Chapter 23: I'm Not Afraid of the Consequences
"What? No. That's not what I meant," Madam Sun quickly explained.
"Mother, say no more. I understand. If we have outstanding debts, then we ought to repay them. Don't worry, I'll tidy up the house and move out as soon as possible. But the grain from the field will still belong to us this year. We don't have much to live off of. I'm afraid if we don't have the grain, we will go hungry." As Han Qiao spoke, she cried out loud.
More importantly, it was her father and brothers who worked that land.
Why should she just hand it over to the Suns?
"Sob sob sob sob sob, I know it's my fault. All I wanted was to earn money for my family."
She wiped the corners of her eyes until they were red.
Sun Xiu, Sun Yi and Sun Ke were also crying.
Sun Ke was crying very loudly.
She shouted, "Grandma, Please don't chase us away. We'll pay you back."
It was as though they were being helped by gods.
Old Madam Sun was speechless for a moment.
She was not expecting this when she came.
"Sigh, you don't have to leave. Even if we take the house and land in return for the debts, you can still stay here. You will just have to pay us some rent."
"We don't have any money. Forget rent–we can't even afford to eat."
"..."
Madam Sun took a deep breath. "Fine, you can stay here for now. We'll talk about this more when Yiming comes back."
She didn't want to stay at all.
The four of them cried until her head hurt, especially the three children. Each of them cried louder than the last.
Those who didn't know would think that she had done something to them.
"I have to get going." Madam Sun rushed out the door.
Han Qiao chased after her with her three daughters. She even shouted at the door, "Mother, don't worry. I'll move out soon. Sob..."
The neighbors all came out to watch the show.
They stopped Madam Sun. "What's going on? Why are the Han Qiao and her daughters crying like this?"
"It's becau..." Madam Sun opened her mouth to explain.
Han Qiao beat her to it. "I'm sorry everyone. Here's what happened. Yiming borrowed more than 40 taels of silver from his brother, and now Mother wants to take the house and land to cover the debt."
"What?"
Everyone may not have been very smart, but they knew that if the Suns forced Han Qiao to cover the debt with the house and land, it would basically be a death sentence for Han Qiao and her daughters.
"I know. It's only right to pay off the debt. But I don't know where Yiming has run off to, and I don't have the money to pay off the debt."
"I'll pack up as soon as possible and move out."
The ladies who were watching the show heard this and advised Madam Sun to leave a way out for them.
Although Han Qiao had no sons, she had still given the Sun family three daughters.
"..."
Madam Sun was so angry that her chest rose and fell violently.
Unable to catch her breath, she fainted.
"Mother, Grandma."
"Quick, quick, quick, carry her into the house."
As Han Qiao spoke, she asked someone to go to the grocery store and call for Sun Yixi.
A flurry of hands and feet carried Madam Sun into the house.
They finally woke her up by pinching her.
Everyone began offering her advice once again.
Madam Sun was furious. She pointed at the door and said, "All of you, get out. Get out! Mind your own damn business!"
"..."
"..."
The atmosphere instantly became tense.
The other ladies understood what Madam Sun was about to do: evict Han Qiao and her daughters.
With profuse apologies, Han Qiao asked them to leave the house. When she were in the courtyard, someone asked, "What's cooking, Han Qiao? It smells really good."
"I bought some pig to cook for myself to eat. I also made steamed buns to sell," Han Qiao was a little embarrassed.
Both her face and her eyes were deep red. She looked pathetic.
Ordinary people could neither buy nor cook pork buns, since their families were so poor. Only people who wanted to eat meat would buy pork buns.
Although the other ladies didn't say it, they looked down on Sun Yiming.
He was, after all, a scholar who couldn't even support his own family. His entire household economy was dependent on a woman.
"How much for a steamed bun?"
"Steamed buns cost two cash each. Mantou are also two cash each. You can buy two steamed buns for three cash."
The prices were comparable to any other seller, so very few people wanted to buy them.
However, the mantou sounded like a better deal.
"Are the mantou ready? I'll buy ten mantou."
"Yes, yes. Coming right up."
Ten mantou cost fifteen cash.
Han Qiao immediately started handing out the mantou.
"This mantou tastes good."
Although it was a little expensive, it was fragrant, sweet and soft. And, the taste was superb.
"It's delicious."
After one person had bought some, the others were not far behind. It was clear that they were all very poor and destitute. The mantou sold one after another.
Each steamer could hold ten mantou.
Three racks of mantous were sold in one go. Although she had just made a hundred cash, it had come at the price of half a day's labor.
And this money was the fruits of that labor.
After buying the mantou, the ladies had to get going to make lunch. They didn't want to stay at Han Qiao's house for too long, because they knew doing so would invite all kinds of rumors.
Han Qiao had just sent them away when she anxiously turned around and returned to the house.
Then, she walked up to Madam Sun and screamed, "Ah, Mother, don't hit me!"
"..."
"..."
In the room, Madam Sun's eyes shot wide open.
"Grandma, please don't hit my mother," Sun Yi was the first to shout.
"Mother, we'll move out, we'll move out now!" Han Qiao added.
She put her hands to her head and messed up her hair.
"..."
Madam Sun pointed at Han Qiao.
"You, you..."
She never dreamed that Han Qiao would be so daring.
"Yiming said that you tied him up and beat him..."
It was true.
"How could that be? Why would I hit him? I'm a weak and helpless little woman who swallows her resentment for the sake of her three children."
Han Qiao slowly sat down.
"Xiu, Yi, take Ke to the kitchen to watch at the pot."
"..."
"..."
Sun Xiu and Sun Yi looked at each other and left the room
Meanwhile, Madam Sun looked at Han Qiao with anger in her eyes. Suddenly she laughed. "You are going to ruin my family's reputation."
"Yiming said that you want to divorce him. It seems to be true."
"It's true. That coward is lower than a pig or a dog. I can't believe I was dumb enough back then to marry him. I've worked for the Sun family for more than ten years. I've had enough."
Han Qiao did not deny it.
In the end, she was looking for a slow way out.
But Madam Sun had come to her door asking about the debt and the deeds. It would have been a real pity if she missed this prime opportunity.
"Han Qiao, you're dreaming if you think you're gonna get a divorce. Instead we are going to disown you. That way you will never be respected as a mother." Madam Sun slowly sat up.
"You must be reluctant to part with your three children. You think you're gonna take them with you, huh…?" Madam Sun sneered.
"Not happening. I'll keep them by my side and give Yiming a capable new wife as soon as possible. There are many ways for stepmothers to train their stepdaughters."
"You're going to watch helplessly as your daughters live in hell. I want you to regret this."
Han Qiao was not afraid at all.
She laughed with exceptional frivolity. "I'll take this fight to my grave. I'll go tell the government that Sun Yiming cheated in the imperial examination. I'll say something like, when he was taking the entrance exam, a certain Madam Sun sent ten taels of silver to the officials and..."
"Han Qiao!" Madam Sun shouted.
"You're crazy," she roared..
Han Qiao's heart was about to explode with anger.
Her emotions came too quickly. Even though it hadn't come from her at all, it still made her feel pain all over her body. She suddenly stood up and pointed at Madam Sun, "Do you really think you can hide the truth from everybody? Can you really hide the fact that you conspired with Sun Yiming?"
"Heaven has eyes and ears everywhere. Yet your family is not afraid of the consequences."
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