After Transmigrating Into An Idiot - Chapter 10

The woodshed was pitch-dark. Qiu Liang shut the door, felt her way to the corner, and pressed herself against the wall to listen for movement in the front room.

She really was unlucky to the extreme. She had originally planned to make do for one night, then fly far away tomorrow. But human plans could not compare to Heaven’s plans. Of all times, the Qiu family’s second son had to be chased to their door by people from the gambling house now.

Great. Forget sleeping. She probably would not dare relax for even a moment tonight.

Qiu Liang was truly afraid that once the Qiu family had no way out, they would sell her off overnight.

Outside, the rain gradually eased a little.

At this moment, inside the Qiu family’s front room.

Qiu the Lame sat lifelessly before the table, his face full of dejection.

Qiu Ming knelt on the ground, not daring to raise his head.

Madam Bai kept crying, saying over and over that they were forcing her to death.

After a long while, Qiu the Lame slapped the table. “Stop crying. Hurry and go find Eldest Son and his wife and bring them back. Let the two of them think of something too.”

Madam Bai wiped her tears and hurried out. Her man had a lame leg, her younger son had lost a hand, and Qiu Liang was a fool. She was the only one who could go.

Although her man had not said it outright, she understood in her heart. Eldest Son and his wife were both stupid. What ideas could they possibly come up with? In the end, they still had to rely on her, the mother.

Once she reached her in-laws’ place, no matter what, she had to borrow some silver back. Otherwise, she would stay there and make such a scene that no one would have peace.

Eldest Son’s wife had just taken a basket of eggs from her. Did she think Madam Bai’s eggs were so easy to take?

After Madam Bai left, Qiu the Lame finally looked at Qiu Ming kneeling on the ground, his face full of grief. “Second Son, you have disappointed me too much.”

“Father, I know I was wrong.” Qiu Ming hung his head and did not dare look at Qiu the Lame.

“What use is knowing you were wrong? You’re trying to destroy this family. Where did you get the money to gamble? Where did you get the nerve to borrow?” Qiu the Lame stood up, supported himself on the table, raised his crutch, and struck his younger son with it.

His younger son was cleverer than the eldest, and his mouth was sweeter too. He and Madam Bai had always been partial to him.

Otherwise, they would not have handed all the farmland to the eldest to manage while humbling themselves everywhere to find an apprenticeship for their younger son. They had only hoped Qiu Ming would learn a craft to rely on, so he would not have to spend his whole life scraping a living from the fields.

But when a son grew up, his courage grew too, and now he dared to pit his own father.

After this disaster, the family was probably ruined.

Qiu Ming did not dare dodge and endured the blows. He knew Father had the final say in this family. If Father was not allowed to vent today, the matter would not end.

Qiu the Lame hit him several times, then said resentfully, “All these years, marrying a wife for your elder brother, your sister-in-law giving birth to two children, and finding someone to send you off as an apprentice—what little compensation silver I had was long spent. The ten-some taels your mother and I saved by tightening our belts were meant to find you a good wife.”

“I kept thinking each generation must be better than the last. Once you learned a craft and slowly saved some money, the younger ones could study. That would be the way out for our Qiu family. But you? Look at what you’ve done. You’ve destroyed it all.”

He sighed again and again, his eyes filled with disappointment in his younger son.

In this world, studying and taking the imperial examinations were the only hope for farming households to turn their lives around. He had once thought that the Qiu family might one day rise. Now there was no hope left.

Qiu Ming clutched his severed hand, his face covered in tears. Whether he truly regretted it or was only putting on a show for Qiu the Lame, no one knew.

“At most, your mother can borrow back a few taels of silver. Your sister-in-law’s family is just like that; they can’t take out much more. Our family has an outside surname, and your mother is usually fierce. In the village, I’m afraid there aren’t many willing to lend a hand. Even when I risked my life on the battlefield, I never felt this awful. You beast. I’ll beat you to death.”

As Qiu the Lame spoke, he raised his crutch again and taught his younger son a lesson.

Qiu Ming cried out from the pain. “Father, I know I was wrong. I’ll never gamble again. Father, I really know I was wrong.”

Qiu the Lame was so angry that his hands trembled. Even a tiger would not eat its cubs. Besides, his younger son was someone he had loved and raised. How could he simply ignore him?

Leaning on his crutch, he stood up and walked to the doorway, looking toward the neighboring courtyard wall.

“Your old man has no face left today.”

Seeing that Qiu the Lame was about to go out, Qiu Ming endured the pain and stood up, wanting to help support him.

“Get back there and kneel.” Qiu the Lame roared, then left.

Qiu Ming knelt back down and watched Qiu the Lame walk toward the little woodshed.

His eyes flickered. So Father also knew there was only this one method left? The business he had discussed with Carpenter Zhao was completely impossible now.

A burst of regret surged in Qiu Ming’s heart. It was all Mother’s fault. He had originally planned to wait until Third Sister went to the county town and earned silver for two days after opening for business, then gamble again. Now everything was ruined.

Qiu the Lame stood outside the little woodshed and called in a low voice, “Liang girl, come out for a moment. Accompany Father on a trip.”

Inside the woodshed, Qiu Liang hesitated for a moment before walking out. She had already made up her mind. If anything seemed wrong, she would run immediately. In any case, Qiu the Lame could not catch up with her.

After leaving the courtyard gate, she saw Qiu the Lame walking ahead with his head lowered, heading straight next door.

Qiu Liang could not help feeling reassured. It seemed she would not have to flee after all.

“Liang girl, knock on the door.”

Qiu Liang knocked blankly, guessing what Qiu the Lame intended to do. Could he be planning to borrow silver from Song Jianshuang?

That made sense. Every household in Song Family Village had a hard time. Only the village headman’s family and the clan elders’ families were a little better off. But the Qiu family had an outside surname and did not interact much with them. It was better to ask Song Jianshuang, their close neighbor.

The Qiu family probably all thought Song Jianshuang, this young lady from the capital, had silver.

Otherwise, she would not be giving out cloth every day and going to the county town every day.

Moreover, Song Jianshuang had taken out ten taels of silver earlier to help the Qiu family out of trouble. It was likely because of this that Qiu the Lame had come next door.

The courtyard door was knocked. Soon, there was movement inside.

“Who is it?”

Qiu Liang lowered her head and made no sound. The original owner was mute. She could not let her persona collapse at this critical moment.

“Miss Song, sorry to trouble you, but please open the door. I brought Liang girl here to discuss something with you.” Qiu the Lame walked to the door, his heart tense.

After all, Song Jianshuang was alone. It would be inappropriate for him to come by himself, especially so late at night.

Whether this door could be opened, he actually had no confidence, even though he had brought Qiu Liang along.

Especially with what had just happened in his family. As long as Song Jianshuang had a little sense, she could guess what they had come to discuss. As long as the door could be opened, there would be room to talk.

Miss Song should be a kind-hearted person, right? Thinking of the ten taels of silver Song Jianshuang had taken the initiative to give earlier, hope rose in Qiu the Lame’s heart.

His hope was not disappointed. The door opened.

Song Jianshuang first looked at Qiu the Lame, then at Qiu Liang, and said calmly, “Uncle Qiu, Miss Qiu, come in.”

She walked ahead, but did not return to her own room. Instead, she led them to the main hall.

Perhaps because she had not planned to receive guests, this room still looked somewhat abandoned and was full of dust.

Song Jianshuang lit a candle. “The house hasn’t been tidied up yet. Uncle Qiu, Miss Qiu, sit wherever you like.” Yet she herself remained standing.

Qiu the Lame did not mind the dirt. He directly pulled out a chair and sat down.

Qiu Liang stood by the door without moving, treating herself as a fool as she stared blankly at the candle flame.

“What matter does Uncle Qiu wish to discuss?” Seeing Qiu the Lame’s hesitant expression, Song Jianshuang considerately spoke first.

Qiu the Lame immediately felt embarrassed. In his entire life, he had never been reduced to such a point—begging a young girl with whom he had no real friendship.

Thinking of his younger son and those burly men who said they would come tomorrow to collect the debt, he sighed and said, “I’m not afraid of Miss Song laughing at me. That useless second son of mine owed silver outside. We old couple really have no way out, which is why I shamelessly came here to ask you. Don’t worry, I will definitely repay this silver.”

As for when he would repay it, he did not say.

“Uncle Qiu, you’re treating me like an outsider. They say distant relatives are not as good as close neighbors. How much silver are you short of?” Song Jianshuang looked easy to talk to.

Qiu the Lame’s heart loosened. After weighing his words, he said, “Forty taels would do. Once Eldest Son returns, I’ll have him write you an IOU.”

Meaning, even if he could not repay it, his son could.

In this way, he hoped Miss Song could feel at ease lending him the silver.

People were like this: once they gained an advantage, they grew greedy. Seeing Song Jianshuang so amiable, Qiu the Lame could not help forming a small scheme.

If he had Eldest Son sign the IOU for these forty taels, then he would not need to worry about it in the future.

He and Madam Bai only had to urge their younger son to succeed and keep a good eye on their grandson.

They could also preserve the ten-some taels they had saved.

A faint glimmer flashed through Song Jianshuang’s eyes. “It isn’t that this junior does not want to help Uncle Qiu. It’s just that I did not bring much silver with me this time. A few taels would still be possible, but forty taels is a little difficult. I’m truly sorry.”

Qiu the Lame froze. He had thought that since Song Jianshuang was willing to open the door and let them in, she was probably willing to help. He had not expected Song Jianshuang to refuse.

The little calculations in his mind instantly vanished, leaving only anxiety and helplessness.

Song Jianshuang, however, was staring at Qiu Liang thoughtfully.

Qiu Liang inexplicably grew nervous. What did this woman want from staring at her?

Qiu the Lame could not help looking at Qiu Liang too. Suddenly, his heart startled.

Song Jianshuang came from the capital. From the capital. Could she be connected to that person?

His heart filled with shock and uncertainty. Testing the waters, he said, “Liang girl has been foolish since birth and naturally unable to speak, but her advantage is that she is honest and obedient.”

Qiu Liang lowered her head, and a trace of thought flashed through her eyes.

These words seemed ordinary, yet there was something strange about them. Qiu the Lame’s posture had suddenly lowered a great deal, especially when he said “since birth” and “naturally.”

He emphasized those words particularly heavily. The implication seemed to be: this child was originally like this. It was not my fault.

Qiu Liang suddenly remembered that Song Jianshuang had once asserted that she was not the Qiu family’s biological child. Could this woman have approached her because of the original owner’s birth parents?

This thought flashed through her mind, but she did not show it on her face. She remained dazed as before.

Seeing that the timing was about right, Song Jianshuang slightly curved her lips. “I won’t hide it from Uncle Qiu. I happen to be lacking an honest and obedient maid.”