Chapter 137: Seeking Help (2)

Seeing the boss lady's brazen attitude, Mo Yan's heart sank. This brothel indeed had some background; otherwise, this woman wouldn't react this way. It seemed that barging in forcefully today wouldn't work.

"So, what will it take for the boss lady to release them?"

The boss lady's coquettish eyes assessed Mo Yan as if she were assessing goods, her intentions clear: "If you're willing to stay, even Xing'er, I'll let her go straight. How about it?"

"Yan'er, you shouldn't get involved. These are just a bunch of thugs who won't stop until they've bled you dry. Leave quickly!" Li Zhong cried out in pain. This was clearly a matter for their family, and Mo Yan shouldn't have been dragged into it!

Mo Yan comforted him, "Grandpa Li, don't worry, I'll be fine." Then she turned to the madam and said, "You know this is impossible. You're only holding Grandpa Li for money. How much do you want before you'll release them?"

"Miss really won't stay?" The Lady boss feigned regret, shaking her head. "Since you're so straightforward, I won't beat around the bush. The price is set: two thousand taels! As long as you produce two thousand taels, you can take these two away right now."

Two thousand taels?

Mo Yan's face darkened upon hearing this. "Madam, don't ask for the sky. Even a moderately wealthy family would have to sell everything they own to come up with two thousand taels. We're just commoners; even if we sold everything, we couldn't come up with half of that."

The Lady boss casually played with her nails. "It doesn't matter. With Xing'er here, I'll make that two thousand taels back sooner or later."

"So, there's no room for negotiation?"

"None!"

The Lady boss's firm reply made Mo Yan lose all patience.

She couldn't come up with two thousand taels, and she couldn't force the issue with this woman who had some background. Her only option now was to seek help from Yan Junyu. If he could shut down this brothel that coerced women into prostitution, it would be considered eliminating a scourge.

With this in mind, Mo Yan said coldly, "Since that's the case, I'll go back and raise the money. But Madam must guarantee that they won't be harmed until I gather the money."

"Haha, of course. Business is business, and harmony brings wealth!" The Lady boss covered her mouth and chuckled. Then her tone turned threatening. "However, I must see the money by tomorrow at the latest. Otherwise, I can't guarantee what will happen to them."

"It's settled then!" Mo Yan agreed in a single breath.

Exiting the brothel, Mo Yan breathed a sigh of relief, listening to the licentious sounds emanating from within with a cold smile.

The reason that woman was so arrogant was undoubtedly because she had someone backing her, thinking that as a mere commoner, Mo Yan couldn't do anything to her. Well, then, she would start by toppling her supporter.

Though she was borrowing Yan Junyu's influence, they had an agreement long ago, so Mo Yan didn't feel she owed him any favors. Her only concern was whether there might be repercussions from the brothel's backer, causing Yan Junyu to hesitate to act.

If that were the case, she could only spend money to resolve the crisis.

With her decision made, Mo Yan returned to Huixian Residence with the eight men, briefly explaining the situation to the shopkeeper. She didn't mention Li Xiu, only stating that Li Zhong had been framed and detained in that brothel.

Although Mo Yan's explanation had loopholes, the shopkeeper wasn't one to pry. He promised to pass the message to Yan Junyu as soon as possible and asked Mo Yan to rest assured and wait for news at home.

By the time Mo Yan returned home, it was already late at night. The three children were still awake, and when they saw her return, Li Yan rushed up eagerly, her eyes red and swollen.

Mo Yan didn't dare to tell her the truth, only saying that her grandfather had news about her aunt and was asking friends for help to find her. It was too late tonight, so they would have to wait until tomorrow.

Li Yan didn't know whether to believe her or not, quietly reheated the food and brought it out for Mo Yan to eat.

Mo Yan was very hungry but had little appetite. She ate hastily and then sent the three children to bathe and sleep.

Tonight, both Mo Qingze and Li Zhong were absent, and Mo Yan was worried that Zhen'er might kick off his blanket in his sleep. So she decided to sleep with him.

Perhaps knowing that Mo Yan was in a bad mood, Xiao Hua, unusually, didn't make a fuss. Instead, it obediently dragged the cotton mattress Mo Yan had made into the main room and lay down beside the bed.

After Zhen'er fell asleep, Mo Yan listened to his shallow breathing but found herself unable to sleep. So she brought Xiao Hua into the space and planned to plant the herbs she had collected today.

All the herbs were planted around the spirit spring pool. The spiritual energy around the pool was abundant, making it easy to water them. These herbs would soon become top-grade medicinal materials.

After planting the herbs, Mo Yan gave a little water to the thing beside the spirit spring pool that resembled lingzhi.

What puzzled her was that with other plants brought in, even if only an hour had passed outside, there would be some changes in appearance, either growing a bit or deepening in color. However, it had been five or six hours since the other plants were brought in, yet this thing showed no change at all.

Xiao Hua drooled as it stared at the blood clump, almost dripping saliva onto it.

Mo Yan looked at it and asked, "Can this thing be eaten?"

Xiao Hua understood Mo Yan's meaning but didn't dare to eat without her permission. It stuck out its big tongue, slurped once, took a bite of the blood clump, and closed its eyes, as if savoring the taste.

Mo Yan was speechless at this behavior. This guy was too disgusting, no wonder Yan Junyu didn't want to take it back even after so long.

However, judging by its performance as a wolf, this thing should be non-toxic, and eating it might even be beneficial. It looked so much like lingzhi; perhaps it was a kind of lingzhi. She just hadn't seen it in her past life, and it had grown so big; who knows how many years it had been. It might indeed be the legendary thousand-year-old lingzhi.

Well, let's assume it's lingzhi for now!

Thinking of this, Mo Yan solemnly warned Xiao Hua, "Without my permission, you can't eat this thing secretly. Otherwise, don't expect to come in again in the future."

Xiao Hua looked at Mo Yan plaintively, then at the lingzhi, and finally, with a sigh, it agreed.

Next Chapter▶▶

read advance chapter

 Chapter 885: Preparing to Repair the Ancestral Graves

"As for the Ge family, they seemed pretty good before, but now it seems they're the type of people who can only share wealth but not hardship. There's a saying, 'When a couple faces great difficulties, they each fly away.'"

As she spoke, she kept glancing at Li Shi, emphasizing her words and asking her, "Right, sister-in-law?"

Li Shi's face turned dark. She knew what Liang Shi meant. Wasn't it because she knew about Shu Yu's exile and also caused a scene about divorce?

But wasn't it all for the sake of their children's well-being? Who knew that Shu Yu's fortune would turn around.

Liang Shi snorted, thinking that it was a reunion day today, so she didn't want to ruin the atmosphere by arguing with her.

She turned her head and continued speaking to Lan Hua, "You, recognize the true nature of the Ge family early on, so you won't be harmed by them in the future. Besides, you're still young, Shu Yu hasn't even been engaged yet, so you don't need to rush, right, Shu Yu?"

Shu Yu, "..."

She had nothing more to say after Liang Shi had said everything. But she did agree with what Liang Shi said, so she nodded and said to the pitiful Lan Hua, "Third aunt's words make sense. The Ge family is indeed not a suitable match. Besides, you're still underage, so there's no need to be in a hurry."

Lan Hua was a few months younger than her. Although it was considered prestigious for a girl of fourteen or fifteen years old to be engaged, it wasn't advisable for girls at this age to get married as their bodies hadn't fully developed yet.

Shu Yu said to her, "When we returned from the southwest, we passed through the capital. There's a female doctor in a big medical clinic there, and I happened to meet her. She told me that it's actually better for women to marry after they turn eighteen. Having children too early not only increases the chances of the child being unhealthy but also affects the woman's lifespan. So don't rush, take your time, you're not lacking suitors anyway."

Lan Hua was surprised. "There's such a saying?"

Shu Yu nodded affirmatively.

Lan Hua let out a sigh of relief. She couldn't help but admit that she was greatly comforted by Shu Yu's words.

During this period, neither Li Shi nor Er Niu had left the house. The reputation of a woman whose engagement had been broken would inevitably be greatly affected.

She even felt that she might not be able to marry in the future and could only stay at home as an old maid. That feeling was truly unpleasant.

But now, with Shu Yu's affirmation, she suddenly felt that it wasn't such a big deal.

The Ge family was not worthy of her.

Seeing that her mood had improved, Shu Yu didn't say anything more.

However, the matter of Er Niu being expelled from school was different. If he still wanted to study, the original private school was indeed not suitable.

Teacher Wen's place would be a good choice, but there was no rush now. It would be better for her to discuss it directly with Da Niu.

The group of people chatted, and Old Madam woke up.

Seeing that it was getting late, Old Madam asked Lu Sanzhu to go to the village chief's house and bring back Lu Erbai. They should return to the county town.

Two mule carts, carrying a group of people, left the village in a grand manner.

The people from the main house saw them off, feeling a bit reluctant to part.

Shu Yu stood next to the mule cart and said to Lu Dasong, "Uncle, I want to repair the ancestral graves. I'll trouble you to think about it and consider what kind of regulations and how much money we'll need. We'll recruit some people and choose a date to make proper preparations."

Lu Dasong was stunned. "What... what did you say? Repair the ancestral graves?"

Next Chapter▶▶

Read advance chapters

 Chapter 382: Ordination

Next Chapter ▶▶

 Chapter 381: Stirring Trouble

Next Chapter ▶▶

 Chapter 136: Seeking Help (1)

The shopkeeper didn't inquire about what had happened, only asking, "Miss, how many people do you need? Do you need some who know a bit of martial arts?"

"It would be best if they know some martial arts. Shopkeeper Xing, however many you can provide, please do. I express my gratitude in advance," Mo Yan said, bowing solemnly.

The shopkeeper quickly stepped back, repeatedly saying, "It's not a problem," and asked Mo Yan to wait a moment before leaving. After a while, he brought in eight sturdy men dressed in short clothes, their faces solemn.

"Miss Yan, these few men know some martial arts. Dealing with thirty to forty ordinary people won't be a problem."

Mo Yan thanked them again with gratitude, feeling a bit more relieved with these eight men. Who knows, there might be a fierce battle ahead.

Without further delay, Mo Yan hastily left Huixian restaurant with the men. Along the roadside, she hailed two horse-drawn carriages and headed straight to the brothel in the northern market.

Based on Li Yan's description, Mo Yan guessed that Li Zhong had already found the brothel as guided by the beggar and confirmed that the woman there was his daughter.

Coming back suddenly at noon was probably to ransom his daughter with money, but since he hadn't returned all afternoon, it was evident that something had gone wrong. The most likely scenario was that the brothel was holding him captive or trying to extort more money from him.

Going alone, those people probably wouldn't even regard her, and if something happened, she wouldn't even have a helper. Borrowing people from the shopkeeper was also a last resort.

Huixian restaurant was a distance from the brothel. When the group got off the carriage on the street and walked through several narrow alleys to the place, an hour had passed.

At this time, there were two red lanterns hanging on the door, and the light from the house shone through the windows, with the faint sound of men and women laughing and chatting inside.

"I'll go in alone first. If I don't come out after a while, I'll trouble you all."

Mo Yan instructed them, hoping that the situation could be resolved peacefully. If not, they could enter and rescue her directly.

The eight men exchanged glances, and one of them, feeling uneasy, said, "Why don't I go in with you, Miss?"

Mo Yan hesitated for a moment and agreed.

The remaining seven men concealed themselves, and Mo Yan approached the door and knocked. After a while, the door was opened, revealing the sleazy short man who had let Li Xiu in last time.

"Miss, what's the matter?" The short man squinted at Mo Yan, his face full of lecherousness as he asked with a smirk.

Disgust flashed in Mo Yan's eyes as she coldly said, "Has an old man in his fifties come here today?"

The short man's eyes shifted. "There was indeed such a person. He said he wanted to redeem his daughter. Our lady boss is personally entertaining him. Miss, do you want to come in?"

The lady boss was planning to send him to Xinger's house for the money tomorrow morning, but unexpectedly, this person came to the door in the evening, saving her the trouble.

Mo Yan's eyes narrowed. "Take me in!"

...

The door was pushed open, revealing a cramped space, and Mo Yan immediately saw Li Zhong tied up in a chair.

"Yan girl, why are you here?" Li Zhong was surprised to see Mo Yan, then his face changed drastically. "This isn't where you should be. Go back quickly."

"Oh, where do you want me to go? Isn't it good that I'm here? Pay the ransom, and your family of three can reunite." A young woman with heavy makeup walked out from behind Mo Yan, giggling.

Relieved to see that Li Zhong hadn't been beaten, Mo Yan said, "Madam, are you not afraid of me reporting you for kidnapping?"

"Reporting me?" The madam chuckled as if she had heard something amusing. "If the miss wants to go, then go!"

Next Chapter▶▶

read advance chapter

 Chapter 884: Lu Erbai Knows High-ranking Officials in the Capital

Along the way, they encountered many villagers who raised their hands to greet them, but perhaps the effect of Fan Zhongzheng's previous words had taken effect, and no one dared to approach them and start a conversation.

As a result, the Lu family felt more at ease.

Li Shi and the others had already prepared the food, and Yuan Shanchuan had borrowed two large tables from the neighboring house and placed them in the courtyard, filling the yard of the main house to the brim.

This time, it was rare to have a large number of people from the Lu family gathered together. Except for Cui Hua, who was married and living elsewhere, almost everyone was present.

Fan Zhongzheng had also brought his sons over, and they had brought a lot of fresh vegetables. The dishes on the table were very sumptuous, like a New Year's feast.

At the dining table, Lu Dasong and the others were very curious about the matters concerning the Second Family in the southwest. Lu Erbai picked out what he could say and recounted it, eliciting exclamations from everyone.

Old Madam laughed at their ignorance. "What's so surprising about that? Erbai has made friends with a craftsman in the southwest. Guess who that is?"

She didn't mention Qi Chan. She didn't know if they would stay in contact in the future, so she didn't bring it up.

"Who is it? Grandmother, why are you keeping us in suspense? Tell us quickly."

Old Madam smiled proudly. "That person, he used to be a Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Works. Do you know what rank a Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Works is? A fifth-rank official, even more powerful than our county magistrate. But that's a capital official. It's already impressive to reach the fifth rank."

"Why isn't he in the capital? Why did he go to the southwest?" Lu Sanzhu asked.

Old Madam sighed. "He was exiled to the southwest five years ago."

"Ah?" Everyone was disappointed.

Old Madam glanced at them, snorted coldly, and said, "Ah? He's back in the capital now, reinstated to his original position, and even received the emperor's favor."

"Really?" Everyone's eyes widened.

"Of course. Master Yao himself said that Erbai is his good friend. If Erbai encounters any trouble, he can look for him. He will help if he can. Before leaving, he even left his address for Erbai and all the drafts he had for all these years. You know, Erbai's craftsmanship has been approved and guided by him, the Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Works."

Everyone was amazed to hear this. They didn't expect their second brother to have such an extraordinary encounter.

Shu Yu whispered to Da Niu, "Is Grandmother drunk?"

Da Niu nodded. "She had a little to drink, but she's happy today, so it doesn't matter. You don't know, Grandmother's alcohol tolerance used to be quite good."

"It won't be good if she gets drunk."

Da Niu replied, "Don't worry, Fourth Aunt is sitting next to her. She won't let her continue drinking."

The three daughters-in-law couldn't control her, but Fourth Aunt, being a daughter, could persuade her a little.

After the meal, an hour had passed, and the food had turned cold.

Shu Yu helped Old Madam into the house to rest, while Lu Erbai and Lu Dasong went to the village chief's house.

The others rested or chatted, and it was quite lively.

Shu Yu hadn't heard anyone mention it before, neither from Da Niu nor from Third Uncle. So she only found out now that Er Niu had been expelled from school and Lan Hua had her engagement broken.

She didn't expect the exile incident to have such a big impact on them.

But Liang Shi didn't mind. She waved her hand and said, "In my opinion, this is a good thing. That scholar in Er Niu's private school is both timid and narrow-minded. If he continue to study with him, you won't learn anything good. If he's expelled, he's expelled. You should go to the private school where my Da Bao studies. That scholar there is knowledgeable and not so influential. When I found out about this, I told Da Bao not to worry about it and focus on studying."

Next Chapter▶▶

Read advance chapters

 Chapter 135: Li Zhong Goes Missing (2)

Unable to determine what this thing was, Mo Yan didn't dare to try it lightly. After some thought, she entered the space and carefully planted it next to the Spirit Spring water.

Seeing the coveted treasure disappear, the wolf felt somewhat annoyed but had no choice. After Mo Yan came out, she was about to take Xiao Hua down the mountain. The wolf still followed them all the way until they reached the meeting point.

Although Mo Yan didn't know what the thing that she had painstakingly obtained was, it was thanks to this wolf that she found it. She grabbed more than ten chickens from the space and tied them with ropes, hanging them on the wolf's back as a gesture of gratitude. If she could confirm what it was, she would share half of it with the wolf and not take it all for herself.

The wolf didn't refuse. It stood in place and watched until Mo Yan and Xiao Hua's figures disappeared from sight, then turned and disappeared into the forest.

As they neared the foot of the mountain, Mo Yan left one rabbit and one chicken and took out the other chickens and rabbits, tying them with ropes and letting Xiao Hua carry them on its back as offerings for the workers at the construction site.

As for the sika deer, which was valuable all over, she planned to keep it to supplement the family's diet.

By the time they returned to the construction site, it was already past noon. Master Lu and the others, who were about to start working, were surprised to see the wild game on Xiao Hua's back.

Master Lu glanced at Xiao Hua and asked in confusion, "Yan girl, is this really a dog? It doesn't look like one!"

Mo Yan forced a smile. "It's a dog, but it's strong and runs faster than other dogs."

Master Lu didn't say anything more, and the others praised Xiao Hua as a good dog, eager to come up and pet it. Xiao Hua snorted arrogantly, turned its head away, and showed its butt to them.

After running all morning, both Mo Yan and the wolf were hungry. Fortunately, the food was warmed on the stove, so they didn't need to spend time cooking.

The meal consisted of three dishes and one soup: braised pork with potatoes, stewed cabbage, braised tofu with eggs, and chicken soup. The cook they hired had decent skills, and the food tasted alright. Mo Yan enjoyed it, but Xiao Hua was very picky and only ate a few bites before refusing to eat anymore.

After the meal, Mo Yan went back to the wilderness. The mountain was bustling with activity, with women weeding and men chopping trees. In just half a day, they cleared two to three acres of land.

Mo Yan instructed the women weeding to try to dig out the roots of the weeds as much as possible to prevent them from growing back before other tasks were completed. Without pesticides, it was impossible to completely eradicate these weeds, but at least until the fruit trees grew larger, the weeds wouldn't compete for nutrients excessively. For the first two years after planting fruit trees, they needed to be meticulous.

Mo Yan couldn't come here every day, so she entrusted the task of the mountain to Cai Shi and Xiong Shi, but those people just couldn't be lazy. Seeing that there was nothing else to do, she explained to Mo Qingze and then went back.

Perhaps feeling disheartened from the events of the day and dissatisfied with the food, Xiao Hua secretly followed Mo Yan, wanting to return to the city. It wasn't long before Mo Yan found out.

Unable to reason with it, even when it rolled around and acted cute or bit her clothes, Mo Yan couldn't resist it and had to go back again to explain to her father, asking him to be more vigilant at night before taking Xiao Hua on the cart.

When they arrived home, it was already evening. As Mo Yan and Xiao Hua got off the cart at the entrance of the alley, they saw Li Yan rushing over anxiously.

"Sister Yan, my grandpa still hasn't come back. Do you think something happened to him?"

Mo Yan was surprised. "What happened exactly? Don't worry, take your time to explain!"

Li Yan looked like she was about to cry, her voice becoming hoarse. "Grandpa used to come and go early and late, but today at noon, he hurried back, his eyes red and he looked very unwell. When I asked him, he just said it was nothing and went back to his room. It wasn't long before he hurried out again, but he hasn't come back since then."

Mo Yan frowned, already understanding what was going on. Li Zhong still hadn't returned by now, fearing that something had happened.

"Don't worry first, Grandpa Li might have received news about your aunt. You go back home and wait. I'll go and find someone to help right now."

Li Yan was already at a loss. Hearing Mo Yan's words, she hurriedly said, "I'll go with Sister Yan!"

Mo Yan shook her head. "The capital is so big, how can the two of us find him alone? Be good, you go back home and wait. I'll go find someone to help right away."

Li Yan couldn't argue with her. Knowing that she wouldn't be of any help even if she went along, she had to go back.

Mo Yan also sent Xiao Hua back and then quickly got on a horse-drawn carriage at the street corner, instructing the coachman to hurry straight to the Hui Xian Residence.

At this time, it was mealtime, and the hall of Huixian restaurant was filled with guests having their meals. When Mo Yan entered, she saw the shopkeeper at the counter.

The shopkeeper saw Mo Yan and, noticing her anxious look, quickly led her to a private room.

"Shopkeeper Xing, can you lend me a few people?" Mo Yan was anxious and directly stated her purpose.

Next Chapter▶▶

read advance chapter

 Chapter 883: Lu Sanzhu Retreats to Advance

Shu Yu smiled and said, "My father wants to open his own carpentry shop, but we'll take it slowly. We have to renovate the mansion given by the emperor before we can prepare for it."

They had a skilled and experienced carpenter in the family, so the renovation of the mansion could only be entrusted to Shu Yu's father.

However, the carpenter Zheng, who had done a good job with the shop renovation last time, also had good skills. Shu Yu thought of asking her father to invite him as well. With more people, the work would be faster, and they could move in sooner.

"Brother Da Niu, after the shop is handed over to my sister, I'm thinking of having you help with growing sunflowers. You have experience, and you're reliable. This is something that only you can handle."

Da Niu was taken aback. He hadn't mentioned it yet, but Shu Yu had brought it up first.

He was certainly happy about it. "I knew it. You're really dedicated to growing those sunflowers, and you're definitely going to plant them on a large scale. Don't worry, I'm a novice when it comes to being a shopkeeper, but there's no problem with farming."

"Of course, I'm counting on this to make a fortune."

Da Niu laughed heartily, and everyone around turned to look at them.

It was rare to see Da Niu so excited.

It seemed that what he and Shu Yu were talking about was some good news.

Lu Sanzhu's eyes lit up, and he immediately came over, eagerly asking, "What are you talking about? Tell me, let me listen too."

Shu Yu was speechless and didn't answer him. She continued to talk to Da Niu, "After we return to the county town, I plan to buy a farm. I want to buy the land together. I'm just not sure how many acres are included with it. I'm not very familiar with Jiangyuan County, so I'll need you to go and take a look."

Before Da Niu could speak, Lu Sanzhu's eyes sparkled. "Ah Yu, you want to buy a farm? Do you have so much money?"

Shu Yu twitched her mouth. "Have you forgotten? The emperor's decree also includes a reward of two hundred taels of gold."

"Oh, right, right, right. It's two hundred taels of gold. So envious, my mouth is watering."

With so much money, buying a farm and land would indeed be no problem.

"Ah Yu, if you want to buy a farm, come to me. I definitely know more than Da Niu."

Shu Yu turned her head to look at him. "You?"

"Yes, Da Niu spends all day in the clothing shop and is not very articulate. He doesn't have much contact with people. But I'm different. I know people from all over the place in Taolin, and I'm well-informed. I'll ask around for you and find a cheap and suitable farm."

Da Niu nodded beside them. In this regard, he was indeed not as good as his third uncle.

"Let third uncle try, and I'll also help."

"Alright, thank you, Third Uncle."

Lu Sanzhu was satisfied and waved his hand. "These are all small matters. But Ah Yu, when asking around, there will be socializing involved, and we'll have to treat people to drinks. I... don't worry, I've already asked for a raise in wages. I'll pay for it myself. After all, you have taken care of us a lot, Ah Yu."

Sure, Third Uncle, you've made progress. You know how to retreat to advance?

"Then you pay for it."

Lu Sanzhu "..."

He was just saying that.

Da Niu could tell, and he held back his laughter, changing the subject. "But we need to hurry with this matter. Didn't you say that it's best to plant the sunflowers in the spring? If we wait too long, we might miss the best season."

"At most within half a month, I'll do it as soon as possible."

The group of people continued their conversation and arrived at Lu Dasong's house.

Next Chapter▶▶

Read advance chapters

 Chapter 380: Chong Jin

Next Chapter ▶▶