The Country Maiden: Fields and Leisure
Chapter 459 - 457: Refusing to be the Scapegoat

Chapter 459: Chapter 457: Refusing to be the Scapegoat

Although the village had a few old bachelors who were unable to find brides, or those widowers.

But everyone in the village knew about the Song Family’s reputation; marrying Song Chunhua would likely mean getting entangled with them.

Even though Song Chunhua didn’t bring any money this time, her temperament was bad, and given her past actions, what if she insisted on supporting her natal family after marriage?

Not to mention that the Song Family was like blood-sucking leeches, a whole household drilling into one’s flesh to suck blood—who could tolerate that?

Thus, even with the Song Family’s high betrothal promises, no matchmaker was willing to take on the job.

Finally, one greedy for money took it on, but after approaching a few families and barely starting to explain the purpose, was spat out the door.

Those with fierce tempers not only scolded the matchmakers but also cursed the Song Family for being worthless, saying this was not a marriage but a curse being passed on.

Others, with venomous tongues, would rather remain bachelors for life than marry someone like Song Chunhua; even if she came with a monetary incentive, they wouldn’t want her.

Embarrassed, the matchmaker returned home with a dusty face and dared not broach the topic again.

The Song Family, having no alternative, faced the fact that Song Chunhua’s reputation stank in the village; she was unsellable.

Yet it was the Song Family’s eldest, who, with a clever gleam in his eye, thought that if she couldn’t be sold in the village, they should sell her to someone outside who was unaware of the Song Family and Song Chunhua’s reputation.

Song Tiedan was somewhat reluctant; if Song Chunhua were sold far away, how would she be able to support her natal family later?

The eldest of the Song family sneered, "Dad, what times are we living in now? We’re almost too poor to put food on the table; the whole family is nearly starving to death. Why worry about that now? Let’s get money from selling her first, then we’ll worry about the rest next year. As long as Chunhua still hopes for our support, won’t she return to her natal home? By that time, who knows how much silver she’ll bring?"

These words enlightened Song Tiedan, who immediately gave his approval.

The task was left to the eldest and the second eldest of the Song family; the two brothers, who had always been mingling in the town, surely knew some people.

The thought of selling Song Chunhua and earning shining silver truly spurred the eldest brother to apply considerable effort; he even pulled strings to find a family.

This family was not local but an external merchant, no longer young, who already had a wife and children at home.

He found his own wife to be old and no longer fresh, so he wanted to find a beautiful, younger concubine.

His wife, now a grandmother, couldn’t be bothered to mind him; over the years, he had purchased many maids, yet none ever met his standards, as he found them too naive and inexperienced.

After serving him for a few days, they would be quickly sold by him.

Hearing the Song family brothers describe their sister as a widow without support, beautiful and with a gentle nature, hoping to find a good family for her, the merchant immediately became interested.

Upon further inquiry, he learned that this sister from the Song Family had been a maid who had even borne her master’s child, but the child died soon after birth. She had adopted a child, claiming it as her own son, yet treated him poorly and was coaxed by her family into selling the adoptive son for one hundred taels to be married into another household as a son-in-law. Now without support, her life was extremely tough.

The merchant, who had traveled extensively, well understood the duplicitous schemes at play and guessed the Song family’s intentions.

But he did not care; being a foreigner, if he really valued this concubine, he would simply take her back to his hometown. Where would the Song Family look for her then?

Thus, along with the Song family brothers, he went to Qilidun to have a secret look; although Song Chunhua had been a mother, she hadn’t done much hard work after becoming a maid, and later, with Song Chongjin supporting her, hadn’t worked the fields, making her more graceful and fairer than the average village girl.

If a Noble Patron had appreciated her, naturally her looks couldn’t be poor, and now she was at an age of maturing beauty, still retaining a certain charm, along with a natural delicateness; at one glance, the merchant was captivated.

He wished he could buy her that very day.

The Song Family, seeing the merchant’s satisfaction, demanded a whopping one hundred taels of silver.

Though the merchant was keen on beauty, he wasn’t blinded by it and naturally wouldn’t play the fool and overpay. The two parties haggled back and forth until they finally settled on twenty taels of silver.

They drew up a contract enslaving Song Chunhua to the merchant, essentially selling her as a concubine for twenty taels of silver, her life and death notwithstanding.

The Song Family accepted the down payment and went to find Song Chunhua, announcing the news and instructing Song Chunhua to pack her things because the merchant would come to collect her that very day.

Struck as if by lightning, Song Chunhua didn’t expect that without providing money to her parents’ home, she would actually be sold by her parents as a concubine.

She refused to comply, and from early morning she was looking for ways to die in her room. The Song Family not only had to prevent Song Chunhua from seeking death but also worry about the merchant coming to collect her and witnessing the spectacle—it was indeed a mess.

The whole village was stirred up, with news spreading from one to ten and ten to a hundred, as people flocked to the Song Family to join in the commotion.

The last time Song Chunhua was coerced by the Song Family, she staunchly refused to open the door, which coincided with the Wang Family’s visit to Chongzi Gou.

This time, coincidentally, Song Chongjin had been poisoned, and the Wang Family hadn’t really paid attention.

Now, being dragged along and listening, they finally understood the whole story.

Old Granny Zhang’s eyes lit up as she saw the long-term benefits. If Song Chunhua really were sold as a concubine, that would be marvelous—she would then have nothing to do with Song Chongjin, and never again would she come to leech off Chongjin or her own daughter.

This was indeed good news!

No matter what the Song Family’s intentions were, the deed was done beautifully and to everyone’s satisfaction.

If it hadn’t been for her own daughter and Song Chongjin, Old Granny Zhang would have burst out laughing, and even as it was, the joy in her eyes and brows couldn’t be concealed.

Wang Yongzhu didn’t expect the Song Family to act against Song Chunhua so quickly.

It was truly poetic justice. Now let’s see who would come to save her.

The entrance to the Song Family’s home was already surrounded by a crowd, three layers deep both inside and out.

Seeing Old Granny Zhang and Wang Yongzhu, someone muttered under their breath, "The in-laws are about to be sold as a concubine, does the Wang Family find that flattering?"

"Keep your voice down. What nonsense are you spouting? Song Chongjin has long severed ties with Song Chunhua. They declared it in front of the whole village and the Lizheng. Yet here you are, gossiping. Aren’t you tired of living well?"

...

"Yongzhu’s mother, you and your daughter have heard, haven’t you? Come on, come on, you can see clearer from here!" Some Wang Family relatives called out to Old Granny Zhang and her daughter, motioning for them to come to the front.

Wang Yongzhu waved her hands, declining the invitation. What a joke; it was fine to watch such excitement from a distance and to know the outcome—why get any closer?

The village women loved to watch the excitement, and today’s commotion, especially with the Wang Family people present, was surely not to be missed.

There were those with ulterior motives, pushing and squeezing until Wang Yongzhu and Old Granny Zhang were crowded to the front.

Indeed, the view from the front was much more open, and everything could be seen and heard very clearly.

They heard Song Chunhua’s sobbing, "I won’t marry! I refuse to be someone’s concubine! Father, mother, I beg you..."

Then came the voice of the Sister-in-law of the Song Family, "Pah! Do you still think you are a noble maiden? When you were still a maiden, your belt wasn’t even tight, people slept with you, and you came back pregnant. Now what virtue and righteousness are you pretending? Refuse to be a concubine? With your reputation, if a man from outside doesn’t despise you and is willing to have you, that would already be remarkable. What’s wrong with being a concubine? What’s so bad about that?"