Madam Zhou doubted her own ears. Could it be true that her man had come back? Why would someone say such a thing all of a sudden?
Seeing the ashen look on Madam Zhou’s face, Tofu Beauty’s heart skipped a beat, but a smile appeared on her face as she said, "Sister Mei, don’t be annoyed. Haven’t I just noticed that Sister Mei seems to be getting younger these days and wondered if there might be some happy news?"
Her words were not merely flattery; they came from the heart. Madam Zhou indeed appeared much younger lately, with a rosy complexion and an especially graceful demeanor.
"What happy news could there be? In such a small village, how could any truly happy news escape people’s notice?" Madam Zhou replied indifferently.
Tofu Beauty cut another piece of tofu, wrapped it carefully, and personally placed it in Madam Zhou’s basket, then took her hand and said, "Sister Mei, I didn’t mean to upset you, but everyone is guessing and spreading idle gossip."
It was also true that Madam Zhou had been supporting her almost every day during this period, and Madam Zhou was neither a sharp-tongued nor harsh person. Her temperament was gentle, so Tofu Beauty found it easy to talk to her.
Now, having heard what everyone was saying about their little house, Tofu Beauty couldn’t help but ask.
Madam Zhou asked with a puzzled frown, "What speculation?"
Glancing enviously at the hairpin in her hair, Tofu Beauty asked, "Sister Mei, your hairpin looks like it’s of excellent quality. Must have cost quite a bit of silver, right?"
Madam Zhou touched the hairpin and a faint smile appeared on her face, "It was a gift from Wufu."
"But you’d still need silver to get it, right? I’ve heard that your family has even started to employ servants," continued Tofu Beauty.
Madam Zhou was not foolish; upon hearing this, she began to understand and sighed, "It was Wufu, that kind-hearted girl. Seeing that those two children were orphans and being bullied, she took them in. Hongyu has come to buy tofu a few times too. Don’t you know that?" As she spoke, she briefly recapped their backgrounds.
"Sister Mei, even kind-heartedness requires silver to manifest," Tofu Beauty sighed. "These days, too many are going hungry. Take the Dashan family’s case for instance—they sold their elder daughter and fourth daughter, what choice did they have? The crops have failed from drought; there’s no grain left. We all must find a way to survive!"
Madam Zhou was silent; she knew about this. The Dashan family had six children, including four boys. Sons were cherished for continuing the family line and were harder to part with, so they had sold two daughters instead.
"Our village has people selling their sons and daughters, and so do the neighboring villages; it’s common everywhere. Your family has enough to eat and drink, you can even take in other children to provide for. That too, requires silver, doesn’t it? And here you are, a widow and an orphan..." Tofu Beauty didn’t finish her sentence, trusting that someone as perceptive as Madam Zhou would understand.
Madam Zhou understood perfectly well and said, "Wufu found work at the Hundred Treasures Silver Building in town, and the pay is decent." She chose not to go into detail.
"Oh? I did see her coming and going, but I didn’t realize she was working," Tofu Beauty said, looking at her nod in confirmation. "No wonder, everyone thought Wufu’s father had come back, which is why I..." Tofu Beauty hesitated and added, "Sister Mei, please don’t be upset with me."
Madam Zhou gave a wry smile, her voice barely above a whisper, "I wish he had come back."
Tofu Beauty gave her a sympathetic glance.
"Sister Mei, people in the village are like that, envious, resentful, full of idle talk. I brought it up just to give you a heads-up. Everyone’s thinking that maybe your family’s situation improved because her father returned." She refrained from sharing the more unpleasant speculations.
Madam Zhou forced a smile, "Thank you. After so many years, what haven’t I heard?"
She could recite by heart all the unkind things that had been said about her and her daughter—it was simply that she hadn’t expected even their slightly better times to become the subject of baseless talk.