When I was sixteen, the Zhou Family bought me to be a breeder for their lame son, Zhou Yuqing, to bear him children.
Though the agreement was for me to arrive in June, I reported to the Zhou Family in March.
I did this for two reasons: first, to save my own family some grain, and second, to leave a good impression on my future master.
But Zhou Yuqing despised me for being a country bumpkin and called me stupid.
He said I wasn’t nearly as delicate or pretty as Miss Su next door.
Even as he shared my bed, he looked down on me for being dirty.
“You must bathe four times with green jasmine and white champaca, then comb your hair with osmanthus oil. Miss Su uses osmanthus oil-have you got that through your head? ”
“If you serve me well next time, this young master might just grant you a formal title.”
I nodded, scrubbing myself with a loofah until I nearly rubbed my skin raw.
Suddenly, someone grabbed me by the scruff of the neck and hauled me, dripping wet, out of the tub.
It was Madam Liu, the broker who had sold me. She was in a frantic rush as she dragged my naked, fragrant body toward the door.
“Good heavens! It’s all wrong, all wrong! It wasn’t the Zhou Family who bought you-it was the Zou Family!”
