Song Zhenqing had originally been tasked with going to Zhao Village to fetch thread, but he never went. Instead, he went straight to find Liu Yin’s daughter, Huang Yuying. The pair found a haystack and spent their time rolling around in it together.
At this moment, a glint of excitement shone in Song Zhenqing’s eyes. From today on, that dark-skinned woman at home would be kicked out, and the elegant, serene Aunt Yin would be brought home as his own mother.
Aunt Yin would certainly never object to him being with Yuying. From then on, his father would be happily paired with her, and he and Yuying would be deeply in love—two pairs of happy couples! Wouldn't life be absolutely perfect?
That Song Zhenqing had been raised to be this way was entirely the doing of Song Yao. He spoke constantly of teaching the boy himself, but after all that, he had only raised a brat. The boy couldn't study, and he viewed his own mother as an enemy—even worse than an ungrateful wretch.
At this moment, even Song Zhenqing would not stand up for his own mother, which inevitably drew gossip from the villagers.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk," Widow Zhao shook her head. "Even her own son doesn't care for her; there’s no saving that Du woman."
Village Chief Song Huaiyu darkened his face and asked, "Du Chunzhi, what do you have to say for yourself?"
Du Chunzhi looked around. "Uncle Chief, let's close the main gate. Don't let me run off later."
"..."
Song Huaiyu raised a hand. "Song Ergen, close the gate!"
"Uncle, we should let the dogs out, too."
Song Huaiyu retorted impatiently, "Don't you have one with you already?"
Du Chunzhi stopped stalling. She took a step forward and announced, "Everyone here has seen it. Those who claim I sold my mother-in-law are all from the Song family. I ask you: as a village woman who spends her days tending to the fields and rarely even goes to town, how would I possibly know a matron from Yangliu County?"
"Who knows how you know her? You were the one who summoned her; my whole family can bear witness!" Song Yao said, then added, "The bill of sale is still with Du Chunzhi. If you don't believe me, make her take it out and show us."
Upon hearing this, Old Mother Song immediately went into character. She raised her thumb, which had been pressed into the ink pad, and wailed bitterly, "Look at this, everyone! She bullied me because I don't know any better and tricked me into pressing my mark! The heavens strike her down—how has the Song family ever wronged her?"
Song Huaiyu asked coldly, "Du Chunzhi, do you have that contract on you?"
Thinking that Du Chunzhi wouldn't produce it so easily, Song Yao had already prepared a tirade of abuse. Unexpectedly, she took out the document without a word, rendering his internal script useless.
The moment she revealed the contract, Old Mother Song wailed even louder, slapping her thighs. "She’s a wolf in sheep’s clothing we brought into this family! Her heart is truly pitch black!"
Du Chunzhi was calm and collected. "Just a moment ago, your grandson kept insisting that I was going to sell you off to empty night-soil buckets. May I ask, which three characters on this contract say 'empty night-soil buckets'?"
Old Mother Song's wailing stopped abruptly. She stood stunned for a long time, then stiffened her neck and said, "My son said it's there, so it must be there!"
Du Chunzhi gave a meaningful smile. "Did he really say that?"
"Absolutely!"
Because Old Mother Song held her ground, Song Yao felt a sense of foreboding. Sure enough, Du Chunzhi continued:
"I am illiterate, and you are illiterate, too. If your son says it's there, he must have read this contract. Since he read it, that means he was present when the handprint was made. Did he just watch you press it down?"
"That's right!" Song Ergen's wife, being her close friend, knew better than anyone how much Du Chunzhi had suffered. "If your son read the contract, then it wasn't Du Chunzhi selling you—it was your own son selling you!"
Song Yao was so angry he nearly fainted. He had thought this was a sure thing, but he didn't know why it had turned so disadvantageous. He was anxious, and Song Zhenqing was even more so. Without thinking, he blurted out, "There are no words for 'empty night-soil buckets' on that contract at all!"
"Oh?" Du Chunzhi looked at this useless piece of work, her heart remaining entirely unmoved. "So, you’ve read it?"
"I—I haven't read it. I just thought that since Master Wang is wealthy and kind-hearted, why would he make my grandmother empty night-soil buckets?"
This explanation was useless. The eyes of everyone in Songjia Village said one thing: I don't believe you!
Du Chunzhi seized the moment. "Everyone knows I can't read, so I don't know what is written here. Fortunately, there are several literate people in Songjia Village. Could someone help me read it?"
A Cultivated Talent named Song Rusong stepped forward, took the contract, and read it aloud:
"Du, of the Songjia Village, due to a lack of food at home, voluntarily sells herself to Master Wang of Yangliu County as a servant for the price of two taels of silver. From this day forward, she shall eat and live at the Wang family residence, with a monthly wage of five hundred coins. She shall perform cleaning and labor, following all instructions from the master of the house. On ordinary days, she is to make fabric dolls for the two young ladies—two at a time, both must be identical, with no difference between them. Should there be any failure, she shall accept punishment without complaint!"
It was true that it didn't mention night-soil buckets, but making fabric dolls for Old Mother Song? Was this a joke?
Who didn't know her? Never mind making dolls; she rarely even liked to pick up a needle. Embroidering a plum blossom looked like a flat pancake, and sewing a pouch looked like a deep well!
The Wang family's young ladies wanted her to make dolls? Was their taste that bizarre?
Song Ergen's wife stepped out again. "If we're talking about who in the village makes the best fabric dolls, that would be Du Chunzhi. I once begged her to make one, and the stitching and the patterns were the best in the whole county!"
The Cultivated Talent Song Rusong pondered, "Could it be that the Wang family meant to buy the daughter-in-law, but the old woman rushed to press her mark instead?"
Old Mother Song screamed that she was wronged. "Why would I rush to press something like this? It was truly Du Chunzhi who grabbed my hand and forced it onto the paper!"
Song Rusong pressed, "She didn't know what was written on the contract, so why would she force you to press it? Could it be that Song Yao wanted to sell his own wife?"
Song Yao's heart leaped into his throat. He was terrified of being exposed and wished for this to be over immediately. Even if he couldn't divorce his wife today, he couldn't let his reputation be stained in the slightest.
"That's not it at all," Du Chunzhi said with an innocent face. "My husband treats me very well."
Song Yao sighed in relief. At least she knew how to behave!
Who knew that Du Chunzhi would pull out a letter and hand it to Song Rusong? "This is what my husband wrote to me. It must be full of kind words. Could the honorable Cultivated Talent help me read it?"
When Song Yao saw the letter, his face turned deathly pale. If this were read aloud in public, it would be all over!
"You cannot read it!" He tried to rush forward to snatch the letter but was blocked by Song Ergen and several other strong men. The local scoundrel grinned wickedly, "Just read it. What's wrong with hearing it?"
Song Rusong, clearly excited to be the first to get the scoop, unfolded the letter.
Song Huaiyu took a sip of tea in the lull, but before he could even swallow, he spat it out at the very first sentence.
"My dear Song, upon reading this,"
Did you hear that? "My dear Song"! The letter said "My dear Song"!
Who else in Du Chunzhi's family was a "Song"? It had to be either Song Yao or Song Zhenqing!
"Read on! Read on!"
Urged by the crowd, Song Rusong continued to read: "Since we last entwined, I have been unable to sleep at night." He paused to explain to the crowd, "It means that after the two of you were intimate, I couldn't sleep at night!"
The crowd erupted in laughter. Oh, my goodness! This was just too exciting!
"My monthly cycle hasn't arrived these past few days. Counting the days, I believe I am with child."
Ah, ah, ah, ah! No way! She was even pregnant!
Was it Song Yao's, or was it Song Zhenqing's? The crowd looked on, full of excitement. This family drama was turning out to be more and more entertaining the more they watched!