The Female Rake and Her Blind Girl - Chapter 7

As for marriage, the thought of the “marriage contract” in the girl’s bundle sent Su Yu’s mind into a whirl. When she brought her home, she had only planned on adding another pair of chopsticks to the table and dealing with a nuisance; she hadn’t intended to sign away her life’s freedom.

She tested the waters: “In the Kingdom of Jing, women marry late. Those over eighteen and still single are as common as hair on an ox. What if I reach twenty-eight and still don’t want to marry? What will you do then?”

This question stumped the girl. She fell into deep thought, her hands slowing as she rubbed the clothes. “If Ayu isn’t married at twenty-eight, then it must be because I am not good enough.”

“Not necessarily. What if I just hate the idea of marriage altogether?”

Xue Lingmiao was caught in a dilemma. Both their parents were gone; whether they married or not depended entirely on their own wishes. According to the law, a woman in Jing reached adulthood at sixteen. She was seventeen this year; if Su Yu wished it, she could marry her tomorrow.

She asked hesitantly, “Do you hate the idea of marriage because you hate me?”

“No. I just hate an arranged life. It has nothing to do with whether you are good or not.” Seeing the girl’s head bow low, Su Yu felt a pang of guilt. “Besides, you are quite good.”

“As long as you don’t hate me, I am willing to wait until the day you are willing to marry me. If you don’t want to marry, if you don’t want to be tied down, I…” She reached a sudden resolve. “I will simply stay by your side. If you reach thirty and still don’t want to marry me, I will leave you, and I will never see you again in this life.”

Thirty. By then, the girl would be thirty-one or thirty-two, long past her prime. Su Yu had expected her to say she would cling to her forever; she hadn’t expected such an answer.

Never see you again. It sounded so heavy. Su Yu spoke softly, her voice as gentle as a drifting cloud. “Little fool, why waste your youth on me?”

“I cannot imagine a life with anyone else. Since I was old enough to remember, the red thread of fate has tied me to your fingertips. If Ayu doesn’t want me, I won’t want anyone else.” As she spoke, her eyes brimmed with a thin layer of tears.

Having made her cry just by starting a conversation, Su Yu was caught off guard and accidentally pricked her finger with her needle. A bead of blood welled up. She set down her work. “Let’s not talk about this anymore. I’ll go prepare your bathwater. Hurry up with the laundry; once you’re done, go back to your room to bathe.”

She left quickly, vanishing in a flash. Regarding Ayu’s attitude, Xue Lingmiao had prepared herself for many outcomes before coming here. The fact that the conversation ended abruptly proved that her fiancée’s heart wasn’t as hard as she pretended.

She had seen truly bad people; they never cared about a stranger’s feelings. But Ayu felt pity for her. She smiled slightly, the tears in her eyes quietly receding.

The fear was real, but so was the newfound peace of mind. As long as Ayu was willing to be soft-hearted toward her, she had a chance to win her affection.

Her father had said that two people in a marriage should love one another. If, in the end, Ayu still didn’t like her, she wouldn’t lower herself to use a contract as coercion. Besides, she didn’t believe Su Yu was the type of person who could be coerced.

After some effort hanging the wet clothes on the bamboo rack, Xue Lingmiao carefully made her way back to her room.

Behind a folding screen, steam rose from the bathtub. Su Yu sat to one side with her legs crossed, leisurely pouring a cup of tea. “Your change of clothes is on the bed. The tea is here, you can reach it easily. Drink if you’re thirsty. Be careful not to slip when you get out. I’ll be waiting outside; Auntie Wang will be bringing people over soon.”

“Who is Auntie Wang? Why is she coming?”

“She’s a labor broker. You need someone to serve you; that way, I’ll have less to worry about. As for who to pick, you choose for yourself.”

Su Yu stood and walked out. Standing before the bathtub, Xue Lingmiao shyly rubbed the tips of her ears. Her fiancée’s thoughtfulness made her face flush.

Auntie Wang arrived at the Su residence before dark, leading seven or eight young girls. Su Yu looked as if the bones had been removed from her body, lolling lazily against the corner of the table. “Don’t ask me. Ask her.”

The door opened, and a young girl in white, supporting herself with a bamboo cane, walked out unhurriedly. Auntie Wang’s eyes lit up instantly, her tone exaggerated: “What a delicate, exquisite young lady!”

Su Yu let out a snort of laughter. Hearing her laugh, Xue Lingmiao couldn’t help but overthink. What does Ayu mean? Why is she mocking me again?

She was trying so hard not to embarrass her. For the first time, she wasn’t wearing her white blindfold in front of outsiders, so she would at least look like a “normal” person.

She stopped in her tracks, bashful.

As they got closer, Auntie Wang finally saw the girl clearly. A small gasp escaped her lips. The girl’s palms clenched, and her face went pale. She thought dejectedly: Great. Now there’s no hiding the fact that I’m a little blind girl.

“Why the big fuss?” Su Yu straightened up, her lazy demeanor vanishing. Her beautiful, dangerously sharp eyes fixed on Auntie Wang.

Auntie Wang knew all too well that Su Yu was the “thorny rose” of the border town—possessing flamboyant beauty and a fickle temperament. When the Su family was at its peak, the eldest Miss Su was a notorious figure, riding horses through the streets and carousing with friends. After the elder Su passed away, she became a wild mare with no one to rein her in.

Everyone thought this wild horse would trip one day, but who would have guessed she would live even more recklessly than before?

Being stared down by such a ruthless character, the fat on Auntie Wang’s face trembled. she forced a smile. “I’m just old. I’ve never seen such a beauty.”

Depending on how one heard it, those words could easily be a mockery. Su Yu smiled darkly. “You certainly have a way with words.”

Auntie Wang, looking pained for her wallet, added, “Let the young lady take her pick. I’ll give you twenty percent off.” She asked the infamous female dandy of Xiushui City, “How does that sound?”

Su Yu reverted to her previous languid state, her long lashes veiling her hazy eyes. She let out another yawn. “Lingmiao, come over here.”

Xue Lingmiao could tell Su Yu had just delivered a swift “show of force” to the broker. The thump-thump of her bamboo cane sounded against the ground. Relying on the mental map of the stone table’s position, she circled halfway around the edge before her hand found Su Yu’s shoulder.

Su Yu moved to pull her hand away. “Don’t be afraid. They won’t eat you.”

At those words, Auntie Wang shuddered. She lamented internally that doing business with dandies was a nightmare, then braced herself to flatteringly introduce her “merchandise” to the girl.

Xue Lingmiao was not good at dealing with people, and she couldn’t even read Ayu’s expression for cues. She disliked Auntie Wang’s tone and interrupted softly with a frown, “Ayu said I should choose for myself.”

As soon as she invoked Su Yu’s name, Auntie Wang’s smile faltered. Realizing she was being a nuisance, she quickly pushed forward a girl who looked none too bright. “Fine. You choose.”

“I want someone who speaks little. Which of you would like to follow me? Follow me, and you will not want for food or warmth; nor will I strike or scold you without cause. Any takers?”

“Me! Miss, I, I am quick with my hands and feet, I don’t eat much, and I know how to care for others. If you buy me, I will serve you faithfully!”

One girl scrambled to answer, and the others, unwilling to be outdone, began chiming in all at once until the scene dissolved into a cacophony. It was clear how desperate they were to escape Auntie Wang’s clutches, yet their behavior was the exact opposite of the quiet requirement Lingmiao had set.

Xue Lingmiao, who had traveled a thousand miles only to become a concern for Su Yu, understood the weight of responsibility even as she sympathized with these girls. “Ayu.” She tugged twice on a sleeve. Su Yu glanced at her, thinking: This girl really does love being hands-on.

Su Yu cleared her throat, and the chaotic scene fell silent. She pointed a finger toward the only girl among the eight who had remained completely mute. “That one.”

Sigh! Auntie Wang had cautiously ended up selling the cheapest one. Unwilling to let it go so easily, she pressed, “Perhaps you’d like to reconsider? She has a scar on her face; she’s not pleasant to look at.”

This did not sit well with Xue Lingmiao. She countered, “What does it matter to me how she looks? Even if I could see, her beauty or ugliness is her own business. Since I do not mind, what right do you have to speak of it?”

With her fiancée by her side to embolden her, the young girl spoke with surprising authority.

The little maid, who hadn’t made a sound until now, stared blankly at the girl before her who looked barely two years older than herself and fell to her knees with a thud. “I am willing to serve you. I offer you my lifelong loyalty.”

Finding herself rebuked by a girl clearly “borrowing the tiger’s prestige,” Auntie Wang couldn’t even bring herself to be angry. She scratched her head awkwardly. “Fine, then. Twenty percent off—two hundred copper coins.”

It was almost a wasted trip, but at least she’d offloaded the hardest “merchandise” to sell rather than having it stuck on her hands.

The thin deed of sale was handed over, and the young maid stood submissively by her new master’s side, not even glancing at Auntie Wang as she departed. She was indeed very quiet; because of her scar, she had become a girl of few words.

“Ayu, let’s go window shopping!”

“Shopping?” Su Yu marveled at her whim. Looking at the deepening twilight, she asked suspiciously, “What are you up to now?”

Half an hour later.

At the border town’s night market, Su Yu emerged from a variety of shops carrying an assortment of bags and parcels.

Dressed in her moon-white robes, she was being led by the arm by an unfamiliar young girl. Setting aside the girl’s striking looks, the mere fact that she could cling to the arm of the town’s most notorious female dandy without being struck dead was a matter for deep reflection.

Who is she? Where did she come from? Why is Su Yu indulging her? These were the burning questions shared by every young man and woman in the border town.

After walking a few steps, Su Yu caught herself mid-yawn, her mouth snapping shut in shock. She glanced at the pastries, clothes, jade pendants, and trinkets dangling from her hands. She thought miserably: I’ve run into a serious problem.

She had accidentally fallen into a trap. How did the saying go? One’s mouth is soft from eating another’s food; one’s hands are short from taking another’s gifts. In her confusion, she had managed to do both!

“Ayu, why have we stopped? Are you tired?” Xue Lingmiao made a move to take the items from her, but Su Yu stopped her.

She said firmly, “Even if you bought me half of Xiushui City—no matter how sweet your tongue is or how well you coax me, I will not marry you because of it.”

“I know.” Under the starlight and the glow of the moon, the girl turned to her with a radiant smile, her every word ringing with sincerity. “Ayu, I am simply returning a favor. Can’t you feel it?”

Su Yu’s exquisite face remained tense, but her mind was racing: See? She’s still coaxing you. This cunning little cat!