Transmigrated into a fat wife, farming, raising children, and picking up husbands

Lin Xiuer suddenly turned her head to look at him, her eyes blazing with anger again.

"You still dare to ask for three taels?"

The old man shrank back in fright, but the three fingers didn't retract; they remained raised like three sticks of dry firewood.

"Three taels it is, three taels it is," he muttered, but his confidence was clearly waning. "Not a penny less..."

Lin Xiuer was so angry she wanted to bite her teeth.

Ping An, standing beside her, gently tugged at her sleeve.

"My wife," he said, his voice trembling with grievance, "we really have no money left."

Lin Xiuer glanced at him. That look was exactly the same as when Xiao Bao wanted candy but was too embarrassed to ask for it.

Her heart softened, and she glanced back at the girl who was still trembling slightly with her head down, torn between two options.

What should I do? I just gave her a glimmer of hope, and now I have to extinguish it with my own hands?

The matchmaker, watching from the side, scoffed and said in a shrill voice, "Two ounces is bad luck for me! You dare ask for three ounces? Do you think people are easy targets?"

She glanced at the old man sideways, her face full of disdain: "Why don't you take a piss and look at yourself in the mirror? Your daughter is so skinny, how much strength can she have to work? She'll be a money-losing commodity no matter where you sell her!"

Lin Xiuer glanced back at the matchmaker and immediately understood her meaning. The matchmaker had already asked for two taels; if she gave more, wouldn't she be a sucker?

She looked at the old man and said, slowly and deliberately, "Two ounces is two ounces. Not a penny more."

"Sell? Sign and put your fingerprint on it. Don't sell—"

She paused, then shielded the girl behind her.

"Hehe, I'll just take him back, and you won't get a single penny."

The old man was so angry after hearing Lin Xiuer's words that he jumped up and down, throwing a tantrum like a child, and kept sighing.

But when faced with someone as unreasonable and ruthless as Lin Xiuer, who was always ready to punch him, he was truly at a loss.

He can't beat you in a fight.

That woman is incredibly strong. If it weren't for the man next to her stopping him, I would probably be beaten to a pulp right now.

Curse? That fat woman was fiercer than him when she cursed; he chickened out before he even opened his mouth.

Reason with him? He'd love to tear him apart; that punch still hurts.

He held his breath, his face turning a deep purplish-red, and finally stomped his foot hard.

"Fine! Two ounces it is. Meeting you is my bad luck today! Sigh!"

The old man looked pained and kept sighing.

Lin Xiuer stared at his face, feeling disgusted.

This old man is definitely not someone to be trifled with.

I took two taels of silver today, but what if I get drunk tomorrow and come back to cause trouble again?

She said she regretted it and returned her daughter to him.

What wouldn't this kind of person do? If they keep causing trouble and extorting money every few days, nobody will have a peaceful day.

She's not the kind of person who's foolish enough to just hand over the money and think everything's fine.

We need to keep a record of it.

We need to find a witness.

Lin Xiuer's mind raced as she pondered who would be the right person to approach for this matter.

Village head? Yamen (government office)? Master Mei?

Yes, Master Mei.

Master Mei was efficient and handled matters in his own right, and he was also in charge of buying and selling these documents.

Make him write a contract of servitude, have him act as a witness, and stamp it. With that, the government will have a record, and even if this old man makes a scene to the ends of the earth, he won't be able to cause any trouble.

She turned her head and looked at the girl.

The girl was still standing there; her shoulders had stopped trembling, but her whole body was still shaking, like a leaf in the wind.

"I'll ask you one more time," Lin Xiuer looked into her eyes, softening her voice, "Are you willing to go with your sister?"

The girl suddenly raised her head, and her swollen, red eyes instantly lit up.

It's like a drowning person suddenly grabbing onto a piece of driftwood, or a beam of light suddenly shining into the darkness.

She nodded vigorously, "Yes! I do!"

Her voice trembled, choked with sobs, "As long as my sister gives me a bite to eat and doesn't sell me off, I'll do anything!"

As she spoke, tears welled up again, streaming down her cheeks and hitting the ground.

"I can do anything!" she eagerly declared, "I can do laundry, cook, feed chickens and ducks, no matter how hard or tiring it is, I'm not afraid! I can do it all! Really! Sister, you have to believe me!"

Lin Xiuer's heart ached when she saw her pitiful appearance.

What an understanding girl! How could that old man be so heartless?

Fourteen years old, in modern times, is still a junior high school student, an age when one should be going to school, playing, and dreaming.

But now she stands here, her face covered in tears, desperately trying to prove that she is "useful," afraid that others will reject her.

Lin Xiuer remembered what she had just said.

His mother was beaten to death by him when he was drunk.

He sold his younger brother.

His sister was sold to an old man in a neighboring village to be his second wife.

Today, it's finally my turn.

Her eyes stung and her throat tightened.

"Alright, alright, don't cry." She took out a handkerchief and wiped the girl's tears.

The handkerchief was quickly soaked with tears, but the tears seemed unstoppable. "Sister promises, I won't sell you again, and I won't let you go hungry."

The girl nodded, crying, unable to utter a word due to her sobs.

After wiping away her tears, Lin Xiuer turned and glared fiercely at the old man.

The look in his eyes was completely different from when he looked at the girl earlier.

It was as soft as it was before, and now it's as hard as a knife.

The old man shuddered at her gaze and took a step back.

"Come with me to the yamen," Lin Xiuer said.

The old man was taken aback: "Go...go to the yamen for what?"

"Write a contract of servitude and find a witness." Lin Xiuer said slowly and deliberately, "It'll be in black and white, signed and sealed, so you won't regret it later and cause trouble."

The old man's lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but Lin Xiuer glared at him and stopped him.

"Walk."

The old man hunched his shoulders, dawdled, and reluctantly followed.

Ping An pushed the cart, with the girl following beside Lin Xiuer, and the group walked into the town.

After walking a few steps, Lin Xiuer suddenly remembered something.

We've wasted so much time here, it's already evening, the sun is almost setting behind the mountains, and only a touch of orange-red remains on the horizon.

The yamen should have closed long ago; Master Mei has probably already gone home.

She paused, turned a corner, and headed towards the Wu residence.

"Let's go to the Wu residence first," she said.

Wu Liangcai should be at home right now. It would be good to ask him where Master Mei lives and go directly to his house to find him, instead of going to the yamen and being clueless.

Just as Lin Xiuer reached the alley leading to the Wu residence, she looked up and saw someone walking towards her from the opposite direction.

The man was slightly hunched over, holding a stack of documents in his hands, and was reading them as he walked. It was none other than Master Mei.

It looks like he just finished some business at the Wu residence and is heading home.

Lin Xiuer's eyes lit up—what a coincidence!

"Master Mei!"

She called out.

Master Mei raised his head and looked in the direction of the sound.

In the afterglow of the setting sun, he saw a fat woman standing not far away, with a tall man and a skinny little girl beside her.

The fat woman was waving at him with a smile on her face.