Chapter 1: About to be Sold at the Start

Shangxi Village.

Shi Qingluo slowly opened her eyes, and what came into view was a small farmhouse courtyard.

Her head ached severely, and her mind was flooded with many memories that did not belong to her.

Before she could regain her senses, her arm was suddenly grabbed tightly.

"You wretched girl, stop playing dead for me."

"You jinx, even if you die today, I will still send your corpse to the county town."

After the sharp-tongued woman finished speaking, she angrily raised her hand and swung it toward Shi Qingluo’s face.

Shi Qingluo instinctively raised her hand and grabbed the woman’s hand before it could slap her.

Because of the extra memories, she instantly understood what was happening.

She looked at the woman with cold eyes and said, "I’m not going. You were the one who arranged that marriage, so you go if you want to."

It was pathetic to think that the woman trying to beat her was none other than her biological mother, Niu-shi.

Because she had a difficult labor when giving birth to the original owner, she had treated her as a jinx ever since, constantly mistreating and beating her.

When the original owner was five, a Taoist priest came to the village and built a Taoist temple halfway up the mountain, needing children between the ages of five and twelve to serve as acolytes.

Every month, the family could go to the temple to collect one hundred wen in wages.

The original owner was sent to the temple by her parents and stayed there until two months ago, when the temple suddenly exploded, killing the priest and three other children.

At the time, the original owner had gone down the mountain to fetch water, which was how she escaped the disaster.

After she returned home, her parents arranged a marriage for her—surprisingly, to the young master of the wealthy Wu family in town.

The original owner was honest and kind-hearted, and she actually believed Niu-shi when she said that because they felt they owed her, they had gone to great lengths to find her such a good match.

Who would have thought that last night, while the original owner was at the latrine, she accidentally overheard her parents talking.

It turned out that the wealthy young master Wu had suddenly fallen gravely ill some time ago and was bedridden, with only a few days left to live.

Young Master Wu was very pampered at home, so the Wu family could not bear for him to pass away without having taken a wife.

Thus, they wanted to arrange a marriage for him before he died, and after he passed, they would have his wife buried with him so he wouldn't be lonely.

The Wu family knew this was not an easy task, so they put out word that they were willing to pay one hundred taels of silver as a dowry to seal the marriage.

If the marriage and burial were conducted through normal channels, as long as the bride's family agreed, the authorities could not interfere.

If Young Master Wu were healthy, there would be countless families scrambling to marry into the family.

But since the bride was to be buried alive, no family that wasn't completely insane would send their child to such a marriage.

And as it happened, the original owner had exactly such insane parents.

They were the only family in the entire village who would send their daughter to her death for one hundred taels of silver.

Today, the Wu family had sent people to the Shi family to take her to the county town to prepare, with the wedding to be held tomorrow.

Once the original owner learned the truth, she naturally refused to go.

Then, her biological mother tried to drag her away by force, slapped her several times, and beat her on the ground.

While struggling to escape, the original owner hit her head on a sharp stone and died, and the soul inside was replaced by her.

Niu-shi did not expect this honest and cowardly daughter to dare to grab her hand and resist.

Her face turned black with rage. "You wretched girl, this isn't up to you."

She reached out with her other hand to pull Shi Qingluo, intending to drag her out the gate.

The Wu family’s carriage was waiting right outside.

Shi Qingluo dodged her hand and let go of the wrist she was holding.

Then, taking advantage of Niu-shi stumbling back, she rushed into the woodshed.

She quickly found a few small black balls scattered on the ground in the corner of the shed, and only then did she walk back into the courtyard.

The courtyard contained not only Niu-shi, but also the original owner’s grandparents, her eldest uncle’s family, her second uncle’s family, and her fourth uncle.

Yet, these people not only stood by and watched, but the fourth uncle, who had already passed the examination to become a *tongsheng*, was the mastermind behind it all.

Otherwise, living in the village, the original owner’s parents would never have known about the Wu family in the county town.

The original owner had heard Niu-shi and her husband mention last night that after getting the one hundred taels, they would give fifty to this fourth uncle to use for his *xiucai* exams, and another thirty would be turned over to the family’s communal fund.

So, when it came to selling the original owner, no one in the Shi family was innocent.

Niu-shi rushed over at this moment, holding a rattan cane in her hand.

"You wretched girl, being able to marry into the Wu family is your good fortune. Don't be ungrateful, you jinx."

Ever since that difficult labor with this daughter, she had given birth to three more daughters in a row, leaving their third branch without a single son, and she couldn't hold her head up in the family.

She had always believed that this daughter was a jinx who cursed her and the third branch.

She truly felt that being buried alive as the wife of a wealthy young master in the county town was a blessing for this hard-fated jinx.

Shi Qingluo rolled her eyes. "Since marrying into the Wu family is such a great blessing, why don't you go marry him instead? I'll give this blessing to you."

This trashy mother really had no idea what it was like to be in her shoes.

The people sitting in the courtyard didn't expect Shi Qingluo to say such a thing; it was simply unfilial.

Niu-shi choked; the wretched girl’s words were too vicious. If this got out, how could she face anyone?

She was furious and raised the rattan cane to strike Shi Qingluo. "You jinx, how dare you talk nonsense! I'll beat you to death!"

Shi Qingluo was not the original owner; she didn't care about filial piety, nor did she crave family affection or work herself to the bone without complaining, even when beaten.

She nimbly dodged Niu-shi’s cane, and the two began to chase each other around the courtyard.

At this moment, an old nanny from the Wu family, sent specifically to pick up the bride, frowned.

"If we delay any longer, it will be too late to return to the city."

When Old Madam Shi heard this, she first offered a fawning smile.

Then she turned and scolded Niu-shi with a dark face, "The Wu family’s carriage is waiting outside. Don't dawdle and keep them waiting."

Niu-shi stopped and turned to glare at her husband. "Aren't you going to come and help?"

Old Third Shi, who had been sitting down, stood up with a fierce look on his face.

He looked at Shi Qingluo impatiently. "You wretched girl, are you going to come over yourself, or do you want me to come and drag you?"

Shi Qingluo knew that this family of scum would never let her go for the sake of one hundred taels.

And in this ancient era where filial piety was paramount, one could not oppose a marriage arranged by one's parents.

Even if parents sold their daughter, at most they would be criticized, but in everyone's eyes, it wasn't a problem, nor was it illegal.

The original owner had actually snuck out that morning to beg the village chief and the clan elders.

The other party told her that this was a family matter they couldn't interfere with, and they even sent her back to the Shi family.

After a few words of persuasion were blocked by Niu-shi, and considering the face of the original owner’s fourth uncle, the *tongsheng*, they left and didn't get involved.

After returning home, the original owner’s scum parents, in a fit of rage, beat her and locked her up.

It wasn't until the Wu family arrived just now that they let her out.

Shi Qingluo’s principle in life was that it was better to rely on oneself than others; only oneself was reliable.

So, she had already planned her escape.

This is a story about the heroine building her fortune and the hero taking the imperial examinations in a fictional dynasty. I hope everyone likes it~

(End of chapter)