Chapter 1: Lost the Bet
Mrs. Xiao Qian tiptoed to the kitchen door of the school, taking little aunt Man Bao out of the basket on her back and setting her down on the doorstep. She whispered, “Man Bao, you sit here. Big sister is going to cook, and will bring you home later.”
Man Bao obediently nodded. As soon as her sister-in-law entered the kitchen, she toddled over to the nearby classroom.
Inside, the children were reciting the Thousand Character Classic under the teacher’s guidance. Man Bao routinely dragged a stone and placed it below the window to stand on, poking her head inside. Her bright starry eyes fixated on the scene within.
Bai Erlang, sitting not far from the window, noticed her prying gaze and glared back at her sternly. Unfazed, Man Bao glared right back and even stuck her tongue out.
Bai Erlang’s eyes widened with indignation just as the teacher passed by, gently tapping his head and chiding, “Pay attention.”
Man Bao could not help but giggle with delight. Catching the teacher’s gaze, she mischievously winked at him.
The gray-bearded teacher shook his head helplessly but did not stop her from leaning by the window to listen.
Teacher: “Today we will learn the final section of the Thousand Character Classic: ‘Graceful and smiling, the years hurry her on, radiant splendor shines. Limited knowledge, childish ignorance, yet able to assist the instructors, how gratifying indeed!'”
The students recited each line after him. From outside the window, Man Bao chimed in with her childish voice quite loudly. The students were used to this, swaying as they chanted with the teacher.
Ever since she could speak, Man Bao had been reciting the Thousand Character Classic. She had memorized it long ago. Seeing the teacher put down the book and let the younger students practice independently while he attended to the older ones, Man Bao hopped off the stone and scampered into the teacher’s residence.
When the teacher announced the end of class and returned to his quarters next door, he found Man Bao had already swept the front area and was sitting sorting his scattered drafts.
Spotting the teacher, Man Bao excitedly showed him the organized drafts. “Teacher, look, the blank sides can still be used.”
“Those are my failed practice writings. You can take them if you want.”
Man Bao shook her head. “The backs can be used for practice writing. Teacher, you use them first. When the backs are full, I’ll take them back.”
Unable to dissuade her, the teacher could only accept the drafts and set them on the table, pointing to another stack. “Take these back. If you don’t understand any characters, bring them to me.”
Delighted, Man Bao folded and pocketed that stack, skipping merrily to find her sister-in-law in the kitchen.
Mrs. Xiao Qian had finished cooking and was portioning food for the children.
Man Bao slipped into the kitchen, greeted her sister-in-law, and took the teacher’s meal to him.
The teacher gestured to the mat across from him. “You can sit and eat here too.”
Man Bao shook her head. “I’ll eat in the kitchen later. This is for you, Teacher.”
The teacher did not insist, offering her a piece of meat which she happily accepted before scampering off again.
The teacher chuckled and shook his head, letting her be.
In the kitchen, Mrs. Xiao Qian scraped the last burnt rice bits into a bowl for Man Bao.
Man Bao obediently gobbled the crispy crumbs, even stuffing a piece into her sister-in-law’s mouth. Mrs. Xiao Qian smiled, chewing while gently pushing her hand away. “You eat, you eat. There isn’t much.”
With just one pot of rice, there were only so many crispy bits left. If she burnt too much, the students wouldn’t get full, and she could lose this job.
Mrs. Xiao Qian had been the school’s cook for three years, expertly gauging the portions.
The schoolmaster Mr. Zhuang was hired by the village landlord Mr. Bai to teach. This school was also funded by the Bai family and donations from various households.
Initially, Mr. Zhuang taught here with his wife and children. Since students came from two neighboring villages as well, unable to return home for lunch, the kindhearted Mr. Zhuang charged each student six pounds of rice and thirty cents per month to provide meals, not wanting them to go hungry.
At first, Mr. Zhuang’s wife managed the kitchen, purchasing vegetables and occasionally meat to mince into stew using the students’ contributed rice. After expenses, she kept the remaining two or three cents as payment for her troubles.
The parents appreciated this arrangement, knowing Mr. Zhuang did not profit, simply caring for the students who would need to eat anyways, so they willingly provided the rice contribution, even for village students.
After his wife passed away and his grandchildren moved to the city with their parents, Mr. Zhuang was alone, unable to cook. He hired Mrs. Xiao Qian as the cook with one hundred cents.
Upon learning this, the landlord Mr. Bai had Mrs. Xiao Qian return the money to Mr. Zhuang, covering her salary himself while taking over managing the students’ rice and fees to allow Mr. Zhuang to focus on teaching.
At that time, Man Bao was only eight months old and couldn’t even walk yet. Mrs. Xiao Qian’s main duty was caring for her and her four-year-old son San Tou, often carrying them in baskets to the school kitchen, occasionally pinching rice balls from the pot for them to eat, raising them exceptionally well.
Now that San Tou was four, preferring to play with his older siblings, only Man Bao still accompanied Mrs. Xiao Qian.
Though she only received the burnt crispy rice each day, it nourished Man Bao into a chubby, fair child, looking nothing like a farmer’s kid, much less from the Zhou family.
After splitting the crispy bits with her sister-in-law and washing up, Man Bao cheerfully skipped home.
Mrs. Xiao Qian tried putting her in the basket, but Man Bao refused. “I can walk myself.”
“Alright, just be careful not to fall,” Mrs. Xiao Qian relented.
“I’m a big kid now, I won’t fall!” Man Bao shouted as she scampered ahead, soon spotting a crowd by their home gate. Excited, she rushed over until a piercing scream froze her in her tracks.
Mrs. Xiao Qian reacted quicker, scooping her up and hurrying forward.
The onlookers parted way upon seeing her. “The Zhou family’s sister-in-law is back, make way, make way!”
“Sister-in-law, your fourth uncle lost a bet. The winners are here to collect.”
Some gossiped mercilessly, “He owes quite a sum. By old Zhou’s viciousness, he might just beat the kid to death. Sister-in-law, quickly dissuade him. Money can be earned, but a life lost is gone forever.”
Mrs. Xiao Qian’s heart pounded as she pushed through to the courtyard, finding her fourth brother-in-law pinned down by the second and third while her father-in-law raised a wooden rod to strike him.
About a dozen strangers stood by, their ringleader scowling, “Old Mr. Zhou, even if you beat your son to death, you still need to pay me back today. Or was our trek over the mountains for nothing?”
Man Bao wriggled free and toddled to her father, glancing at her good-for-nothing fourth uncle then the spectators, her brows furrowed. “Dad, how much did fourth uncle gamble away?”
The youth leader eyed Man Bao curiously. “Well now, Old Mr. Zhou, your daughter’s a pretty one. If you’re short on cash, you could offer the kid to settle the debt. She’s young, but we don’t mind.”
The old man shoved his daughter behind him furiously. “You want him, take this beast and make him pay back what he owes himself!”
Fourth Zhou wailed, “Dad, Dad, save me! I swear I’ll never do it again. Please, don’t let them take me, they’ll beat me to death!”
The youth smirked, grinding his foot into Fourth Zhou’s hand, eliciting agonized howls. Satisfied to see Zhou’s face turn ghastly pale, he grinned, “Just fifteen taels of silver? But look at your newly built house. Doesn’t seem like you’re broke. And you have all these daughters too. Sell me a couple and we’ll call it even. But let me be upfront – their prices are low these days. Only if your little girl is included will it cover the full debt. Otherwise, not even four of them would settle the account.”
Horrified, Mrs. Xiao Qian and Feng pulled their own daughters back, being the only households with unmarried girls.
Zhou’s hands trembled with rage, while Fourth Zhou nearly soiled himself, desperately clutching his father’s clothes. “Dad, please save me! I swear I’ll never gamble again!”
Restraining him, Second Zhou could not resist striking him as well. “We just got back on our feet, and you ruined it all!”
With two young daughters of his own, if he truly had to sell a child…
Second Zhou’s blows intensified at the thought. “See what happens when you don’t listen!”
Fourth Zhou shielded himself, wailing.
Man Bao’s lips tightened as she eyed her three nieces before dashing inside.
Her mother Qian Shi was in bed clutching her chest, attended by Sixth Uncle with evident worry.
Her mother’s health was always poor, likely exacerbated by the commotion.
“Mom, how much money do we have?” Man Bao asked.
Qian Shi opened her eyes, wiping away tears. “Why are you asking that?”
“Is it enough to pay the debt?”
“Heavens no,” she sobbed. “I should have drowned your fourth uncle at birth and spared us this torment. Even our total savings fall four or five taels short.”
“So we let them take fourth uncle?”
“They journeyed from afar. If we don’t pay a single cent, they could beat your uncle to death before leaving the village. As much as we loathe him, could we bear to watch him die?”
Qian Shi understood this reality, as did old Zhou, his reluctance stemming from grief alone.
Man Bao stressed gravely, “We cannot sell my nieces.”
Qian Shi stroked her head. “No, even if we sold your good-for-nothing uncle, we would not sell the girls.”
