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The laughter followed Joaquim Lacerda all the way across the square.
Some farmers slapped each other on the back.
Others shook their heads.
A few openly mocked him.
“Seven cents for a problem no one else wants?”
“He might as well have thrown his money into the river.”
“That woman will destroy his farm before harvest.”
Joaquim ignored them.
He stepped forward calmly, signed the necessary documents, and approached the towering young woman.
Up close, Benedita seemed even larger.
Years of hardship had hardened her body, but her eyes revealed something different.
Pain.
Exhaustion.
And beneath it all, intelligence.
“Come with me,” Joaquim said softly.
Benedita stared at him suspiciously.
She had heard promises before.
Kind words often hid cruel intentions.
Yet there was something unusual about the farmer.
He did not inspect her like property.
He did not boast about her strength.
He simply spoke as if she were a person.
For the first time in years, she followed someone without resistance.
The journey to Santo António Farm took several hours by wagon.
Neither spoke much.
When they finally arrived, the workers watched with curiosity.
Rumors had already spread.
The giant woman nobody wanted had arrived.
Most expected trouble.
Instead of taking her to the workers’ quarters, Joaquim led her toward the stable.
The workers exchanged confused glances.
What kind of work would she be doing there?
But Joaquim had no intention of putting her to work immediately.
That evening, he brought her food.
Real food.
Fresh bread.
Beans.
Meat.
More than she had eaten in months.
Benedita eyed the plate cautiously.
“Why?” she asked.
It was the first word she had spoken all day.
Joaquim smiled.
“Because you’re hungry.”
The simplicity of the answer caught her off guard.
No demands.
No conditions.
Just food.
Over the following days, strange things continued to happen.
Joaquim never forced her into the fields.
Instead, he spent hours talking with her.
At first she barely answered.
Then gradually, pieces of her story emerged.
She had been born in Bahia.
Separated from family as a child.
Sold repeatedly.
Punished whenever she questioned orders.
Her size made people fear her.
Her refusal to surrender her dignity made them resent her.
Every farm viewed her as a problem.
No one ever asked what she could do.