The Republic of China: I, Xiangzi, a Hero in a Chaotic Era

Xiao Fuzi began to sob incoherently, her voice broken and hoarse:

"Officer Zhang...please...save my daughter and me...Ma Wu...Sun the Bald and his gang...they have...they have a note with my fingerprint on it...saying my father owes them twenty-five silver dollars..."

"We...we have no money...we don't even have a single grain of rice left...my mother...my mother was pushed and fell against the edge of the kang (heated brick bed)...her head was broken...she bled a lot...she...she's not quite conscious anymore..."

"They...they said I either have to pay back the money within three days...or...or they want me to...to sign a contract...to pay off the debt..."

When she said the words "contract of indenture," her body trembled violently. The immense humiliation made it almost impossible for her to continue speaking, leaving only suppressed sobs.

Zhang Kui listened quietly, the forced gentleness on his face gradually fading, his brows furrowing more and more, his fingers unconsciously tapping on the table, making a soft tapping sound.

Only when Xiao Fuzi was crying uncontrollably did he let out a long sigh, his voice filled with helplessness and a heavy sense of "as expected."

"Sigh... What a tragedy..."

He shook his head, his tone carrying a sense of world-weariness and detachment.

"I knew it, I knew this day would come."

"You orphans and widows, without a man to carry on the household, are like meat on a chopping board in this Maojiawan tenement. Everyone who sees you would want to take a bite."

He paused, his gaze falling on Xiao Fuzi's tear-streaked face, his expression almost cruelly blunt:

"Little Fuzi, it's not that I don't want to help you."

"But think about it, I, Zhang Kui, am just a lowly patrolman at the Xisi North Police Station. I earn a pittance a month, barely enough to support my family."

"I helped you this time, shutting Ma Wu and the others up, but what about next time? And the time after that? Li Si, Wang Wu, Zhao Liu... how many people in this Xisi North area have tried to take advantage of you and your mother?"

Zhang Kui's voice wasn't loud, but every word was like a cold stone, striking Xiao Fuzi's heart, which had just begun to glimmer with hope, shattering that tiny glimmer of light instantly.

The tears in her eyes froze, leaving only a deathly despair.

Yes, Officer Zhang is right.

He can help for a while, but not forever.

This was their fate, a fate sealed from the day their father died, no, perhaps even earlier, from the day their father became a good-for-nothing alcoholic.

She slowly and laboriously stood up from the stool, her body swaying slightly from the cold and despair.

She bowed deeply, almost at a ninety-degree angle, to Zhang Kui.

His movements were stiff and humble, carrying a resigned calm.

"Officer Zhang... I... I understand."

Her voice was dry and hoarse, like sandpaper rubbing against wood.

"It's...it's our bad luck...we've caused you...we're sorry... I...I'll leave now..."

Xiao Fuzi straightened up, her face expressionless, only a hollow numbness. She turned and moved towards the door, her steps unsteady, like a shell whose soul had been ripped out.

"etc!"

Just as her hand was about to touch the cold doorknob, Zhang Kui's voice came from behind her, carrying a hint of urgent urgency to stop her.

Xiao Fuzi stood frozen in place, as if nailed to the spot, without turning around.

She dared not look back, fearing that the faint, perhaps illusory, pause would bring even deeper despair.

Zhang Kui stood up, walked around the desk, and stopped a few steps behind Xiao Fuzi.

He looked at the girl's thin, frail figure, as if she might be blown away by the wind at any moment, cleared his throat, and spoke with a serious tone, carrying a sense of "heart-to-heart":

"Little Fuzi, don't rush to leave, and don't give up on your fate."

"What I just said was harsh, but it was the absolute truth. However..."

Zhang Kui paused deliberately, as if he was carefully considering his words.

"I know that right now, all you and your mother want is a way to survive, a place where you can find shelter from the wind and rain, a place where you can have a hot meal, and a peaceful life without being bullied, right?"

Xiao Fuzi's shoulders trembled almost imperceptibly, but she still didn't turn around. Only her stiff back revealed a hint of longing to listen.

Zhang Kui leaned forward half a step, lowering his voice as if sharing a secret:

"I do have a solution, albeit a less-than-ideal one. It just depends on whether you... are willing to take it."

These words were like a needle, piercing the deathly silence in Xiao Fuzi's heart. She turned around abruptly, a faint yet burning flame instantly igniting in her dim eyes as she stared intently at Zhang Kui:

"Wh...what way? Officer Zhang...as long as...as long as it saves my daughter and me...I'll do anything!"

Xiao Fuzi's voice rose with excitement, trembling and cracking, as if she had grasped at the last straw.

Zhang Kui seemed quite satisfied with her reaction, a "just as I thought" expression on his face.

He nodded slightly, lowering his voice even further, with a solemn air of "giving guidance":

"That's right. Our director, Director Liu Jiaxiang, you know him, right?"

Xiao Fuzi nodded vigorously.

How could she not know that young, authoritative director who could decide her father's life or death with a single word? That day in the courtyard, his calm yet chilling gaze still makes her tremble when she thinks about it.

"Director Liu recently bought a pretty nice house in Lingjing Hutong."

Zhang Kui continued, a hint of calculation in his eyes.

"It's a two-courtyard house, quite spacious. But with such a large house, someone has to take care of it."

"Right now, we need a quick and honest maid to take care of the director's daily life, and we also need a housekeeper to do the washing and cleaning."

He paused, his sharp gaze scrutinizing Xiao Fuzi's face, which had instantly become tense yet hopeful:

"I think you, Xiao Fuzi, are quite young, but you're quick and efficient, and you're a decent person."

"Your mother, although she's ill now, used to be very good at managing household chores. If you and your mother are willing to go..."

He didn't finish his sentence, but the meaning was crystal clear.

Xiao Fuzi felt a surge of excitement rush to her head. The overwhelming joy and disbelief made her dizzy and almost unable to stand.

Go to the director's house... as a maid? A servant? This... this is practically a lifeline falling from the sky!

But then, a wave of intense inferiority and fear washed over her like cold water. She instinctively looked down at her tattered, dirty cotton-padded coat, then touched her dry, tangled hair, her voice filled with humility and apprehension:

"The...the director's family...he...he's such a high-ranking official...would he...would he even look at someone like me...as a maid? My mother...my mother is still sick..."