Ru Yue gave her a look and beckoned her to follow. The two of them sneaked together towards the source of the sound.
Through the numerous leaves, they could see the scene nearby. A few teenage boys and girls were kicking and punching around a youngster about their age.
“Ugh…”
The youngster’s mouth was clogged with a dirty cloth towel.
His body was constantly being hailed. The harsh sound of beating made the two girls dare not speak out.
This group of people wasn’t only beating the child, but also incessantly spitting with hatred. One of the girls among that group even gasped for air as she spoke with immense hatred.
“You want to gain attention by coming in front of the mama, huh! A little errand boy dares to compete with our group of people for favor. Beat him! Beat him hard and give him a tough lesson.”
“Right! You were supposed to be an errand boy on our Lin Mama’s side. What were you grabbing for at Mama Zhou’s, and making people so resentful, huh?”
“Can you still enjoy this silver ingot, huh? Beat him!”
One of them was particularly crazy. Every time he hit, the little child would spasm and convulse with the pain. From where the two girls were hiding, they could clearly see the little child’s desperate and helpless eyes, as well as the blood dripping down from the corner of his mouth… Tightly holding each other’s hands, the two girls watched from afar. They were not gonna work on their impulse to run out and stop them.
After taking such sound beatings, the little child motionlessly laid there.
“Why…..does it feel wrong?”
“Is he dead?”
“What should we do now?” The angriest girl from earlier nervously asked the group.
On the other hand, the youngster who hit the hardest didn’t care much and snorted indifferently.
“If he is dead then dead, what does it matter to us? He is just an errand boy from the outer courtyard, dispose of him as you like. Besides, he is just the person under the very sick Zhou Mama. So what if we kill him, the deputy steward Lin Mama will cover us anyway. As long as we’re loyal enough, Lin Mama will only treat us well.”
Someone whispered a question, “What if someone paid attention to it?”
“Paid attention to him? I’ll take care of it and besides, who among the stewards doesn’t have a few lives in their hands! The one who is in charge of us, Steward Fu, unintentionally played with a young life a while ago. I’ll handle this matter, but I’m afraid we won’t be able to get this silver ingot anymore.”
“Then… Lu ge! We’ll leave this matter to you. Please help us with this matter.”
When the gang left, Shen Xiangwan tightly clutched Ru Yue’s hand and said, “Ru Yue! I’m afraid…” Human life is so cheap here. Here, a slave could be executed by his companions at will. Shen Xiangwan was really scared this time. It was the first time she had ever witnessed a brutal backyard slave fight.
It was only after a long while that Ru Yue came back to her senses and embraced Shen Xiangwan, “Little...fatty, from now on, we can’t even make a single mistake. Otherwise, I’m afraid we'll be the same as that errand boy who unintentionally stole the errand. We won’t even know how we died.”
Shen Xiangwan blankly nodded her head and finally recalled the purpose of her visit.
She intently stared up at Ru Yue.
“Ru Yue, I’m worried about you. A few days ago, did that certain young master Qingfeng do something untoward to you?”
Hearing the question, Ru Yue’s eyes abruptly turned red. She turned her head to the side and choked back her anger, “Little fatty...don’t ask. That certain master is really irritating.”
With this sentence, Shen Xiangwan’s heart turned cold. The pure and innocent Xiao Ru Yue in her heart was thereby destroyed by those people…..
Shen Xiangwan thought of the concubines at her own home, who were always against their main house. Her body subconsciously trembled by recalling the scene when a concubine caused her brother to motionlessly lie down on the ground. Her little brother was always weak since his birth due to fetal poisoning, and every time he had a relapse, he would suffer terribly. Even though dad was also quite loving to them, and extremely respectful to their mother, there used to be countless disputes because of several concubines in the backyard; thus causing harm to the children.
“Little fatty… Don’t panic. You’ve got me. I’ve heard that the courtesan house is going to recruit girls. I will learn about how to be likable. From now on, I’m going to make a name for myself in this house!”
Looking at Ru Yue’s firm face, Shen Xiangwan hushed her before gently dissuading her, “Ru Yue, don’t go to the courtesan house….. Otherwise, it will be hard to marry a good man in the future.”
Ru Yue scoffed vehemently, “Little Fatty, you wouldn't think that we’d still have a good man to marry! Qian’er, Mei Qing, there are so many good-natured people in the mansion. But even if Mei Qing is such a person, wasn’t she also easily given to Wang Da at will? Wang Da is a drunkard and he loves to beat people when he is drunk. The reason for casually giving Mei Qing to marry Wang Da was that Wang Da gave a big gift to Mama Lin. That Mama Lin briefly told Madam about it, and then the matter was finished in just a few words. As long as we are weak, we will always be a piece of meat on the other’s...chopping board!” ‘Mama Lin was also deputy steward as well as the right-hand person once under the Head Steward Zhou Mama.’
Shen Xiangwan kept shaking her head to deny as she listened to Ru Yue. However, Ru Yue was ruthless enough to let go of her hand, “So from now on, you and I will go our separate ways. I don’t want to be a humble servant like this anymore. If I can, then I’ll be a…..a woman who can speak in this house! Even if it’s being a concubine for an old man, it is much better than being a chambermaid for the young master.....better than being bullied like this now.”
Ru Yue especially emphasized the word “woman”.
However, the surprised Shen Xiangwan bit her lips and then couldn’t help but collapse into tears. In her previous life, when she was someone’s concubine, she was instructed by the man to go and accompany whichever one she wanted, and even when she was committed to a half old man, she was smiling. It was not easy to do things, but she was despised everywhere by others. She lost control and shook her head, “No, this can’t be true. What did you say to me before- Miss, I don’t want to be a concubine. Look at the concubines in our mansion. They are all fighting for the favor of a man.”
Once upon a time, Ru Yue innocently told her that she would never be a concubine. But today, she was emphatically going to be a girl in the courtesan house... Those who came out of that kind of place were either given to the distinguished guests outside, or they were favored by the house’s lord, and ended up as a concubine or a common boudoir maid.
What’s more, there was a possibility that they would be killed or maimed. It was a path of no return that was inevitably bound to becoming a concubine.
Her Ru Yue, because of the oppression of her life situation, was now actually going to be a little concubine! Once, that very girl proudly said to her, “If you want to marry, you have to marry a man with integrity and magnanimity.” Now that girl so quickly changed her mind! It’s all because of this environment! And also because she wanted to protect them.
Shen Xiangwan stopped her with grief and anger before hugging her, “Ru Yue! Don’t go, I will protect you.” But Ru Yue pushed her away with a cold snort of contempt.
Ru Yue’s bright and beautiful lips hooked up in a faint mockery, "You will protect me? A little girl who's used to running errands, flattering, and pretending to be a smart girl in front of her masters? You can't even withstand a single finger from the other maids, and you say you want to protect me! Once the masters are displeased, how will you protect me?"
Just a simple question made Shen Xiangwan drip tears and shut her mouth. Her hard heart ached. “Yueyue don't say that…”
"If you don't let me talk, then I won't? Huh! Who are you? Why should I listen to you? From now on, you and I will go our separate ways, so don't come looking for me again." Ru Yue coldly said and got up to leave again.
Shen Xiangwan bit her lips, opened her eyes. She yelled as if a wounded beast roared, "I don't believe it and I’ll never believe it. Can we girls only be concubines or little bed-maid? I don't want to be a concubine. Yueyue, we aren’t going to be a concubine or little bed-maid. If you insist on going that path, then there will be no way out. Did you forget those concubines in our backyard? Which one of those concubines or common bed-maids in our backyard seemed to have a good future, huh?"
She wanted to hold Ru Yue back, but the latter just waved her hand away coldly, "You're always dreaming, Fatty Xiao Wan, wake up! After joining this mansion, I've learned that the only way to make my way in the world is to be... a concubine. I'd rather be a concubine than a common man’s wife. Didn't you see that some time ago, the wife of the youngest brother Ning, because of her slight beauty, was also taken up by the lord...."
Ru Yue looked lost and distraught. She stomped her foot, turned around and left ruthlessly.
Such a desperate Ru Yue caused Shen Xiangwan to suffer a great blow. As the wind blew past her, coldness grew all over her body.
She suddenly woke up and understood the meaning of Ru Yue's words. She giggled and ran forward again to forcibly tug on Ru Yue's hand, "Yue’er, I know! I know you don't really want to be a concubine. You're so silly to choose such a path in order to take care of us and protect us all. Yueyue, let me think about it some more. We won't be concubines, we just want to be free and leave the house! My good Yue’er, let your young miss think about it again… Silly Yue'er, you really make me feel bad. Fortunately, I'm smart, or I would have really fallen for your trick."
Ru Yue's cold face finally moved a little. She struggled with her hand again, but still couldn't break free. Finally, she had no choice but to helplessly reach out and held her hand back. "You shouldn't have kept me uh... I...had a hard time making up my mind..."
Shen Xiangwan thought in her heart, this idiot, how could she let her go. From the moment she saved Yue’er from that pervert, she swore that she would protect her for the rest of her life.
“Yueyue, I don’t want a good and happy life at the cost of your sacrifice. If I do this, I’ll feel uneasy about it all my life. The road we’ve chosen is very difficult. But even if there is no way to go, we still have to go on this road. We shouldn’t be in a hurry, and must plan then slowly walk on this path. There is always a way out when we are united. The courtesan house is like a cannibal house. How is it different from the brothels, huh? As long as I'm here, I won't let you go to that kind of place.”
Ru Yue sighed lightly and didn't respond. She clasped her family's idiotic Miss with her back hand. The two master and servant who were making a fuss just now, were once again as good as sisters.
"Little Fatty! I really didn't want to tell you that Xiao Qi is not doing well. Recently, he was ordered to run errands frequently by a supervisor under deputy steward Lin Mama. That body of Xiao Qi couldn’t endure the oppression….. He is lying in bed now... "
It was just a simple sentence, but Shen Xiangwan’s body turned cold. It turned out that this was the reason why Xiao Yueyue wanted to go to the courtesan house. When you enter the courtesan house, you can also have some special care...