Chapter 39: The Crime of Gender 39

Chapter 39: Chapter 39: The Crime of Gender 39Although most people in the Qin Clan survive by farming, there are a few wealthy families who send their children to study, and two of them have successfully passed the imperial exam to gain the title of Scholar. The scholars were the first to get angry, as the court has laws specifying that officials cannot have someone with slave status within three generations of their family. Unlike the previous dynasty, the current dynasty does not discriminate against those who sold themselves into servitude, so it is easy for someone with slave status to change to commoner status, as long as their master is willing to release them. However, slave status is different for those of lower, unchangeable status; once you become one, you can never change to commoner status. Criminals automatically become part of the lower status, as do women who sell themselves to a brothel. Having someone of this lower status in the family is a disgrace to the entire clan. This matter enraged the entire clan, and because of Mrs. Bai’s tragic death, the Qin Family members were heavily punished and almost expelled from the clan. It was only after Mr. Qin and the Qin Family knelt at the ancestral hall for three days, agreeing to grind rice for the clan for ten years in shifts, that they avoided expulsion. Qin Shuangshuang fell gravely ill due to her mother’s death and became mentally slow. For three whole years, she wandered in a daze, calling every woman she saw "mother," unaware of how to eat or drink, and oblivious to the cold and warmth. If her mother’s death hadn’t been so tragic, the Qin Family under the clan’s supervision wouldn’t have dared to let Qin Shuangshuang die. Reluctantly, they had to feed and clothe Qin Shuangshuang; otherwise, she would have starved or frozen to death. Even so, Qin Shuangshuang was constantly in a state of hunger, often relying on the goodwill of villagers, eating from one house’s share today and another’s tomorrow to survive. When she was extremely hungry, Qin Shuangshuang would eat raw vegetable leaves. At that time, the Eldest Lady would save some food every day to secretly feed Qin Shuangshuang, although even the Eldest Lady herself could barely eat until she was eight or nine-tenths full, so there wasn’t much she could spare. It wasn’t until three years later, during the harsh winter, that Old Chen chased Qin Shuangshuang to the river to do laundry. She accidentally fell into the river, and after villagers rescued her, she became seriously ill again. After recovering, Qin Shuangshuang was no longer mentally impaired; however, she forgot everything about her mother, Mrs. Bai, and even forgot those three years of being slow-minded. She only remembered that she was six years old when her mother died. Due to malnutrition, Qin Shuangshuang remained thin and small, and being nine years old but looking like she was six felt very natural. The Qin Family didn’t care for her, and no one told her she was actually nine. The villagers, afraid of stirring up her painful memories, didn’t dare speak to her about the past, leading to a stroke of fortune where Qin Shuangshuang completely forgot about those three years. Thus, after her awakening, the timeline of everything Qin Shuangshuang knew was wrong. Her mother didn’t die when she was six; Mrs. Bai died just before her sixth birthday. The disaster year wasn’t when she was eight; it happened when she was eleven! To Qin Shuangshuang, Mrs. Bai’s death was the most unbearable pain in the world. She was driven mad for three years, utterly erasing that memory because it was too painful. Except for forgetting, there was no way to resolve it. All her life, whenever Qin Shuangshuang saw that madam, she would vaguely recall the feeling of forgotten memories. And when Qin Qiao’er told her to run because her family had sold her, the floodgates of her memory suddenly opened wide, and Qin Shuangshuang finally remembered everything! Recalling that memory, Qin Shuangshuang ran frantically toward home, because today was the day of Mrs. Bai’s death calamity! At that moment, Qin Shuangshuang deeply hated herself for being so weak. Why hadn’t she remembered earlier? Why recall now? No matter what, she absolutely could not let anything happen to her mother! She could not let Mrs. Bai die for her again! Halfway through her run, Qin Shuangshuang encountered the thugs sent by the madam to capture her. These thugs were used to catching people; when they saw Qin Shuangshuang, they said nothing and just went to seize her. They even had a handkerchief prepared to gag her to prevent her from shouting and causing trouble. Worried about her mother, Mrs. Bai, Qin Shuangshuang had no time to entangle with these people. Relying on her strength, she charged through them, knocking them off balance and continued to sprint home! When she reached the gate, she kicked it open, sending the wooden gate almost flying! Upon rushing into the yard, Qin Shuangshuang didn’t see her mother, Mrs. Bai. Instead, she saw the madam with Old Chen and Little Chen talking in the courtyard, with a few thugs standing not far behind them. Seeing Qin Shuangshuang, they all changed expressions. Qin Shuangshuang ignored them, quickly scanning the yard for her mother who wasn’t there, she frantically called for her as she ran into the house, but there was no one inside—her mother, Mrs. Bai, was not in the house! Qin Shuangshuang was almost in a panic, feeling uneasy without seeing her mother. Especially on this ominous day, her heart pounded fiercely, and she constantly had a sense of impending doom! Desperately searching for her mother, Qin Shuangshuang became like a headless fly, while the women in the yard remained indifferent. The madam assumed her thugs had not captured Qin Shuangshuang. At this moment, the madam, indicating Qin Shuangshuang who had searched the yard with no luck and was frantically heading out to continue her search, instructed her thugs, "Catch her!" As luck would have it, at the same time the madam spoke, a deep, weighty bell tolled over the Qin Family Village! The bell’s resonance was long and lingering, echoing from above the Qin Family Village! Sёarᴄh the ηovёlFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. This bell was unique to the large bell in front of the Qin Clan Ancestral Hall. It was the summons bell for the Qin Clan members, and all Qin Clan members who heard it must immediately proceed to the ancestral hall. Qin Shuangshuang had a quirk; she was particularly afraid of the sound of bells! Previously, not having this memory, she didn’t know why she feared the bell. Every time she heard it, she was extremely scared. Now recalling that memory, Qin Shuangshuang finally understood why she feared the bell so much. Just like now, Qin Shuangshuang’s heart sank to the depths with the bell, cold and chilling to the bone! Fear instantly filled her heart! Qin Shuangshuang dashed toward the gate like a madwoman; she had to go to the ancestral hall, she absolutely would not let anything happen to her mother. As Qin Shuangshuang tried to leave, the people in the courtyard were not agreeable. Since the bell tolled, Old Chen and Little Chen had to go to the ancestral hall, so they instructed the madam, "Quickly have this damned girl caught and then leave!" The madam nodded nonchalantly, her eyes fixed on Qin Shuangshuang’s face, unable to look away. Qin Shuangshuang’s beauty could be considered a reserve for an Oiran. The madam had been intrigued for quite some time since their encounter by chance. Back then, the madam thought Qin Shuangshuang looked healthy, assuming her parents were fond of her. She let her curiosity pass. Yet, she didn’t expect to be so lucky, that in just one day, this girl who caught her fancy would fall into her hands.