Beginning with the Ubume Bird

Chapter 753: Chapter 42 Charcoal Kiln Chapter 753: Chapter 42 Charcoal Kiln “`
Hong Liangyu made his way into the mountains to the charcoal kiln and saw a stout and fierce woman standing under the shed, her face lined with horizontal fleshy creases, and behind her stood a half-grown girl in a tattered floral jacket, her chin pointed and cheeks gaunt, probably from hunger.

The charcoal collector, Li San, took a sip of his cool tea and glanced sidelong at the incessantly chattering woman before he waved his hand impatiently after a while, “Mrs. Hua, you’re wasting your breath. Master Dong has already taken a fourth wife this year, and added over ten maids to his household. Her? I can’t recommend her.”

He stood up and hitched his trousers, giving the girl the once-over and said with a snicker, “But if it’s with me, it wouldn’t be too bad.”

“Go away, go away!” Mrs. Hua pushed Li San aside, “If Master Dong married our Cui’er, he could offer a whole cart as a betrothal gift. And you, just you, how much could you give?” By the end of her sentence, Mrs. Hua’s voice had dropped.

Li San sucked on his teeth and held up two fingers: “Two strings of coins.” Mrs. Hua rolled her eyes at that, and Li San tried to persuade her, “It’s not a loss for you. She’s been with you for over half a year; she must have eaten quite a lot, right?”

Seeing Mrs. Hua’s eyeballs whirling, Li San struck while the iron was hot, “Her family is gone, aren’t they? Died from dysentery while fleeing the chaos?”

Mrs. Hua became frantic upon hearing this, “Bandit! Fleeing to safety on the road, they were killed by bandits, not sick!”