Bo Qinghuan

Kapitel 1

The concubine who was sent home

Northern Song Dynasty.

Dongshan Village, in the countryside of Yangzhou Prefecture.

At this moment, a loud wail was coming from a farmhouse at the edge of the village, attracting the neighbors to gather around. However, they dared not go in, only peeking out from the half-open gate and whispering among themselves.

"Second sister, you died so young! If I had known you would die like this, I would have rather kept you in the chamber pot after you were born! All those eighteen years of hard work have gone to waste... Oh, my second sister, you poor, unfortunate daughter..."

When Gu Zao vaguely woke up, she heard this sharp sound, as if someone was shaking her head vigorously, which made her very uncomfortable.

She struggled to open her eyes slightly and was shocked to see a burly middle-aged woman lying on her head, her face covered in snot and tears, looking quite ridiculous.

She tried to move, but felt a burning pain in her neck. Before she could figure out what was happening, she heard a clear, girlish voice beside her, seemingly blaming her: "Mother, Second Sister has fallen to this state because of you! If you hadn't been greedy and sold her to someone as a concubine two years ago, would she be in this state today? Stop crying and begging, quickly call the village doctor Hu to see if there's any hope for her."

Gu Zao glanced over and saw that the speaker was a young girl, about fourteen or fifteen years old, with a very pretty appearance. However, the pink and green jacket she was wearing looked faded because it had been washed and worn for many years.

As the girl spoke, she nudged a boy of about ten years old standing beside her, urging him, "Awu, quickly go and fetch Doctor Hu!"

The boy, called A-Wu, had tears in his eyes and seemed somewhat frightened. He glanced at the woman who was still wailing and then turned to leave.

The woman who had been crying moments before was now jumping three feet high, grabbing the little girl and launching into a tirade: "That twenty strings of cash you got from selling her was all taken by your damned father to live a life of luxury in Yangzhou! I didn't even see a scrap of oil! Why are you blaming me now? My second wife became a concubine to Master Li in the city, and she's decked out in gold and silver. Who in the village can compare to her in such a life of luxury? If anyone's to blame, it's her bad luck—she killed her husband and then, blinded by greed, seduced the wife's father!" "You son, in the end you were stripped naked and kicked out! It's a miracle you weren't sold to a brothel in the city by that wife! You little hussy, you urged your brother to call a doctor, do you think your parents have any money left after working the fields all day? Second sister is dead, you should be thinking about how to hold her funeral... Oh, second sister, I gave you such a beautiful face, and you didn't help your parents at all, instead you just stayed home! Oh, my second sister, my flesh and blood…"

The woman cursed, ignoring the filth of the muddy ground, and plopped down on it, slapping her thighs as she continued to yell, sometimes loudly, sometimes softly.

The little girl's eyes were already glistening with tears after being scolded like that, but she held back her tears by clenching her teeth and not uttering a sound.

Gu Zao finally began to understand; it turned out she had also caught up with the wave of time travel and arrived here. She glanced sideways at the pile of rough hemp rope on the ground and felt a pain in her throat; presumably, the person who had just died must have hanged himself.

Just as she was hesitating whether to get up, A-Wu pointed at her and shouted with surprise, "Mother, Third Sister, Second Sister isn't dead! I just saw her eyelids move!"

As soon as the child finished speaking, the little girl rushed over and touched Gu Zao's nose. The woman stopped crying, scrambled to her feet, shoved the little girl aside, and began slapping Gu Zao's face hard.

Gu Zao felt a sharp pain and noticed that the woman's hands still had residue from when she blew her nose. She quickly opened her eyes and sat up.

The woman stood there for a long time before bursting into laughter through her tears. But soon she pointed at Gu Zao's nose and started cursing: "You slut, you've lost your reputation and come home without thinking about how to make a living. You're always crying, unable to carry a load or lift water. Today you even tried to hang yourself, forcing your parents to rush back from the fields without even picking up their hoes. If anyone steals those hoes, I'll skin you alive when I get back!" As she cursed, she hurriedly made her way out.

Gu Zao just kept her head down and let her scold her. When she finally turned around and went out the door, and got into the courtyard, she angrily chased away the people who were gathering to watch the commotion. Only then did she look up and smile at her third sister and A Wu, who were watching her happily.

She looked around. It was a farmhouse with blue bricks and yellow mud. In front was a yard with several rows of cabbage, scallions, and chives. Next to it was a pigsty with two white-skinned, black-spotted pigs snorting inside. There was a main room, then a kitchen, and then three bedrooms. She guessed she and the little girl would share one, A-Wu would share another, and the shrewish woman, her mother, would have a separate room. Judging from the furnishings, it seemed to be a dilapidated farmhouse.

Before long, Gu had already pieced together most of the situation from the little girl. It turned out that the male head of the household, Gu Er, who was also her father, had died of a sudden illness last year. His mother, Fang, had given birth to three daughters and one son. Gu's eldest sister had married long ago and moved to Tokyo with her husband's family a few years ago. They hadn't been in touch for several years. Gu's second sister, who was herself, had been sold to a wealthy man named Li in the city as a concubine when she was sixteen two years ago. However, the man died before the new year, and Li's wife used the excuse that she had seduced her son to beat her and drive her out. But she hanged herself a few days after returning home.

"Second sister, Mother worked hard cultivating five acres of land all by herself. Seeing you being kicked out like this, she got angry and scolded you a few times. Just bear with it. Why do you have to be so upset?"

The third sister looked at Gu Zao and earnestly advised her.

Gu Zao smiled, then glanced at her younger brother Gu Qingwu beside her. She was about to ask something more when she saw a woman of about forty years old enter the courtyard. Her cheeks were painted pink, her hair was wrapped in a yellow cloth, she wore a vest, and she was carrying a cool umbrella.

Matchmaker!

This was Gu Zao's first reaction.

Could it be that, having learned that she had been sent home, well-informed matchmakers rushed over to arrange a marriage for her?

The matchmaker, however, was very outgoing. She looked around the courtyard gate for a few moments, and when no one came out, she went into the main room and greeted Gu Zao and his two siblings.

As soon as the matchmaker entered, her eyes were fixed on Gu Zao, scrutinizing her from head to toe. Without a word, she rushed over, lifted Gu Zao's skirt, glanced at her, and then clicked her tongue and shook her head, saying, "Oh dear, what a pity that such a beautiful face was born with such big feet. If they had been bound from a young age, she would have been a precious princess!"

Gu Zao glanced at the matchmaker, pondering how to respond, when her third sister brought over a stool and invited the matchmaker to sit down: "Mother Li, you have time to come today, may I ask what brings you here?"

The matchmaker glanced sideways at the third sister and muttered to herself, "It's such a hot day, and there's not even a cup of tea or fruit to offer. All that walking has been for nothing."

The third sister blushed, glanced in the direction of the kitchen, but remained silent.

Gu knew that there was no tea or fruit that the matchmaker, Li Mama, had mentioned at home. Seeing that Li Mama's words and actions were quite detestable, Gu couldn't help but speak up and say, "Awu, your mother is thirsty. Go and see if there is any water left in the jar and scoop some out."

Mother Li shook her head hurriedly and called out to Gu Qingwu: "Hey, who wants to drink your cold water? Go and call your mother back. The Wan family from Wanqiao Village sent me here."

Gu Zao hadn't quite understood what was happening when she saw her third sister lower her head slightly, her eyes showing a hint of shyness.

Gu Qingwu glanced at Gu Zao, and seeing her nod, he dashed out of the courtyard to catch up with Madam Fang.

While waiting, Li's mother crossed her legs and glanced sideways at the Gu family's belongings, her disdain quite evident.

The third sister was already sitting to one side, holding an embroidery piece in her hand, and was embroidering with her head down. However, it was clear that she was somewhat distracted, and she would occasionally look up at the door.

Before long, Gu Zao heard a series of footsteps outside the courtyard gate. It turned out that Fang Shi had returned. It seemed that she had been caught up with by Gu Qingwu before she even reached the fields.

Upon seeing the matchmaker, Fang, without even wiping her sweat, immediately put on a big smile and rushed in.

"Oh dear, Mother Li is here! It's so hot, you must be exhausted!" She glanced at Gu Zao, her brows furrowing, and began to scold, "Second sister, why are you just sitting there like a corpse? You didn't even offer Mother Li tea!"

Gu Zao responded with a murmur, but remained seated.

Fang ignored her and turned to Li Mama, a fawning smile on her face: "Li Mama, did you come here today because someone has taken a fancy to my second sister? Let me tell you, Li Mama, my daughter is one of the most beautiful women in the world, even more beautiful than the delicate young ladies of Yangzhou. It's just a pity that she had a hard life and had to return home. Now she doesn't expect to be rich and powerful anymore. As long as the family has a few acres of land and some money, she can marry anyone as a second wife, and that will be enough for her to have someone to rely on for the rest of her life..."

Li's mother spat a mouthful of phlegm onto the ground, then giggled, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth.

"Old woman Gu, how dare you say that? Everyone knows your second sister is the one who caused Mr. Li's death and seduced that young master of the Li family. That's why the first wife beat her and stripped her clothes off and kicked her out. A second wife? You're dreaming! If someone takes a fancy to her, she should obediently be a concubine for a few years and wait until she gives birth to a son. That's the proper way!"

Fang was rendered speechless by her scolding, her face turning red and white in turns. After a long while, she awkwardly smiled and asked, "Since it's not for Second Sister, may I ask what brings Mother Li here?"

Mother Li snorted before saying, "The Wan family from Wanqiao Village asked me to come here to cancel the marriage between their eldest son and your third sister. Here, this is your family's marriage certificate. I'm returning it to you, and I would also like you to return the Wan family's marriage certificate as well."

Gu Zao was startled and looked at Gu Sanjie, only to see that her face was pale, and she was holding an embroidery needle in her hand, completely motionless.

At first, Fang didn't react. After a while, the smile on her face froze. Suddenly, she jumped up, her eyes wide, and pointed at Li Mama's nose, shouting, "You old hag! You've got nothing better to do than cause trouble! I thought you came for my second sister, but it turns out you have ill intentions and want to break up my third sister's marriage! My third sister's marriage to the eldest son of the Wan family has been arranged since they were young. I was even thinking of sending a matchmaker to urge them to get married these past few days. But you, with your mouth full of red teeth, come here to curse my third sister. Do you think I'm easy to bully just because my second brother is gone?"

Madam Li wiped the spittle that Fang had sprayed on her nose and began to curse loudly: "Pah, you old hag Gu! Do you still think you're something special? Your husband is dead, and all your former land has been pawned or sold off. How much are left of your possessions? And then you get caught up in your second sister's scandalous affair. Who would want to be related to you by marriage? The Wan family said that the betrothal gifts they sent back then—two bolts of cloth, five thousand coins, a goose, two jars of wine, and a load of pastries—are considered gifts, and they don't want you to return them. You just need to quickly get the Wan family's marriage certificate so I can go back and report and get my hard-earned money back!"

Fang glared at her, grabbed a bamboo carrying pole from behind the door, and was about to hit Li Mama. Li Mama, however, straightened her chest, put one hand on her hip, and shook the red and gold-embroidered invitation card in her hand with the other.

“Your marriage contract clearly states that you should bring jewelry, gold and silver, household items, curtains, and twenty acres of land as a dowry. Look at it now…” She circled around Fang Shi, clicking her tongue in disapproval. “I’m afraid you won’t even be able to fill your stomach. What will you use as a dowry? I think your third sister is quite pretty. Why don’t you ask me to carefully find a suitable family for her to marry into, so she can be a concubine along with your second sister? That would be a good deed for me!”

The third sister burst into tears, pushed aside the crowd of onlookers at the door, and ran out. The neighbors who had just been driven away by Madam Fang but returned after hearing the commotion pointed and whispered about the third sister's retreating figure.

Fang was so angry that she trembled all over. The carrying pole in her hand rained down on Li's mother. Li's mother screamed a few times, threw down the marriage certificate in her hand, and hurriedly ran away, cursing all the while.

Fang glared angrily at the crowd gathering at the door, her carrying pole already flying, scaring everyone into scattering. She stood there stunned for a long while, then suddenly plopped down on the ground, crying out, "Gu Er, you short-lived devil! You're gone and having a good time, leaving me all alone. How am I supposed to live, a widow and orphan like this…?"

Fearing something might happen to her third sister, Gu Zao signaled to Gu Qingwu, who was already stunned, to keep an eye on Fang Shi. He then closed the courtyard gate and hurriedly chased after his third sister.

A tragedy caused by a hoe

Gu Zao chased after her out the door, only to find that her third sister was nowhere to be seen. Being new to the place, she didn't know which direction to look for. After walking a few steps, she saw a woman bending over and picking up pig feed by the roadside. Just as she was about to go up and ask her if she had seen her third sister, she saw the woman look up at her with a look of disdain and walk away without looking back.

Gu Zao sighed inwardly. Along the path to the edge of the field, she encountered several more villagers, all with similar expressions to the woman who had been gathering pig feed earlier. Before she could even speak, they turned their backs on her. Worried about her third sister, she became somewhat anxious. Finally, she met an old woman who looked to be about fifty years old. Seeing that the woman had a kind and gentle face, she asked her what was wrong.

The old woman must have recognized her. She glanced at her, sighed, and pointed towards the riverbank at the edge of the field.

Gu Zao thanked the old woman and hurried to the riverbank. She walked along the paddy field ridge for a while, but did not see her third sister. She couldn't help but feel a little panicked.

Although I've only known Third Sister for less than an afternoon, just from her conversation, I can tell she has a strong personality. Could it be that she suffered the humiliation of being jilted and, in a moment of despair, followed in the footsteps of her own sister and committed suicide by drowning?

In a moment of panic, she shouted for her third sister. After calling a few times, a person suddenly emerged from the bushes in front of her, with a few bits of grass still stuck in her hair. This startled her. It was indeed her third sister.

Gu Zao grabbed her third sister's hand, wanting to say something, but couldn't utter a word.

At this point, if a woman is rejected by her husband's family, her reputation will likely be tarnished for the rest of her life.

Third Sister seemed unperturbed, though a few tear stains still lingered at the corners of her eyes. She smiled at Gu Zao and said, "Second Sister, what are you thinking? Are you afraid I'll take my own life too? I'm not as soft-hearted as you, so don't worry. It's getting late; I should go home and cook dinner, or Mother will scold me again when she gets back." With that, she lowered her head and hurried off in the direction Gu Zao had come from.

Gu Zao shook her head and followed them back.

When they arrived home, it was already nearly dusk. Only Gu Qingwu was sitting there blankly. Fang Shi was nowhere to be seen. When asked, he learned that she had gone to the fields again.

Gu Zao couldn't help but feel pity for Fang Shi. Although her mother was a bit shrewish and mean, it was indeed not easy for a woman to bear the burden of feeding four mouths in the family.

The third sister went into the kitchen, skillfully grabbed a handful of pounded rice from the rice container, added water, chopped a white cabbage that was already placed by the stove, sprinkled it into the pot, grabbed a small pinch of salt from the salt jar, set up a steamer, took out a plate of dark, round cake-like things from a dilapidated cupboard against the wall, placed them on the steamer, covered the pot with the lid, and went to start the fire.

Gu Zao stood to the side, watching her third sister busy herself. Judging from what Fang Shi had just said, she should be eighteen years old now, but looking at her delicate hands, she knew she hadn't done much work before. But judging from her third sister's expression, she seemed to be used to doing these things and didn't care.

After cooking the porridge, the third sister returned to her room dejectedly.

As darkness fell, Fang Shi still hadn't returned. Gu Zao became worried about Fang Shi again and was about to ask Gu Qingwu to go check on her in the fields when he suddenly heard voices coming from behind the house. Upon closer listening, he realized that the woman was his third sister and the man's voice was rather rough, sounding like that of a boy going through puberty.

Unable to resist his curiosity, Gu Zao went around the courtyard and found his third sister standing inside the low wall with her back to him, while the man who was talking to him was standing outside the wall.

The light was dim, and Gu Zao couldn't see the man's face clearly, but judging from his figure, he should only be a boy of fifteen or sixteen.

"Third sister, my mother sent a matchmaker to break off the engagement today. When I found out, she made a huge scene, and I rushed here. You..." The young man seemed somewhat flustered.

Gu Zao suddenly realized that this child was the groom who hadn't appeared in the afternoon's engagement battle, the eldest son of the Wan family in Wanqiao Village.

The third sister, however, showed no appreciation whatsoever. Before the young man from the Wan family could finish speaking, she coldly retorted, "My family has long since fallen on hard times and is no longer worthy of yours. Now that your mother has already returned the marriage certificate, it's a good way to end things cleanly and avoid future troubles!"

The young man pleaded in a low voice, "Third Sister, you understand my heart. My parents only sent Li Mama over because they heard about your Second Sister's situation and how she was ridiculed by the neighbors. They were angry for a moment, but once they calmed down, I will definitely persuade her to come back."

The third sister, furious, laughed instead: "Wan Cheng, do you think I don't know? Your parents have long intended to break off the engagement; they're just using my second sister as an excuse. I, the third sister, am someone who can't tolerate any dissent. Since your Wan family has shown me such disrespect today, I'll say it here: even if I debase myself and become someone's concubine, I will never look at you again! All the betrothal gifts from your family will be returned in full; you won't be shortchanged! You'd better leave quickly and never come here again, lest people see you and gossip abound!" With that, she turned and ran towards the house, leaving the Wan family boy standing there forlornly, watching his third sister's retreating figure with lingering reluctance.

Afraid of being seen by her third sister, Gu Zao quickly retreated back into the house, pretending to have just come out.

Fang returned at this time, her face dark with anger. She slurped down two bowls of porridge and swallowed a flatbread.

After she finished eating, Gu Zao went to the inner room and called out to his somewhat listless third sister and Gu Qingwu to eat. The three siblings were eating in silence when Fang suddenly slapped her thigh and exclaimed, "Ah, I remember now! It must have been that woman from Mao Tuanzi's family who stole my hoe while I was away in the fields!"

Gu Zao was startled.

When Fang saw that she was alright in the afternoon, she hurriedly went to the field, muttering about the hoe that Fang had left there. She never expected that it would actually be stolen.

She glanced at Fang Shi and saw that she was talking to herself, becoming more and more certain: "When I rushed back, only Mao Tuanzi's wife was digging cabbage in the field next door. She used to steal radishes from my field. Who else could it be but her? No, I have to go find her and ask her!" With that, she stood up and walked out.

Gu Zao hurriedly grabbed Fang Shi and advised, "Mother, as the saying goes, to catch a thief, you need to catch him red-handed. You didn't see it with your own eyes. If you rush to his door like this, aren't you in the wrong?"

Fang said angrily, "That woman clearly took my hoe without asking. Am I supposed to just stand by and watch her suffer? It's all your fault, you hussy. Why did you have to hang yourself? You've taken my brand new hoe! I spent five hundred coins to have it made at the blacksmith's. Do you think I'll just give away my money?"

Gu Zao was scolded and shrank back, but still didn't let go. She said, "Mother, look, it's so dark now. Even if that Mao Tuanzi family stole your hoe, they must have hidden it. You won't see it if you go, and you'll just be making a fuss for nothing. Why don't you just bear with it and go to argue with them tomorrow? If they find the hoe, then you can make a fuss."

Fang looked up at the pitch-black outside, her face darkening, and she fell silent.

Gu Zao breathed a slight sigh of relief and was about to swallow the extremely rough flatbread in her hand when she heard Fang Shi gruffly urging her third sister and Gu Qingwu, who were engrossed in their meal, to get up.

"Eat faster and rest early so we can save money on lamp oil."

Gu Zao shook her head and sighed inwardly.

Sleeping in the same bed with her third sister that night, Gu Zao couldn't fall asleep for a long time. Her third sister was in the same boat, and the two of them tossed and turned like pancakes.

The third sister was probably thinking about the Wan family's annulment of the engagement during the day, while Gu Zao was thinking about her future.