Chapter 404: Ruthless (2)
Chapter 404: Ruthless (2)
Mo Qingze initially thought she would hesitate for a moment, but he didn't expect her to be so decisive. He felt even more that the girl was not easy. So he said gently, "Since that's the case, I'll accompany you to your house to settle this matter. While the yamen isn't sealed these two days, let's get your indenture done."
Tang Xin hesitated for a moment, about to say something, when Xin'er hastily interjected, "Dad, can't Tang Xin and I just make a verbal agreement? Let's consider this silver as a loan from Tang Xin, okay?"
Tang Xin was different from the Li family. Although the Li family had helped her family a lot, the villagers didn't know that the Li family had sold themselves to her family. But since her father had said such words, it meant that Tang Xin would have to stay in their house as a servant in the future. She was glad that her father was willing to help, but she really couldn't accept her good sister becoming a servant in their house.
"Xin'er, be quiet!" Mo Yan glared at Xin'er and spoke with such a stern tone for the first time, "Your dad has his reasons for doing this. Don't say more."
Xin'er looked at her sister incredulously, feeling aggrieved, "Sis..."
Mo Yan just looked at her without explaining.
Although their family could afford to have servants, Mo Yan had never thought about acquiring them. It wasn't just because she wasn't used to it due to influences from her past life; it was also because they didn't have many household affairs, and she could handle them herself. Furthermore, with so many people around, she didn't want to risk exposing the secret of her abilities.
Her agreement to Tang Xin's request this time was purely out of sympathy and was completely exceptional. Getting an indenture would legally bind Tang Xin and prevent her from easily betraying them.
Moreover, if they didn't get an indenture, someone in the village might think of her family as a soft touch and try to sell their children to them in the future. Not only would they enjoy a good life with good food and accommodations, but they could also leave whenever they wanted, causing endless trouble.
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This novel is translated by the Eternal Novel Hits translators. Please read it at https://eternalnovelhits.blogspot.com
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Considering these factors, even if her father hadn't proposed it, she would have still insisted on Tang Xin getting an indenture. However, since her father had already brought it up, it saved her from having to argue about it.
Mo Qingze did indeed have this concern. He had already thought about it; as long as the girl stayed dutifully in their house, when she reached the age for marriage, he would dissolve her indenture and return her freedom.
Xin'er didn't know her father's plan. Seeing her sister's bad expression, she didn't dare to ask for the reason behind it and just looked at Tang Xin apologetically.
Tang Xin twitched the corner of her mouth and gently shook her head. Although she was very disappointed, it was already good enough that the Mo family agreed to buy her and help her escape from her predicament. She couldn't and didn't dare to ask for more.
However, despite accepting her future as a servant, she still felt indescribably uncomfortable. She blinked hard, concealing the tears of sadness, and raised her head to Mo Qingze, saying, "Master Mo, due to my stepmother's greed, if you go today, she will definitely ask for a lot of silver. Can you wait until those people come tomorrow? By then, you will only need to spend ten taels of silver."
Ten taels of silver was the standard price for selling oneself. She considered it as repaying the Tang family's kindness for raising her for ten years. From then on, she would have no more relations with the Tang family. She didn't want to benefit Yu shi even a single penny.
Mo Qingze was stunned, partly understanding and partly confused. Just as he was about to say something, he saw his eldest daughter giving him a meaningful look and nodded in agreement.
"Master Mo, thank you for your help!"
With the weight off her chest, Tang Xin bowed sincerely to Mo Qingze. As she stood up, the first smile since she arrived at the Mo family appeared on her face.
Although she was young and her features hadn't fully developed yet, it was still apparent that she would be a beautiful girl in the future. This genuine smile raised her already seven-point beauty to an eight-point one.
Mo Yan looked at the young girl with emotion. No wonder Yu shi was so determined to sell her to such a place. She probably not only hoped for a good price but also expected her to earn a lot of money in the future with her appearance, so she could continue to exploit her.
After Tang Xin left, Mo Qingze asked Mo Yan why she had agreed to go to the Tang family tomorrow.
Mo Yan shrugged, indicating she didn't know. Seeing her father's suspicion, she explained, "The girl is not stupid. Since she said so, she must have a way to thwart Yu shi's plan. We'll know when we go to the Tang family tomorrow."
She had her guesses, but she didn't want to say them out loud yet, lest she scare the children.
However, she never expected Tang Xin to be so ruthless. Not only did she ruin Yu shi's plan, but she also didn't even get the ten taels of silver, almost compensating her own daughter in the process.
Mo Qingze chose to believe that she really didn't know, and he didn't ask further. He silently planned to bring more silver when they went to the Tang family tomorrow, just in case.
Apart from Xin'er, who was still worried about Tang Xin, the others didn't pay much attention to Tang Xin's matter. The offerings for the Kitchen God were already prepared, awaiting the arrival of the night. At this time, everyone started to chop meat and prepare dumplings.
But when Mo Qingze followed Mo Yan to the cellar to fetch ingredients, and saw nearly a dozen large pots filled with various kinds of preserved meat, he almost thought his eyes were playing tricks on him. "Yan, Yan'er, how come there's so much meat?"
Seeing her father's stunned expression, Mo Yan smiled secretly, then said confidently, "This is not enough at all. I was worried it wouldn't be sufficient!"
Although they had bought half a pig from the family that slaughtered a pig in the village a few days ago and had hunted some game from the mountains, and they had also slaughtered more than thirty of the chickens they raised in the backyard, most of these were meant as New Year gifts and would be given to their good acquaintances once the New Year passed.
These items were all prepared by people who came to visit. Besides the families of Yan Junyu, Liu, Shopkeeper Xing, and the Shopkeeper of the wood shop, Mo Qingze's good friend Han Zhiyun and several other teachers were also on the list. After calculating, these items were indeed not that much...
He never expected his daughter to be so competent while he wasn't home, preparing everything. Mo Qingze touched his daughter's head with red eyes, unable to express the thousand words in his heart, so he just said one sentence, "Yan'er... You've worked hard!"
"Dad, it's nothing. It wasn't hard at all!" Mo Yan hugged her father's arm and spoke honestly. The game was handled by Lin Yong, and she only had to deal with the pickling, which didn't take much effort.
Mo Qingze didn't argue with her. Looking at his daughter, who was smiling and joking, he felt that none of the young talents he had admired in the academy could compare to her...
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