Xun Hui was originally a gentle character, which sounds like a compliment, but to Yang Ruxin, she was nothing but a soft persimmon, who could only silently shed tears in the face of her mother-in-law's difficulties. Fortunately, Yang Baiyue was still good to her, although he never dared to confront Yang Anshi on her behalf and always advised her to endure in private, he was her support. Moreover, her husband had never disdained her for not having a son, so she endured the hardships. As a result, Xun Hui and her children became the free housekeepers of the entire Yang Family, doing the most work but rarely able to eat their fill, something Yang Baiyue never seemed to notice.
Perhaps, in Yang Baiyue's heart, a bought wife was no different from a servant, as long as they weren't starved, this was considered a kindness.
Thus the years passed, for eight or nine years.
Then five years ago, Yang Baiyue went to Linjiang Prefecture to sit for the imperial examinations to become a candidate in the civil service. Unfortunately, he fell off the boat into the river... At that time, more than a dozen people on the boat confirmed this, and the Yang Family even sent people to retrieve his body, but it was only found three days later downstream, badly decomposed. If not for his clothing as proof, it would have been impossible to recognize that it was Yang Baiyue...
Xun Hui fainted on the spot, but was later diagnosed as two months pregnant...
Because Yang Baiyue had died, leaving behind only three daughters and no heirs, Xun Hui's pregnancy became her lifeline. The Yang Family wanted her to carry on Yang Baiyue's lineage. Of course, if she gave birth to another daughter, that would mean Xun Hui's fate would be to be sold away.
Fortunately, the following year, Xun Hui gave birth to boy and girl twins...
With a son, Yang Anshi no longer mentioned selling off Xun Hui, but because of Boss Yang's death, Yang Anshi still placed all the blame on Xun Hui and her four daughters, calling them jinxes and bringers of doom...
Aside from Yang Rufeng, the remaining five mother and daughters became not only the Yang Family's free servants but also the family's outlet for frustrations. If anyone felt displeased, they could openly scold or even hit them without consequences...
What was worse, Yang Anshi always felt that Xun Hui was not content with her place, so any time Xun Hui spoke a word to a man, she was certain to be beaten upon returning home...
Such days passed in the blink of an eye, another five years.
In Yang Ruxin's eyes, the fact that Xun Hui was still alive under Yang Anshi's tyranny was a testament to her strong will to live.
At the moment, those being shielded by Yang Xun Hui were her several younger sisters; the eldest, Yang Erni, was only eleven years old, Yang Sanni was eight, and the youngest, Yang Sinni, who was twins with the boy in the house, Yang Rufeng, was only four years old. Yet each of them was thin as a rail, their slender necks supporting disproportionately large heads...
It seemed Yang Anshi was more and more vigorous with each strike, showing no signs of stopping.
The rattan cane showed no mercy as it struck the mother and daughters, but still, they all endured, none daring to make a sound.
Onlookers, seemingly enjoying the scene, even added a few biting remarks as they watched.
If it were up to Yang Ruxin's own temperament, she would have gone up and ended it with one kick.
Unfortunately, this was a feudal society, the Great Xuan Dynasty governed the world with filial piety, with the word for 'filial' viewed as more important than heaven. Moreover, the main house had no man now, and if she took drastic action now, it might be difficult to settle matters later, with no one to support her... Thus, she told herself she had to restrain her impulses.
But how could she just watch her mother and sisters being beaten to death in front of her?