Chapter 3: The Mysterious Buddhist Beads

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  "Is anyone there? Is anyone in the yard?"

  Old Mrs. Chen had two large bundles slung over her arm, and her greasy hands were pounding against the tightly closed courtyard gate.

  "Oh dear, young lady, we've finally arrived home, don't faint on me!"

  Mrs. Fang held the swaying Wang Yi and found that Wang Yi's face had no blood color, even her lips were white, and she was weak and couldn't stand still, with dull eyes half-closed. Worried that this young lady would die before entering the door, Mrs. Fang hurriedly shook her hard.

  "Bang bang! Is anyone there? Feng Da Big Fool, open the door!"

  Old Mrs. Chen knocked on the door for half a day, her hands were about to cramp up with tiredness, but there was still no response from inside.

  "Alas, let's sit down and take a break for a while," said Fang Pozi, who had been listening to the story all along. The little bit of awe she had initially felt towards the high-and-mighty mistress had long since disappeared without a trace. She looked at the woman lying on her right arm with disdain, using her idle left hand to wipe away the sweat, and said.

  "Let's sit at the door for a while," Chen Po also felt a bit tired from knocking, and she wiped the dust off the stone steps with her sleeve, put down the two bundles, and sat down on one of them with a thud. "How is she?"

  "Heh heh, don't worry, before we hand the person over to Old Feng's family at the Zhuangzi, it's specified that she can't die," Fang Pozi casually pushed Wang Yi to one side, letting her fall to the ground, while she herself sat down on another pile of bundles. Hmm, not bad, still quite soft and comfortable."

  "Wow!"

  She was thrown to the ground like a broken rice bag, and Wang Yi's mouth subconsciously let out a weak moan. In her heart, she cursed: damn it, Wang Qifang, what kind of evil have you done? Even a rough woman dares to bully you? Look at this logic, the servant sits on the package cushion, but the master is lying on the ground, it's simply laughable and heartbreaking.

  What made Wang even more furious was that her weak voice had pleased the two crones on the stairs like a joke.

  "Heh heh, Chen Shu, did you hear that? What you said is right, she's really lucky!"

  "It's been two or three days since we've been out, and she hasn't had a drop of water or a grain of rice, yet she hasn't fainted from hunger. This life is not ordinary!" With even more blood flowing from her body, she still hadn't died. A glimmer of light flashed in Chen's old eyes as she covered her mouth and laughed.

  I said it! The miserable Wang Yi, who was crawling on the muddy ground, felt suffocated upon hearing these words. Ever since she entered this body, she couldn't even lift her hand with any strength, let alone walk or stand up straight. At first, Wang Yi thought it was because her soul and this body didn't match, causing mutual rejection between them.

  As a result, it's all because of this body being so weak due to hunger!

  "Who's this? Isn't this Chen Mama from the mansion?"

  Two people sat on soft bundles, holding oil-paper packages in their hands, peeling melon seeds and watching a certain young master's joke. Just as they were getting a bit thirsty, a man's voice came from the front right of the courtyard.

  "Hum, you big fool Feng, why aren't you staying in the village and keeping watch properly? What are you wandering around for?"

  Old Mrs. Chen heard the sound and looked over to see that it was Feng Tiejun, the steward who had stayed behind at the Zhuangzi estate, standing up and slapping his buttocks in a familiar greeting.

  "Haha, isn't it spring already? Although the land is not good, we can't miss the farming season!" Feng Tiejun was a man as sturdy as his name suggested, tall and strong, like a solid wooden stump. His features were also rough and honest, earning him the nickname "Big Fool" in the government office.

  Of course, the nickname is called silly big guy, but the person is not silly. His beady eyes circled around the three women in front of him and finally fell on Wang Yi on the ground, asking suspiciously: "Who's this?"

  "Ah, she made a mistake in the mansion, Second Young Master told me to bring her here for you to take care of. Chen's wife either intentionally or really forgot, and didn't mention Wang Qifang's identity at all. She bent down and picked up two bundles from the ground, "Big fool, I've handed the person over to you, you'd better take good care of her!"

  "Haha, okay, I understand!"

  Feng Tiezhu had been away from the mansion for many years and had never entered the inner courtyard, but he was very clever. "Nursing an illness"? It seems that this woman's status is not simple, you know, in a large compound, women who have made mistakes and are sent to the farm under the pretext of nursing an illness are at least half a mistress.

  He took the two packages and strode up the steps, pulling out a set of keys from his waist and unlocking the door. Then he shouted loudly into the courtyard:

  "Qian Niang, Qian Niang, guests have arrived, come out and entertain them!"

  Before long, a woman in her thirties walked out from the depths of the courtyard, wearing a nearly new skirt, with a gold and silver hairpin on her head, and a face that was both neat and clever.

  "I had just heard the sound from the front yard, but since there was no one else in the courtyard except me, I didn't dare open the door," the woman said, covering her nose with a handkerchief. Her bright and beautiful eyes glanced at the people present, explaining: "I didn't expect it to be noble guests, I'm so sorry for the delay, Qian Niang is here to apologize to both of you!"

  As she spoke, Feng Dajie curtsied deeply to Chen Po and Fang Po, her movements and expression truly not like those of an ordinary peasant woman.

  "Haha, what a lovely and clever wife!" Chen Pozi saw Qiangniang's intelligent appearance and was secretly delighted. She quickly pretended to be affectionate and approached her, holding onto Feng Dajie's hand and turning to face the other madam, saying: "Everyone in the mansion says that Feng Dajie is a lucky fool, first being sent by Young Master Number Two to manage the estate, and after just a few years, he received the master's favor and was freed from his slave status. Now, he has even married such a beautiful and clever young wife, truly a good fortune!"

  "This is the mother of the second door guard at the government office, her husband's surname is Chen, you can just call her Madame Chen! And this one is Zhao Dajie from the stable!"

  Feng Tiezhu was called a nickname by Chen Pozi in front of his daughter-in-law, and he didn't get angry. Seeing that his daughter-in-law didn't know how to talk to him, he quickly introduced them.

  "Oh, Qian Niang has met Chen's wife and Zhao's wife!"

  Qian Niang suppressed the disgust in her heart, pulled her hands out of a pair of oily and dusty bear paws, and made a gesture of respect to the two men. When her eyes met the woman who was lying on the ground, she asked in surprise, "Who is this? Is she ill?"

  Qian Niang's eyes stared straight at the dark red mark on the milky white dress, then glanced at the pale face of that person, and suddenly understood.

  "Oh, never mind, just find a quiet room for her to stay in," Chen's wife glanced at the woman who was dying on the ground and turned back to Qiangniang, "We've been traveling all morning and haven't had lunch yet, hurry up and get us something to eat!"

  "Oh dear, I'm so silly! I forgot to prepare food for the two sisters-in-law. Let's go home and talk about it!"

  Feng Tiezhu carried the package and led the way into the courtyard, Qiangniang broke free from Chen Pozi's thick arm again, with a keen eye, she quickly ran out of the door and helped Wang Qifang up from the ground.

  "Hey, look at you, Feng's family, you're so weak, you can't do any heavy work," Chen Pozi still had a lot to say, how could she let her slip away, and hurriedly made eye contact with Fang Pozi, "Fang Dami, why don't you help her in?"

  "Ah," said Mrs. Fang, lifting her foot to follow Mr. Feng into the house, but before she could even put it down, Mrs. Chen had already given orders.

  Alas, what can be done? It's because Chen Po is working in the inner courtyard, after all. Although she's just a gatekeeper, at least she gets to see the master, right? Unlike her, who doesn't even have the chance to worship the master's shoes.

  Although she was a rough and robust servant of the same rank, she still felt inferior in front of Chen Po.

  So even if she was extremely dissatisfied in her heart, Fang Pozi didn't dare to show it and could only reluctantly pull Wang Qifang along, half-dragging and half-supporting her into the courtyard.

  "Madam, your room is ready, enjoy yourself!"

  Arriving at the empty room prepared by Qian Niang, Fang Pozi pushed open the old door and gave Wang Qifang a push, shoving her inside. After she fell to the ground, he then sneered and locked the door from the outside with a clang.

  "It hurts, it really hurts!"

  Wang Yi was thrown in like a broken doll, and his vision went black as he almost fainted. He lay on the ground with his body almost completely flat, his knees and elbows bleeding from being scraped against the rough floor tiles, but these were not the most serious injuries. The severe pain coming from his lower abdomen made Wang Yi unable to bear it and cry out in agony repeatedly.

  "How can it hurt so much, like something is going to come out," Wang Yi struggled not to faint, his teeth clenched tightly on his bloodless lips. "Could it be, could this body be pregnant and the child can't be kept?"

  When this idea floated into his mind, Wang Yi couldn't help but curse heaven again:

  "Damn, heaven is really unfair! I, Wang Yi, haven't done anything morally wrong, have I? And yet, I'm being played like this... Ugh, when I first came back to life, I thought the heavens had finally opened their eyes, but it turns out they're still blind... To be reborn once more, only to find myself in the body of an ancient woman on the verge of miscarriage - what's the difference between this and dying all over again?"

  With great effort, she reached down to her lower abdomen with both hands, and it seemed like she had touched something sticky, which was probably blood. So much blood had flowed from her lower abdomen that there was something slipping out from between her legs. Even if Wang Yi hadn't given birth in her past life, she still had some basic knowledge.

  She didn't think she could bleed so much during her period.

  "No way, I won't die like this! Having finally gotten a second chance at life, I won't give up now!"

  Wang Yi clenched his fist and bit his teeth, deciding to save himself!

  It's easy to talk about self-rescue, but it's hard to do. At this moment, she doesn't even have the strength to stand up, how can she rescue herself? Not to mention that this remote room doesn't even have basic bedding or furniture, let alone medicine or food. Even if she didn't miscarry, as long as no one pays attention to her, she will freeze to death or starve to death!

  Wang Yi closed his eyes and forced back tears, his hands propped against the ground as he slowly crawled forward.

  Blood flowed down from the elbow, slowly passing over the Buddhist beads on her wrist. The wound on her elbow seemed not small, and the blood showed no signs of stopping, soon soaking the ancient Buddhist beads.

  At this moment, the Buddhist beads seemed to be infused with a certain spirit, slowly emitting a light yellow glow, like warm sunlight, tightly wrapping Wang Yi. Then, the smoke slowly dispersed, and Wang Yi also disappeared in the empty room.