Wu Wei’s blood boiled at those words, the veins on her forehead throbbing with rage. Even with her full understanding of that shameless Liu couple, she couldn’t suppress the fury rising in her chest. As someone raised with a modicum of propriety and versed in the rule of law, the grim notion of taking vigilante justice into her own hands flickered through her mind in that moment. She itched to string up the bloodsucking pair and give them a thorough lashing with a water-soaked whip.
Rubbing her brow, Wu Wei asked, “Second Sister, Second Brother-in-law, what do you think we should do now?”
Second Lady Liu bristled with righteous indignation. “Have your Second Brother-in-law borrow an ox cart and come right back. I’m going home to have it out with that couple—see if they’ve got any shame left!”
Embroider Maiden sniffled, trying to calm her. “Second Sister, please don’t get upset. Think of the baby you’re carrying.”
Zhang Shuisheng paused in thought before replying, “Little Locust Village’s village head took their bribe, so he’s naturally singing their tune. But when Eldest Brother-in-Law trotted out that old line about a woman obeying her father before marriage, her husband after, and her son thereafter, it put us in a bind. The Liu couple’s running the show now, and the village head can’t just force the issue. If Embroider Maiden were a grown man, I could’ve gone toe-to-toe with them today—even risked a bad name and rounded up some folks to split the family by force. But she’s an unmarried girl, and if I overstepped as her brother-in-law, it’d only bring trouble down on her head. So I came back first. As I see it, we need to pay a visit to Little Locust Village’s village head. Worst case, we toss him another tael of silver to be rid of this pest. Family rites and customs like this fall under his purview.”
Wu Wei mulled it over for a moment. “Second Brother-in-law, if we throw money at it, what are our odds?”
Zhang Shuisheng shook his head. “Hard to say. Embroider Maiden’s still an unmarried girl at the end of the day, and if her kin won’t let her go, even the village head’s hands are tied.”
Wu Wei clenched her fists, her voice icy. “I’m done playing nice with Little Locust Village and their fence-sitting. We’re getting Embroider Maiden out of that hellhole for good this time. If bribery’s no guarantee, then we’ll go straight to the authorities—let the county magistrate settle it! Everyone knows the Liu family carted her off to that drafty death trap of a shack in late autumn. She survived by sheer luck. And it wasn’t even her who asked to split the family—it was a done deal the moment they threw her out. Now that they smell profit, they want to claw it back? No such thing as a free lunch in this world.”
The words “report to the officials” stunned Second Lady Liu and Zhang Shuisheng. The couple exchanged a glance, and Second Lady Liu spoke first. “Weiwei, they’re in the wrong, sure, but blood’s thicker than water. We can’t drag family into the courts, can we?”
Wu Wei’s face was ashen. She wrapped an arm around Embroider Maiden and pressed her lips together in silence.
Zhang Shuisheng chimed in. “Little sister, let’s not blow this up right away. No matter what, your mother-in-law still needs them for support. If not for the monk’s sake, then the Buddha’s. I don’t know the laws or our odds in court, but what if the magistrate rules Embroider Maiden belongs at home? Then there’s no going back.”
Second Lady Liu jumped in quickly. “Exactly, Weiwei. Your Second Brother-in-law’s right. And since ancient times, what daughter sues her own family? Win or lose, it’ll ruin Embroider Maiden’s reputation for good!” What man would marry a girl like that?
She didn’t voice the last part aloud. In her mind, no matter how badly the Liu family acted, they were still kin. Family laundry got washed behind closed doors—even if it meant turning the place upside down. An unmarried daughter suing her own home? Unheard of. And no matter how capable Wu Wei was, she couldn’t shield Embroider Maiden forever. A woman needed her husband’s family, her sons.
Second Lady Liu pressed on. “I’ll have your Second Brother-in-law fetch that ox cart right now. I’ll go talk some sense into them. Don’t worry—Embroider Maiden’s my sister. I won’t let her be wronged.”
“Second Sister, stay put,” Wu Wei said, her expression stern but her tone even. “Farming season makes ox carts scarce, and you shouldn’t be getting worked up anyway—not good for the baby’s growth. I’ll think this through carefully. You and Second Brother-in-law don’t worry.”
With an arm still around Embroider Maiden, Wu Wei led her out of the west room. They crossed the Zhang family courtyard and stopped beneath the old locust tree. There, Wu Wei released her shoulders. Embroider Maiden leaned against the trunk, her once-flushed lips gone pale as frost, dark circles shadowing her eyes. She gasped for breath in heaving gulps.
Wu Wei’s heart ached at the sight. “Embroider Maiden, calm down. Steady your mind—don’t be scared. Deep breaths…”
Embroider Maiden looked up at her, her usually clear eyes now brimming with helplessness, despair, and a thread of fear. Wu Wei took her hand, squeezing it tight, her thumb stroking the icy skin on the back. “Embroider Maiden, don’t be afraid. I absolutely won’t let them drag you back. Trust me.”
Embroider Maiden bit her lip and nodded, a fat tear spilling from her eye.
“Come on, follow me. Deep breaths.”
Embroider Maiden mimicked her, and after a few rounds, some color returned to her face. Wu Wei gazed into her eyes. “Embroider Maiden, forget what Second Sister and Second Brother-in-law said. Cast out the fear and distractions. No holding back—close your eyes and ask your heart what kind of life you want from here on out.”
Embroider Maiden did as told. Her first words tumbled out: “I don’t want to go back.”
She continued, “…I want a house of our own, like you said once—raise some chicks in the yard… Save up eggs to sell at market. In autumn, chop wood and stack it; in winter, haul it to town and sell that. I don’t want to go back. Even if it’s a hardscrabble life, anything’s better than going back.”
Wu Wei tucked a stray lock of hair behind Embroider Maiden’s ear and wiped the tears from her cheek with her thumb. Softly, she asked, “What if—and I mean what if—the village head and village chief side with the Lius? Would you have the courage to face them in court? Like Second Sister said, it might taint your name forever—no decent family would take you then.”
Embroider Maiden’s eyes flew open. She gaped, then countered, “If they lose the case, will Mother get the rod?”
“No. Your eldest sister and Eldest Brother-in-Law are in charge now. Any punishment would fall on them.”
Her gaze hardened with resolve. She nodded. “I would.”
Wu Wei beamed inwardly. For a girl who’d once flinched at raising her voice, shedding society’s chains to claim her rights was a monumental leap.
“Don’t worry—I won’t drag your family to court unless there’s no other way. I’ll do everything to settle this with the Village Head. Everything has two sides, Embroider Maiden. Your eldest sister and brother-in-law’s actions are despicable, but for you, it might not be all bad. The sooner we sever ties with your birth family completely, the less it hurts. Think about it: if this blew up after you owned a hundred acres of good farmland and half a street of shops? The damage would be far worse. Catching the problem early, when things are lean—that’s our lucky Embroider Maiden!”
Embroider Maiden blinked in a daze. Who? Was Weiwei talking about her? A hundred acres? Half a street of shops? Impossible.
But “our lucky Embroider Maiden” brought a blush to her cheeks, banishing the last of her fear under Wu Wei’s gentle reassurance.
In her heart, Wu Wei never made empty promises. Every vow she’d made, she’d kept. Even here, with no guarantees from anyone else, Embroider Maiden trusted her utterly.
…
Back in the west room, Wu Wei gave Second Lady Liu an apologetic smile. “Second Sister, I was short with you earlier. Don’t take it to heart.”
“I get it—you’re upset. This mess is all my family’s doing, troubling you like this. I should be the one apologizing.”
Wu Wei and Embroider Maiden settled on the kang. Wu Wei’s tone grew resolute. “Second Sister, Second Brother-in-law, Embroider Maiden and I talked it over. Whether the household registry issue stems from ignorance or malice, I have to settle it for good. And I mean truly settled: pull Embroider Maiden’s name out, set up her own household, make her the head of her own home. Not some half-measure fence-sitting where they relent under pressure, only to stir it up again in a year or two.”
Zhang Shuisheng and Second Lady Liu nodded. “Makes sense,” Second Lady Liu said. “No family can withstand that kind of turmoil. Your Second Brother-in-law and I were just saying—we could find Embroider Maiden a match here in Zhang Family Village. That’d make the split official. What do you think, Embroider Maiden?”
Before Embroider Maiden could respond, Wu Wei spoke up. “Second Sister, marriage is one of the biggest events in life. We can’t treat it lightly. It would be foolish to escape one fire pit only to blindly leap into another family’s troubles. Even if the other side has impeccable character and a solid family background, if the Liu couple starts demanding an outrageous bride price, the marriage might fall apart—and Embroider Maiden’s reputation would be ruined in the process.”
“You’re right… Ah…”
“Second Brother-in-law, I need to head out for a bit. Could you come with me to Little Locust Village tomorrow morning? I want to meet the Village Head and speak with him in person.”
“No problem!”
“It’s getting late. I’ll be out and might not return until later, so don’t wait for me for dinner.” Wu Wei borrowed two taels of silver from Embroider Maiden and hurried out the door.
Once she left Zhang Family Village, Wu Wei set off toward the county seat. She had been escorted there once before by Zhang Wei and Zhang Meng to Dongfang Rui’s temporary residence, so she remembered the route.
Wu Wei had no intention of asking Dongfang Rui to intervene directly. Instead, she knew her grasp of this era’s social customs and unwritten rules was sorely lacking. She wanted Dongfang Rui’s advice.
This was about Embroider Maiden’s future. Wu Wei couldn’t risk a single misstep. She had to make it count on the first try.
I really hope this some how ends up with the solution being Embroider Maiden and Weiwei getting married, that’d be an amazing loophole