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

Master Mei paused for a moment, then looked up at her.

"adoption?"

"Mm." Lin Xiuer nodded. "If I don't want to be a maid, I'll be a younger sister. I have a four-year-old son at home, so it'll be good to have another older sister."

Master Mei paused for a moment, then nodded, lowered his head and crossed out "as a maid" and changed it to "adopted".

He continued writing, "After being sold, I was raised and disciplined by my adoptive parents at their discretion, and I was free to marry as I pleased. I had no further connection with my biological father..."

When the old man heard the words "freedom of marriage," his lips moved as if he wanted to say something.

Lin Xiuer glanced at them.

The old man immediately shut his mouth.

Master Mei continued writing: "To prevent future disputes, this sales contract is hereby established as proof."

He looked up at the old man and asked, "How much is your worth in silver?"

"Two ounces," Lin Xiuer said.

Two ounces?

Master Mei paused for a moment, then looked up at her with a hint of surprise in his eyes.

He has worked in this government office for so many years, and has handled at least eighty or a hundred indenture contracts.

A fourteen-year-old girl, strong and healthy, would weigh at least four or five ounces. A girl with a more attractive appearance could weigh seven or eight ounces.

This girl may be thin, but she has good features; with a little grooming, she'll definitely look good. Two ounces—what's the difference between that and getting it for free?

He glanced at the old man—who was hunched over, his eyes darting around, looking guilty.

He glanced at Lin Xiuer again—his eyes were like those of a mother hen protecting her chicks.

Lin Xiuer understood his look and explained from the side, "This drunkard sells his children just to get money for alcohol."

"He doesn't even care that his daughter was sold to a brothel. He only deserves two taels of silver. He won't give that kind of scum a single coin more."

Master Mei continued writing, but a slight smile curved his lips.

She looked up at the old man, her eyes holding a hint of something unreadable.

There was disdain, and also a little...感慨 (gǎnkǎi, a feeling of mixed emotions).

Such people, relying on their education in their youth, have lofty ambitions but lack the ability to achieve them. They are all talk and no action, ultimately making themselves a laughingstock.

He shook his head and continued writing.

After I finished writing it, I read it aloud from beginning to end.

"The person who made the sale contract is Yi Huainian. Due to poverty, he voluntarily sells his daughter, Liuyun, who is fourteen years old, to the Lin family for adoption. The agreement was reached on the same day after three meetings, and he received a price of two taels of silver."

After the sale, the child is free to be raised and disciplined by the adoptive parents, and is free to marry as they wish. The child has no further connection with the original biological father. This is entirely consensual, and there was no coercion. To ensure there is sufficient evidence in the future, this sales contract is hereby established.

After reading it aloud, he pushed the contract in front of Yi Huainian.

"Look, if there are no problems, put your fingerprints on it. Let's make it clear first, once this contract is signed, this girl has nothing to do with you anymore."

"Whether she lives or dies, whether she is sold or kept, is all Lin Niangzi's business. You can't go back on your word, you can't come looking for trouble later, and you certainly can't come here to extort money."

The old man leaned closer and squinted at it for a long time.

Lin Xiuer watched him closely from the side: "Look carefully, or you'll deny it later because you didn't understand."

Yi Huainian shrank his neck and nodded repeatedly, "Understood, understood..."

Master Mei then took out another identical contract, two copies, and pushed them both in front of the old man.

"Press it."

The old man extended his thumb, dipped it in the inkpad, and pressed it onto the two pieces of contract paper.

Master Mei took it, looked at it, nodded, and pushed it to Lin Xiuer.

Lin Xiuer picked up the pen, signed her name at the bottom, and pressed her fingerprint.

Master Mei, as a witness, also signed his name and stamped it with the official seal.

"Alright." He handed one of the papers to Lin Xiuer. "Keep this safe. This is proof. If he dares to cause trouble in the future, take this paper to the yamen, and he'll win every time."

Lin Xiuer took the contract and carefully examined the words under the oil lamp.

The handwriting was neat, the terms were clear, and it was pretty much what she expected. This Master Mei was indeed reliable. Even if that old man caused a ruckus to the ends of the earth, he wouldn't be able to make any waves.

The weight on her heart finally lifted.

Yi Huainian stood to the side, looking at the contract with a complicated expression.

Master Mei tidied up the desk, locked the door, and the group walked out together.

Lin Xiuer glanced at the old man, took out two taels of silver from her bosom, and tossed it to him.

Yi Huainian hurriedly caught it, holding it in his palm and examining it again and again by the light of the gate. Two taels of silver, two small pieces, lay in his palm.

He grinned, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth.

"Thank you... thank you so much, Madam Lin..."

With that, the old man clutched the two taels of silver, turned, and ran. He ran incredibly fast, as if afraid that Lin Xiuer would change her mind and chase after him.

The hem of the robe fluttered in the night and quickly disappeared around the street corner.

Lin Xiuer watched his hurried figure, her heart aching. But he was already gone, and she couldn't chase after him and beat him up.

He turned around and bowed to Master Mei, who was still standing at the entrance of the yamen.

"Master Mei, thank you so much for your help today." She said sincerely.

"I'm really sorry to have taken up so much of your time. But I'm a bit short on cash lately and haven't prepared anything decent as a thank you gift."

"I'll make it up to you another day, another day."

Master Mei waved his hand, a smile on his face.

This woman bought that abandoned garden in the west of town, which solved a huge problem for him. As long as she doesn't come to return the house, everything is fine; why would he care about any thank-you gift?

"You're too kind, Madam Lin. It's nothing, not worth mentioning."

"It's getting late, Madam Lin, you should head back now. Be careful on the road." He said, waving his hand, and then slowly walked to the other end of the street.

Lin Xiuer nodded, thanked her again, and then turned and left with the girl, with Ping An pushing the stroller beside them.

Stepping out of the government office, night had completely fallen. The stars twinkled overhead, and a cool breeze blew through the alleyway, carrying the aroma of cooking smoke and food.

The girl clung tightly to Lin Xiuer's clothes, following closely behind. Her obedient appearance was heartbreaking.

Lin Xiuer looked down at the hand, and her heart softened.

But this girl, who just looked utterly hopeless in the yamen, keeping her head down and not saying a word, is like a completely different person now that she's outside.

Its eyes darted around, taking in everything around it. After walking for a while, it couldn't help but chirp like a little sparrow.

"Sister," Yi Liuyun asked softly, "Where are we going now?"

"Go home," Lin Xiuer said. "Qingshan Village."

"Is Qingshan Village far away?"

"It'll be there in a little while."

"Oh." Yi Liuyun nodded, then asked after a while, "Sister, who are the members of our family?"

Lin Xiuer thought for a moment and said, "My man is the one pushing the cart. You can just call him Brother Ping An."

The girl looked up, glanced quickly at Ping An, and then looked down again.

"Brother-in-law... is really handsome," she whispered.

Lin Xiuer burst out laughing: "You certainly know how to talk."

The girl pursed her lips and smiled.

"There's also a four-year-old son named Xiaobao at home. And my mother."

Yi Liuyun's eyes lit up: "A little baby? I love kids! I can bathe him, play with him, and cook him delicious food!"

Lin Xiuer chuckled: "You can cook?"

"Yes!" Yi Liuyun nodded emphatically. "I can cook porridge, noodles, and stir-fry vegetables! My mother taught me!"

She paused when she said the word "mother," but quickly continued, "From now on, I'll cook the meals at home! I'll do the laundry..."