Chapter 9: A Hand of Bad Cards

That year, the original owner was only thirteen, not yet at the age of reaching womanhood.

Her parents passed away, and the children observed a three-year mourning period.

During this time, Bai Yunhui took over the private school.

Three years later, he resumed his path toward the imperial examinations, but he failed repeatedly. As his children were born one by one, Bai Yunhui simply gave up on the examinations, focusing on teaching while incidentally turning his attention to his sons.

Over the years, the couple had four sons and one daughter. In addition to the income from the private school and their farmland, the old *juren* could also receive three *shi* of grain annually—a subsidy provided by the imperial court to *juren* degree holders.

Moreover, the old *juren* cherished his wife, and the original owner essentially had the final say in the household.

As the wife of a *juren*, the original owner’s life had always been worry-free, until the old *juren* saw his eldest son pass the *tongsheng* exam only to make no further progress, at which point he began to worry.

He did not want his sons to end up like him, stuck in the countryside for their entire lives.

After much deliberation, the old *juren* decided to enter officialdom to pave a smooth path for his sons.

The Song Dynasty valued civil service over military affairs and treated scholars with particular favor. After passing the *juren* exam, if one did not wish to continue with the imperial examinations, one could wait for the court to appoint them to an official post, though when that appointment would come depended on one's personal connections and ability.

The old *juren* shared his thoughts with a former classmate and close friend, hoping he could offer some advice.

The man readily agreed, saying that if they spent some money to pull strings, they might just get what they wanted.

The old *juren* wanted to enter officialdom sooner rather than later, so after a brief consideration, he agreed to his classmate's proposal.

Clearing the way required a large sum of money. Over the years, the couple had raised four sons and a daughter, so their expenses were already significant. Although they had some savings, they were still short of what was needed to grease the wheels.

After consulting with the old *juren*, the original owner decided to mortgage their ancestral home to borrow money from the Ma family’s money shop—essentially the usury practiced by the local landlord.

They believed that as long as his official career went smoothly, the debt could be repaid quickly.

Squire Ma knew what the old *juren* intended to use the money for, so he did him a favor: he only required the house as collateral and waived the interest. Who would have thought that the classmate would take the money, use it to pull strings, and then secure the position of County Assistant for himself before heading off to take the post?

The old *juren* had spent all his effort for nothing. In disbelief, he went to find his former classmate to confirm the truth, but he couldn't even get to see the man before being driven away.

The old *juren* was a man of pride; he vomited blood on the spot. After returning home, he fell bedridden. The original owner sold off their farmland to save his life, but he only managed to hold on for a month before passing away.

Today was the day the money shop came to collect the debt. The original owner had no money and refused to hand over the deed to the ancestral home. In the ensuing scuffle, she hit her head on the bluestone bricks and went to reunite with the old *juren*.

Bai Yunxi exhaled a breath of frustration. The couple had simply kicked the bucket and left, leaving her with a mess.

Holding a hand of rotten cards, how was she supposed to play?

A group of step-sons, each with their own ulterior motives—it was hard to say if she could even manage them.

*Sigh*, what rotten luck. Who had she offended to deserve this?

When Mrs. Du came to bring her food, Bai Yunxi still couldn't bring herself to accept reality.

"Mother, you’ve lost so much blood; you need to eat more to recover."

Bai Yunxi looked at the white porridge and half a bowl of stewed cabbage in front of her. Eating this would barely fill her stomach, let alone replenish her blood.

After being served the porridge by Mrs. Du, Bai Yunxi waved her hand.

"I’m going to sleep for a while. You go and attend to your business."

She had reached her limit staying awake until now; stars were dancing before her eyes.

"Alright, Mother, just call me if you need anything."

Mrs. Du tidied up the bowls and chopsticks, glanced at her mother-in-law’s head, and turned to leave. Just as she stepped outside, Mrs. Li greeted her.

"Sister-in-law, how is Mother?"