it came to the wife he had married, she was satisfied with just food and clothing! An Sheng was directly angered into a laugh by A Mei's lack of ambition.
Most eunuchs were narrow-minded, selfish, and competitive in everything. In the palace, they compared who gained more favor from the nobles, who had higher status and more silver. Those fortunate enough to leave the palace and establish households then compared whose house was bigger, whose servants were more numerous. Those who took wives or concubines even compared whose women were more beautiful, whose numbers were greater...
A Mei suddenly shrank back, frightened by An Sheng's words. She didn't understand why her husband had suddenly become angry. She stood there at a loss, not daring to speak, staring at An Sheng's suddenly sullen and terrifying face with panic and helplessness.
Looking at A Mei's pitiful, terrified appearance, An Sheng suddenly felt a surge of vexation. Gritting his teeth with bitter frustration, he said, "Although we are eunuchs, rejected by the world, it is precisely because of this that we must live better than those who look down on us! We must have more power and influence than they do! Make them all beg before us! Crush them all underfoot!"
Faced with her capricious husband, A Mei timidly nodded. She seemed to understand, yet also didn't quite understand.
In any case, A Mei felt that ever since she returned from her father's place, her husband had become like a different person. A Mei didn't understand. With her father-in-law not at home, the entire An residence was suddenly enveloped in a heavy, oppressive atmosphere that left A Mei at a loss. Fortunately, her husband soon went away on business. Once An Sheng left, A Mei finally let out a sigh of relief.
