An Unfathomable Microcosm

The Self-Rescue Society had many members.

They ranged widely in age. The uncle who led them was around forty, while the others were between fifteen and thirty. There were both men and women.

Because the house was so small, they were packed tightly together, curled up inside. Yet they did not seem to find it painful. Rather, they seemed to have found true happiness.

One young boy even looked at Xiao Chan somewhat bashfully. Though Xiao Chan was still young, she truly had the makings of a beauty. Otherwise, Mama would not have chosen her.

Seeing the boy's expression, the others began teasing him as well, talking about women and marriage.

Xiao Chan was astonished. Having come from a brothel, she knew much about such matters, but... the more she knew, the more disgusted she became.

That was what astonished her. Though they were discussing the same things, nothing they said disgusted Xiao Chan in the slightest.

They happily shared matters related to marriage with one another, but there was nothing vulgar in their words.

They spoke of unmarried people's plans for marriage, or amusing incidents that had happened at wedding banquets they had attended. Sometimes, amid their laughter, they let slip a few overly candid hints about the pleasures of love.

It seemed that, in the eyes of these people enduring such bitter trials, love was always sacred. Even when spoken of nakedly, it could still be called pure.

This entirely different view of matters of the bed gave Xiao Chan a sense of novelty.

Perhaps because this conversation had made her feel favorably toward them, Xiao Chan told the people of the Self-Rescue Society about her past.

Her life had truly been miserable.

Before she was seven, she had been born in a small village, barely scraping out