A woman, clad in tattered clothes, stood before the gate.
She lowered her head and glanced at her dirty clothes, the original color now indistinguishable. Embarrassed, she curled her toes and shuffled her worn-out shoes back a bit. She lifted the heavy bundle on her shoulder, stood up and squatted down several times, but couldn’t make up her mind. Finally, she stood dumbly behind the stone statue outside the gate, observing the passersby.
Her face was etched with hardship, her eyes filled with melancholy and confusion. Though still young, her hands were covered with calluses and scars from years of labor, revealing her past poverty at a glance.
The woman’s gaze wandered, drifting with the constant flow of people.
She noticed that all the women entering this gate were dressed in fine clothes. Even if they weren’t wearing expensive fabrics, at least their clothes were clean.
In her village, women never had a moment to rest. They had to help with housework, farm work, and taking care of younger siblings. Those who could maintain such a clean appearance were not ordinary people. Moreover, their clothes were all intact, unlike hers. She was wearing her brother’s old clothes, which were so worn out that she had to patch them with scraps of fabric in various colors, resulting in a mismatched and unkempt appearance.
The woman looked doubtful and hesitated to go forward. A few years ago, a special “relief center” suddenly appeared in the city. Ordinary relief centers housed the elderly, the disabled, and children, and were under the jurisdiction of the court. This relief center, however, only accepted women, and they had to be young women. If they were girls, they could also be admitted.
This was very strange.carpreads.pages.dev
Its reputation spread widely, eventually reaching her village. However, she didn’t know much about it, and the villagers only treated it as a joke, not believing it.
The villagers said that if a place only recruited women, there must be some sinister plot. Otherwise, why would they only recruit a group of women, feed and clothe them well, and what would they gain from it? How could they afford it?
She wouldn’t have been so bold as to run here if she hadn’t been desperate.
The woman recalled the girls who had been abducted and sold by matchmakers in her village, and couldn’t help but feel afraid. She feared that this place was just another den of corruption where officials and merchants colluded.
Thinking about this, her courage was defeated by the unknown. She couldn’t help but want to leave and find someone to inquire further.
But…
She listened to the rumbling in her stomach from hunger, raised her hand to press against her abdomen, and a wave of sadness surged up.
She had impulsively run away, and the few dry rations she had brought with her were long gone. She had barely survived the latter part of the journey by drinking water. She didn’t dare to talk to any men casually, and it was thanks to a few kind-hearted people she met along the way who, seeing her pitiful state, gave her food without her asking, that she didn’t starve to death.
Who would have thought that after overcoming the most difficult part of the journey and reaching the gate of this mansion with great effort, she would hesitate again.
— I’m so useless!
The woman suddenly became angry and inexplicably berated herself in her heart. She slammed her knee with her hand and then scratched her hair.
“Miss.”
A gentle voice suddenly sounded in her ear. The woman was startled and looked up to see a woman who looked like a fairy.
She opened her mouth, but couldn’t recover for a while, just staring blankly at the person in front of her.
This woman was not only beautiful, but her smile was also extremely gentle. Her eyes were curved, her skin was fair, and she had a faint fragrance about her.
Seeing the woman’s stunned expression, Song Chuzhao called out again, asking, “Miss, what are you doing here?”
The woman immediately stood up and stammered, “I… I’m leaving now!”
“Don’t leave!” Song Chuzhao grabbed her arm and said, “You’re here to ask for help, right? Why don’t you go in? You haven’t gone wrong, this is the relief center.”
The woman turned her head and stared at the five fingers that were gripping her arm, her face turning red.
She hadn’t bathed in months. Before coming here, she had found a nearby river and simply scrubbed her outer clothes, then entered wearing wet clothes. Although the clothes were now dry, they still had a bit of an odor. She felt like she had dirtied the other woman’s hand.
Song Chuzhao took a step closer and asked soothingly, “What’s your name?”
The woman whispered, “My mother calls me Second Daughter. The village head gave me the name A’yun.”
“Miss Yun, is it?” Song Chuzhao smiled and said, “Why did you come here but not go in? I see you’re covered in dust. Would you like to come in and have something to eat?”
The woman had wanted to refuse, but Song Chuzhao’s radiant smile disarmed her. She hesitantly said, “Just… just to eat something?”
Song Chuzhao nodded. “Yes. We’ll talk about other things later. Don’t be afraid.”
A’yun observed several times, seeing that Song Chuzhao didn’t look down on her in any way. She gathered her courage and asked, “There are no men in this courtyard, are there?”
“There are. Some heavy work has to be done by men, right?” Song Chuzhao said. “But you don’t have to be too afraid of men. Here, they wouldn’t dare do anything. Besides, the men who come to help are all good people. You don’t need to be afraid.”
Song Chuzhao led her inside. As soon as they entered, the courtyard became even livelier, with the sounds of conversation and laughter coming from within.
A group of lively, adorable children, half-grown, were carrying stools and lined up, coming out from the back courtyard.
Song Chuzhao smiled and said, “Look, there are boys here too.”
A’yun nodded.
Everyone who saw Song Chuzhao greeted her warmly, and they also smiled at A’yun and said hello. Those friendly smiles made A’yun feel both surprised and flattered, her heart pounding.
Since leaving her village and entering the city, she had grown accustomed to people’s scorn and discrimination. But she never thought there could be a place so beautiful, where people were so kind to her. Seeing these women with their open and unprejudiced attitudes, she thought they must be living well, not forced or deceived.
A’yun asked respectfully, “Miss, you… you have such high standing. Who are you here?”
Song Chuzhao pointed upwards and laughed, “This place is run by me. I came to check on things today and happened to meet you. Don’t be afraid. Many people were like you at first, but they got used to it.”
A’yun said, “What does this place do?”
Song Chuzhao asked, “What did you hear it does?”
“I heard it helps women.” A’yun said, glancing at Song Chuzhao’s expression. “If someone can’t afford to eat, or can’t make a living, or is beaten by their family and can’t take it anymore, they can come here for help. They say you’ll take care of them.”
Song Chuzhao smiled and said, “That’s partly true, but not entirely.”
A’yun became nervous. “Where’s it not true?”
Song Chuzhao said, “It’s not that I take care of them, but that they have to take care of themselves. No one in this world can help you forever. It’s better to rely on yourself than to rely on others.”
A’yun stopped walking and fearfully clutched her collar.
Seeing this, Song Chuzhao laughed and also stopped, saying to her, “You’ve misunderstood. This place is more like a school. Everyone learns here and graduates, and most of them can earn their own living. If you just want to come here to eat and drink for free, we don’t accept you.”
“School?” A’yun was astonished. “I… I’m too old to learn. Besides, I can’t afford to go to school.”
Song Chuzhao said, “We teach everything here, including reading. Children can come here to study for free. As for the books, they are hand-copied by the girls here. The teachers are also girls who know how to read. The daily meals are provided by nearby residents who have extra food. There are also teachers from nearby who come to help when they have free time. Oh, last year’s top scholar also taught here for free for a month. Even officials from the court sometimes come to visit and bring some things.”
A’yun was stunned and asked repeatedly, “You can study here for free?”
Song Chuzhao nodded. “Yes, but because everyone doesn’t know much, we can only teach basic literacy. At the very least, we need to teach them the most basic characters. Once they know how to read, it’s easier to go anywhere, don’t you think?”
“Yes.” A’yun’s eyes welled up. “I’ve been on the road, and because I can’t read, I don’t even know what the shops are selling, and I’m afraid to talk to people. If I could read, that would be great.”
“If you want, you can learn too. The sisters here will teach you.” Song Chuzhao said. “Once you learn to write, you can earn your own money. You can copy books and sell them, or you can write letters for those who can’t read. It’s not a lot of money, but it’s an income, and it’s not too tiring. Many women who have children can do these odd jobs to earn money in their spare time.”
A’yun was eager, but she felt inferior and thought she couldn’t do it.
Song Chuzhao asked, “Why did you come here? What happened at home?”
A’yun finally came to her senses and said, “We can’t afford to eat. There’s a drought in the village, and there are ten or more mouths to feed, including my younger siblings and elderly parents. My mother wanted to sell me, and I heard that this place could make money, so I came here to try my luck.”
Song Chuzhao said, “Once you’ve settled in, you can bring your younger sister over. It’s not convenient for your younger brother to come here, as most of the people here are girls. But if he just comes to study during the day, it’s fine.”
“But I can’t learn the characters in a short time,” A’yun said nervously. “And I’m clumsy! I’ve been doing farm work since I was little, I’m sure I can’t do such delicate work.”
Song Chuzhao patted her shoulder and comforted her, “Don’t worry, there’s more here than just teaching reading. There are the most skilled embroiderers in the city who will teach you how to embroider. If you’re good at it, the cloth shops will come directly to buy your embroidery. There are also those who make paper umbrellas, those who do carpentry, those who do carving, those who make sugar figures, and if all else fails, as long as you know how to grow vegetables, you can help the people at the relief center to cultivate the land and grow vegetables. You’ll receive a share of the rent every year. This land is specially permitted by the government, although it’s not very fertile, but it’s suitable for growing sugarcane and bamboo, and you can still have a surplus every year.”
A’yun immediately said, “I’m really good at growing vegetables! My vegetables are bigger and more vibrant than anyone else’s!”
Song Chuzhao smiled and said, “Don’t rush to make a decision, take a look first. New girls can stay here for free for a month, and learn some skills along the way. After a month, if you still want to stay, you’ll have to pay for your own accommodation, but you can’t stay for more than three months, because there really isn’t enough room here.”
A’yun nodded vigorously.
Song Chuzhao said, “You see, there are many people here, they actually came back to help after they left here and became self-sufficient. As long as you’re willing to put in the effort, you’ll definitely be no worse than them. You were actually not bad to begin with, you just lacked confidence, don’t underestimate yourselves.”
A’yun’s eyes were misty, and she raised her hand to wipe her eyes. Song Chuzhao quickly grabbed her hand and handed her a clean handkerchief.
A’yun choked back a sob and said, “Miss, you are truly a good person!”
Song Chuzhao smiled and said, “If you have the means in the future, you can also help others. For me, it’s just a small matter.”
A’yun wiped her tears and burst into laughter at Song Chuzhao. Although Song Chuzhao was young and beautiful, she possessed a resilience and strength that others lacked.
A warm current surged through her heart, telling her that she also wanted to become a person like that.
That night, A’yun lay in bed, fantasizing about the future, her heart filled with a sense of excitement that wouldn’t subside. A new chapter in her life was unfolding before her…