The sickly son died young? After the marriage exchange, I will bring prosperity to his entire clan f

"Over time, I've developed hunting skills, and I'm no worse than those men. Those men are always trying to take advantage of me. I'm already being lenient by not stabbing them directly."

Du Mingxian chuckled, finding this person quite interesting.

"Can't your little grandson talk?"

"She can talk about it." The woman's face was full of sorrow when she mentioned this. "My son died in an accident. The other party paid a little money as compensation. My daughter-in-law is a scoundrel. She took the money at night and ran away."

“She was afraid that my grandson would make a sound and prevent her from leaving, so she took him out and abandoned him in the mountains. When I got up, I found that he was not there, so I asked people to look for him. Later, the child was found in the mountains.”

"He must have been frightened that night, and then he stopped talking altogether, no matter what we said."

Du Mingxian felt some sympathy for her sister-in-law, "Are your daughters married nearby?"

“They’ve all been sold.”

"Huh?" Her breath hitched. How could this person say such a thing so confidently, selling out her own daughter?

The woman repeated, "They've all been sold."

Du Mingxian was extremely surprised. The woman didn't seem like the type to favor sons over daughters, so why would she sell her daughter?

“My family was poor. When my husband died, even if I was willing to risk everything, we had many children and we were always hungry. My eldest daughter told me that she wanted to become a maid in a wealthy family. And now, my eldest daughter is working in a wealthy family in the prefectural city.”

"Later, when my son was about to get married, as you can see in our remote village, which decent family would be willing to marry their daughter to us? Only those who are greedy for money would be willing to marry their daughters to us, and the bride price is quite high."

"Over the years, I've been doing well just to feed and clothe my children. How could I possibly afford such a high dowry to get them married? If I don't get my son married, he'll be a bachelor for life."

“My second daughter is sensible. She told me that she could be used to exchange for my sister-in-law. She said that she would get money by selling her, so I sold my second daughter. Once you've done it once, you're more familiar with it. This matter was much easier to handle.”

"I couldn't bear to part with them the first time, but I got used to it after selling them twice. After my daughter-in-law came into the family, I also sold my third daughter. Now all my daughters are working as maids in wealthy households."

Du Mingxian listened to the other person's calm words, but she still noticed a tear fall in the air as the woman turned away.

For a moment, she didn't know what to say. After all, everyone's life isn't always smooth sailing; there are always all sorts of troubles.

"How about I help you?"

She saw the woman take out flour, and it was white flour.

"No need. Look at your hands, they're obviously from a pampered life. You wouldn't know how to cook. I only have this little bit of flour left at home, don't waste it. If you want to work, start a fire."

After saying that, fearing that Du Mingxian wouldn't know how, she lit the fire herself. Once the fire was burning brightly, she said to Du Mingxian, "You just sit here and watch the stove. Add a piece of firewood in every now and then."

"Okay." She didn't explain; she came from the village herself and was used to doing these kinds of jobs.

It's mainly her hands... Since entering the Wen family, she has rarely done these things. Many things are done by the maids, who also take good care of her hands, making them look white and tender.

The woman was quite efficient at cooking; she quickly made hand-pulled noodles, put them directly into boiling water, added some green vegetables and salt, and the meal was ready.

After the woman scooped out the noodles, Du Mingxian took them out.

Finally, the woman brought a bowl of noodles into the house for the child. Du Mingxian asked from the yard, "Sister-in-law, isn't the child going to come out and eat with us?"

"No, this child usually eats by himself. You all eat."

No one said anything more, but when the bowls were served, they didn't eat. The woman went back to get her own bowl and sat down to the side.

At the small, square table, one person sat on each side. Seeing that they hadn't touched their chopsticks, the woman urged them, "Eat up!"

No one spoke, and they began to eat. The woman ate with relish. Du Mingxian took a bite and found it to be quite good. It only had salt and no other seasonings, but it had a strong wheat flavor.

Each person had a bowl of rice. After they finished eating, the woman didn't ask if they were full. Instead, she took the bowls directly into the kitchen to wash them.

Du Mingxian and Ling Silang considered leaving. Du Mingxian took out five taels of silver, intending to put it on the table when they left.

The group was still sitting in the yard, and the woman was still washing dishes when there was a rather urgent knocking on the door.

"Open the door, Da Liang's mother, open the door quickly."

The woman came out of the house and asked as she opened the door, "What's the matter that you're in such a hurry? Knock gently, or you'll break my door."

Du Mingxian twitched her nose and frowned. She smelled a foul odor, and it was... the odor of a corpse.

The door opened, and there were quite a few people standing outside.

Du Mingxian looked through the crack and sure enough, she saw a corpse, dressed in light pink clothes with some straw on it.

"Da Liang's mother, come and take a look at your Hongguo."

The woman stared stiffly at the covered corpse on the ground. "What are you all doing here? Our Hongguo has gone to work as a maid in a wealthy family. How could she possibly be at home?"

The woman who came to deliver the news was on good terms with her. She stepped forward and grabbed her arm. “Look quickly, this is what my child’s father found in the mass grave. If he hadn’t happened to be there, this person would probably have been eaten by wild dogs.”

"No, I can't."

Du Mingxian stepped forward and gently helped the woman up.

No matter how fierce this woman's behavior was, the fact that she complained about them forcing them to stay and freeload, but then actually made them a bowl of noodles, was enough to show that she had a sharp tongue but a kind heart.

"Come and see, I..." The woman who brought the news glanced at the courtyard and said to Du Mingxian, "When you came, you should try to persuade your aunt. She has had a hard life."

"Da Liang's mother, I'll have someone carry the hawthorns into the yard for you. If you need any other help, just let me know."

Du Mingxian helped the person stand to the side. Two men from the village carried the person in and placed them in the courtyard. Then everyone else left, perhaps sensing that Ling Silang and the others had men and didn't need help.

"Close the door," Du Mingxian said.

The groom went to close the door.

Du Mingxian helped the person sit down to the side, walked step by step to the corpse, and pulled away the thatch on it to reveal the full appearance of the body.

A young woman in her early twenties, her face covered in dirt, examined her body. Her clothes were new and worn; once the clothes were removed, her injuries were visible, not a single part of her body was intact.

"No, there are still men in the yard." The woman seemed to realize this at first, and rushed forward, pushed Du Mingxian aside, and pulled her clothes tighter.

Du Mingxian didn't intend to untie it, but since Ling Silang and the coachman were a bit far apart, she untied her clothes, but the clothes were pulled up, so the two men really couldn't see anything.

But the woman refused, and she didn't say anything more.

The woman held the already stiff corpse and wept softly, her whole being like a trapped wild beast, emitting low growls.

It sounds incredibly depressing.

Ling Silang stepped forward to help Du Mingxian up, and Du Mingxian whispered, "It should be a case of being beaten to death."

It was legal for servants who had been sold into servitude to be beaten to death by their masters. Even women probably couldn't appeal, so no one would become a slave unless absolutely necessary.

The woman cried for a long time. Seeing that she had vented her emotions, Du Mingxian stepped forward and whispered to her, "The dead cannot be brought back to life. The living are more important. Take care of yourself, sister-in-law."

“No, you don’t understand.” The woman shook her head and said in a hoarse voice, “Our Hongguo is the most obedient and clever. She told me a while ago that her master treats her very well and that she wants to redeem herself and come back to take care of me if she has the chance. At that time, I told her to work hard and that being able to work in the Prince’s mansion is something that no one can ask for.”

"She was just lucky at the time, and happened to be in the Ming Prince's mansion buying people, so she got in. But only a few months have passed, and she... she..."

Du Mingxian grasped a key word: "Prince's Mansion? The only one around here that can be called a Prince's Mansion is the Ming Prince's Mansion."

"Yes, it was the Ming Prince's residence. My daughter served in the Ming Princess's courtyard. Something must have happened. She must have died under mysterious circumstances."

Du Mingxian felt her breath catch in her throat. Could this be fate? Did she just decide to meet someone from the Ming Prince's Mansion today?