Chapter 328 - 327: All Settled
Junior Officer He pointed at Granny Wu, who was sitting on the ground and crying bitterly, and said to the few women who had gathered to watch, "Take her back to the Wu household. These people are humiliating themselves."
Wang Cheng and Mrs. Li, along with two guards, followed Junior Officer He to the Wu household. Trailing behind them was a crowd of villagers drawn out by all the commotion. Wang Xiaodi, also worried about his father, hurried along with them.
Finally, the outside subsided.
Chen Afu watched everything from the window. The Wus were like leeches, hoping Mrs. Wu would support them forever. Even if that nine taels of silver were paid off, they would find another excuse to make their demands. Granny Wu was even worse than Mrs. Ding, while the latter abused her stepsons, the former was treating her own daughter cruelly.
Seeing the devastated Mrs. Wu, Chen Afu consoled her. "Don’t cry auntie, as Dr. Huang said, you should refrain from crying and not strain your eyes."
Mrs. Wu sobbed, "I’m not afraid of being a laughing stock, Afu. When I was a girl, my parents never wanted me to marry. They wanted me to live a celibate life. They told me to continue my grandmother’s embroidery tradition, and so I remain entrapped within the Wu household even in death. I beseech my husband during my eighteenth year. I wanted to leave my parents who disagreed, I scared them by attempting suicide before they reluctantly agreed to my dowry of a hundred taels of silver..."
Mrs. Wu’s grandmother used to be a maid in a wealthy household. She was an excellent embroiderer but somehow offended the lady master and had her wrist broken and was sold to Mrs. Wu’s grandfather.
Mrs. Wu’s grandfather was hunchbacked and known as Camel Wu. He was in his thirties and had not yet married. When he was unexpectedly bestowed with a wife who looked like a fairy, he could hardly contain his joy. Despite using force against her on their wedding night, he adored her thereafter. He also watched over her so she wouldn’t commit suicide, and after a month, she became pregnant. Feeling hopeful due to the baby, Mrs. Wu’s grandmother gave up her suicidal thoughts and started a life with Camel Wu.