Chapter 26: Refusing to be a Patsy

If Xie Wanniang just swallowed her pride and accepted the loss, that would be one thing. But if she tried to hold them accountable, Shuanzi’s family could easily turn the tables, claiming how hard their daughter Xiaoya had worked all these years, or painting Xie Wanniang as greedy and malicious.

As Xie Wanniang had noted, it was impossible for her to drag the rest of the village out every time to appraise or bear witness to the value of the firewood and wild vegetables Xiaoya brought her. Making a scene over items worth less than a few copper coins would not only be a waste of effort, but people would likely think she had lost her mind.

If she got entangled in such a messy situation, not only would her act of kindness go unappreciated, but thanks to the scheming of Shuanzi’s family, she would either have to suffer in silence or face defamation, leaving the villagers to look at her with suspicion.

Shuanzi’s mother felt her face burn with shame, yet she still wanted to make one last attempt. "That’s not what I meant. If you don't think the wild vegetables and firewood are worth much, you could just have her do chores for you. Xiaoya is very diligent; she can do all the household work."

Xie Wanniang took a deep breath. "What is the difference between having her do chores and having her bring me firewood and wild vegetables?"

The problem she was worried about remained exactly the same!

Xie Wanniang turned to Village Chief Chen and Doctor Chen. "Chief, Master, I’m sorry. I won’t be buying Xiaoya, and I won’t be saving her either. She is their child; they can do whatever they please."

Shuanzi’s mother panicked. "No! Miss Xie, please have mercy..."

Xie Wanniang pulled away from her grasp. "I just said that Xiaoya’s illness cannot wait, yet you, as her mother, are not in any rush to save her. Instead, you are using my momentary kindness to manipulate me."

They wanted her to pay for the medical treatment, keep the girl to work, and then, when she grew up, exploit her again through a marriage arrangement. This woman, who appeared simple and timid but was actually the first to agree with her husband to abandon their daughter, had a bit of cunning, though not nearly enough.

"Miss Xie!" A tearful cry rang out. Everyone turned toward the sound to see Xiaoya being carried by her eldest sister, the child’s convulsions growing more frequent.

Xiaoya’s second sister emerged as well. Both girls, their eyes red from weeping, walked up to Xie Wanniang and their parents, then dropped to their knees before them with a heavy thud.

"Xiaoya is dying!" the eldest sister cried out to her parents. "She’s going to die!"

She had never spoken so loudly to anyone in her life, let alone her own parents. As she screamed, she had already braced herself for a beating.

However, before her parents could react, a loud, youthful voice echoed from outside the crowd: "Make way, everyone, make way!"

The crowd parted. Shuanzi’s father’s greatest fear appeared: Fifth Granduncle Liu. With a dark, stern expression, he leaned on his cane, flanked by his two grandsons, and walked over slowly.

Before arriving, the old man had already heard the full story from his grand-nephew Qiangzi, who had been sent as a messenger by Zhuzi. Without wasting a single word, he repeated the question the Village Chief had posed earlier.

"Are you going to pay for Xiaoya’s treatment yourselves, or are you selling her to Miss Xie so that she can pay for it?"

Shuanzi’s father, already cowed by the fear of public outrage, was further terrified by the old man’s grim look. Shuanzi’s mother dared not hatch any more schemes. She shrank back behind her husband, pretending to be a submissive wife with no mind of her own.

With nowhere left to hide, Shuanzi’s father bit the bullet. "I... I will sell Xiaoya to Miss Xie."

He made this decision not only because paying for her treatment would be a financial burden for years to come, but also because, given how fragile the girl was, he figured she would likely fall ill again and again. The current medical debt, the future cost of raising her, and the potential expenses of future illnesses—calculating that he was more likely to lose money, he decided without hesitation to dump Xiaoya on the outsider, Xie Wanniang.

Fifth Granduncle did not overlook the mother who had been stirring up trouble. He asked grimly, "Xiaoya’s mother, what do you say?"

"I... I listen to the child’s father."

As she finished, the old man turned to Xie Wanniang. "Young lady, go fetch ten copper coins."

Xie Wanniang was taken aback, while Shuanzi’s parents turned deathly pale. They cried out in unison, their voices filled with disbelief, "Fifth Granduncle!"

The old man shot them a glare. "Shut your mouths!"

He turned to explain to Xie Wanniang, "We can draw up the contract for Xiaoya later. The child cannot wait any longer. Once you pay the money, you can take her."

The old man’s clothes were patched over patches, his back was hunched, his face was lined with age, and his expression was fiercer than anyone else present. Yet, Xie Wanniang felt this man was far more reliable than Shuanzi’s parents.

She looked at Jiang Yuan, who immediately produced ten copper coins from his sleeve and handed them to the old man’s grandson.

Fifth Granduncle then looked at Doctor Chen and the two elder sisters. "You two, take Xiaoya to A-Yuan’s place. Doctor Chen, I leave my great-granddaughter in your hands."

Doctor Chen nodded and followed the three sisters and Jiang Yuan to his home.

Jiang Yuan did not take Xiaoya to Xie Wanniang’s residence. Instead, he fetched a spare set of bedding and had the sisters move the girl into a guest room directly opposite Xie Wanniang’s. It was a room he had cleaned up just days after Xie Wanniang moved in, and it was quite tidy.

Setting aside the treatment and care provided by the doctor and sisters, Xie Wanniang turned her gaze toward Village Chief Chen.

The Chief understood and sent his second son home to fetch brush, ink, paper, and an inkstone.

Meanwhile, Fifth Granduncle took the opportunity to lecture Shuanzi’s parents. Though they were scolded relentlessly, they dared not display the same thick-skinned defiance they had shown the Village Chief.

When the old man finally finished, Shuanzi’s father tentatively tested the waters. "Fifth Granduncle, it’s not that I don’t love Xiaoya, it’s just that poverty is a cruel thing..."

He wiped away tears, putting on a genuine display of misery. Seeing that the old man didn't lose his temper, he carefully glanced at the pitiful ten copper coins held in the grandson's hand.

"Do you think... could I ask that girl surnamed Xie to add a bit more to the payment for Xiaoya?"