Chapter 230: Comforting… Moving Forward
Clutching Jian Xingxia’s hand, Ruan Xiang didn’t even realize she had been standing under the tree for quite some time.
Around the manor, a dozen or so village grandmas, aunties, and older sisters were scattered about—some dancing, some playing mahjong, and some lining up to adjust their outfits while peering into tiny square mirrors.
There was even an auntie who had brought a whole basket of vegetables, shell-shucking and picking through them while chatting away.
They spoke casually, yet every single word shook Ruan Xiang to her core.
She instinctively murmured, “If a woman loses her virtue… can she still live so freely?”
Her voice was barely a whisper, but the aunties and grandmas, who had received their subtle cues beforehand, immediately caught onto the thread.
A young sister-in-law playing mahjong turned her head. “Oh my, little sister, what dynasty did you crawl out of? The Qing Dynasty fell ages ago! Virtue this, virtue that—it’s honestly hilarious!”
Ruan Xiang shuddered, promptly shutting her mouth.
Did I expose myself?
Do these sisters-in-law know that I’m not from here, but from the Dayong Dynasty?
Ruan Xiang was thoroughly frightened.
Though she didn’t know where this place was, she was completely certain it wasn’t the Dayong Dynasty. The Dayong Dynasty didn’t possess any of these marvels, nor did it allow women to speak such shocking, unconventional words or commit such rebellious acts.
Jian Xingxia gently patted her hand and gave her a reassuring wink.
“Don’t be afraid.”
The village women had no idea Ruan Xiang was from another dynasty. They only knew that Jian Xingxia had brought back a friend who had been swindled out of town, suffered injuries, was in low spirits, and was having a hard time coping. Jian Xingxia wanted everyone to casually offer her some comfort without making it too obvious.
While Ruan Xiang stood dazed, the player across from the young sister-in-law discarded a mahjong tile and chimed in, “Exactly, what’s the big deal? Whether I’m virtuous or not is for me to know, I don’t rely on other people’s words to define it.”
“Oh, so someone flaps their lips and says I’m unvirtuous, and suddenly I am? To hell with them!”
Ruan Xiang said blankly, “But what if her body has already been defiled…”
“Oh my, little sister, how can someone so young sound like an old fossil!”
Several sisters-in-law turned around, their expressions disapproving. “Your body belongs to you. As long as you aren’t breaking the law, you can do whatever you want with it.”
“Dating around and sleeping with a man—isn’t that perfectly normal? If you don’t test drive before marriage, what if he’s a dud? Wouldn’t that ruin the rest of your life?”
Ruan Xiang’s eyes widened. “…Test drive?”
Such matters can be tested?
The sisters-in-law nodded in unison, their smiles carrying a hint of playful, knowing mischief. “Of course! We’ve all tested things out. If it’s no good, you return the goods immediately. You only marry them if they work well.”
Ruan Xiang felt as though she might faint on the spot.
In the Dayong Dynasty, only men tested women—and if a woman was found to have lost her purity, she would be “returned as defective goods.”
Yet here, it was actually the women who tested the men?
Ruan Xiang fell silent. A long while passed, and the women finished an entire round of mahjong before she found another opening to piggyback off their casual chatter, asking in a low voice—
“But what if someone didn’t want to test it… what if they were violated, defiled by force?”
She hadn’t been willing.
The sisters-in-law instantly grew alert. “Which animal did it? He forced you? You can call the police for that!”
“Lock him up! Throw him in prison!”
Ruan Xiang stood in a daze—come to think of it, that was exactly what happened. Manager Yue, Boss Wu, and the others had already been dragged off to prison.
The village women couldn’t quite figure out Ruan Xiang’s exact situation, so they just threw a mountain of advice at her.
“Little sister, who doesn’t look for a bit of happiness when dating nowadays? Physical happiness is happiness too. Don’t carry such a heavy psychological burden. If you’re willing, go ahead and try it out.”
“If you aren’t willing, then even if others talk until the sky falls down, don’t you dare do it.”
“And just like you said, if you weren’t willing, but were still deceived, coaxed, or forced into it—first, call the police. Second, don’t take it to heart.”
“Your body is your own. Whatever other people say doesn’t matter a bit.”
“Virtue comes from your own heart. If you don’t do bad things and don’t harm others, then you are a clean, upright, and honorable good girl.”
“As for the ‘virtue’ spouted by those gossips, bah! They can spin a mountain of lies out of thin air. If I spent my days listening to their endless carping, how would I ever live my life!”
Before anyone realized it, the older aunties and grandmas had also gathered around.
Everyone chimed in at once. Without exception, they all condemned the villains and the gossips, offering nothing but comfort and encouragement to Ruan Xiang.
Ruan Xiang’s tears spilled over again and again.
When she was taking the heavy boards, when she was locked in the cells, and when she jumped into the river to seek death, she hadn’t cried like this.
But now, she wept thoroughly.
The young Manor Owner said she had saved Shaoyin, and that because she had the courage to stand up and expose the crimes of those beasts like Manager Yue—saving countless people in the process—she was the most courageous, most upright girl in the world.
The grandmas went back to shucking vegetables, the aunties lined up to take photos, and the sisters-in-law resumed their card games…
Inside the house, Ruan Xiang buried her face against Jian Xingxia and had a long, cathartic cry.
Jian Xingxia hurriedly wiped her tears, her heart filled with anxiety. “Oh dear, oh dear, the wounds on your face can’t touch water!”
Even tears wouldn’t do!
This was all pure money!
Scar-removal gel was incredibly expensive, and the dressings were priced by the centimeter!
Ugh… She was currently still just a dirt-poor Manor Owner, alright?
But after having a good cry, Ruan Xiang’s mood was visibly much better.
Jian Xingxia took her to the storeroom to take a look, saying regretfully, “I’ve only hired you for six hours, so you’ll have to head back soon. See if there’s anything here that can help you, or anything you want. You can choose a few items to take back.”
Jian Xingxia was full of confidence. The job listing she had posted was exactly the same as yesterday’s, categorized for a dancing girl and cultural talent like Shaoyin.
Presumably, Ruan Xiang’s wages wouldn’t be low either, meaning she could pick out some great items.
But the moment Ruan Xiang picked up a bar of scented soap, she froze. “I can’t carry it away.”
“Huh?” Jian Xingxia walked over to inspect it. “Oh, oh, the plastic shrink-wrap hasn’t been taken off yet. Let me rip it off, try again.”
However, Ruan Xiang still shook her head. “Still can’t take it.”
“Ha? What’s going on?”
Jian Xingxia frowned, took the soap, and looked at it. “There shouldn’t be an issue. It’s an imperfect bar of handmade essential oil soap; this piece is only ten yuan.”
It was larger than the three bars Shaoyin had carried back, but it was slightly chipped, so the shape wasn’t pristine.
“It’s only around ten yuan, how can it not be carried back?”
Jian Xingxia swapped it for another bar and had Ruan Xiang try again.
Ruan Xiang felt a bit embarrassed. She placed the soap back onto the shelf. “Sister Manor Owner, you saved me, gave me chicken soup to drink, treated my wounds, and even invited so many people to comfort me…”
Ruan Xiang knew those aunties and older sisters outside had been called over by Jian Xingxia, and she deeply appreciated the sentiment.
Ruan Xiang said, “You’ve already helped me so much, and I haven’t done a thing… I cannot take these items.”
She felt too self-conscious to accept charity.
But her words suddenly reminded Jian Xingxia: “Oh, oh right! You haven’t worked yet.”
With that, she simply asked Ruan Xiang to perform: “Sing a song, perform a dance, or even tell a joke—anything works.”
Ruan Xiang was a woman of few words. Hearing this, she merely nodded. “Then I shall perform a dance.”
The blunt trauma on her body hadn’t damaged any bones or ligaments, so it wouldn’t hinder her movements.
Thus, she began to dance in the backyard.
Without any accompanying instruments, she softly hummed a traditional dance melody from the Dayong Dynasty.
Hearing the singing, Auntie Pang and Lin Sanniang initially peered through the kitchen window. Before long, unable to contain themselves, they trotted to the kitchen doorway to watch.
Eventually, they walked right into the courtyard to get a clear view.
As the melody concluded, Ruan Xiang gracefully curtsied.
When she raised her head, she was greeted by a dense crowd of people—everyone who had been in the front yard shucking vegetables, taking photos, and playing cards had rushed over.
Auntie Houjun whipped out her phone a beat too late, crying, “Goodness gracious! Your dancing is absolutely beautiful! It’s not a bit inferior to the dance instructors at the senior academy!”
A grandma said, “Bless my soul, I felt as though I was watching a heavenly fairy descend to the mortal realm.”
The young sisters-in-law were bursting with excitement. “Little sister, are you a dance major? That was stunning!”
Ruan Xiang’s face flushed entirely red.
Dancing at Feiyue Pavilion, she had certainly heard all manner of critiques and sycophantic praise.
But in the past, she had never felt an ounce of happiness because of it.
She couldn’t quite explain why. Clearly, when she danced well and guests tipped generously, she would receive a slightly larger cut of the coin.
But she simply detested those gazes—that lingering look that scrutinized her as a mere plaything.
But today was different.
There were just as many people surrounding her and praising her here, yet their faces were filled with nothing but appreciation, envy, respect, and warmth. There was not a single trace of that uncomfortable, judgmental scrutiny.
Surrounded by everyone, Ruan Xiang didn’t even know what to say.
Until an older auntie pushed through the crowd, beating everyone to the punch: “Little girl, are you Xiaoxia’s friend? How long are you staying up on the mountain? Can you teach us how to dance!”
“Ah?” Ruan Xiang froze in place.
