561: 's Visit Home
Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
Shao Yunduan was a very gentle man. He curled his lips and nodded in agreement. "You are smart, and you have saved us a lot of trouble. I can deal with the rest.'
Although the future was not certain, those sweet words were totally suitable to be spoken in this way.
Qiao Xuan could not help but smile brightly.
Holding the excitement in her heart, Ms. Yan returned to the second section of the family pretending as if nothing were happening. She ignored Ms. Zhangs sour words, and asked Shao Silang, namely her husband, to join her in the field.
Nis. Zhang had been saying mean things about her and laughing at her all this while. She said that she was even worse than the maids at the first section of the family, and that her flattery did not work because they never taught her how to make a fortune.
She said that Ms. Yan kept sucking up to the first section of the family and it was so stupid of her not to give up.
Nis. Yan was very angry at the beginning, but after hearing those words for too long, she ignored her whenever she tried to say something.
But when she heard the words today, she had a slightly different thought in mind.
If Ms. Zhang knew that the first section of the family was helping her out so her family could make a fortune, Ms. Zhang would definitely get so annoyed.
That made her feel refreshed.
Ms. Yan never believed that Ms. Zhang was pitiful. She just found her behavior to be disgusting.
She whispered to herself in heart. "Wait and see!"
The couple had just walked out of the village, when Ms. Yan told her husband that she needed to pay a visit home instantly, and that her husband should work alone in the field, so that he could shield her.
Shao Silang did not ask the reason for it, but nodded with a smile and asked her to return as soon as possible.
Ms. Yan had an ordinary appearance, but she treated her husband with a true heart. She was very gentle and considerate in almost every aspect, so Shao
Silang was totally taken in by her and agreed with whatever she said to him.
Ms. Yan rushed back home and told her parents and brothers about what Qiao Xuan told her. She even tried to persuade them into saying yes to the proposal.
Mr. Yan and his two sons all exchanged a look between themselves. They had no idea what was going on.
What was wrong with Yan Jiao? She rushed home and told them such a vague thing that confused them totally.
Mrs. Yan realized what was going on before everyone else did.
She said, "My daughter is right! It is definitely going to be a great idea. Let's get them here to talk about it in detail. We need to talk face to face. 1 don't think my daughter ever makes any mistakes! "
She had spoiled her daughter rotten!
Ms. Yan was very excited and rubbed herself against her mother. , "Mom, you are the best!"
Mrs. Yan was very excited as well. She consoled her with a smile. "Of course, I am!"
Then, Mrs. Yan said with determination, "Good. Get them here and talk about this."
Ms. Yan said, "The sooner, the better. Tomorrow will do!"
Mrs Yan. "Yes, tomorrow works!" The father and the two sons.
Mr. Yan sighed. "Okay, it is a deal."
If he tried to object to the idea, the mother and the daughter would make a huge fuss about it!
Once her work was done, Ms. Yan was about to go home.
But Mrs. Yan did not want her to go so easily. She asked her daughter-in-law to boil a few eggs for her to eat on the way and even asked her son to accompany her home, making sure she was safe.
She even told her not to come here alone, but to bring Shao Silang with her.
Ms. Yan had to agree to her mother..
She was not walking on an isolated path and came across many familiar faces, though not everyone was familiar. How could she run into any trouble?
Once her brother accompanied her to the entrance of Shaoding Village, Ms. Yan insisted that he should go back. So, her brother had to leave it there.
Ms. Yan went into the field and joined Shao Silang. She even gave him the two boiled eggs she brought from her mother's family.
That made Shao Silang very happy, thinking that his wife was so nice towards him and spared every bite of food for him.
Ms. Yan told Qiao Xuan and Shao Yunduan about it and asked if they could visit her family the next day.
Shao Yunduan and Qiao Xuan believed that it was a good idea to start as soon as possible, and agreed readily.
They arranged to meet with Ms. Yan at the entrance of the village the next day.
After breakfast, they rode the donkey cart and visited the Yan Family together.
Qiao Xuan brought some homemade yuba and smoked dried tofu, bean cream skin and tofu puffs alongside.
Apart from the yuba and the sun dried bean cream skin, the smoked dried tofu and tofu pulls were made the day before for their family to eat.
Qiao Xuan had no idea how to make those, but she learned the dishes from her space, which gave her a lot of instructions about how to make various bean products.
Qiao Xuan followed the steps and managed to make them all. She planned to buy some fresh meat from the town to go with the tofu puffs.
She was going to mix the minced meat with a small amount of steamed glutinous rice, and add some chopped spring leeks to it. Then, she was going to let Taotao and Xiaoqi go to the river to catch some small river prawns, bake them, and add them as well. Once the ingredients were mixed well, a little salt would be added to the taste. Nothing else would be needed apart from these.
After brewing, she could steam some of it on the steamer, and deep-fry the other part. After it was cooked, they could eat them directly, or make soup, thicken it and cook it. It was going to be a delicious dish in all forms.
The Yan Family were all present, and they instantly liked Qiao Xuan and Shao
Yunduan when they met, with Qiao Xuan being the daughter of the County Magistrate whilst Shao Yunduan being the Cultivated Talent. Both sides greeted each other happily and they were very satisfied with one other.
They could not help but develop the feeling that the other party was reliable.
That made the communication between them go faster and smoother.
Qiao Xuan brought out the bean products she had prepared in front of the Yan Family, who were all surprised.
The Yan Family had been devoted to the tofu business since the generation of Ms. Yan's grandfather and it was a craftsmanship that had been passed down for generations. That was why the Yan Family cherished this skill deeply, and passed down the skill from fathers to sons.
As a result, they could tell the specialties of these bean products directly.
"What are these? How do they taste?"
Mr. Yan's heart throbbed, and he became very excited.
Craftsmen were always sensitive towards new products made by new skills. They could even tell if that skill was valuable.
Qiao Xuan made the introduction. "These are yuba, tofu cream skin, puffs and smoked dried tofu. You can tell that all of these are bean products. We can try making them and see how they taste?"
"Okay, okay!" Mr. Yan smiled. "Then, stay for lunch, and please tell my wife and daughter how to make the dishes, so that they can do it for us."
Qiao Xuan had not intended to cook personally. She was going to let them do it so that they could be fully convinced.
"Okay, then we will be staying for lunch!"
There were all kinds of standard and innovative mixtures for bean products. All chefs could come up with all kinds of new dishes as long as they thought about them carefully.
But what Qiao Xuan told them were just ordinary ways of making those dishes.
Roasted chicken nuggets with yuba, stir-fried dried bean curd with celery and vegetables, shredded fried bean curd in cold sauce, glutinous rice with diced bacon stuffed with tofu puffs, and one of these bean products for a huge mixture with chili.
Those bean products would sell well when they were cooked with other side ingredients. Meat could be added too, but the price might be a bit too high for the common civilians to afford.
So, vegetables as side dishes for the wok should leave some space for the original taste to show.
Also, dishes with meat would have a better taste.
Tofu could be good either with vegetables or with meat, thus being really popular.
The two daughter-in-laws of the Yan Family got busy. They killed chicken, soaked yubas and washed the smoked meat, getting ready to cook lunch.
Shao Yunduan and Qiao Xuan had a casual conversation and Ms. Yan showed them around the village. Soon, it was time for lunch.
When the dishes were done, they were served warm to the table. Mr. Yan asked the two guests to take the seat, followed by his own family.
The dishes looked really good, and the smell was so appealing, that the Yan Family had already understood what Qiao Xuan meant.
Mr. Yan tasted the cold dish first while he asked the others to start with the dishes. He was taken aback when he took the first bite. It was soft and chewy, and the more he chewed, the better it became. It had an attractive bean fragrance, which was completely different from tofu.
The dried tofu, yuba and puffs all had different textures when cooked with vegetables or meat. They would be equally popular as tofu itself.
Moreover, it could be preserved longer than tofu, especially the sun dried yuba and cream skin.
The three men of the Yan Family exchanged an excited look between themselves. This was wonderful.
It was such a pie from the sky! Everyone would want to have this business for themselves.
With these bean products, the Yan Family should be able to make a huge progress in their business!
The Yan Family would be able to get rich very soon!
"Please, let's eat first. Help yourself, we can talk about business after we are done with the food!"
"Okay, Uncle Yan."
Shao Yunduan and Qiao Xuan understood that the Yan Family was quite willing to take the offer.
After lunch, Mr. Yan and the two sons of the Yan Family asked Shao Yunduan and Qiao Xuan to take their seats and started to discuss this business vividly.
The couple would pass on the craftsmanship to the Yan Family without concealing anything, but they wanted 30 percent of the profits after 30 percent of the capital. They promised not to get involved with other affairs, which would be under the Yan Family alone. That was finally agreed between the two parties.
They knew clearly how precious the craftsmanship was, and when the couple offered 30 percent of the profits whilst offering 30 percent of the capital, the
couple did not take any advantage in the deal.
The Yan Family had years of experience in making tofu with good quality and reputation, so they had many old clients who were willing to buy stuff from them. They had accumulated a lot of money.
So, they decided to invest 100 liang, with the couple offering 30 whilst they put in 70.
70 liang was enough for the Yan Family, and comprised almost all the savings they had..
Apparently, the Yan Family found the business promising, thus were willing to invest in it instantly.
Qiao Xuan and Shao Yunduan decided to leave the workshop building and equipment and labor purchase to the Yan Family alone,
They had been in the tofu business for so long and no one had managed to copy them, so they must be very good at keeping their craftsmanship a secret. The couple did not need to worry about anything at all.
But Qiao Xuan suggested that the workshop should be built on a larger land, in case there would be expansion in the future. If the land was too small, it would cause them a lot of trouble in the future.
As for the way of selling them, the Yan Family had their own clients, so they could definitely sell it well in the town. On the other hand, Qiao Xuan and Shao Yunduan still remembered their friend, the Yuezheng Family in the province.
Yubas and dried cream skin could be preserved well, so a pickup a month should be enough. Dried tofu and puffs could be picked up every third day.
The Province and town were not very far away from each other.
Qiao Xuan was thinking that after she had a talk with Yuezheng Xiao, she should tell the Yan Family about this, so that they could reveal to the public that they were doing business with the Yuezheng Family in the province, saving themselves a lot of trouble.
After all, wealth could touch people's hearts.
The moment the bean products were launched in the market, and the business Dicked up. some people might want to get involved.
She could tell that this special kind of bean product could become a very popular ingredient in common people's homes as well as at the restaurants, and there would be people who were greedy for that soon enough.
But with the Yuezheng Family as the protector, a lot of trouble could be saved.
Mr. Yan had been a businessman for years, and he had thought about this potential problem as well. He admitted the concern to the couple frankly.
The couple exchanged a look and Shao Yunduan smiled. "Uncle Yan, don't worry, we have thought about this before. What you need to do is to do the business well and leave the rest to us.'
Mr. Yan asked nothing more, and smiled. "Okay, then we will not worry about this."
"One more thing." Shao Yunduan said, "My cousin is not employed. How about you hiring him so he could make some money to support the family?"
Ms. Yan's eyes were bright and she felt very grateful to him.
She would have told her mother about this later but Shao Yunduan mentioned it now, making it easier.
She had brought in such huge business for her family and she could make any request she wanted. But when Shao Yunduan mentioned this first, there was no one who could object. It would be different if it was proposed by her.
"Of course!" Mr. Yan was very happy to help his son-in-law, so he agreed. "We will be hiring manpower anyway, so if he is part of our family, we will not be too worried! "
Shao Yunduan nodded. "In that case, he can be here as soon as possible. Well, you are still in charge, and I have 30 percent of the profits. If he wants to buy my shares, I can sell them to him, at 10 liang for ten percent. We need to follow the market price,"
Ms. Yan turned to him and felt excited.
30 liang of capital at the moment could become hundreds of liang soon. Business would bloom and the share would grow as well. The share would become much more expensive..
If she could buy 10 percent right now, then the profits would guarantee them enough money for the rest of their life.
She could not buy 20 percent…
The couple needed to make some money as well. If they gave her everything, they would not be able to earn any profits.
But Shao Yunduan's proposal made her realize that she could buy 10 percent at the moment.
Ms. Yan always knew what to say and what to do.
Qiao Xuan smiled. "You can talk about this among yourselves, and think about our proposal. We will come and sign a contract in a few days, so that we have proof for both sides."
The two sons of the Yan Family nodded in agreement.
It was an open and fair deal between them, in case there was some contradiction in the future and the family relationship was ruined.
"At that time, we will bring the instructions. Oh, one more thing, since we will give you the secret, we will not sell it to anyone else, or do it ourselves. The scope is within our province. But you can't sell this to anyone else, which should be written in our contract, agreed?"
Mr. Yan nodded after a moment of consideration.
He also felt assured after listening to this clause.
Qiao Xuan and Shao Yunduan gave the instructions to them for free and they could not possibly sell it elsewhere. That would be so dishonest.
If they could earn this much money with the instructions, what was the point of being dishonest?
Qiao Xuan had promised that she was not going to share the business secrets anywhere or make it on their own, so it meant that the Yan Family should be the only one who would make such products.
That was enough.
Maybe after some decades, someone would figure out the secret but by then they would have already taken over the market.
Also, they would not step anywhere outside the province, since it was already huge enough for them. Moreover, they were not the only family that sold tofu here in the county.
They would expand their bean products industry, and for that the province should be enough for them.
This Cultivated Talent and his wife were trustworthy people!
The two sons of the Yan Family could not help but sigh emotionally.
They had a good time and the deal was almost done.
Shao Yunduan and Qiao Xuan headed home with Nis. Yan.
Ms. Yan had ten liang herself, and she did not need her family's help.
After a moment of hesitation, she asked with a smile. "Fifth Sister-in-law, and Fifth Brother, can we really buy 10 percent from you?"
Ten liang for 10 percent, that would come back to them very soon. What they needed to do was to wait for the profits to come to their pocket.
Qiao Xuan smiled. "Of course, it is ten liang for you. If you want to buy 10 percent, we can write this on the contract."
Ms. Yan had offered them help and this was what she deserved to have. Whatever more she would receive from the Yan Family was their family's concern.
Ms. Yan smiled brightly and said gratefully, "You are helping us! I know that! I will buy ten percent, and I will fetch the money and give it to you!'
Qiao Xuan nodded with a smile. "Okay!'
Ms. Yan thought for a while and said hesitantly, "But can you not tell my in-laws about this? 1 mean… if they get to know about this, there would be a lot of trouble arising in the family.."
"Soon my husband would start to work at my father's workshop and I will use the payout to cover the daily expenses."
She could use the payout to cover the expenses, but she was going to keep the 10 percent.
Qiao Xuan did not think that was strange, because they were all living together.
Ms. Yan could not possibly support the whole second section of the family, right?
"We are not going to tell them, but you should work on your husband on your own. You are paying for your own share, and it belongs to you alone."
True! The share was hers all alone, since she was using her dowry to pay for that. Hence, the profits should become hers as well. So, she did not need to be worried about it.
Relieved, Ms. Yan thanked Qiao Xuan happily.
Back at home. Ms. Yan instantly took out ten liang from her dowry and gave that to Qiao Xuan.
She trusted Qiao Xuan and did not ask for any written proof.
Qiao Xuan would not want to steal her money.
Qiao Xuan gave the Yan Family two days to discuss the deal, so she did not hurry back there.
They had already got the contract drawn, and Shao Yunduan had written down the instructions to make yubas and dried tofu, which was recounted by Qiao Xuan.
The next day, Qiao Xuan found the time to visit the mountain with Qi, Taotao and Chunyu.
At this time, there were many more kinds of mushrooms, bracken, spring bamboo shoots, and all kinds of fresh and tender wild vegetables in the mountains.
They not only ate them but also dried them out, so that they could last for half a year.
These were ordinary goods from mountains, so they did not need to go deep into the mountains to get them. Moreover, Chunyu as well as the other maids were not familiar with the mountain so they did not go too deep inside.
They were not very strong, but were of some help.
They brought a lot of things home and Qi held two large, chubby roosters.
They had many hands to help them process the mushrooms, spring bamboos and brackens this time around.
In the afternoon, Qiao Xuan checked out the mushroom shed in the garden, and asked the maids to help with the picking.
They had all the mushrooms, wooden ears and snow fungus picked in just one afternoon. That was what sufficient labor could do.
She had them all placed in a big dustpan for sun drying.
Qiao Xuan thought that after the spring plow passed, she was going to hire more villagers to plant snow fungus.
The following day, they got the beeswax, which was going to be processed after their visit to the Yan Family. Also, the roses were going to be in full bloom soon.
Nis. Yan did not tell her in-laws about the previous visit and had asked Shao Silang to shelter her, which he agreed happily to. That was what she did on the day of contract signing as well.
She had already told Shao Silang about how her family would get him to work for them and pay them too, which pleased Shao Silang completely.
If she had not stressed to him that this should not be revealed to anyone, Shao Silang would have shown off in front of his parents.
So, when he went out to work in the field with his wife, and she said that she needed to take a trip back to her mother's home, Shao Silang concealed the secret for her again.
The two parties exchanged the contracts, expressed a few thoughts and signed the deal in the end.
After the contract was settled, Shao Yunduan copied three sets, so he and Qiao Xuan, the Yan Family as well as Ms. Yan had one each respectively.
Nis. Yan had 15% shares, the extra 5% was given by her family as a commission fee..
Mr. Yan asked Ms. Yan to tell her husband to finish the labor, so he could come and offer some help. It was settled that he would get 700 wen a month, and he would have three days of break during each month.
Ms. Yan was very satisfied with the arrangement.
This salary was not going to end up in Ms. Yan's hands.
Ms. Niu even wanted to steal her dowry. If her family was not this strong, she might have even offered Ms. Niu her portion as well.
A mother-in-law would always have her ways to torment her daughter-in-law.
So, the payment was going to be given to Ms. Niu no matter what.
If her husband was strong enough, he might get 20 or 30 wen out of the 700 from his mother's hands. But even that might not be possible.
Anyways, she was going to try.
In the end, it did not matter. If her parents planned to give her husband a raise, he could possibly conceal the real amount then and keep the extra with himself.
As long as he would have the work, it was going to be fine.
Most importantly, she could earn her own profits from this. That would be enough for her.
Two or three years later, she was going to ask her parents and brothers to help her get separated from this family.
She might have to face some losses on the surface, but as long as they could live separately, they would have a good life ahead.
Nis. Yan had made her plan for her life.
They all returned to their homes after the deal was signed.
Ms. Yan got off the donkey cart before she reached the village. She went into the field to meet her husband.
Shao Yunduan and Qiao Xuan were heading home on their donkey cart when they were almost bumped into by a wagon behind their back. The donkey got startled and Qiao Xuan almost fell off it.
"Who is that? So rude!"
Shao Yunduan let out a sigh of relief seeing that she was not hurt. He watched the wagon heading away, eyebrows raised.
Qiao Xuan pursed her lips. She had lost her good mood.
How annoying!
Gossip arose when they were eating lunch, and the answer was found.
The wagon must be holding the concubine of the Zhao Family.
The concubine was back again after being away for a few days?
Qiao Xuan mentioned in front of the family that the wagon almost bumped her and Shao Yunduan's donkey cart.
Ms. Fang got so furious when she thought of what happened last time, "What is that concubine going wild for? Bumping people away in the village. If someone gets hurt, even the Zhao Family can't solve the problem!" Taotao added. "Good that you are fine, or we will not let her go!'
"Yeah, true!"
Yang Xiaoni was confused. "Strange. I heard that large families have their rules and concubines can not leave home at their wish. What is she doing here with her own family, and she is back so soon!" Everyone was startled hearing what she said.
True, what was she doing here again?
She never went home before, and now she was coming over so frequently.
Also, nothing much was happening at Ding Jiahuai's home. Hence, the Zhao Family should not care about Ding Jiahuai either.
They were not related, who would care about anyone's business.
"Anyway, that is their own problem, we can leave them alone." Ms. Fang said, "Don't gossip about it, maybe they are up to no good!"
They were curious but not nosy. They needed to stay away from someone's concubine in case it would bring trouble to them..
Qiao Xuan did not like Ding Qiuyue, especially when she realized that she was the concubine of Zhao Guanghua and Zhao Mings father.
When she thought about this, Qiao Xuan got a little worried, as she remembered Qiao Wei. Ding Qiuyue could not be here for her, could she?
What could have motivated her to come back to her home so soon?
Also, could the Zhao Family let her be here so easily without any purpose?
"Mom, I don't think she is up to any good. If she comes to our home, don't let her in, okay?"
Ding Qiuyue was just a concubine, and it was very normal that she was not welcomed to anyone's home.
So, it was not a rude thing if Ding Qiuyue was turned down at the doorstep.
Qiao Xuan did not take Ding Qiuyue as a threat.
But she was worried that Qiao Wei could be acting on a whim, again?
She had many things that could handle any tricky situation, but she did not want to deal with Qiao Wei right now.
She needed to wait until Shao Yunduan finished the examination.
What if they were sinister enough to ruin Shao Yunduan's future? That would be terrible.
But she was very curious. If Qiao Wei was involved, why was a concubine of someone else's family here to work on the forefront?
That did not make sense.
Qiao Xuan felt that she was thinking too much about it.
But Ding Qiuyue should not come to her home. That would save her from any unforeseen problem.
Ms. Fang said, "Don't worry. I don't like her much. She was here last time, and I didn't take to her. I won't allow her to be here again!'
That startled everyone else.
"Ding Qiuyue was here? When?"
Ms. Fang said indifferently, "You were all out for work. I was here alone, She said some ill words, so I drove her out with an excuse.'
How dare she try to pry into her daughter-in-law and make comments about
her? She was not in a position to do so!
Qiao Xuan pursed her lips. So, that concubine was here last time?
If she came over again, then something weird was definitely going on. If she was not here this time, then she might have thought too much about it.
Before Qiao Xuan was about to say something, Shao Yunduan already said, "Mom, Elder Sister-in-law and Third Sister-in-law, if Ding Qiuyue comes over again, do not let her in, okay? I don't think she is up to any good."
Qiao Xuan smiled at Shao Yunduan.
Shao Yunduan thought about the same thing.
Shao Yunduan was the backbone of the family, and his words were loud enough for others to hear.
They all nodded and made the promise.
After lunch, some took a nap, some went to visit others. It was soon very quiet in the yard.
In the afternoon, they started to work respectively.
It was going to be March soon and in one week, they should start to plant the seedlings. When the seedlings grew big enough, they would start planting other things.
So, they kept putting the crop on the empty land.
There were also weeds in the bamboo forest, which should also be cut with a sickle, cleaned up, and then loosened with a hoe.
Otherwise the weeds would grow everywhere and make it difficult to do the work.
Qiao Xuan did not step out in the afternoon. Shao Yunduan was studying whilst she was reading and napping in the bedroom.
Ms. Fang had just taken a nap when the sound of door knocking arose outside. She frowned and asked. "Who is it?"
"Ms. Fang, it is me, Qiuyue! I would like to have a chat with you."
Ding Qiuyue's smiling voice floated in from outside..
Ms. Fangs face changed.
She really came over! What was she doing here again?
Ms. Fang felt that Ding Qiuyue wasn't up to anything good. She did not need Shao Yunduan's reminder.
Her family and Ding Jiahuai's family were not very close to each other. They just greeted each other briefly when they encountered each other on the way, or exchanged some words on a few occasions. So, what was Ding Qiuyue doing here at her place so often rather than keep her parents company and visit the other relatives from the Ding Family?
"l am very busy, and don't have time to receive you. Come back next time!"
Ding Qiuyue smiled. "Ms. Fang, can you open the door? 1 won't keep you for long. We are all friends, right? You don't need to receive me. I just need to ask you about one thing!'
"Oh please, don't! I am just a countryside grandma who knows nothing. I can't tell you anything, sorry!'
"Ms. Fang, you are just being modest. We can't just talk with a door between us, right? Can't you just open the door. Or, are you looking down at me?"
Ms. Fang pursed her lips, saying to herself that there was no need to act sweet in front of her. She was not Old Master Zhao!
"That is not true. What is the point of looking down at you? I need to cook in the kitchen. I am busy now!"
Having said those words, Ms. Fang left the courtyard in a hurry.
She did not bother to talk with Ding Qiuyue again.
HOW strange.
"Ms. Fang, please!"
Ding Qiuyue knocked at the door. But no voice arose from behind the door.
She could not help but feel distressed. She was absent-minded for a while and had no choice but to turn around.
Hongyu felt distressed too. She said involuntarily, "Ms. Concubine, the Shao Family are so rude. She is just a countryside grandma! How can she act like this?"
Ding Qiuyue glanced at her. "That is what it is like. What can we do about it?"
Hongyu felt stuck in words.
"Let's head home first!"
Ding Qiuyue paid another visit in the afternoon, but Ms. Fang ignored her again.
Ding Qiuyue might not be smart, but she could sense that the Shao Family ignored her on purpose.
She was furious and anxious. They could not have possibly known about her plan, but then why was she not allowed to come in? Could it be because they did not want to hang out with people poorer than they were, just because they had become richer than before?
But she was allowed in last time, wasn't she?
If she could not go into the house, she would not be able to finish the task that the Old Master gave to her. She was promised to be granted with great gifts after she accomplished the goal.
Ding Qiuyue was feeling really anxious.
The next morning, Ding Qiuyue came to the first section of the family again.
She kept calling out Ms. Fangs name, but before she could coax her with some sweet words, a young lady's voice arose from behind the door. "Concubine
Ding, I am curious about what you are doing with my mom?"
Ding Qiuyue was startled. She forced a smile, "Please, which daughter-in-law are you? Can you open the door once? I have a few words to say and 1 will be off after that."
"Concubine Ding, please come back in the afternoon."
Ding Qiuyue was so annoyed.
What a strange family!
With a sunk face, she said sweetly, "Okay, 1 will come back after lunch!" Ding Qiuyue left in anger.
Behind the door, Qiao Xuan snorted.. "Back after lunch? Hope you will still have the courage to return here!"
Qiao Xuan was already sure by now that Ding Qiuyue was up to no good.
Qiao Xuan turned to Shao Yunduan but the couple just could not figure out when they offended the Zhao Family, that the Zhao Family sent a concubine to deal with them.
Shao Yunduan denied that it should be related to Qiao Wei, when Qiao Xuan shared her speculations.
Qiao Wei did not care about Qiao Xuan and the Shao Family, so whenever she wanted to give them trouble, she would always do it straightforwardly. So, there was no need for her to use an old man's concubine to give them a hard time.
Qiao Xuan nodded in agreement.
She was too nervous and hence, kept associating the matter with Qiao Wei. If the Zhao Family was the only enemy, they did not need to be so worried.
After all, they had someone backing them up as well!
"It is very troublesome if she keeps pestering us. I will go and deal with her!" Shao Yunduan smiled. "How do you plan to deal with her?"
"It is simple. My mom and Elder Sister-in-law will visit her, asking her parents as to what their daughter is doing by coming to our doorstep so many times. Let her reply in front of everyone so we get an idea about the truth!"
Shao Yunduan.
He laughed.
"Good idea!"
Qiao Xuan smiled as well. "l think so too!"
She could not wait to tell Ms. Fang and Ms. Xu about this.
Ms. Fang and Ms. Xu both disliked Ding Qiuyue, so the three of them went out at this time.
Ms. Xu was taken along by them because she was a pregnant woman, who would always be respected and carefully watched out for.
All Ms. Xu needed to do was stand next to them and play her role as a pregnant woman.
Also, Qiao Xuan and Ms. Fang were not there to have a fight. They were just showing concern to Ding Qiuyue.
More importantly, they were going to reveal the secret so she would not have the chance to sneak around.
Ding Qiuyue had never expected that the moment she arrived home and her mom was going to talk with her, Ms. Fang came there with Ms. Qiao and Ms.
xu.
"What on earth has happened to Qiuyue? She came to our place twice yesterday and once today. We were too busy to receive her, and just exchanged some words across the door. She said that she needed to ask me something. I am curious about what is so urgent. I don't have much knowledge of anything, but Qiuyue, you asked me for help, so I should show some concern, right? We are from the same village!'
"So, I am here to ask about it. I can't just let you come to our place all the time, right? I feel so sorry to have let you do that so many times already. Qiuyue, just tell us what you need. We are all ears to hear you."
, Ding Jiahuai and everyone else at the Ding Family were shocked.
They had just come home for food, but before they were able to eat anything, they received the news.
Ding Qiuyue was dumbfounded. '
She was so angry inside her heart.
No, this should not have unfolded in such a manner.
Old Master told her to get into the Shao Family so she could get any one item out of the Shao Family, anything would do.
If she could not get anything from the Shao Family, then she could tear some of her clothes and ruffle her hair as if she were running out of the Shao Family in anxiety.
She needed to make sure that she was seen by someone, not necessarily too many people, just enough so that the scene could cause some suspicious rumors. In this way, there would be enough bargaining chips for them to make a deal with the Shao Family..
If they did not 'sell' the field to the Zhao Family, then Old Master Zhao would spread the rumor that Shao Yunduan assaulted his concubine. As a result,
Shao Yunduan's name would be ruined.
At that time, she would act as the victim.
As long as she was inside the house of the Shao Family, no one would know exactly what happened there. She could just make up any story that she liked, and with some extra effort, her Old Master was definitely going to ruin Shao
Yunduan's name.
The first section of the family could not afford to make Shao Yunduan lose his future, so they would definitely offer to sell the fields.
Moreover, they would have to sell them at a very low price!
That was a simple method and it should work out well, if it was done properly.
As long as it could work out well, it should be considered as a seamless plan.
Once she made it happen, no one from the first section of the family would be able to defend themselves with any excuse.
A rumor spread out of this aspect would ruin someone's future no matter what they became in the end. It was never going to be erased from one's past.
More importantly, Officer Qiao disliked Qiao Xuan and Shao Yunduan, so even if Qiao Xuan decided to report the matter to the governmental office, the case would not be settled in a proper way.
Luckily, the whole family disliked Ding Qiuyue and never allowed her to enter the yard.
As long as Ding Qiuyue was not allowed into the yard, she would have no way to play the trick.
So, Shao Yunduan dodged a bullet, purely by accident.
Ding Qiuyue had thought that it was a simple and easy thing to do. She just needed to sacrifice a little of her reputation.
But the Old Master was the only person she could rely on, so she had to do whatever the Old Master told her to. The Old Master even told her that she would be granted 20 liang after the plan worked out.
20 liang… that was a huge amount for her.
But what she had not expected was that Ms. Fang disliked her so much that she did not allow her to even step into the yard.
What she had never expected was that she came with her daughters-in-law to her own door and made a statement in front of her own family!
How should she answer now? She had nothing to ask Ms. Fang, who was useless to her!
But what could she say to fool them now?
Nis. Guan's eyes widened. "What? Nis. Fang, did you just say that Qiuyue came to your door and asked you for some advice?"
"Yeah." Ms. Fang sighed. "I am not sure what is the matter?!"
Ms. Guan frowned and threw a displeased look at Ding Qiuyue.
Why was her daughter not talking to her but reaching out to Ms. Fang?
Could it be because she wanted only to talk to rich people, not poor ones like her own mother?
Ms. Guan felt kind of hurt.
"Yeah, Qiuyue, speak up! Just say it!'
Ding Qiuyue could not make up a story, and uttered a few words nervously. "l just wanted to ask… ask how much did the new house cost you? Just asking, yeah!"
Ding Jiahuai's eyes brightened, as he said excitedly, "Qiuyue, are you wanting to build a house like that for us as well?"
Ms. Guan, her son as well as her daughter-in-law all got excited upon hearing that.
"My daughter, you are so kind, you remember us all!"
The Ding Family nodded in happiness.
"Qiuyue, you treat us so nicely!"
"You never forget to share anything with us!"
Now it was time for Ding Qiuyue to get dumbfounded.
That was definitely not what she meant!
Ding Qiuyue did not like it when her parents sold her to Old Master Zhao as a concubine.
In fact, she hated how they made the decision, especially now that she was living a terrible life at the Zhao Family.
Sometimes, she also hoped that her mothers family would flourish so she could have a back-up and have some place to live when she needed one.
Building a new house for them?
She had no money to build them a house!
Before she could say anything more, Ms. Fang chuckled with a smile. "Oh, that is simple. I could have told you before, if you had asked me. Not that much money, just 30 or 40 liang. The Zhao Family is too rich to take this as a huge amount. Actually, you can ask the Zhao Family to build this for you, they are so rich and they are full of people to help with the construction. Oh congratulations, you are going to live a good life!"
Ms. Guan grinned brightly. "Yes, yes, thanks. I am so proud of my daughter!"
"Qiuyue loves you, that is your luck!"
"Ahahaha! That is true!"
"Anyways, you can talk about this between yourselves. I am sure that with Old Master Zhao around, everything can be solved easily. You don't need to ask us about this! Qiuyue is just being cautious. I am off now, we have much work to do at home!"
"Ahahaha, okay, come and talk with us whenever you have time!"
Ding Qiuyue.
Ding Qiuyue was so angry that she could not utter even a single word. What was going on?
When Ms. Fang left Ding Jiahuai's home with her two daughters-in-law, all of them could not help but burst into laughter.
"Serve her right! Trapping her in her own plan!'
Qiao Xuan smiled. "We were not trapping her! We were just revealing her inner thoughts to her family!'
"Yes. Haha!"
The three women left Ding Jiahuai's home happily and Ding Jiahuai's home was also filled with happiness.
The whole family all turned to look at Ding Qiuyue, which creeped her out.
"Come on, Qiuyue, tell us slowly!'
"You should have told us earlier about it! Hahaha!"
"We don't need such a big house, a smaller one will do. But we want the same kind of windows. They look so nice and bright!'
"Yeah, but sister, you are kind enough to offer us a big house, we must accept it! Also, we will have many children in the future so we will need a spacious place. "
"Yeah, true!"
Ding Qiuyue got so annoyed and snapped. "Enough, stop it!'
The others froze suddenly.
Ding Jiahuai said, "Yeah, we all should stop talking about it, just leave it to
Qiuyue!'
"Yeah!"
The others all turned to Ding Qiuyue with a smile.
Ding Qiuyue gasped. She was being pressurized!
She had no money! She could have built one for them if she had money.
But the thing was that she had nothing!
She could not produce money out of nowhere and she needed to put it straightforwardly in front of the family.
"Don't ever dream about it." Ding Qiuyue sneered. "l have never mentioned building a house. I have no money for that either."
Moreover, they even wanted the windows like at the Shao Family's house?
Ignorant people!
Did they know that a window like that would be worth more than herself when she was sold.
"What?"
The Ding Family did not understand until a while later. "What did you just say…" Ding Qiuyue said coldly, "Since when did I say that I want to build a house for
"But…'
"l never said any such thing. It was all your assumption."
Ms. Guan and the others were dumbfounded.
Their beautiful dream had been shattered before they could even think about it properly.
The Ding Family were so disappointed and furious.
People were strange. No one had mentioned this before, so no one had thought that Ding Qiuyue should build a house for them.
But after the coincidental talk, the whole family got very upset and felt that it was Ding Qiuyue's fault that she denied the possibility.
"The Zhao Family are so rich, you can't even give us a dozen of liang? You have not earned even this much after all these years?" Ding Jiahuai snapped furiously.
Ding Qiuyue sneered and turned to look at him with a grudge. "I am a concubine, a concubine, you know! I am not in charge of the Zhao Family's money. I have not even seen what a dozen liang looks like so far. If you want it, you can go to the Zhao Family and ask for it directly!'
"You!" Ding Jiahuai turned even more furious. "If you had gotten pregnant and sucked up to them, you would not have ended up like this. Look at yourself!
No man would like you!'
Ding Qiuyue burst into tears and snapped back.
"You sold me to become a concubine. What more do you want of me? You want to kill me?"
It was a mess in the Ding Family.
In the end, Ding Jiahuai left with a sunk face, and the mess did not end until Ms. Guan dragged Ding Qiuyue back into the room.
Ms. Guan was very unsatisfied by the shattered dream. Still, she could not help but feel concerned about her daughter. She wanted to shout at her but held back.
She sighed deeply. "We are poor. Don't blame your father and brother for what they said to you…"
Ding Qiuyue looked up at her coldly after wiping away the tears. Nobody cared about her, no matter whether she would blame them or not.
"Mom, I am telling you the truth. Old Master sent me back for a specific purpose…"
Ding Qiuyue had no choice but to confess.
She hoped that Ms. Guan could give her a hand.
She knew clearly what her Old Master was like. If she failed this simple mission, her Old Master would not forgive her and instead punish her in the end.
Ms. Guan was shocked and dumbfounded.
"How…"
"l have told you everything. Keep your mouth sealed and leak no words to anyone. Old Master Zhao is not very easy to deal with and he doesn't like rumors about his family."
"l got it!" Ms. Guan got frightened and nodded, turning pale. "But your reputation will be…"
She just did not understand this.. Her daughter was married to Old Master Zhao, how could Old Master Zhao make his woman do this kind of thing? That was so wrong! Actually, everything felt wrong about this…
Ding Qiuyue sneered. "I am a concubine. Since when did I have a reputation?"
Ms. Guan was mute, feeling slightly uncomfortable in heart.
She felt a little guilty too.
She threw a look at Ding Qiuyue and was about to defend herself, but then she gave up.
Old Master Zhao had laid eyes on her and asked the housekeeper to come by. What else could she do?
Ding Qiuyue said, "You have to help me to go inside the first section of the family's home."
Ms. Guan's head turned blank. "l have no solution, either. We are not in a close relationship with the Shao Family… It is not…"
Ding Qiuyue turned fretful. "You must help me, somehow. I will be punished by the Old Master. The Old Master will give me 10 liang after the mission is completed. I will give you half, if it works out."
Ms. Guan's eyes turned bright. "For real?"
Ding Qiuyue's eyes turned cold and her heart sank. Only money could motivate her parents to do something.
They had some feelings for her, but in front of money, she was nothing.
"For real!"
So, Ms. Guan decided to give it a try.
After breakfast, Ms. Guan went to the first section of the family with Ding Qiuyue, under the guise of offering 'an apology'.
Once Ding Qiuyue walked in, she could just sneak away to the side without anyone noticing her actions.
At the first section of the Shao Family.
Everyone was busy with their work after breakfast.
Shao Yunduan returned to the room to study. Master Yun left, but he had assigned him many tasks and provided precious documents, enough for him to study before the examination.
He needed to cherish every minute to work on what Master Yun had taught him.
He had already realized that what Master Yun gave him was not only important for the imperial examination. This knowledge was going to be very useful for his entire life as well, as long as he absorbed it well.
What he had learned from Master Yun in this short period was more than what he had studied at school and college in the last ten years.
He had never had this kind of feeling before. He felt that the road ahead was clear and he had received useful and precious knowledge.
Shao Sanlang and the others had already finished working on the land. So, he and Qi went into the mountains to hunt on this free day.
Qiao Xuan, Yang Xiaoni, Taotao and Chunyu were working on the lipsticks in the flower field.
The apricot and peach flowers had withered but Chinese roses continued to bloom. They had a lot to do every day.
Qiao Xuan was thinking that after a few days, she was going to visit the Zhang Village and when they came back from there, they could start to work on watermelons.
She did not want Ms. Fang to be at home alone. So, she asked Lixia and Liqiu to stay to help Ms. Fang with some housework, like looking after children, and watching out for Ding Qiuyue.
They could inform her in the flower field, if any emergency happened.
Ms. Fang felt really fresh in mind. She thought that Ding Qiuyue would not come over any more.
Much to her surprise, not only Ding Qiuyue, but her mother also showed up all of a sudden.
Ms. Fang was very pissed. She did not even bother to answer the door and told Lixia to deal with it.
That made everything easier. She was a maid, and all she needed to do was to tell them that her mistress was not at home and that she could not open the door for any guests.
She offered an apology for not allowing them inside the house and informed them that she will pass on the message to the family later.
Nis. Guan was defeated as well.
Ding Qiuyue felt really annoyed.
It seemed that anyone coming from her home would be turned down at the
door of the first section of the Shao family.
With no way out, she couldn't stay at her mother's home for too long. She headed back the next day, feeling quite nervous.
Ms. Fang let out a sigh of relief after hearing that Ding Qiuyue had left the village.
But she sensed that something was wrong.
What exactly was Ding Qiuyue doing here at her doorstep all these times?
At the second section of the Shao family.
The very night when Shao Silang and Ms. Yan signed the contract, he told Ms. Niu and Second Uncle about working for the Yan Family.
He would be paid 700 wen a month, working from morning to the evening, lunch was included.
The payment would rise, and he would have three days off every month.
Since he was the son-in-law, they would not be strict about the rules. He could come back to help the family if he was needed.
Ms. Niu and Second Uncle became cheerful.
"That is such a great piece of news! My son is so capable! Haha!"
"Of course you should take the job. You can start tomorrow, and let Ms. Yan keep you company. You are going to work for your father-in-law and your brother-in-law. Work hard and well!"
"Yeah, don't worry about what is happening here at the family. But you can't splurge your wages. You have to give me the payment every month."
They had Erlang with them to farm. He could just come and help with the seedling when it was time.
They could not ask the first section of the family for help any more. But they had promised to loan them the bull, which could save them much money and energy.
Also, they did not need to owe the first section of the family any labor either.
Now onwards, Silang could make money as well. How wonderful!
700 wen every month was already very good, and there would be a potential wage rise in the future as well. Ms. Niu felt so happy about it.
She was dreaming that the money was already in her hands.
700 wen was a large amount. More importantly, he would be paid every month, and the labor work should not be too exhausting either.
Shao Silang and Ms. Yan were very happy as well. They chatted with each other.
Shao Erlang was glad as well but he felt a little jealous.
His own in-law's family was so horrible, always causing him trouble… He could never get anything out of them.
But that was just a feeling he had.
When he realized that the payment would need to be given to their mother, he could not help but feel slightly better.
This meant that even if his brother turned out to be good, he would live a good life too.
Ms. Zhang was different.
She felt so irritatedly jealous when she saw how her in-laws were vividly chatting with Shao Silang and Ms. Yan.
She hated listening to the piercing laughter.
Especially Ms. Yan's, who she believed was showing off in front of her and trying to overpower her.
That made her feel even more sour.
It was not her fault that her own family was not as good as Ms. Yan's. What was the point of being so proud of it?
Her in-laws all spoke highly of Ms. Yan and Shao Silang. What position would she have at home?
Her mother-in-law always looked down at her and even lectured her all the time. After Ms. Yan came to the family, she even shouted at her. "Look at what you have done, and look what Ms. Yan has done for the family!'
She hated her so much!
Ms. Zhang forced a smile when she thought about this. "Mom, how about asking my sister-in-law to ask her father whether they would want to hire my husband as well? In this way, we can get one more portion of payment for the family."
The laughter paused.
Ms. Yan frowned slightly but she turned really furious inside. Still, she held her peace and did not say anything.
Her in-laws reacted in the same way as she had foreseen.
"I think it is a good idea. If that works, we can get more than 1 liang a month. That is a huge amount!"
"Ms. Yan, how about asking your father tomorrow? Erlang is very diligent as well!"
Shao Erlang also looked expectantly at her too.
Ms. Yan sighed inwardly.
They were going to hire more people in the future and there would be gossip arising if they refused to hire close relatives.
She was not willing to do so, but this seemed to be inevitable..
She would have a bad time if her in-laws knew that her family would rather hire outsiders than Erlang.
Ms. Yan smiled. "Dad, Mom, Elder Brother is our family, and my family would definitely take him into consideration. But we don't need so many people right now, so Silang will be the first one to work for them. If we need any more laborers, we will definitely get Elder Brother to work with us. But the payment will be a little different though…"
Ms. Niu and Second Uncle found that reasonable too.
They said, "It is a deal. Don't forget to tell your father about it. If he needs people to work for him, our Erlang can help too. Payment should not be lower than that for others.'
Ms. Yan smiled. "Of course. We will pay according to the market."
Ms. Niu and Second Uncle were pleased.
They did not find it strange if the payment was lower than that of Silangs because Silang was their real son-in-law anyway.
But Ms. Zhang felt that Ms. Yan was upset with her, and hence, she was trying to give her a bad time.
"Dad, Mom, what about getting my husband to start tomorrow." Ms. Zhang smiled. "Erlang can take Silangs position, so he will always be taken care of. If Silang takes this opportunity, we are not sure when Erlang will have the chance. Also, the Yan Family have two daughters-in-law as well, maybe they will want to get people from their family to take the work as well."
Nis. Yan finally turned furious. "What are you talking about? My two sisters-in-law are all people from the Yan Family. They gave birth to and raised babies for our family and they respect my parents. Of course, they can get people from their families to work for us. Also, I am just the daughter of the family. It is already so kind of them to take care of me! This is far better than some families who want their daughter to help them rather than the other way around!"
"If you are so calculative, Second Sister-in-law, you can talk with your own family rather than aiming for mine! Don't think that you are the only smart one who knows some tricks. Honestly, my father is bad-tempered, and if people try to fool him, he will never hire anyone! Don't think that I will have a say in it!"
Ms. Zhang's face flushed and she snapped. "What do you mean? How can you talk with your sister-in-law like this?"
Ms. Yan did not care. "I won't do so if you leave me alone!"
"You!"
"Just drop it!" Second Uncle had almost been persuaded by Ms. Zhangs suggestion.
But what Ms. Yan said frightened him.
He felt a little lucky to have not catered to Ms. Zhangs thoughts, otherwise he would have lost his face as well.
The Yan Family was not easy to get on well with.
Second Uncle was only imposing in his behavior with Eldest Uncle. He did not dare to do anything with anyone outside the family.
He knew pretty well that he was nothing in front of outsiders.
He dared to confront his brother only because they shared the same bloodline.
But he was always nice to people outside the family. He only held a grudge with his own family.
"Just let Erlang wait until the Yan Family needs more people to help. Ms. Yan, you need to remember that we are all part of one family and Erlang's earnings will influence our life as well..
Ms. Yan nodded. "l will, Father.'
Ms. Zhang sneered quietly. She did not think so.
She believed that Ms. Yan was just putting on a show.
But under such a circumstance, Ms. Zhangs thoughts were all clogged in her stomach. The Yan Family had killed her dreams even before they sprouted.
No one from the Yan Family could be offended easily. Her in-laws did not dare offend them either. They were just cowards.
Her in-laws only dared to show majesty in the family.
She herself did not dare offend the Yan Family, either.
The more she thought about this, the more angry she became.
Ms. Zhang was so annoyed. When she found Ms. Yan alone, she sneered.
"Fourth Sister-in-law, you keep visiting the first section of the family, but you have gotten nothing good out of them, right? The first section of the family is not helping you to make a fortune either, so you have to turn to your own family for help."
Ms. Yan smiled after hearing the sarcastic and sour words.
She really wished to tell Ms. Zhang what she was doing right now and how she got her husband the job from her parents' family.
Ms. Zhang would surely turn mental if she learned the truth.
How wonderful that would be!
But Ms. Yan pressed down her impulse and smiled. "Second Sister-in-law, do you know that we should hope for the best and prepare for the worst. I like visiting the first section of the family because they are so friendly, not because I have a purpose. Also, there are still secrets I can't tell. But you will know about them sooner or later!"
You will know, when it is time…
Ms. Yan made up her mind not to reveal a thing until they lived separately. She was not telling anyone that she had one share in the business as well.
"Also, at least I have my own family to rely on, don't l?"
"You!" Ms. Zhang got so angry. Was it good to have a family to back you up?
The business kicked off after the contract was signed, capital was invested and instructions were brought in.
Shao Silang started the work the following day.
Ms. Yan took him there and handed him over to her father and brothers. Then, she told them some of her own ideas.
Shao Silang listened to everything she said. Her father and brothers were not cruel people, so as long as Shao Silang obeyed their words, there would be no trouble at all!
The business kicked off directly.
Ms. Niu felt so proud that she went to show off in front of Ms. Fang, telling her that her family would prosper very soon!
That was because the Yan Family was going to hire both of her sons soon.
In this way, they were going to have more than 1 liang a month, as well as a possible salary increase in the future, which would bring them more money.
Ms. Fang said okay to express that she had heard what she said.
One liang a month? How could that be something to be proud of? Her daughter-in-law had already led the whole family to earn thousands of liang in just one deal.
But she was not going to reveal that to frighten off Ms. Niu.
She was not at all envious.
In fact, she wished that the Yan Family could help the second section of the family so they would not focus upon Elder Uncle for help.
Moreover, the second section of the family had to obey the rules when they were under the Yan Family's charge. If the second section of the family worked for her, they would definitely act as lazy as possible.
Ms. Fang did not ask Ms. Niu anything, which made Ms. Niu believe that Ms.
Fang was just jealous.
That thought made her really glad.
After she left the first section of the family, Ms. Niu went to Ms. Ma and showed off there as well..
Ms. Ma felt really sour in heart. But she chuckled pretentiously and passed on some forced congratulatory words, before telling Ms. Niu that her son would become an officer soon.
When her son became an officer, he could earn more than 10 liang a month, not just 1 liang.
Nis. Niu pursed her lips. So what? Liulang was not yet the officer.
But Ms. Niu could not foresee that Liulang would not become an officer, so she dare not make a conclusion now.
Flattery did not cost anything, so she said a few to Nis. Ma.
Ms. Ma felt really motivated.
Qiao Xuan wrote a letter to Yuezheng Xiao and told him about the bean products.
It would take at least half a month before the Yan Family's bean products business started officially. So, there was no need to be in a hurry.
When Ding Qiuyue went back to the mansion, Old Master Zhao snapped at her and called her useless and stupid.
Ding Qiuyue held her breath and did not dare to utter a sound whilst sitting on her knees.
When Old Master Zhao was done, he ordered her to tell him everything in detail. She opened her mouth for the first time and spoke vividly.
Listening to her words, Old Master Zhao felt that it was incredible.
How did the first section of the Shao Family happen to turn down Ding Qiuyue at this juncture?
They were from the same village.
It wasn't that strange that people visited each other.
"Did you expose yourself?"
"Of course not. I didn't dare to! I did not even tell my family about it."
Old Master Zhao was silent.
True.
Ding Qiuyue would not be bold enough to do anything like that.
Moreover, she would not dare lie to him.
Now that she was turned down by the first section of the Shao Family, she had no way to finish the plan.
So unlucky, how horrible!
"Anyway, you can leave now. If I ever find out that you lied to me… I don't think that you can afford the consequences. If you did lie to me, confess now."
"Old Master, I would never dare lie to you!'
Old Master Zhao flung his sleeves and said, "Just leave now."
Ding Qiuyue felt so weak that she retired in panic.
Old Master Zhao was walking back and forth in the study, getting more and more furious. He was not going to let this thing go away like this, never!
Old Madam Zhao sneered as she heard what happened and how angry Old Master Zhao became. "Old Master Zhao, you were so confused in your head that you asked the bitch to carry out the plan. She is so dumb! It's not strange that she ruined the whole thing. If this method doesn't work, then you can use other methods. As long as they fail to keep the fields, they will have to sell them to you, right?"
Old Master Zhao felt motivated again and smiled. "You are right, good point!"
Old Master Zhao and the housekeeper made another plan. Housekeeper sent someone to look around at the Zhang Village and eventually bribed two tenants. The plan was that they would poison the six bulls. Moreover, they would ruin the seeds given to each tenant.
After that was done, they were going to be awarded 20 liang each and the fields would be rented to them at a low price.
The two tenants were not very sincere people. Hearing the profits, they agreed despite the potential risk.
The tenants were living in a very bad condition and they visited each other often. So, the limited space made it possible for them to learn where the seeds were kept, which made it very easy for them to ruin the entire pack. Some boiled water into the bags, and the seeds would either get cooked directly, or develop yeast and get ruined, impossible to be planted any more..
By the time it would be discovered before the planting, it would be too late.
There was a large amount of seeds prepared for more than 300 mu fields, and it was not very easy to make up for the loss.
If the Zhao Family managed to successfully implement the trick and ruined the fields with the bad seeds, the whole plan for spring plow would be ruined.
But Ding Erzhu had a habit of walking around and checking things, so he happened to catch the two tenants.
That was such a huge crime they were committing!
Ding Erzhu directly sent his men to fetch Shao Yunduan and Qiao Xuan.
Hearing the shocking news, Qiao Xuan and Shao Yunduan came to the Zhang Village directly.
The two tenants could not be kept any more,
They had committed a big blunder, and Qiao Xuan and Shao Yunduan would reclaim the fields from the tenants. It was already kind enough for the couple not to send them to the governmental office.
Spring plow was not only important for all households, but also a very important affair for the court. All civilians needed to eat, and a good production was what a country needed to ensure.
There would be chaos and rebellion if civilians could not be fed.
So, seeds and bulls were very important things.
It was forbidden to kill bulls meant for plowing, even though the bulls were raised by the family themselves. Else, they would be fined and cast into prison.
Same was true about the seeds. Anyone who intentionally ruined the seeds would be considered to have committed the same crime.
But the tenants' family were not aware of this. They cried and begged forgiveness.
Qiao Xuan asked Lin Mian's family to help them out. She could not bear to see the scene, but her mind would not change because of this.
Their family might be innocent. But that did not matter right now.
Shao Yunduan and Qiao Xuan would not keep them since they committed such a crime.
They needed to set an example for the rest, to build their reputation.
Shao Yunduan did not have much time for this, since he needed to work on his exam preparation.
When the family members were taken out, Shao Yunduan and Qiao Xuan let the tenants stay. Ding Erzhu was asked to remain and watch as well.
"Who told you to do so?"
Ding Erzhu was startled when he heard Shao Yunduan's question.
He had not thought about this. He had assumed that it was just an off-hand mischief.
The two tenants were frightened as well. They lowered their heads and remained silent.
Shao Yunduan brought out two notes of 10 liang each.
"Tell us the truth, and you will get 20 liang each and be allowed to leave the county with your family. Otherwise you get nothing. You failed in implementing the plan. Do you think that the person behind would give you what they promised you?"
Qiao Xuan added. "We more or less understand who is behind this. But we just need confirmation. You don't have to tell if you don't want to."
The two tenants got swayed and committed the crime. But they got caught. They were so distressed by this. So, they could not stand it any more, hearing what Qiao Xuan and Shao Yunduan said.
What they did would spread out soon and they would not be able to be hired by anyone. So, leaving the county was probably the only way out.
They could leave with or without the 20 liang. That depended on them.
One of them said, "Housekeeper of the Zhao Family came to me. They promised us 20 liang and low rent for their fields…"
"Same… here…
The housekeeper was not worried that what they did would be exposed one day.
Qiao Xuan was just a concubine's daughter whom Officer Qiao and Madame Qiao never cared about. The Shao Family were just a countryside family whom the Zhao Family did not need to worry about either..
Even if they were exposed, the Shao Family could easily squash down the rumor.
They would not be even able to take revenge.
Also, if the Zhao Family did not admit to it and the two tenants could not show any evidence, they could even say that they were set up.
The tenants would just do their work, knowing who hired them.
That was why the housekeeper did not hide his real identity.
Qiao Xuan and Shao Yunduan exchanged a look between themselves. They had no doubt about the tenants' words.
"Alright, you can take the money and leave."
Shao Yunduan gave them the money, as he had promised.
The two of them felt so guilty, but they could not turn down the money given to them. They kowtowed to the couple three times sincerely, took the money and hurried away.
They were worried that the Zhao Family would come to the door and give them a hard time, so they had to leave as early as possible.
"Ding Qiuyue, and now the bought out tenants… Why has the Zhao Family become so frenzied? We have never offended them before, have we?"
Qiao Xuan just could not figure it out.
Shao Yunduan smiled and said, "l am not sure, But there is definitely a reason. We just don't know when we have offended them."
Qiao Xuan agreed. "In this case, this must have happened recently."
The Zhao Family did not care about them. Just look at how the housekeeper exposed his identity to the tenants.
So, if the offense was done a long while ago, the revenge would have already been extracted by this point.
This meant that it was a recent event.
But what did they do in the near past?
Shao Yunduan thought for a while and said slowly, "We have bought dozens of mu of fields recently."
Qiao Xuan added. "True! The land agent wasn't normal the other day when he tried to sell the fields to us urgently. There may be a story behind it."
Shao Yunduan said, "Let's go and talk to him!"
unay :
They stressed to Ding Erzhu to pay more attention to the fields and asked Lin Mian to help with the patrol, before heading to find the land agent.
The land agent was dumbfounded when he heard what had happened.
He had not expected that Old Master Zhao would be so narrow-minded. Those were just some fields! Old Master Zhao offered such terribly low prices, and the seller refused to sell them to Old Master Zhao. What could a land agent say about it?
It was his job to find a suitable buyer, wasn't it?
Old Master Zhao and the two young masters were not nice people, which was known to the land agent. But they should not have been so over the top!
The land agent sighed and recounted the whole story.
Shao Yunduan and Qiao Xuan exchanged a look between themselves.
Okay, the riddle was finally solved.
All this must be because of the fields!
Old Master Zhao wanted to possess them, so he was very annoyed that the seller gave them to the couple, He did not think that the couple were strong enough to confront him, thus he came up with all these ideas.
This was very common.
People believed that they were better than others, so they never cared about anyone else.
That must be why Ding Qiuyue tried to step into the Shao Family's home. She must have been up to no good, either.
The land agent apologized constantly, but the couple could not say that it was alright. They just waved him goodbye and left.
If they had known that Old Master Zhao wanted to buy the fields, they would have not thought about buying them.
What they wanted least was to get themselves in trouble.
Moreover, the Zhao Family was in a good relationship with the County Magistrate's family.
Now that the trouble was already at their doorstep, they weren't really afraid of it! Let them come!