Chapter 8: The Third Sister

  Third Sister

  Third sister said: "The governor is not so easily fooled, after meeting him and seeing Liu's actions, kneeling, bowing, all were incorrect, every move was annoying, immediately knew that this thing can't be put on the stage, there must be something fishy, so didn't arrange any tasks for him, sent him away to Lai State Prefecture, let the prefecture governor handle him."

  Yao Feng smiled and said: "Then did the prince speak out later?"

  Third sister said: "The king of Beijing, where will he come to Shandong to show his head. It's that Governor Liu who often says he has a headache, and then Liu's wife, Guihua, says she can cure this headache disease. So he takes Liu's wife, Guihua, to the governor's mansion, saying that massage is needed to dismiss the crowd. The governor's wife and second concubine find it strange, so they peek through the window paper in the outer room, only to see the two of them stark naked and fighting."

  Yao Weng snorted and burst out laughing, asking: "In that case, can Director Liu still hold office?"

  The third sister laughed: "Then the lady and the second wife became anxious, rushed in and beat Liu's wife naked out of the back door, and also called a rough servant to beat her out of the gate."

  As a result, I don't know what happened later, but after not many days, that Liu gentleman was demoted and came to serve as the magistrate of Linqu County.

  Yao Fang smiled and said: "This really fulfilled the saying 'not afraid of the headscarf being dyed green, only because the top hat will be red'. So to speak, this wild chicken Taoist priest is indeed true to his name."

  Third sister said: "Young master's words are well spoken. The officials of this Qing dynasty are indeed as despicable and shameless as that."

  Yao Fan thought to himself, "This Qing dynasty is so corrupt and rotten. With money, I can pave my way. From now on, once I have the money, I'll first bribe my way into an official position. Then, whether it's getting rich or rebelling, everything will be smoother with an official title as cover."

  Yao Fan then chatted with San Jie about some local gossip, and San Jie responded eloquently, answering in a straightforward and knowledgeable manner. Yao Fan saw that San Jie was intelligent, seemingly like someone who had read books, and asked her: "San Jie, I see you understand a lot, it seems like you can recognize characters and have read books, but how did you end up here?"

  The third sister lowered her head and sat there silently, twisting a handkerchief in her hands, looking inwardly conflicted. Suddenly, she burst into tears, although she didn't make a sound, but the crystal clear teardrops rolled down one by one.

  Although Yao Fang didn't know the reason, she guessed that San Jie must have had a difficult life and quickly comforted her: "In this world, good people don't get good rewards, while evil and poisonous people do as they please. You being wronged at this time is not your fault, it's this society, where people prey on each other."

  Third sister listened to Yao Fang's words with a sincere expression, and with tears in her eyes, she said: "Young master is right, this society is indeed one where people prey on each other."

  So Sanjie began to tell her own life story as if she were gossiping. It was said that the speaker had no intention, but the listener did, and Sanjie's words made Yao Fang listen with a thrilling heart:

  Originally, San Jie was from Gaoyou County in Jiangsu Province, born into a wealthy landlord family with the surname Su. In addition to San Jie and her second sister, there was also an eighteen-year-old older brother at home.

  Sanjie's father had always been doing business outside, and his income from selling silk in Hangzhou was considerable. One day, her father suddenly fell seriously ill, and feeling that he wouldn't last long, he sent a letter asking the family to send someone to Hangzhou to discuss matters after his death. So Sanjie's older brother found a fellow townsman who was good with words to go with him to Hangzhou to visit the sick man, but unexpectedly, as soon as they arrived in Hangzhou, Sanjie's father passed away.

  The eldest brother of the third sister entrusted this fellow villager to take back more than 500 taels of silver left by her father to her mother, and he himself stayed in Hangzhou to sell his father's shops, goods and other business assets, totaling more than 20,000 taels of silver.

  Not many days later, his eldest uncle came over from their hometown to Hangzhou to help his eldest brother with the aftermath. His eldest uncle expressed concern that San Jie's eldest brother was too young and it wasn't safe for him to travel alone, so San Jie's eldest brother agreed with his suggestion and let him take the silver back to their hometown with their mother.

  But who would have thought that when her older brother returned to their hometown from Hangzhou, he only then found out that the fellow townsman had not brought any silver back with him and had long since run off without a trace, and his uncle was also nowhere to be found.

  Her mother told her eldest brother that her uncle had rushed back from Henan to their hometown to find her, saying that he had heard the news of his father's death and wanted to go to Hangzhou to help with the funeral arrangements. Before leaving, he borrowed an excuse to handle the funeral affairs urgently and asked her mother to mortgage all the family's land deeds and house properties, making 5,000 taels of silver to take to Hangzhou. Her mother was a woman who didn't understand these things, so she listened to everything arranged by her uncle.

  The eldest brother of the three sisters was instantly stunned. If the silver couldn't be retrieved, a wealthy family would go bankrupt overnight, and wouldn't the whole family immediately become homeless?

  Then his elder brother went to Henan to find his uncle, but his uncle was the donor of the county magistrate of Puyang County, Henan Province. When he saw his nephew, not only did he not admit that he had taken the silver, but also accused his nephew of coming to extort money and frame him without any written evidence, and his elder brother was tortured for three days until he died.

  Three Sisters' mother vomited blood and died on the same day she heard the news of her son's death. Her eldest brother, under the pretext of needing money for the funeral, sold Three Sisters and Second Sister to a human trafficker, who took the two sisters to Shandong and sold them into a brothel.

  Su San's words made Yao Fang's hair stand on end, and he felt a chill run down his spine.

  For the first time, Yao Weng felt a deep sense of fear from the bottom of his heart in this space-time, which was even more terrifying than his previous trial.

  It turns out that this Great Qing Empire is a living hell where people devour each other!

  Previously, Yao Fang still thought he was a strong man from the future. He thought that in this ignorant dynasty, with his own skills, he could make a fortune in business and control the winds and rains in politics. Even if it meant rebelling against the government, it would be no big deal. But tonight, after hearing about Su San Jie's experience, Yao Fang was suddenly awakened by the loud sound of a huge bell.

  Yao Wenyi furrowed his brow in deep thought: "From now on, I must be extremely cautious when operating within the Qing dynasty! Otherwise, I'll be sold out and probably still helping to count the money. This rotten dynasty is so dark that you can't even see your fingers when stretching out your hand!"

  Ke Yanwen, as a modern person, had a strong temper and liked to interfere in others' affairs. The more he understood the horrors of this Qing dynasty, the more determined he became to put an end to this cannibalistic regime with his own hands. He wanted to free China from the living hell of feudal society.

  "Even one day earlier would be fine! I really can't just watch as these kind countrymen slowly die in this thick, almost suffocating darkness!"

  Third Sister saw Yao Fang deep in thought and not speaking, so she quickly used her handkerchief to wipe away the tears on her face, forcing a smile as she said: "Third Sister really is sorry to Young Master, I shouldn't have spoken of my family's troubles for no reason, it must be annoying for Young Master to hear."

  Yao Feng raised his head, furrowed his brow, and looked into San Jie's eyes, saying sincerely: "It doesn't bother me... it doesn't bother me."

  As he spoke, Yao Fan stretched out his hand and grasped San Jie's hand with a sympathetic grip.

  The third sister did not avoid Yao Fan, her status did not allow her to refuse her own guest.

  But she suddenly found that Yao Fan's large male hands grasped hers tightly, causing her pain! However, it brought a scorching warmth that flowed from her hands to her heart in an instant, immediately dispelling the painful sorrow in her heart. A strong sense of dependence and security burst forth on San Jie like sparks, almost making her tremble with joy all over. San Jie saw love and tenderness in Yao Fan's eyes, she turned away, her face suddenly flushing bright red, she felt her heart racing wildly for the first time, pounding loudly, leaving her breathless.

  Yao Feng did not notice San Jie's change, and continued on his own: "San Jie, what you said is a wake-up call for me, if you didn't say it, I would still be muddled, I should thank you, San Jie."

  Third sister slightly flared her nostrils and panted, asking herself in her heart: "What's wrong with you, Third Sister? Are you sick? Why is your heart feeling so uncomfortable?"

  Yao Feng held onto San Jie's hand and continued to speak from his heart: "San Jie, I truly thank you, so I've been thinking of redeeming your freedom. Hmm, how much do you think it would cost? I'll go negotiate with the old madam."

  The third sister stared blankly at Yao Fang, her face red as she said: "What? Young master, you...you really want to ransom me?"

  "Yes! I will give you your freedom, and after that, you can come to my store to help me. Since you are literate, you can help me with calculations and such on a daily basis, which shouldn't be difficult for you. If you have any other trustworthy relatives, you can also go to them, and I can provide you with travel expenses to send you there. By the way, where is your second sister? I also want to help her gain freedom! From now on, once you sisters have gained freedom, you can rely on each other and live together."

  Sister San listened to Yao Fang's heartfelt words, and her tears fell like rain, unstoppable. She got up from the stool, and with a thud, she knelt down in front of Yao Fang, kowtowing: "If Master can take Sister San away from here, such great kindness, even if Sister San were to die, she couldn't repay it. Sister San only wishes to have another life, to be born again and again as Master's servant, to repay Master's great kindness. As for the price of redeeming herself, when Sister San was first sold into this Spring Sleep Hall, it was seventeen taels of silver. Some people pay thirty or fifty taels, some pay one or two hundred taels, you should ask Mother about that."

  Yao Feng hastily pulled her up and said: "You've been here for five years, no matter how much you eat or use, it won't cost a lot of money. I can afford it. Well, since we've decided to do it, I'll go find the madam to redeem you right now."

  Yao Feng made up his mind, walked over and opened the door, shouting outside: "Old prostitute, old prostitute, come here, I have something to say."

  Yao Fan is 26 years old, a Taurus, and graduated from the Industrial Automation major. After graduation, he joined the Qingdao Iron and Steel Group, responsible for technical work on automated production line control. This job requires not only knowledge but also communication skills, whether it's with foreign engineers or local workshop workers. Over the years, Yao Fan has developed a good sense of judgment about people. As they say, those who study automation have a versatile ability to handle both software and hardware, as reflected in the university saying "Marry a Han man, marry an automation major, not afraid of either software or hardware", which describes Yao Fan's personality.