CHAPTER 103: CHAPTER 102: WEDDING NIGHT MISCHIEF IS JUST FLIRTING IN DISGUISE

Yu Xiaolian returned home, and Grandma Sun was on the kang in the east room, making small clothes for the two little ones in her belly. Two oil lamps were placed on the table on the kang, making the small room very bright.

Seeing Yu Xiaolian reach out to feel the temperature of the kang, Grandma Sun smiled and said, "The kang was heated by Erya, it’s nice and warm."

Zhao Erya had been busy like a spinning top all day. Even when Grandma Sun told her to rest for a while, she wouldn’t comply.

When she really had nothing to do, she’d run to the backyard to feed the horses and chop wood. She was truly very diligent.

Grandma Sun said, "I told her to lie down early and rest. I don’t know if the girl has laid down yet. Go and check, let her rest early!"

When Yu Xiaolian returned to the west room, she saw Zhao Erya groping in the dark, folding the cotton-padded clothes and pants she had just taken off neatly.

"You’re back! Was the wedding night fun?"

Yu Xiaolian lit the candle on the table with a lighter. She wasn’t used to using oil lamps; she couldn’t stand the smell of kerosene and felt a headache if she smelled it too much.

These candles were sold for two yuan a bundle at the supermarket, and now they could be replaced endlessly, so it didn’t hurt to use them.

"It was okay..." To those scholarly students full of ink, it might have been extremely interesting.

But Yu Xiaolian hated classical Chinese when she was in school and wasn’t good at brainteasers. She subconsciously knew those people were subtly making dirty jokes, but she really couldn’t guess the answers.

This Su Jingchen as well, what was there to be shy about? Even as a girl, she had the nerve to ask, and he, as a man, was too embarrassed to answer.

Acting as if she had such thick skin.

"Auntie said you like to be clean, and told me to wash my feet before getting on the kang. I’ve already washed them."

Seeing Zhao Erya’s somewhat restrained appearance, Yu Xiaolian gave her a slightly ingratiating smile.

"You can use all the toiletries on my windowsill, don’t be polite.

If you’re hungry, you can also eat the pastries and biscuits in this room at will."

"Really?" Zhao Erya wondered if she was here not to work but to enjoy life.

Without having to do hard work and being able to eat well, and eating refined grains at that.

In her family, refined grains were only eaten during the New Year, and even then it wasn’t enough.

Her parents favored her brother. Whenever they occasionally bought some cloud cakes, they only gave them to the brother; she and her sister never even tasted one and didn’t know what it tasted like.

Whenever her brother ate the cakes, he would eat them in hiding for fear that they would take them from him.

Thinking of her parents made Zhao Erya sad.

Although this year hadn’t been a good one and the harvest was only half of last year’s, saving on food should have been enough.

But her parents cruelly sold her. There were families poorer than hers in River Bay Village, and none of them planned to sell their children.

Her sister, who was already engaged, couldn’t be sold.

So her grandma set her eyes on her. If she was sold to a landlord’s household as a maid, it would only fetch seven taels of silver.

Seven taels of silver, they found little.

Later, they heard an old scholar wanted to take a concubine and could offer ten taels as a bride price, so her grandma decided to marry her off to this old scholar older than her grandfather.

Just when the matter was going to be settled, her parents heard that Baihua House in Yangcheng could fetch a higher price.

No matter how much she pleaded and cried, her parents did not change their mind. She only begged not to be sold to a brothel.

But they were determined to only recognize money, not their daughter.

She would rather marry the old scholar as a concubine than be sold to a brothel.

But Baihua House offered twenty taels, double the price of the old scholar.

Her parents didn’t hesitate for a second before tying her up and bringing her to Yangcheng.

Before leaving, her mother shamelessly told her that if any patron gave her a reward or a wealthy person took a fancy to her and redeemed her, she should not only enjoy herself but be sure to go back and help her brother.

Zhao Erya shouted the most heart-wrenching, vicious things she could think of on the spot and even bitterly cursed her parents in her heart.

After being sold to the brothel, seeing that she was still somewhat pretty, the madam planned to train her well and send her to Linzhou.

She was unyielding, so the madam had people lock her in the woodshed, planning to starve her for a few days.

On the first night she was locked up, someone sneaked into the woodshed and assaulted her. In the pitch-black night, among the chaotic woodshed, no matter how much she screamed, no one came to save her.

For several consecutive days, she lived in tears and fear, luckily that person only forced her on the first day and never came again in the following days.

Just when Zhao Erya thought the madam meant to starve her to death, another little girl was thrown into the woodshed.

At first, Zhao Erya didn’t recognize it was Yu Xiaolian, she just thought it was another unfortunate girl sold by her parents.

Unexpectedly, she was blessed by misfortune and was saved by Yu Xiaolian, living such a good life now. Everything felt dream-like and unreal.

"Of course it’s true." Yu Xiaolian took a few snacks from the shelf. "This is rose grape crispy roll, I like it the most. Try it."

"Also this cranberry bread, tiramisu, red velvet cake, they’re all delicious..."

Yu Xiaolian was enthusiastically introducing the pastries when she looked up to see Zhao Erya actually crying and promptly handed her a tissue.

"Why are you crying?"

Zhao Erya sobbed, "Why are you so good to me? I betrayed you before."

"Betray?"

Zhao Erya was once close with the original Yu Xiaolian for a few days. They often went to the mountains to pick vegetables together and went to the river to wash clothes.

Later, Zhao Erya’s family heard about it and beat Zhao Erya, telling her that being with this little jinx Yu Xiaolian would bring bad luck home.

After being beaten, Zhao Erya was scared and abandoned the original Yu Xiaolian, not daring to be friends with her anymore.

That really couldn’t be called a betrayal.

Zhao Erya cautiously watched Yu Xiaolian’s expression, "These are all things you like to eat, you should keep them for yourself. Don’t worry, I... I won’t steal them."

"Well, I told you to eat them, so whether you eat them or not is up to you!" Yu Xiaolian turned around and took off her contact lenses, starting her bedtime routine.

Once done, she blew out the candle in one breath and slipped into the warm bed.

The warm bed was incredibly comfortable to lie in.

Zhao Erya worriedly asked, "Do you think... the people from Baihua House will find us here?"

Zhao Erya had fainted during Yu Xiaolian’s conversation with Leng Yuesheng.

And she was fainted again while Su Jingchen and others were explaining things.

So Zhao Erya always thought it was Yu Xiaolian who took her out of Baihua House. She didn’t know her indenture contract was in Yu Xiaolian’s hand.

"Don’t worry, they won’t come to catch you again. I’ve already redeemed you. Your indenture contract is in my possession."

In the dark, Yu Xiaolian vaguely saw Zhao Erya suddenly sit up.

"The indenture contract is with you?" came Zhao Erya’s incredulous voice.

"Can I see it?"

Yu Xiaolian: "..."

Could you please get up more slowly next time, almost scared her to death, sitting up like a ghost rising.

Yu Xiaolian relit the candle and handed the indenture contract for Zhao Erya to see.

Zhao Erya took the indenture contract but realized she couldn’t read.

She knew, however, that this thin piece of paper represented a lifetime of low status.

Zhao Erya stared at the indenture contract for a long time, then wordlessly folded the paper and let Yu Xiaolian put it away.

Yu Xiaolian thought for a long time and couldn’t help but say, "If you want to go home, I can give you the indenture contract."

Zhao Erya gently shook her head.

"I have no home, and no parents." After saying this, she burrowed into the quilt and covered her head with the blanket.

Yu Xiaolian knew Zhao Erya was secretly crying under the blanket. Her lips moved to say something comforting, but found she really wasn’t good at consoling people.

She remembered in a past life when a female forensic colleague of hers went through a breakup, Yu Xiaolian kindly consoled her, "You have to miss those weird ones to meet someone better. When you’re down, pat your chest and tell yourself you’re a man, be strong."

As a result, the colleague sprang up and beat her, and from then on, Yu Xiaolian never dared to comfort people casually again.