Chapter Thirty-Nine Widow Hu the Thief

As the end of the year approached, Lin Miao-miao had been going over the accounts, intending to distribute wages to the villagers nearby. Yet, as she examined the ledger, she discovered a problem. Lin Miao-miao scribbled and calculated on the paper, while An Qi, beside her, was puzzled and asked, “Miss Lin, what are you working on?”

Lin Miao-miao looked up and said to An Qi, “Brother Hei Qi, there’s something wrong here. The raw materials and finished products don’t match up, and there are far too many discarded semi-finished goods.”

An Qi nodded at her words. Li Yan-he, who was sipping tea nearby, heard Lin Miao-miao and raised his head, saying, “It seems we’ll have to visit that village ourselves to find out what’s really going on.”

Li Yan-he took Lin Miao-miao in his arms as they left, and An Qi had already prepared the carriage. The three rode to Lin Miao-miao’s processing factory.

Lin Miao-miao asked An Qi to stop the carriage early, and the group quietly made their way to the factory. For several days, Lin Miao-miao often stood there in secrecy, and after much observation, the three finally discovered something amiss.

There was a woman, surnamed Lin, whom the villagers called Widow Hu. She was pitiable, her husband having been killed by the Hu people. Lin Miao-miao had considered the widow first for employment, never imagining she would be the culprit.

“What are you doing? How could you secretly load finished goods into barrels meant for semi-finished products and sneak them away?” Lin Miao-miao shouted from a distance at Widow Hu. The widow, seeing Lin Miao-miao, stood there, guilt written all over her face.

An Qi summoned the village chief, who was also responsible for the factory. When the chief arrived, villagers began pointing and whispering about Widow Hu.

Lin Miao-miao recalled that when she hired the widow, many women in the village had warned her about Widow Hu’s lack of propriety. Lin Miao-miao had always dismissed such talk as women being malicious toward one another and cared little for the notion of “proper womanhood.” As a modern woman, she felt sympathy for the widow and decided to employ her.

Lin Miao-miao watched silently as Li Yan-he spoke coldly to Widow Hu, “Why did you secretly put finished products into the barrels for semi-finished goods?”

The widow fell to her knees, bowing repeatedly, and pleaded, “Sir, I didn’t do it on purpose. I just wanted to earn a little more.”

Hearing this, Lin Miao-miao grew angry. “If you want to earn money, it should be through your own abilities. Stealing the factory’s finished goods—what do you call that?”

Lin Miao-miao was displeased with Widow Hu’s character. If she needed extra money for her children or other needs, she should have relied on her own labor, not theft. After all, this was stealing, and Lin Miao-miao, frank by nature, had always disdained thieves.

Widow Hu raised her head, staring at Lin Miao-miao, and retorted, “What have I done wrong? How is it stealing? Those pastries would have been discarded anyway. So what if I take some home?”

In the factory, Lin Miao-miao had set a strict rule: if pastries were damaged during processing, they had to be handled collectively—either destroyed or sold at a low price. She hadn’t expected Widow Hu to argue this way.

Lin Miao-miao replied, “Those semi-finished pastries have issues, which is why they must be destroyed.”

Widow Hu shot Lin Miao-miao a cold glance, “You’re just a merchant’s girl, a child. What gives you the right to lecture me? I’m a proper farmer.”

“You merchants only speculate and make money off our labor. I just took a few pastries. How is that stealing?”

Lin Miao-miao’s temper flared. “What do you mean by merchant? What do you mean by lowly? Is money earned by one’s own hands lowly?”

Widow Hu sneered, “You’re nothing but a child bride, learning to serve men at such a young age. As you grow, who knows what you’ll become. And now you’re doing merchant’s work—what else are you?”

Lin Miao-miao’s face reddened with anger, never expecting to be spoken to in such a way.

Some women in the village defended Lin Miao-miao, saying, “Don’t talk about Miss Lin like that. She gave us work, and we do it honestly.”

“As for you, always scheming, doing nothing, and trying to make money off pastries. You used to take a little, and we let it go, but now you’re taking so much—what are you up to?”

Another woman scoffed, “Always dressing up and flirting with men, forever trying to seduce my husband. Who knows why someone like you remains in our village?”

Lin Miao-miao listened as the women scolded Widow Hu, who fired back, unwilling to be outdone.

Feeling wronged, Widow Hu looked at Li Yan-he with teary eyes, pleading, “Sir, please help me. I have children to feed, so I had to steal pastries to sell and support them.”

Li Yan-he remained cold. “You must know that theft, according to the laws of our dynasty, is punishable by fifty blows.”

Standing beside Li Yan-he, Lin Miao-miao’s compassion stirred when she heard Widow Hu mention her children.

Widow Hu, seeing Li Yan-he unmoved and talking about punishment, pouted and turned to a young girl in the crowd.

She walked up to the girl, slapped her twice, and kicked her, commanding, “Kneel and bow to the lord. If it weren’t for raising you, would I have to steal pastries?”

The girl was frail, her hair sallow, and unlike Widow Hu, her clothes were in tatters. In the dead of winter, she lacked even a proper garment.

Lin Miao-miao watched as the dazed girl knelt, bowing repeatedly to Li Yan-he, then looked up and pleaded, “Please, sir, spare her. I beg you, let her go.”

Widow Hu, seeing Li Yan-he remain indifferent, grew frightened.

She said, “My daughter is fifteen. If you don’t mind, she can serve you. I might as well sell her to you, so you won’t send me to the authorities.”

Lin Miao-miao was incensed. “How can you do this? How could you sell your own daughter?”

Widow Hu glanced at Lin Miao-miao. “What good is a daughter? Daughters are nothing but burdens. Selling her—why not?”

The girl looked up coldly at Widow Hu. “Mother, think carefully. If you sell me, no one will plead for you anymore.”

Widow Hu slapped her daughter. “You useless baggage! If I didn’t have you, I could have married into a wealthy family and lived in comfort.”

The women around gave Widow Hu disdainful looks.

Lin Miao-miao felt her worldview shift. She looked at the girl, only fifteen years old.

She remembered herself at fifteen, rebellious and bold, never suffering much. Her family wasn’t wealthy, but they lived comfortably.

She recalled wanting a mountain bike, which was all the rage at school. Her mother promised one if she ranked in the top thirty, leading to a noisy argument at home.

Lin Miao-miao’s heart ached for the girl kneeling before her. She walked over and helped her up.

The girl looked at Lin Miao-miao and said, “Miss, do you need a low-ranking maid? I can do anything. I’m willing to sell myself, as long as you pay me.”

Lin Miao-miao patted her shoulder. “We’ll discuss your matter later. Let’s resolve the rest first.”

Widow Hu watched Lin Miao-miao help her daughter up, feeling smug, thinking, “A young girl is easy to fool.”

Lin Miao-miao glanced at Li Yan-he, who said coldly to Widow Hu, “You are guilty of theft and will receive fifty blows.”

He looked at An Qi, who promptly stepped forward. Widow Hu struggled, while Lin Miao-miao noticed the girl standing there, expressionless.

Hearing the woman’s screams, Lin Miao-miao felt uneasy. Li Yan-he looked at the girl and said to An Qi, “Prepare a contract for her to sign.”