Chapter 6: The Pawnshop

“Of course I know you’re a good woman, Peach Blossom. You’d never abandon us menfolk,” Tang Dafu said, deeply moved. “It’s been hard on you, but once I’m well again, I’ll be sure to find work.”

Outside the room, Qin Huiyin listened to the conversation, her feelings a tangled knot. Wasn’t her new stepfather the pinnacle of romantic foolishness in ancient times? Li Taohua had complained about him endlessly these past days, yet he seemed to filter it all out, paying no heed. Now, with just a few gentle words from her, he was moved to tears. In the original novel, it was no wonder he met such a fate—he truly lost his senses for the sake of a woman.

But now that she was here, perhaps his hopeless infatuation was a blessing. It meant he trusted his wife unconditionally, and as for his wife, she was hopelessly devoted to her own daughter, trusting her without reservation.

Li Taohua emerged with a bundle, pulled Qin Huiyin over to take inventory, and said, “This silver hairpin is solid, it should fetch about two taels of silver. These clothes, even at a pawnshop’s lowest offer, will bring in at least a hundred and fifty cash. With this money, we can buy more than a few pounds of peas—if we want rice or wheat flour, that won’t be a problem either.”

“Mother, can I use this silver freely?” Qin Huiyin asked.

“Of course. Whatever belongs to me is yours as well.” Li Taohua wrapped the bundle and tucked it into her arms. “Tomorrow, I’ll go with you to the market to pawn them.”

“Once we’ve pawned these clothes, I want to buy medicine for Tang Yixiao,” Qin Huiyin replied. “He’s long since run out of proper medicine. What he’s been taking is nothing more than dregs boiled for days—so weak it’s like water, and completely ineffective. If this goes on, his body won’t last. Now that we’re part of this family, we have to treat them as our own. We need to handle the important matters first.”

Li Taohua frowned. “His weakness was something he was born with; all his medicine is tonic, including ginseng root. A month’s supply costs a tael of silver. If we do this, the money will be gone again.”

“There are priorities—let’s tend to the most urgent matters first.” If she had just rescued Tang Luwu, only for Tang Yixiao to die as in the original story, wouldn’t that mean the plot was doomed to repeat itself?

Li Taohua’s heart ached, and she said gruffly, “Since you’ve spoken, how can I refuse? I only hope that little rascal remembers your kindness.”

Returning to her room, Li Taohua spent some time singing her daughter’s praises to Tang Dafu, who was moved to compliment Qin Huiyin’s sensibility, greatly improving his impression of her.

Taking advantage of the moment, Qin Huiyin slipped two more sets of clothing into the bundle. Originally, she had eight sets of seasonal dresses; she’d already altered two for Tang Luwu, and now, after adding two more to the bundle, she was left with just four. She still had several thick winter outfits, which were even more valuable. If she pawned those, she’d get a better price, but they were costly to replace—if she sold them now, buying them back later would cost two or three times as much. Unless utterly desperate, it made more sense to keep these necessities.

As she stepped outside, she saw Tang Luwu sweeping the yard. Qin Huiyin glanced at the basket under the eaves—it was filled with bitter wild vegetables once again, and her head ached at the sight. It wasn’t even a famine year; the mountains were lush with green, the rivers teeming with fish and shrimp. How had they fallen to eating wild greens and corn mush at every meal?

“Sister Yin,” Tang Luwu called out, “I heard you say you wanted to buy medicine for our little brother.”

Her face flushed with embarrassment as she continued, “Thank you.”

Qin Huiyin smiled. “We’re family. It’s only right to look after each other; there’s no need to thank me. Now that my mother’s married your father, we’re sisters, aren’t we?”

Tang Luwu nodded quickly. “Yes. Sister, if there’s ever anything you need from me, just say the word. As long as it’s within my power, I’ll help you.”

As long as her little brother’s medicine wasn’t cut off, she’d do anything. She didn’t understand why Qin Huiyin had suddenly become so good to them—not only rescuing her, but now wanting to buy medicine for her brother. All she knew was that without it, her brother wouldn’t survive. As long as he had his medicine, she and her brothers would obey the mother and daughter’s every word.

Tang Luwu had lived with the original Qin Huiyin for two months and understood her better than the Tang brothers. The original girl had bullied her in secret, but Tang Luwu had never told her elder brother or little brother for fear of worrying them.

A pang of compassion struck Qin Huiyin. She was twenty-five in the modern world, a whole cycle older than twelve-year-old Tang Luwu. At her age, children nowadays would still be coddled by their parents, but Tang Luwu not only did the housework, she also cared for a sickly brother—she was more reliable than many adults.

After Tang Dafu lost his first wife, he never remarried. He was a rough man, clueless about raising children, so it was Tang Yichen, the eldest, who practically raised his younger siblings. Later, when Tang Yichen was chosen by a private school teacher to study, the task of caring for the sickly Tang Yixiao fell to Tang Luwu.

By rights, with Tang Dafu’s earnings, the family should have lived well enough—Tang Luwu shouldn’t have dressed in such rags. But Tang Dafu hadn’t always been prosperous. Two years ago, like most of the village men, he did nothing but toil in the fields, tending his small plot. Then he met Li Taohua, a refugee, and was utterly bewitched. As a beautiful widow, Li Taohua had many men courting her, but she chose the hunter Song for his financial means.

It was as though Tang Dafu had his meridians unblocked—he started going to town every day and finally found work with the rice and grain shop owner, who, impressed by his honesty, promoted him to manager.

Not long after, however, Tang Yixiao fell gravely ill. After consulting a doctor, he was diagnosed with this “rich man’s malady,” needing medicine that cost a tael of silver each month. This had been kept secret until after Li Taohua married Tang Dafu; had she known earlier, she never would have agreed.

Li Taohua was never short of suitors, but she also knew how unreliable wealthy men could be, and that they’d always choose a young maiden over a widow like herself, no matter how beautiful. She had her own criteria for choosing a husband—he must be financially stable and obedient, so he’d treat her daughter well.

Whether it was Butcher Song or Tang Dafu, both met her standards. Butcher Song was tall, with chiseled features, and also made good money. Tang Dafu was somewhat lacking by comparison, but he was the best option available. If there were better, she’d have chosen better.

“Big sister…” Tang Yixiao returned, carrying firewood on his back. Seeing Tang Luwu talking with Qin Huiyin and fearing his sister might be bullied, he quickly called out, “Help me with this.”

Tang Luwu hurried over to him. “Why are you carrying so much?”