The Complete Book of One Hundred Women - 13

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Nourished by the plants, the medicine pot grew year by year, and Cai's lending and rent-collecting business matured and prospered year by year. However, no matter how prosperous her business became, Cai still adhered to her late husband's old rule: she would never lend more than twenty taels of silver, no matter who she lent it to. Even with such a small amount, there were customers who couldn't repay. For
example, a bookish scholar named Dou Tianzhang, who had moved there from who-knows-where, asked someone to borrow twenty taels of silver from Cai. Time flew by, and the loan was due. Dou had repeatedly failed the imperial examinations and had spent all his travel expenses, leaving him destitute and truly unable to repay the loan. Cai frequently visited Dou's house, but to no avail. When she went again, Dou simply disappeared. The intermediary who had pleaded for him, having gone to work as a servant in another town, was nowhere to be found.
On this day, Cai was on her way to collect a debt when she happened to pass by Dou Tianzhang's dilapidated thatched hut. So, the widow Cai decided to push open the door and see if the poor scholar was home!
Chapter Three: The Poor Scholar Sells His Girl for Travel Expenses, Cai's Mother Dies in the Grove
. Dou, seven years old, was innocent and pure. Her father was poor.
She was well-versed in the Four Books and Five Classics, and carried IOUs to borrow money. Having gone without
food for three days, she was desperate and sold her body.
The creditor led her home, and thus they were betrothed.
To go to the capital to participate in the annual imperial examination, the poor scholar Dou Tianzhang borrowed twenty taels of silver from Cai. He failed again and returned home dejectedly. Entering his sparsely furnished room, he lifted the dusty lid of the broken pot. There wasn't a single grain of rice in the pot. Disappointed, the poor scholar put the lid down, his empty stomach rumbling. Dou, the daughter who had returned with him, endured her hunger. As soon as she sat down, she habitually picked up a heavy ancient book. Her distraught father, seeing this, snatched the large book from her hands with annoyance:
"Sigh, you're a girl, you'll get married sooner or later, what's the use of studying? A woman's virtue lies
in her lack of talent!" "Father," Dou pleaded,
"I don't study for fame or fortune, I just enjoy it! Father, give the book back to me, once I pick it up, I forget my hunger!"
"Heh," hearing his daughter's words, Dou Tianzhang felt a pang of bitterness in his heart. Could studying really really help one endure hunger? Dou Tianzhang grinned bitterly and returned the book to his daughter:
"Alas, your father is getting older and older. It seems I won't amount to much in this life. My daughter, if you were a boy, I would teach you to study hard, to fill your belly with all this ink, and to pass the imperial examinations and bring glory to our village. What a pity, what a pity, that you are a girl!"
"Father, although I am a girl, I have lofty ambitions," young Dou said, full of hope for her future:
"Even if I cannot bring honor to the family in the future, I will never bring shame to my father's name!"
"Ha," Dou Tianzhang sneered dismissively, turned and left, racking his brains to figure out how to get some rice to fill his stomach, which had been empty for three days. Meanwhile, his daughter Dou held the ancient book and read it with great eagerness. Watching his daughter's focused expression, Dou Tianzhang finally believed that for some people, reading could indeed help them endure hunger.
Although Dou was only seven years old and did not receive any instruction from her father, she somehow learned to recognize commonly used Chinese characters under the influence of the poor scholar. Despite her young age, she had already read several large ancient books.
Nurtured by books, a seed of lofty ambition sprouted strong in her tender heart: When I grow up, I will surely gallop across the battlefield like Hua Mulan, or command thousands of troops like Mu Guiying. Even if I cannot reach the level of these two heroines and do nothing earth-shattering, I still want to, I still want to…
Watching her father, starving and pacing back and forth in the house, Dou suddenly had this image in her mind: her father, conscripted into the army, died on the battlefield, and Dou, like the nameless heroine described in ancient books, dug her father out of the pile of corpses, transported him thousands of miles back to her hometown, and then sold herself to bury him, leaving behind a beautiful story for all time:
“Ah—” the little girl exclaimed innocently:
“The emperor will build a tall archway for me, and everyone will give a thumbs up:
‘Dou Tianzhang is so lucky to have such a filial daughter!’”
“I say, Scholar Dou!” Young and ambitious, the young Dou girl, holding an ancient book, was lost in daydreams about her bright future when the debtor Cai burst in, berating the hungry scholar:
"When are you going to pay back your debts? I come once and can't find you, I come again and still can't find you! My legs are about to break! How long can you keep running away like this?"
"I'm so sorry, so very sorry!" Dou's father, though not killed in battle, was driven to desperation by his creditors. The scholar, Dou, clasped his hands together:
"I went to the capital for the imperial examinations a few days ago and just returned today. Sister, I had absolutely no intention of running away from my debts!"
"Oh, I see!" Cai nodded, intentionally flattering the penniless man and urging him to repay the loan as soon as possible:
"I know you're not that kind of person. Scholar Dou is well-read and understands all the great principles. How could you ruin your lifelong reputation for a mere forty taels of silver!" "
A life for a life, a debt for a debt! Everyone understands this principle, but at this moment, Dou Xiucai doesn't even have a single copper coin in his pocket. How can he repay Cai's silver?" Cai looked around her humble abode, gazing at Dou Xiucai's impoverished state and his daughter Dou Shi's tattered clothes. The scene of Old Master Jin demanding repayment in her home years ago flashed before her eyes: Yes, this bookworm has no ability to repay the loan. Why don't I take his daughter in to settle the debt?
"Dou Xiucai," with this thought in mind, Cai politely suggested to Dou Xiucai,
"Your situation is indeed quite bad. You won't be able to repay this forty taels of silver for a year or two. I have a suggestion, I'll just say it to you. If you agree, we can continue to talk. If you think it's inappropriate, then just pretend I didn't say anything. What do you think, Mr. Dou?"
"What suggestion do you have?" Poverty makes one lose heart, and a thin horse has a long mane. In order to settle this debt as soon as possible, the poor scholar was willing to agree to any conditions:
"Please, elder sister, speak freely!" “
Then I won’t stand on ceremony!” Madam Cai glanced at Madam Dou with affection:
“Your daughter is really beautiful. I have an only son who is about the same age as your daughter. If you are willing, sir, how about we become in-laws?”
“Sure!” As soon as Madam Cai spoke, Dou Tianzhang didn’t hesitate for a moment:
“If you really do fall for my daughter, I am willing to offer it to pay off the debt of forty taels of silver. My dear daughter!” "Having said that, Dou Tianzhang snatched the ancient book from his daughter's hand and pushed her towards Cai. The young and intelligent Dou girl knew what had happened, and large tears immediately blurred her vision:
'Father, have you really sold your daughter…' At this point, Dou girl turned around and knelt down at her father's feet with a thud, bitter tears streaming down her face. She thought to herself: 'Alas, I was just imagining selling myself to bury my father, but unexpectedly, in less than a minute, I'm selling myself to pay off my father's debts! Since fate has brought this upon me, I'll accept it. Consider it filial piety, and I'll help my father through this difficult time:
'Father, I know you've encountered difficulties, and I'm willing to pay off your debts! Waaah, waaah, waaah…'
'My daughter,' the poor scholar, hearing Dou's words, felt a lump in his throat, his nose stinging with emotion. "
“Alas, your mother died young, and you have been wandering around with your father. Rather than living a life of homelessness, hunger, and cold, why not go with Granny Cai and become a child bride? Granny Cai’s family is well-off, and she is a kind person. Your future life will be secure! My daughter, it’s not that your father is heartless, but I really can’t afford to raise you. You will enjoy a good life with Granny Cai! Go!” With that, the poor scholar resolutely pushed the weeping Dou Shi toward Granny Cai.
Looking at the weeping Dou, Cai felt a pang of bitterness in her heart. However, she still pulled Dou closer with immense satisfaction, scrutinizing her closely: "The little girl is truly beautiful. Look at her figure, look at her pointed head; she'll surely grow into a lovely young lady. My son is so lucky!" She continued,
"My dear daughter, don't cry, and there's no need to be sad. A daughter will eventually leave her father. When she comes to my home, I will treat her well. My fate wasn't much better than yours; I was also taken by my father to pay off debts!
But look at me today, aren't I living a prosperous life? A woman's life is about marriage, food and clothing." Cai then turned to the poor scholar:
"What is your daughter's name?"
"My daughter is still young, and I'm busy studying all day. I haven't had the time to name her. When you take her home, she'll be your daughter-in-law. Call her whatever you like. A poor family's daughter doesn't have so many rules!"
"Alright then," Cai said casually.
“Let’s call her Dou E. It’s getting late, I’ll take her back to be a child bride for now, and your son can marry her when she comes of age! Oh dear,” holding Dou E’s little hand, Cai suddenly remembered her late husband’s generous gesture, and said to the poor scholar,
“I heard you’re going to the capital for the imperial examinations next year, you must be short of travel expenses, right? Come, come to my house, I’ll give you another forty taels of silver for your trip to the capital!”
“If that’s the case,” Dou Tianzhang was overjoyed and bowed again to express his gratitude:
“Thank you again, elder sister!”
“No need to be so polite,” Cai said readily:
“We’re already in-laws, why be so formal!”
As they spoke, the poor scholar arrived at Cai’s house, accepted the extra forty taels of silver Cai had given him, and was about to turn away when he suddenly saw his little daughter Dou biting her finger, still looking at him with teary eyes. Dou Tianzhang was deeply saddened and forced back the tears that were about to fall from his eyes:
"Alas," the poor scholar turned to Madam Cai, pleadingly saying,
"Elder sister, my daughter is young and naive. If she does anything wrong in the future, you can scold her if she deserves it; if she needs a reprimand, just say so lightly."
"Yes," Madam Cai patted her chest and assured her,
"Don't worry about that, in-laws. I will treat her like my own daughter!"
"My dear daughter," the poor scholar finally instructed his daughter,
"When you get to your husband's family, you must not act as if you were at home. You must be diligent and do your best to help your mother-in-law with housework!"
"Father," Dou E wiped away her tears,
"You must come back to see your daughter after you pass the imperial examinations!"
"Don't worry, my dear daughter," the poor father comforted his poor daughter, "
Father believes that as long as you work hard, you will eventually succeed. At that time, Father will definitely live up to your expectations!"
"Look," after Dou E tearfully bid farewell to her father, Cai led Dou E into the inner chamber, pointing to her sickly son and saying,
"He is my only son, your future husband!"
Looking at Jin Gongzi's sallow face and hearing his constant coughing, a sense of foreboding welled up in young Dou E's heart: the handsome man of her dreams was actually a frail, sickly fellow!
Although Jin Gongzi was weak, he treated Dou E with utmost courtesy, which somewhat comforted her disappointment. Arriving at her mother-in-law's house, Dou E, as a child bride, still retained her old habits, picking up books and reading intently whenever she had a spare moment, while the sickly young man sat silently opposite her at the square table. Dou E frequently flirted with him, while the young man remained bewildered.
Dou E, her hand on the book, looked at her sickly little husband, her mind drifting to the story of Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai, sitting at the same table studying together—ah, what a romantic couple they were! But reality was so cruel and heartless.
Cluck cluck, cluck cluck, cluck cluck—
every morning, when the dutiful rooster begins its clear, long crow, Jin Gongzi inside the house habitually starts coughing.
Cough cough cough, cough cough cough, cough cough cough—
the rooster's crowing and the medicine pot's dry cough are the unique morning chorus of the Cai family, an ominous, morbid chorus!
A shared fate compels Cai to treat Dou E kindly. Dou E is not only a well-behaved young girl but also a well-educated and courteous person. Every morning upon waking, she must come to her mother-in-law's bedroom door with utmost sincerity and trepidation, first greeting her mother-in-law, then asking what she wants for breakfast. Only after her mother-in-law is dressed does Dou E step over the threshold, pick up the chamber pot from under the kang (heated brick bed), and head outside. Cai sees this with delight; the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law get along very well, which goes without saying.
The days of lending money and collecting rent continued as usual, needless to say. The happy and leisurely life always seemed so short-lived; time flew by like a white horse galloping past a crack in the wall. Before they
knew it, Young Master Jin and Dou E had both grown into adults. Madam Cai was overjoyed and chose an auspicious day to hold a lavish banquet for her only son's wedding. The young couple's future happiness and romance were beyond description.
But their blissful days were short-lived. Young Master Jin suddenly fell ill again. Madam Cai hurriedly summoned the legendary physician Lu Langzhong from the neighboring village, who was said to have miraculous healing abilities and was also one of her loan sharks. When Doctor Lu entered, he saw the dying patient's medicine pot and, with an air of solemnity, the itinerant quack doctor Lu carefully examined the patient's pulse. Then, with a flourish of his pen, he wrote down a long list of herbs:
"Here, go to my pharmacy and get the medicine according to this list!"
Cai dared not delay and hurried to the pharmacy dozens of miles away. When she returned to the village, panting, carrying the herbs, before she even entered her courtyard, she heard Dou E's mournful cries:
"My lord, you cannot die! You have left me and my mother-in-law, a widow and her daughter-in-law, how will we survive! Waaah—" Dou E lamented,
"My lord, I wanted to spend my life with you, a peaceful and quiet life, respecting each other as husband and wife, but you died so young, waaah—waaah—waaah—"
"My son!" Knowing what had happened inside, Cai's head buzzed, as if the sky had collapsed. Everything went black, and she knew nothing more.
Her son was dead. The widowed mother-in-law and daughter-in-law lived a life devoid of vitality and hope, their meals tasteless and bland, yet they still had to continue their loan sharking and rent-collecting life. The relentless debt collection was a daily occurrence. Lu Yongyi's loan was long overdue, and Cai had repeatedly visited to demand repayment, but Lu had made various excuses to avoid it. Cai then resorted to her last resort, a tactic she had learned from her deceased husband: "If you don't pay me back, I'll stay in the shop and relentlessly pester you, preventing you from serving customers and making any business."
“Sigh,” Cai’s trick worked as expected. Lu, who refused to pay his debt, sighed and said helplessly to the female creditor,
“I give up. You want the money now, but I really can’t. If you keep pressing me, I’ll go out and see what I can do!”
“What?” Seeing Lu, the quack doctor, trying to slip away, Cai grabbed his collar:
“Trying to escape? Trying to get away from me? No way!”
"I didn't mean to run away!" The two dragged each other out of the pharmacy. Seeing the creditor clutching his clothes, Lu's cunning eyes rolled a few times.
"I'm going to my uncle's house to see if I can get some money. If you don't trust me, come with me!"
"I really don't trust you!" Cai, with her bound feet, followed closely behind Lu. Lu acted nonchalant, grumbling as he walked out of the manor. He looked around and deliberately headed for a secluded spot. Cai, eager to collect her debt, was completely unsuspecting of Lu and followed him into a small grove not too close to the manor. Deep in the grove, Lu suddenly turned around, his roguish expression turning evil, his eyes fiercely fixed on Cai. Cai stopped abruptly, her heart skipping a beat:
"Doctor Lu, what... what do you want to do?"
"What do I want, humph?" As he spoke, Lu was already in front of Cai, yanking out his belt and waving it in front of the helpless woman:
"I'm going to strangle you! Bah, you filthy woman, you've pushed me too far, I have no other way to make a living, so I'll have to kill you to avoid that forty taels of silver!"
"You, you," Cai was terrified by Lu's words. Under Lu's menacing gaze, the timid widow retreated step by step, while Lu pressed closer, quickly cornering her under a crooked tree.
Cai had nowhere to go; she leaned against the tree trunk, trembling. Lu, cold and ruthless, wrapped his belt around Cai's neck. With each twist and turn, the desperate widow's body went limp, and she collapsed to the ground. The quack doctor pulled the belt upwards, and the widow, driven by survival instinct, clung desperately to it around her neck:
"Dr. Lu, spare me! I don't want the forty taels of silver, consider it a gift!"
"Hmph, too late!" Lu continued to tighten his grip, and Cai groaned pitifully again. In extreme pain and fear, she habitually fainted once more. (The following is a separate section from the previous text):

Widow 2,

Chapter 4: Old Man Ma threatens the old widow, Donkey Son speaks ill of the young widow
. Two big scoundrels, a pair of rotten donkeys.
Homeless and jobless, wandering everywhere.
Visiting brothels to their heart's content, drinking heavily.
Spending money as they please, committing crimes when they have none.
Whether it was Heaven's deliberate trickery or the negligence of the underworld's officials, a scoundrel slipped into the human world. From then on, this beast in human skin made the already chaotic mortal realm even more unbearable. This fellow was not only of unknown origin but also had no relatives or friends. No one knew his name or surname. Over time, for the sake of convenience, he was given the most common and numerous surname in the world—"Zhang." Because he frequented the cattle and horse markets, horse traders called him Zhang Ma.
However, Zhang Ma was not a horse trader but a horse thief. Once Zhang Ma saw an opportunity with the livestock in the hands of the traders, he would seize it. After succeeding, he would find a buyer who specialized in stealing horses, pay a few loose coins, and sell them off. Regardless of the amount of the stolen money, he would squander it recklessly, eating and spending it all before continuing his theft.
Once, the aimless Zhang Ma used the money from a discarded military horse to trade for a prostitute from a brothel. This woman, also discarded due to age and fading beauty, was now married. After years of wandering, Zhang Ma finally had a family. This prostitute, whom he had acquired with his dirty horse, gave birth to a son less than six months later.
What should he name him? This truly stumped Zhang Ma. What could the illiterate Zhang Ma possibly give his equally dubious "son" a fitting name? Since the father was called Ma (Horse), the son would be called Donkey. Like the Yangtze River, the younger generation surpasses the older, and Zhang Donkey was far superior to his beastly father! At
one year old, Zhang Donkey could swear; at two, he could utter nauseatingly vulgar language; at three, he began pulling down the prostitutes' underwear; at four, he followed his father, Ma, to the cattle and horse market; and at five, he made his debut, successfully leading away a tall and mighty Persian horse. Zhang Ma praised his donkey son highly, helping him sell the dirty horse with great gusto. He stuffed the money into his pocket, first taking his son for a big drink, then carrying the drunken donkey on his back, swaying back and forth, stepping into the brothel.
Zhang Ma threw his son onto the bed, and while he was having his way with one of the prostitutes, he called over another and ordered her to perform oral sex on his young son. This was the donkey son's first visit to a brothel, and he was also the youngest customer the brothel had ever served since its opening.
This unusual experience instilled in the young Zhang Ma a premature interest in women. Whenever he saw a woman, he would uncontrollably perform extremely vulgar and shameless acts completely out of character for his age, even in front of his own mother. Every night, as the beastly father lay on top of the poor old prostitute, groaning and moaning, the beastly son would grin and fawn over his mother, touching her buttocks or tugging at her fur, infuriating her to no end.
Within a few years, the old prostitute, tormented by her clients for most of her life, covered in filth and filled with endless resentment, glared fiercely at the beastly father and son, then kicked the road and disappeared!
From then on, the Zhang father and son were homeless and jobless again, completely free, and their thefts became even more brazen. Yesterday was the customary day for trading cattle and horses. The father and son mingled in the bustling market, intending to take away a fine, pregnant chestnut horse. However, Zhang the donkey had drunk too much that morning and was clumsy; the horse trader recognized them. If Zhang the horse hadn't intervened in time, kicking the trader to the ground, the beastly son would have been dragged to the authorities.
After kicking the horse trader over, the horse father gave his donkey son a wink. The two, like a pair of frightened donkeys, kicked off and fled the cattle and horse market, hiding in a small grove near the horse market. They anxiously watched the outside world, wondering if the authorities would pursue them.
The horse and donkey hid in the grove for a while, seeing no officials, but instead spotting Lu, who hadn't repaid his debts, and Cai, who was eager to collect. Zhang and his son silently followed behind them. When they realized Lu was about to kill someone, Zhang leaped out, startling the murderer and saving Cai's life.
Seeing that the victim had fainted from fright, Zhang Lu loosened his belt, intending to commit a crime
. However, Zhang Ma, being older and more experienced, stopped his son's evil act: "Donkey boy, don't rush. Wait until she wakes up, then you can act accordingly. She's already in our hands; there's no way she can escape!" Having stopped his beastly son, Zhang Ma squatted down and tentatively nudged the still unconscious Cai Shi:
"Hey, hey, wake up." After a long while, under Zhang Ma's pushing, Cai Shi finally let out a soft groan. Finally, her body convulsed violently, struggling, and she grabbed Zhang Ma's arm. In her dazed state, she mistook Zhang Ma for Lu.
"Doctor, spare me! Doctor, spare me! Let me go! I don't want a penny of the debt you owe me! Doctor, please spare this widow! It's one thing if I die, but I have a widowed wife at home. If I die, who will take care of her? Please, doctor, have mercy and give these two widows a way out! Waaah, waaah, waaah..."
Hearing Cai's pleas, Zhang Ma leered at his donkey son, then continued shoving Cai:
"Hey, hey, you've got it wrong! I'm not a murderer, I'm your savior!" A hoarse male voice jolted Cai awake from her nightmare. Hearing Zhang Ma's words, Cai slowly, but with extreme fear, opened her eyes, staring blankly at the father and son. Zhang Ma continued,
"What are you muttering about? That murderer has already been swept away by us! Madam, get up quickly, you're out of danger!"
“Oh,” Cai sat up with some doubt. The terrible belt had been thrown to the tree roots by someone. Beside her stood two burly men with donkey-like faces and horse-like features, one around fifty years old and the other in his early twenties. Seeing Madam Cai staring blankly at him, the young man introduced himself:
"Madam, I am Zhang Lv," Zhang Lv then pointed to the older man:
"This is my father, Zhang Ma!"
"Madam," Zhang Ma immediately leaped forward, speaking in a boastful tone:
"Just now, my son and I were enjoying the cool air in the woods, then we were about to take a shortcut to visit relatives in Lizhuang when we suddenly heard cries for help. We followed the sound and found a scoundrel trying to strangle you in the grove. Saving a life is a great act of merit, so we each picked up a stick and charged at the murderer. Seeing that he was outnumbered and outmatched, he threw down his belt, pulled up his trousers, and fled from the woods. When we saw that you were unconscious, we didn't continue chasing the murderer, but instead tried to wake you up to prevent any accidents. Now that you're finally awake, we can finally relax!"
"Thank you," Cai Shi said, deeply grateful after hearing Zhang Ma's story. She repeatedly bowed to the Zhang father and son, saying,
"Thank you so much! I, I, I will never forget your life-saving grace. Such kindness is higher than the sky and deeper than the sea." Overwhelmed with emotion, she couldn't just offer empty words; she had to show some real gratitude. Cai Shi decided to present a generous sum of money to the Zhang father and son to repay their life-saving kindness:
"Please come home with me, my two benefactors. I want to give you a large sum of money to repay your kindness!"
"Hehe, Madam," as Cai Shi stood up, brushing the dirt off her clothes, the eyes of the livestock father and son remained fixed on each other.

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