Jiang Chun took out a six-hundred tael silver banknote from her pouch, handed it to Wang Mama, and obtained the maishenqi (contract of selling oneself) of Song Shiyin and Pan Xing.
Back on the boat earlier, Song Shi’an had already given her the fifteen-hundred tael silver banknotes he carried on him for safekeeping.
Song Shiyin and Pan Xing, being able to leave the brothel, both had excitement and joy appear on their faces.
Especially Song Shiyin, who didn’t want to stay a moment longer in this kind of place, anxiously and hurriedly urged Song Shi’an: “Since we’ve gotten the maishenqi, then Big Brother, let’s quickly leave.”
Without waiting for Song Shi’an to respond, Jiang Chun domineeringly raised her hand: “Wait.”
She slanted a glance at Song Shiyin, then slanted another at Pan Xing, and said: “You’re just planning to leave so bare-handed, not going to pack up your belongings and take them with you?”
Truly, if you don’t manage a household, you don’t know how costly firewood and rice are!
The two of them were both stunned for a moment, then both turned to look at Wang Mama.
Wang Mama said on the surface that their Hongxiu Tianxiang only ever buys people, never sells people, but actually, ever since Song Shiyin arrived here in just a short year, there had already been two sisters who had been redeemed and left.
Pan Xing had been here for over ten years, so she had seen even more.
But this old procuress Wang Mama was a yan guo ba mao (pluck the feathers when the goose passes – an idiom meaning a greedy person who seizes every opportunity for gain). She only allowed the redeemed sisters to leave with their private savings; as for things like clothes, head ornaments, jewelry, and fabric, none were allowed to be taken away.
This time, treating them would probably be the same.
Who knew that Wang Mama actually, in an uncharacteristic manner, gave a cold snort: “You want to pack up, then pack up. If you don’t, then fine. What are you looking at me for?”
The two of them, as if receiving a great pardon, immediately went upstairs to pack up their things.
Jiang Chun called loudly after them: “Everything that’s yours, take it all. Don’t leave behind even the bedding.”
Even if you find it disgusting and won’t use it to cover yourself, it’s good enough to pawn off at a pawnshop.
Even a mosquito’s small size is still meat!
Wang Mama: “…”
She gritted her teeth. This tigress woman came to their Hongxiu Tianxiang to strip them clean, huh?
But she herself couldn’t argue with them over those bits and pieces, it’d just be too disgraceful. It’d be better to hurry up and send them off.
About three-quarters of an hour later, the two of them came down carrying large and small bundles. Behind them followed a few younger sisters carrying bedding for them, along with two or three middle-aged women.
It was clear they were here to see them off.
The expressions on the faces of those few were all filled with envy. Which girl in the brothel didn’t dream of being redeemed and leaving to live a proper life? But how many could actually be redeemed?
Even if they were redeemed, it was usually just to become someone’s concubine or kept woman, and their fate wasn’t necessarily better than staying in the brothel.
To see someone like Song Shiyin being redeemed by family—it was the first time they’d seen such a thing. Their eyes were red with jealousy.
Yet no one spoke a single sour word, only reminding Song Shiyin to live well with her older brother and sister-in-law after leaving.
Some took hairpins from their heads, some removed earrings from their ears, and some took off bangles from their wrists—each one giving a congratulatory gift to Song Shiyin.
Several women who were close to Pan Xing each took out a string of coins (100 wen), stuffed it into Pan Xing’s hands.
One woman gave a cold snort: “You’re already at such an old age, go back to the countryside and live a good life with your mother. Don’t get fooled by men again.”
Pan Xing also wasn’t angry, smiling and saying: “Rest assured, Sister Zhou. After such a big loss, I definitely won’t be fooled and cheated again.”
After the group finished saying their goodbyes, Jiang Chun finally stepped forward, took all the bedding and bundles in their hands, tied them all together, easily hoisted them onto her shoulder, then said:
“Let’s go.”
The few girls and women were startled by her strong person appearance, looking at each other in dismay.
Wang Mama, on the other hand, secretly let out a breath of relief. Finally sent off this tigress woman.
Coming out from Hongxiu Tianxiang, Jiang Chun hired a carriage and went straight to the nearest pawnshop.
Then she pawned off all the big bundle of things she carried on her back.
Pan Xing had few things, six sets of clothes for the four seasons in total, all of which were fine cotton cloth, not even a single piece of silk. As for bedding, there was only one set.
Altogether, it was only pawned for one tael and two qian of silver.
Song Shiyin, being the Hongxiu Tianxiang’s key nurtured girl, had as many as twenty sets of four-season clothes, and they were all made of valuable materials like silk, satin, and gauze. The bedding also had four sets.
There were also a few pieces of head ornaments and jewelry.
Altogether, it pawned for as much as 120 taels of silver.
After coming out of the pawnshop, there happened to be a ready-made clothes shop right next door. Jiang Chun led the group inside, letting Song Shiyin and Pan Xing each pick two sets.
As for her, she dragged Song Shi’an to the men’s clothing area, grinning and saying: “I see that the fabrics fashionable in Shaoxing Prefecture are quite different from those in Hongye County. Husband should also pick two sets of clothes for himself.”
Song Shi’an lightly shook his head and said mildly: “I am a man, and usually seldom go out. Two sets of clothes to change into are enough, no need to waste money.”
After thinking for a moment, he added: “But it’s you, wife, who goes in and out all the time. You ought to properly pick two nice sets of clothes for yourself. That way, it won’t count as coming to Jiangnan for nothing.”
Jiang Chun refused to accept it: “What about being a man? A husband as handsome as this should dress up nicely and prettily too. It’ll make me happy when I see it.”
The shopkeeper happened to come over, and upon hearing this, glanced at Song Shi’an, and was instantly stunned as if seeing a heavenly being. They chimed in: “Madam speaks truly. With a langjun like this, such looks and figure, he absolutely should dress splendidly and brightly.”
Song Shi’an didn’t want to argue with her in front of outsiders, so after pondering for a moment, he said:
“Then how about we each buy two sets?”
Without waiting for Jiang Chun to reply, he added another sentence: “If you don’t buy, then I won’t buy either.”
Jiang Chun smiled helplessly and said: “Fine, since husband says buy, then we’ll buy. I’ll listen to husband in everything.”
Song Shi’an had handed over the 1500 taels of silver to her for safekeeping. After spending 600 taels to redeem people, there were 900 taels left. This silver was enough for them to use until they reached the capital.
So there was no need to be too stingy.
The two of them wandered around the men’s clothing counter for a while, picking out one dark-blue straight robe with a dark bamboo-leaf pattern and one sky-blue round-collar robe with an auspicious floral dark pattern.
Both were made of fine cotton cloth.
Worthy of being Jiangnan, a region where the textile industry thrived— even fine cotton cloth could be woven into dark patterns, far exceeding the weaving standard of Hongye County.
Of course, the prices were also much higher. A single fine cotton outer robe actually cost 300 wen. Two pieces totaled 600 wen.
In their Hongye County, a bolt of plain fine cotton cloth was only 350 wen. If used sparingly, it could make two robes plus two pairs of pants.
Jiang Chun bit her lip and said to the shopkeeper: “These two, set them aside for now. We’ll settle the bill later.”
The shopkeeper woman’s face was full of smiles as she said: “Alrighty.”
Jiang Chun reached out and grabbed Song Shi’an’s hand, walking towards the women’s clothing counter.
As soon as they got close, she was rendered speechless.
At the women’s clothing counter, Song Shiyin was holding a short cross-collar jacket made of pink base fabric with peach blossom patterns, measuring it against her body. The female shop assistant beside her was full of flattery, endlessly praising how good it looked.
Jiang Chun didn’t indulge her, walking over and bluntly saying: “You pick two sets of fine cotton clothes. Our family is poor, can’t afford silk, and besides, it’s inconvenient. You’ll have to do laundry, cook meals, feed pigs, and work in the fields.”
Laundry, cooking, feeding pigs, working in the fields?
“Ah?” Song Shiyin was completely stunned.
Song Shi’an slanted a glance at Song Shiyin, gently said: “Listen to your sister-in-law.”
Song Shiyin pursed her lips unwillingly.
This short jacket was only nine hundred wen, not even one liang of silver, yet the belongings she had pawned off amounted to 120 liang silver. How could they not afford it?
If it were replaced with Sister Cheng, let alone a short jacket worth one liang, even if it were worth ten liang, she wouldn’t hesitate to buy it for her.
But Song Shiyin still handed the silk short jacket back to the female shop assistant.
The fact that she could leave the qinglou was thanks to this sister-in-law spending the silver, and with big brother saying “Listen to your sister-in-law” with such respect, it was obvious he respected her highly. She’d have to live with them from now on—she couldn’t offend her right off the bat.
She turned to the fine cotton side and picked out two short jackets, two skirts, two sets of cotton-padded jackets and pants, and two sets of inner shirts and inner pants.
As for Pan Xing, she felt that spending a hundred liang of silver from her cousin’s wife to redeem herself was already a huge favor, so she didn’t dare pick much—just chose the cheapest short jacket, skirt, and a set of cotton-padded clothes, and didn’t even buy inner shirts and pants.
Jiang Chun couldn’t help but laugh, so she personally went to pick out another set of short jacket, skirt, cotton-padded jacket and pants, plus two sets of inner shirts and inner pants for her.
In any case, she had already spent a hundred liang of silver to redeem her, so it wouldn’t make a difference to spend a bit more on these clothes.
Only then did she pick out two short jackets and two skirts for herself.
Song Shi’an’s two robes were six hundred wen.
Song Shiyin’s short jacket and skirt were seven hundred wen per set, so two sets were one liang four qian; cotton-padded jacket and pants were one liang per set, so two sets were two liang; inner shirts and pants were one hundred and twenty wen per set, so two sets were two hundred and forty wen.
Pan Xing’s short jacket and skirt were six hundred wen per set, so two sets were one liang two qian; cotton-padded jacket and pants were nine hundred wen per set, so two sets were one liang eight qian; inner shirts and pants were one hundred and twenty wen per set, so two sets were two hundred and forty wen.
Jiang Chun’s short jacket and skirt were seven hundred wen per set, so two sets were one liang four qian of silver.
All totaled up, it came to eight liang eight qian eight li.
Jiang Chun haggled with the shopkeeper for a long time, and the shopkeeper only wiped off the eight li fraction, unwilling to give any more discount. So she could only let it go.
After leaving the ready-made clothing shop, Jiang Chun hired another carriage and went back to the Yunlai Inn where they were staying.
She asked the shopkeeper for another room for Song Shiyin and Pan Xing to stay in.
The two rooms were right next to each other, and the soundproofing between them was very poor. If they called out loudly inside the room, Jiang Chun and the others in the room next door could hear it, so they weren’t worried about the two women staying alone being unsafe.
After resting for the night, Song Shi’an buried his face into Jiang Chun’s chest and spoke on behalf of Song Shiyin:
“My cousin sister was spoiled by Grandmother when at home. After the Song family had trouble, she was locked up in the Song residence with the other womenfolk for half a year, and then was sold into Hongxiu Tianxiang. After entering Hongxiu Tianxiang, she only followed the female instructors to learn skills like playing instruments, so you could say she hasn’t really suffered much hardship. Her brain may not have fully adjusted yet. If she does anything wrong in the future…”
Jiang Chun raised her eyebrows, thinking he was about to ask her to be more forgiving.
Nowadays, in the households of high officials and nobles, favoring and spoiling daughters was considered an honor. The unmarried gu nainai (unmarried young lady of high status) had a much higher status than the sisters-in-law at home; sisters-in-law all had to avoid their sharpness.
But Jiang Chun didn’t indulge in these bad habits. Eating her own, drinking her own, and yet still having to tolerate her? On what grounds?