Chapter 16 — The day they married into the National Palace, I personally tore apart their dignity

There are tailor shops, embroidery shops, shops selling colored threads, and also small stalls specializing in repairing clothes for ordinary families. Compared to the big streets near the imperial city, this place is not too ostentatious. But very bustling. People come in and out constantly. The sound of selling goods, the sound of scissors cutting fabric, and the sound of embroidery frames hitting each other resounded everywhere. The carriage had just passed an embroidery shop with a new sign, when we suddenly heard Thanh Hoa cry out softly.

“Miss, look.”

I lifted the car curtain. On the wooden sign hanging in front of the door are written three words: Van Tu Phuong. Below the sign, a woman is bowing her head and talking to customers. She wore a light blue dress, her hair was tied back in a bun, she had no valuable jewelry on her body, but her appearance was very clean and neat. With just one look, I realized. It's Van Nuong. Compared to the day she left the palace, she seemed to have changed a lot. No more being cautious and always looking at other people's faces. No longer have the habit of unconsciously bending over every time someone walks near. Her spine is straight. Calm eyes. When talking to customers, the voice is not loud but clear, every sentence and every word is very certain. I told the carriage to stop. Thanh Hoa helped me get out of the car. When I entered the store, Van Nuong was still examining a screen embroidered with lotus flowers. She picked up the needle and thread and showed a little girl standing next to where the thread was off.

“This place should not be pulled too tight.”

“If the thread is too tight, the fabric will wrinkle.”

“Do it again, it's okay to be a little slow.”

The girl nodded and carefully removed the thread she had just embroidered. When she raised her head to see me, Van Nuong suddenly stopped. The needle in her hand stopped in mid-air. After a while, she put everything down and quickly walked towards me. With just that sound, her eyes turned red. I looked around the store. The space is not large, but very neatly arranged. On the left hang perfume bags, handkerchiefs and embroidered belts. On the right are two large embroidery frames. In the back room, there were a few girls with their heads down working. The oldest child is about fourteen years old. The youngest child is probably only eight or nine years old. I smiled.

“Business is quite good.”

Van Nuong raised her hand to wipe the corners of her eyes and quickly invited me to sit.

“Just a small store.”

“When I first came here, I asked to work in my master's embroidery department.”

“Master saw that your skills could still be used, so he kept you.”

“Then there was a customer who liked my embroidery very much, so he ordered several sets of screens in a row.”

"I saved up a little money, and used the billions of silver I used to rent this store."

She spoke very slowly. Every sentence is normal. But we understand that behind those words are many days of staying up late embroidering each stitch, many times suffering pain in the tips of our fingers, carrying our luggage alone and walking through the southern city without knowing how we will live tomorrow. I looked at the girls behind me.

“Are they all my students?”

Van Nuong nodded.

“Some children's parents are no longer there.”

“There was one whose family tried to sell him.”

“Some children are not allowed to eat well just because they are girls.”

“I can't save too many people.”

“But if you meet someone, help that person a little.”

“Can you buy them back?”

She immediately shook her head. That voice was very fast, almost without hesitation.

“I don't buy people.”

“They come here to learn a trade, I give them food and shelter.”

"After If you can do the job, you will be paid.”

“Stay as long as you want.”

“You can leave anytime you want.”

Having finished speaking, she went into the room and took out a stack of papers.

“This is the contract I signed with you guys.”

I picked it up to see. Not a half-life contract. Just a labor contract. Above clearly state how much money you get each month, how many hours you work, and how many days off you get each month. The last thing it says, anyone who wants to leave, just needs to give seven days notice. Not redemption. No compensation. You don't even need the owner's permission. I look at Van Nuong. She bowed her head, her fingers gently caressing the edge of the paper.

“I used to be an object.”

“I don't want them to become objects too.”

The girls behind were silent. One of the youngest children secretly turned away to wipe away his tears. A feeling suddenly arose in my heart that was difficult to describe. That day, when she left the palace, I just wanted to help her get back her prostitution contract. I didn't expect that she could not only save herself. She also used her hands that were once dictated by others to open a path for girls like her. Van Nuong stood up, suddenly walked in front of me and knelt down.