The Blind Miss and Her Mute Maid

When A Qiu was eleven, her father sold her into the Xiao household as a servant.

The Xiao family's daughter, Yanran, had been blind since birth. Madam Xiao ordered that everyone serving by her side be made mute.

To receive an extra silver dollar in compensation, A Qiu resolutely drank the mute's potion.

Xiao Yanran took a great liking to A Qiu, a playmate close to her in age. She would have A Qiu lead her by the hand as they explored the estate, sing to her beneath the moonlight, or share a pastry with her. Even though A Qiu could not answer her with words, Yanran never tired of it.

Five years passed.

Mr. and Mrs. Xiao died one after the other from sudden illnesses. A host of uncles and other relatives descended on the Xiao estate, greedily dividing up its wealth.

By chance, A Qiu overheard these relatives plotting to target Xiao Yanran, intending to murder her and make it look like an accident. Horrified, A Qiu fled with Yanran in the middle of the night.

Yanran was left homeless and alone, utterly despairing. A Qiu forged a letter, claiming that the Xiao family had once arranged a betrothal between Yanran and a cousin's family in Beiping. She urged Yanran to seek out her fiancé, giving her a reason to keep living.

And so the two depended on each other as they set out on a long journey to find their relatives and escape.

Along the way, they escaped the clutches of bandits; huddled together for warmth in a kiln cave while heavy snow blocked the mountain pass; encountered unscrupulous human traffickers; and, when all seemed lost, accepted a bowl of hot porridge from a kind stranger.

Little by little, they came to understand each other's feelings. But just as they were about to confess, a twist of fate forced them apart...

A stoic, composed mute maid x a sensitive, gentle blind young lady

An alternate-history setting in the late Qing and early Republic era. Happy ending.

2021.10.14

Theme: Never bow your head in adversity, and cherish the happiness you have now