RPAGF Chapter 179 A Dream of Yellow Millet
Chapter 179 A Dream of Yellow Millet
My name is Zhixi, and I am a farmer's daughter. Today is my wedding day.
Is the name Zhixi nice? I chose it myself.
On one of the few times I went to town with my family to sell rice, I heard this name while secretly going to watch a play at a theater. I was so happy that I gave myself the exact same name.
Actually, I've had many names in my life, but my favorite name is Zhixi.
My family never knew I had this name; they preferred to call me by another name that everyone knew: Feng Wuniang.
Because I was the fifth child in the family, and born out of wedlock, I was called Fifth Sister.
I'd like to ask why a peasant girl is still divided into legitimate and illegitimate children?
I've thought about that too. Why do my family have both legitimate and illegitimate children, when they're supposed to be only found in wealthy families?
It wasn't until my wedding day that I understood what my father meant. He said I was going to marry into a wealthy family in town and become a concubine to enjoy a life of luxury. He said my children would be sons and daughters of rich families, but they would be born out of wedlock.
So that's what it means to be born out of wedlock. No wonder my aunt always beats and scolds me, and my older sisters always bully me, because I wasn't born from my aunt's womb.
But why have I never seen the woman who gave birth to me?
My father didn't tell me, and neither did my aunt and sisters.
My father said that after I marry into the wealthy family, I must serve him well, and I will no longer be able to go home to see my father, aunt, and sister. I will have to stay in town and enjoy my life.
Farming is tiring and hard work. I've seen the old ladies in town eat very well and always have a large group of people with them when they go out to play. They don't have to work. I've never had any of that, so I'm willing to do it and I'm looking forward to the future.
The wedding procession outside was making a lot of noise with music and festivities. It was also the first time I had ever worn such fine clothes and sat in such a beautiful sedan chair.
Everything around was red and looked beautiful. Red is also my favorite color. However, I couldn't see it very clearly through the veil. Also, it was my first time riding in a sedan chair and the jolting made me feel a little nauseous, but I hadn't eaten anything all day, so I couldn't throw up anything.
The road from home to town is long. In the past, it took three days to get there by borrowing the old ox from next door to pull the cart when we went to sell rice in town. But today, the wedding procession arrived at the rich man's door before sunset. It's the first time I've ever seen a rich family move so fast. I'm increasingly curious about what life will be like in the future.
I don't know who called out "Bride, get out of the sedan chair!" and I knew then that it was time for me to leave.
After I got out of the sedan chair, I don't know who came to help me walk a long way before we reached a room. They then helped me sit down in front of the big red bed.
I've never sat on such a soft bed before, and everything around me is just what I like. It's just that this bright red veil is really preventing me from seeing anything around me.
The old lady said that no one except the wealthy gentleman was allowed to take it down, not even myself.
This was the first time the old lady had ever been so kind to me, so I should listen to her.
"I'm so hungry..."
There was no one else in the room except me. I didn't know when I would be able to eat, so I could only wait like this.
Thinking about the good life ahead, being hungry for a little while isn't so bad.
I waited like that for a long time, until I was almost asleep, when the door was suddenly opened.
I thought a wealthy gentleman had arrived, and his footsteps were hurried. I even quietly sat up straighter, but it wasn't until a very strong person grabbed me and roughly ripped off my veil that I realized the room was very large and exquisitely beautiful, unlike anything I had ever seen before. There were also some very expensive dried fruits on the table in front of me.
The floor was made of wood and covered with a carpet, a style I had never seen before, but unfortunately, the people were not right.
The people who came were not wealthy gentlemen, but several constables carrying knives.
No, that's not right. I once saw constables from the yamen, and they weren't wearing clothes like that. These people were dressed much better than the constables, but I was still arrested and imprisoned.
On the very first day I married into the wealthy man's family, the entire family, including me, was arrested.
I heard that a wealthy man got into trouble. I don't know what trouble he got into, but I do know that before he could even enjoy his good fortune, he was demoted to a lowly commoner, enslaved, and sold in the big city.
Because of my obedience, the slave owner rarely beat me, so I suffered less. Later, I was spotted by Liu Mama, who came to select prostitutes, and bought her to be trained as a prostitute in Changqing Tower. She gave me a new name, Yunzhi, which stayed with me for more than ten years.
Changqinglou is no exaggeration to say that it is my second home.
Because of my good behavior, Aunt Liu was especially fond of me. She taught me everything, from playing musical instruments and chess to calligraphy and painting, to learning to read and write, and so on.
Gradually, I realized that what Liu's mother liked was never my obedience and good behavior, but my appearance.
It was precisely because of my appearance that my father sold me to that so-called wealthy man for ten taels of silver.
What a rich old man! He's just another greedy, lustful, and corrupt official. He's over fifty years old, and his son is more than twelve years older than me, yet he's still thinking about getting married. If his embezzlement hadn't been exposed, he wouldn't have ended up having his home confiscated.
As for my father, he has never thought of visiting me, his fifth aunt, in all this time. He still hopes that my first aunt will give birth to a son so that the family will have an heir.
Now I'm eating and drinking well at Changqinglou, and that home... I don't need it anymore.
Three years later
"Come, come, come! Changqing Pavilion is hosting the Fanghua Banquet tomorrow night! Seven stunning beauties will compete for attention. Who will be crowned the queen of flowers? Find out tomorrow night! And the highest bidder will have the chance to spend the night with the queen of flowers. Don't miss it, esteemed guests! We hope you will all attend!"
"Why not tomorrow night, Aunt Liu? Hahahaha!"
"That's right!"
"I've seen every beauty in Changchun Tower, how come I didn't know that you, Mama Liu, were hiding five stunning beauties?"
"Oh dear, our distinguished guest will find out tomorrow night, what's the rush?"
"Hahaha, good, good, I'll definitely be there tomorrow night. I want to see what this stunning beauty is like, hahaha!"
……
Outside, there's a cacophony of noise and debauchery, and I've long since grown accustomed to the unpleasant banter and commotion. At least for now, my room is truly quiet and spotless.
"Yun, it's time to practice your piano. Aunt Liu will be back to test you later."
Since I entered Changqing Tower, my maid has been calling me. Every day at this time, I need to go to the music room in the backyard to practice the zither for two hours.
"Well, here we go."
I'm not particularly bright. Pieces that the other ladies at the brothel could learn in a day or two took me seven or eight days to play, but Mother Liu never scolded or beat me. She just always said the same thing:
"It's okay, you'll get the hang of it with practice. It's just that you have such a face."
My piano teacher was always more patient with me than with my older sisters. Whenever I didn't understand something, he would personally teach me.
But I didn't want to bother the piano teacher every time, so I always practiced desperately. But I wasn't smart enough. The pieces that my sisters could learn in a day or two, I could only learn in three or four days.
Besides practicing the piano, I also need to do many other things, such as calligraphy, flower arranging, dancing, bedroom arts, embroidery, and even martial arts and light-body skills...
I still don't understand. None of the women in the building need to practice so many things, but I do.
Fortunately, I learned many things quickly, except for playing the zither. Mother Liu often praised me, and I received the best treatment in the Changqing Tower.
But I still don't know why.
Why is Aunt Liu, who is not related to me at all, so kind to me, even more so than my family whom I can hardly remember?
I was never cold or beaten here, and no one ever bullied me. The piano teacher only dared to touch my waist and my hand at most, and never dared to be presumptuous in any other way.
But today, when I went to the music room with my maid to practice, I didn't see the same teacher as before, and that's when I finally understood why.