The Country Maiden: Fields and Leisure
Chapter 721 - 720: Attracting Hatred

Chapter 721: Chapter 720: Attracting Hatred

The maid was dumbfounded, standing there for a good while before she finally said, "I sincerely want to repay the young master! I really can do anything, and I won’t eat for free! As long as I’m not hungry, that’s enough! I’m very easy to provide for!"

"Have you no shame? My young master took pity on you and gave you money so you could bury your father. Now what, he’s supposed to be responsible for supporting you as well? No matter how you slice it, there’s no such reasoning! Could it be that everyone who sells themselves to bury their father can just cling on to others like this? Go on and keep dreaming!" the young servant Zhao Cai scolded, hands on hips.

It was the afternoon, and some of the students from the more relaxed academies had already finished their classes early and were walking by in groups of three or five when they happened to hear what was happening.

They usually prided themselves on being scholars with gentlemanly conduct and could not stand idly by what they saw.

"Tell me, whose wicked servant is this? Out in broad daylight, speaking so aggressively to a weak girl who sold herself to bury her father, it’s utterly shameful!"

"Such a bully, using the master’s power to intimidate others!"

"Clearly a tricky slave raised by some good-for-nothing spoiled brats!"

...

There were also those who went to comfort the maid who sold herself to bury her father: "Miss, don’t be afraid! If there’s anything wrong, speak out, and we will stand up for you!"

"That’s right, we are students from the nearby academy, ready to draw our swords to help those who are treated unjustly! Miss, what is your trouble?"

"Speak out, and we will think of a way to help you solve it!"

...

Bystanders who had watched the whole scene shook their heads, indicating these scholars were simply too naive; they didn’t understand the situation clearly and jumped out to play heroes, which was ridiculous!

Some couldn’t hold back: "Look here, you scholars, you don’t understand the situation and yet you’re making unfounded accusations. The young master saw this maid’s plight and generously gave her ten taels of silver to bury her father, all without asking for anything in return. Yet this maid took the ten taels of silver without a word of thanks and now she’s clinging to the young master. What wrong did the young master do? He generously gave silver, and now he’s troubled with an unwanted burden!"

"But you can’t say that! There’s a saying, when you do a good deed, do it thoroughly; when you send the Buddha, send him all the way to the west! Since the young master is wealthy and is willing to lend a hand, why not help to the end? A young woman has fallen to the point of selling herself to bury her father, she surely has no family left! Alone and helpless, what’s she to do in the future?"

"Exactly! How is a young woman supposed to survive in this world? The young master is wealthy, and it’s just a matter of convenient benevolence, so why not follow through?"

The scholars argued back one after another!

And then there was the more pedantic ones, who shook their heads and quoted from the classics, tossing out sayings of the saints and the ancients like a tightening spell, making people’s heads hurt with their recitations.

Wang Yongzhu heard that the discussion was going in the wrong direction. Wasn’t this forceful buying and selling?

Although Ninth Master Lee was somewhat unreliable, the fact that he could take out ten taels of silver showed that his heart wasn’t bad.

Yet he had gotten himself into trouble!

Thinking about it, this trouble was also brought upon him by her and Old Granny Zhang, which made her feel even more apologetic. She was just about to speak up.

Old Granny Zhang grabbed Wang Yongzhu, shot her a look conveying her to keep silent, and stepped forward herself.

"What do you bunch of little brats who haven’t even grown a full coat of hair know? Just because the girl looks pitiful doesn’t mean you should let yourselves be blinded by crap! You call yourselves educated? Do you even use your brains?"

Such words, as if uttered by a saint incarnate, pulled to the brim the hatred of the students present.

"This damn old woman, utterly preposterous!"

"Preposterous? I’ve got more than just ’preposterous’ to say! If I say you lot haven’t grown brains, then you haven’t grown brains! You don’t even consider the cost of living these days. For a family like ours to hold a funeral, spending five or six taels of silver is the utmost. For a girl like her, getting a thin coffin and some help, all costs considered, wouldn’t total more than two or three taels of silver to settle everything properly! Am I right or am I right?" Old Granny Zhang wasn’t the least bit daunted, her presence downright intimidating.

Upon hearing Old Granny Zhang’s words, the bystanders couldn’t help but nod in agreement. They were all ordinary folks, and naturally understood the economics of it.

"This big sister speaks the truth. Last year, when my neighbor’s old sister died, we spent just over six taels of silver, and it was a lively burial."

"Exactly, ten taels of silver, ten taels of silver are enough to bury several fathers for this girl!"

...

The students looked at each other, bewildered. Could this be true?

They all looked at the maid with doubt in their eyes.

The maid, desperate to bury her father, hurriedly explained, "My father never enjoyed any luxuries in life, I just want him to have a grand funeral when he dies! Besides, we still have debts unpaid..."

"Oh! So it’s not just burying your father, you want a lavish burial and also for someone to pay off your family’s debt? Look here, girl, why would that young master, who’s neither your father nor your mother, pay for your father’s burial and your family’s debts, and on top of that take you back home to support? He owes you nothing and shouldn’t have to owe anything!" Old Granny Zhang fiercely interrogated the girl.

The girl was rendered speechless, stumbling over her words, and tears streamed down her face.

Among the student observers feeling sorry for the girl, suddenly one became indignant, "I say, Old Granny, you are truly despicable! The girl wants to give her father a decent funeral out of filial piety. Besides, the young master’s family is wealthy; supporting a young lady isn’t difficult for them! And she’s not eating for free; she’d serve as a maid to him!"

"Shut your damned mouth! You seem pretty rich yourself, so how about you give me half of your family’s wealth?" Old Granny Zhang put her hands on her hips and challenged the student.

With everyone watching, the student’s face turned red: "Such nonsense!"

"You don’t feel the pain until the stone hits you! So, your family’s money is money, but others’ money is just stones? With such a brain, you still study? Don’t waste your family’s silver. By the look of you, surely your parents and family toil in the fields all year long, scrimping and saving silver for your education. And this is what you’ve got to show for it? If I were your parents, why bother educating such a son? You’d be better off working the fields to learn some sense. Pah!" Old Granny Zhang spat on the ground.

"You young fellows, with able hands and feet, not doing real work and instead thinking of crooked ways, don’t you have any shame? As for you so-called scholars, if this is all your brains amount to, you might as well go back to farming. Stop embarrassing yourselves!" After Old Granny Zhang’s speech, there was silence all around, only her voice echoed.

Unsatisfied with just berating the student, she then turned to the maid selling herself to bury her father and said, "Look here, girl, if you’re smart, you’ll take the silver and leave quickly, and stop having such sordid ideas! Auntie will teach you something: better to be a poor man’s wife than a rich man’s concubine. Do you think being someone’s mistress is a good thing? You watch while they eat, you stand while they sit, and in front of the legitimate wife, you’re less than nothing! Don’t take the wrong path just because you’re suffering now, or you’ll regret it for the rest of your life!"

These final words were genuinely heartfelt advice.

After saying all this, Old Granny Zhang didn’t wait for a reply, she pulled Wang Yongzhu and was ready to leave.