38: Chapter 38: Heaven Has the Virtue of Goodness 38: Chapter 38: Heaven Has the Virtue of Goodness Wufu walked to the door, only to be grabbed by Madam Zhou, who slapped her arms twice.
“You girl, how can you be so bold, so inconsiderate of your mother’s feelings, have you gone mad?
How dare you just…” Madam Zhou rattled on like a machine gun, the shock was too much for her to handle.
“Mother, he was burning up with fever, if we let him stay in his wet clothes, he would have died,” Wufu helplessly interjected.
Madam Zhou’s voice came to a abrupt halt, and she instinctively glanced inside, then quickly averted her eyes.
“How important is a woman’s reputation, if others find out about this, how will you ever get married?” Madam Zhou’s voice had become quieter, as though afraid that someone might overhear.
Silly girl, does she not realize that by having seen a man’s body, if it really came to that, she’d have no choice but to marry him?
And a stranger from who knows where, who would dare to give their daughter away ?
“Mother, you too worship Buddha, people always say that saving a life is more meritorious than building a seven-story pagoda, we can’t just watch him die, can we?” Wufu said with a faint smile, “I only helped him out of his shirt, it’s fine.”
Madam Zhou frowned, asking, “You’re not thinking of keeping him at our home to recuperate, are you?”
“No, absolutely not,” Madam Zhou’s heart chilled seeing her hesitation, adding, “It’s just the two of us women living here, if you keep him, the gossip will drown us both.
Have you forgotten what your grandmother said yesterday?”
Wufu let out a sigh and said, “Mother, let’s not talk about this for now, could you go and make another bowl of ginger soup for him?
I’ll go invite Doctor Cheng!”
Inviting Doctor Cheng, wouldn’t that be telling the whole Wozi Village that there was a man in their house?
“Doctor Cheng, that’s not possible,” Madam Zhou clutched tightly at her sleeve, “Wufu, our reputation, it can’t withstand any more scandals.
If people find out, we won’t be able to continue living here, we won’t be able to stay in this place.”
For years, how had their mother and daughter been maligned?
It had been enough, if people found out a man came to their house, what would they say about them?
A reputation already tarnished would probably get even worse!
“Mother, reputation aside, if we are upright, we shouldn’t fear a crooked shadow; we’re merely saving a person.
On the other hand, if we let him die without helping, you would feel guilty for the rest of your life, how would you then continue to worship Buddha?” Wufu spoke with a mix of speechlessness and irritation.
This damn place that obsesses over reputation!
Madam Zhou fell silent, and after a long while, she said, “Mother only wants you to have a good life, didn’t you always value it before?” When someone called her a bastard or illegitimate in the past, she’d always get angry and care about her reputation, so why had she changed now?
“Mother, I’ve died once before, and from now on, I just want to live freely, not caring about pleasing others, that’s too exhausting.
I also hope that you can live freely and at ease, Mother, we don’t owe anyone anything,” Wufu said.
Madam Zhou was startled.
“As long as we live and act in a way that’s true to the heavens, the earth, and our own conscience, isn’t that enough?” Wufu gently patted her arm and said, “Living a whole life confined by rules and doctrines, how tiring must that be?
Life is just that short.”
Madam Zhou’s eyes reddened as she was touched by these words, and while stroking Wufu’s hair she said, “Silly girl, you’re still young and don’t understand, a woman with a good reputation will be blessed for her whole life!”
“But I prefer to live a more carefree life.”
Madam Zhou pursed her lips and let out a slight sigh, “Go invite Doctor Cheng then, he has watched over me as I grew up, he’s a good man and won’t talk nonsense!”
Wufu smiled, and with the rain stopped, she hurriedly ran towards the village.