Chapter 57: 057. Bring Back 500 Taels (Second Update)
Translator: 549690339
Mai Fei had ordered for the six skeletons unearthed from the Wu Family to be collected and placed into coffins.
Based the order of burial determined by the willow tree and then combined with the girls’ disappearance timelines recorded by the county government, the coffins were sent back to their respective families, along with a sum of burial reimbursement and solatium.
It’s worth mentioning, the one who was rescued from the secret chamber wasn’t the last girl Gai Huai’an caught before Su Liang was captured— it was Liu Xiaoyue from Liu Family Village who went missing last year.
She had also survived the longest under Gai Huai’an’s hand; the two girls caught after her had both died.
And the earliest skeleton was of Ms. Mei, Gai Huai-an’s former fiancée. She was temporarily placed in the county government office, as the Mei Family in the capital city had already been notified to send someone to retrieve her.
When it comes to maintaining appearances, Mai Fei was always very considerate and meticulous.
The rescued Liu Xiaoyue was taken home by her family that very day.
On that day, Mai Fei was preparing to interrogate Gai Yun and Gai Huai’an again, he heard from Chang’an that Liu Xiaoyue’s elder brother had come to the county government, questioning why their family was the only one without any solatium while others had received theirs?
Chang’an was somewhat indignant, “He even claimed that his sister was sick and might not live long, demanding that Liu Xiaoyue’s solatium and burial funding be the same as the others! I think no matter whether the money is given or not, that girl might not survive!”
Mai Fei originally wanted Chang’an to placate the man with some cash and send him away. After all, Liu Xiaoyue’s life was essentially ruined by this incident. Although he sympathized with her, he wouldn’t interfere more than necessary.
However, as he was about to speak, Mai Fei suddenly changed his mind, “Go to Su Family Village and ask Su Liang to treat Liu Xiaoyue. Let her know that this is the government’s responsibility, but as there is no female doctor available, we have no choice but to trouble her. The consultation and medication fees will be covered by the government office.”
“Yes, sir.” Chang’an responded, “What about the 5200 silver taels…”
Mai Fei was taken aback for a moment, “What?”
“The money owed to Miss Su. If we go to her again without payment, she will certainly ignore me. Last time, she wouldn’t even let me in the door, so I suspect the door won’t even open this time.” Chang’an said, somewhat weakly.
Mai Fei slammed the table, “Pay her! I must’ve owed her a mountain of gold in my past life! Coming to Bei’an County once, she almost cleaned me out!”
With the money in hand, Chang’an sent Liu Xiaoyue’s elder brother away, promising him that the county government would soon send someone to his house.
Believing someone would come to deliver the money, he left cheerfully.
Su Liang was engrossed in reading medical books and didn’t pay attention to the knock on the door.
Ning Jing answered the door, and Chang’an handed over the silver banknote before stating his purpose.
Upon learning they wanted her to treat Liu Xiaoyue, the sole survivor, Su Liang put down her book, changed her clothes, and set off with her medicine box. Seeing this, Chang’an bowed with a smile,
Ning Jing took Su Liang’s medicine box, obviously accompanying her.
As they left the Su Family Village, Su Liang asked Chang’an whether Gai Yun and Gai Huai’an had confessed to anything yet.
Chang’an became angry at the mention, “They’ve committed such atrocities against so many young girls, and despite the undeniable evidence, they won’t admit to it. They insist someone had framed them, claiming complete ignorance about the bodies in the secret chamber and under the willow tree. It’s utterly shameless! As for Mei’s misfortune in the capital city, apart from Gai Huai’an, who else could have done this? Not only does Miss Su stand as a witness, but Liu Xiaoyue, too, is still alive, yet they continue to deny it! And not to mention the smuggling of the iron mine!”
“Does the Wu Family still have members in the capital city?” Su Liang asked. If Gai Yun and Gai Huai’an refuse to plead guilty, there’s still hope to “turn black into white.”
Chang’an nodded, “Yes! Gai Yun has two sons, both in the capital city!”
“Unless evidence of the iron mine smuggling is found, he will not confess. Once convicted, it would result in the execution of his entire clan.” Su Liang said.
“Does Miss Su and Master Ning have any good strategies to pry open their mouths? The master is worrying about this!” Chang’an said.
“We have no idea about this.” Su Liang said.
Chang’an thought to himself. Ning Jing was taking the imperial examination, naturally he was seeking success. This time, with such great credit, if reported to the court by Mai Fei, Ning Jing would have a chance to become an official without taking the examination. But he insisted on denying it, which was hard to understand.
The carriage entered Liu Family Village, and Su Liang lifted the carriage curtain to look out.
A group of children were running along with the carriage. A short and sturdy man was holding a little boy, carrying a load, and was welcomed into a house. She spotted a frail figure inside the door, somewhat resembling Liu Huilan.
The carriage stopped, and before Su Liang could step out, she heard a sharp and high-pitched shout, “Oh my doomed daughter! What will happen to you in the rest of your life?”
Su Liang thought of the old woman, Madam Niu. The carriage was moving slowly. If this woman had been crying out like this earlier, it would have been impossible not to hear it. Clearly, she started to play the victim when she saw the people coming.
Su Liang and Ning Jing got out of the carriage, and a crowd surrounded them, more than a dozen people, old and young. Some were smiling, some were crying loudly, and some were indifferent as if it were none of their business.
Chang’an said loudly, “Upon hearing that Miss Liu is sick, the noble Mai Fei has specially invited a female doctor from Su Village to come and treat her. Where is Miss Liu?”
In an instant, the eagerness on the faces of the family members was like a charcoal fire that had been doused with cold water, leaving behind only faint disappointment that vanished like white smoke.
“We can’t even lift the lid of the pot. How can we have money to treat her?” A young woman with sharp features said resentfully, “My younger sister disappeared back then, causing us to return all the betrothal gifts that were given to us. The whole family can’t even afford to eat now!”
Su Liang looked coldly at them. There were three or four young men in the family, yet they relied on Liu Xiaoyue’s bride price for a living. They blamed Liu Xiaoyue’s disappearance for the return of the betrothal gifts, as if it were Liu Xiaoyue who owed them.
It reminded Su Liang of Su Daqiang’s family.
“What do you know? Lord Mai is kind -hearted. He is treating my sister first. I’m sure he will give us money!” Liu Dawei, who went to the county government office to request money, said with a grin on his face, observing Chang’an’s expression as he spoke.
Although Chang’an felt disgusted at heart, his face remained impassive. He asked again, “Where is Miss Liu?”
They went into the Liu’s home, which was all tattered and shabby. Liu Dawei led them towards the backyard, “Our family is big and there is not enough room, so we made my sister stay in the backyard for a few days.”
Looking at the state of Liu Xiaoyue, Su Liang felt her blood pressure rise.
The place where the original master stayed in Su Daqiang’s backyard was a shed made of wooden boards. Although it was drafty in winter, it was a complete place. Also, Su Daqiang’s family, who had no trouble with food and clothing for a long time and were lazy, didn’t raise any livestock, so it was quite clean.
But the Liu Family’s backyard was filled with pigs and chickens, disgustingly dirty all over, making it impossible to put your feet down. And Liu Xiaoyue was placed in the narrow corner under the firewood shed, curled up into a ball. It was hard to spot if you didn’t look closely.
Seeing Chang’an’s face turn dark, Liu Dawei sighed, “People outside say that my sister will bring bad luck back. But I think she is my dear sister, I can’t just ignore her life and death. Would that be human?”
He sounded as if he were the best brother.
Yet, judging by Liu Xiaoyue’s predicament, it was clear that no one cared about her life and death. The so-called family who brought her back home were only using her misfortune as an excuse to extort money from the government office.
Although Su Liang knew that Liu Xiaoyue’s situation would certainly lead to gossip, making her circumstances difficult, she still felt incensed on seeing how Liu Xiaoyue’s nearest kin put her in a woodpile to fend for herself, whilst simultaneously seeking to profit from her misfortune.
The poor girl must have been hoping during those dark days that her parents and brothers would rescue her from the hell she was in, only to face an even more terrifying despair after she was rescued.
Su Liang approached, and Liu Xiaoyue, trembling all over, buried her head as solidly as she could. One could even hear the clattering sound of her teeth.
The surrounding environment was horribly bad that Liu Xiaoyue couldn’t calm down for a while. Su Liang turned her head to look at Chang’an. Chang’an hurried over, “What can I do for you, Miss su?” Su Liang said in a low voice, “I want to take her away.”
Chang’an was astonished, “Miss Su, do you mean to buy her?”
Su Liang didn’t exactly mean this, but she didn’t have the time to explain her intentions more precisely, “You could say that.”
“Miss Su’s heart is truly benevolent. It would be a hundred times better for her to serve as your maid than to stay here.” Chang’an spoke seriously, “I’ll take care of this.”
He turned around and called Liu Dawei to speak with him privately.
“What? You want me to sell my sister to you?”
“She is my biological sister! She is the most beautiful girl in our village! When
Master Huang wanted to take her as his concubine, he paid fifty silver taels!”
Chang’an, suppressing his anger, asked, “How much do you want?”
Liu Dawei said he would need to discuss it with his family and then ran off.
Su Liang squatted beside Liu Xiaoyue, speaking softly to her, “My name is Su Liang, from the Su Family Village. There is a woman named Liu Cuizhi in my neighbor’s home, I believe you know her? I don’t know what you’ve been through, but it’s not your fault. If you’re willing, I’ll take you away from here first. Once you regain your health, you can start fresh somewhere else.” Liu Xiaoyue did not lift her head but began to whimper and sob.
Su Liang felt an ache in her heart. She thought of how the original master was always confined at home and had never left, probably Gai Yun and Gai Huai’an didn’t know that there was such a girl in the Su Family Village, which was why she escaped their clutches. Otherwise, she might have fallen victim to them too.
The Liu Family, after discussing it together, decided that since they couldn’t marry off Liu Xiaoyue or get any money out of her, they had only one chance to profit from her situation. They boldly asked Chang’an for 500 silver taels.
“But she’s my biological sister! I only have this one sister and everyone in the family dotes on her the most! We’ve always given her the best we had and never made her do any work!”
“If you think it’s too much, then forget it! We’ll not sell her! Even if she dies, she is still part of our family!”
Chang’an gritted his teeth and agreed, not wishing to haggle with these scoundrels any longer, “Fine, 500 taels it is!”
Upon seeing Chang’an agreeing without further negotiations, Liu Dawei looked somewhat regretful, thinking he should have asked for more.
Chang’an didn’t carry that much money on him and turned to Ning Jing. He had seen Ning Jing put the silver notes worth more than five thousand taels inside Su Liang’s medical box.
Ning Jing didn’t say anything and took out a silver note of 500 taels to give to him.
“Thank you, Master Ning. I’ll report this to my lord later and repay you.” Chang’an said.
Upon hearing the conversation, Liu Dawei’s eyes widened, and he stretched out his neck to ask, “Is it Lord Mu who wants to buy my sister? That’s really her fortune if she caught Lord Mu’s eye, she could live well in the future!”
Chang’an’s forehead twitched, “Shut up! Spouting nonsense! Miss Su is buying your sister to be her maid! This has nothing to do with my Master!”
Liu Dawei shrank back in his neck, “You said that, but the money was given by
Lord Mu…”
“What does it matter to you who gave the money? If you don’t want it then give it back!” Chang’an, suppressing the urge to hit him, shouted in anger.
With several trips to Su Family Village, Chang’an previously felt that the phrase “Bad people come from bad lands” was not credible, but after meeting these people, he found himself too naive before.
Su Liang spoke with Liu Xiaoyue for a while longer and gently held her hand. Liu Xiaoyue shivered and started to struggle.
Su Liang asked Ning Jing to bring her medicine box over. She took out a golden needle and inserted it into several points on Liu Xiaoyue, who soon fell into a deep sleep.
“What have you done to my sister?” Liu Dawei cried.
Su Liang put the golden needle away and looked at Chang’an, frowning, “Where’s the deed of sale?”
Chang’an slapped his forehead, feeling utterly confused. If there was no deed of sale, these people would certainly deny the sale in the future.
After borrowing paper and a pen from Su Liang, Chang’an wrote up the deed of sale, asking Liu Xiaoyue and her parents and elder brothers to press their fingerprints onto the document, and then gave it to Su Liang.
Su Liang, holding Liu Xiaoyue, walked out of the Liu Family residence, and many villagers gathered to watch.
Liu Dawei moved closer, “So, from now on, my sister will live in Su Family
Village? It’s so close, we can visit her every few days!”
Chang’an, unable to bear any more, kicked Liu Dawei to the ground and said coldly, “This is a maid bought by the County Magistrate to give to Doctor Su.
You’ve received 500 taels. If you dare to harass her again, you’ll all be arrested!”
The crowd around them gasped in surprise. They didn’t expect the Liu Family to sell Liu Xiaoyue so quickly! They also didn’t expect that anyone would buy Liu Xiaoyue considering her condition! What surprised them most was that she was sold for 500 taels!
As Chang’an rode away, the Liu Family, with their huge sum of money, couldn’t hide their joy. They claimed that it was for Liu Xiaoyue’s own good to send her to live a better life. Among the spectators, some envied them and were jealous. On the way back, Ning Jing did not get into the carriage but sat beside Chang’an.
Su Liang checked Liu Xiaoyue’s pulse. There were no major health problems, the main issue was that she was psychologically traumatized. But when Su
Liang opened Liu Xiaoyue’s clothing and saw the several large and small scars on her body, she could guess what Gai Huai’an had done to her. She couldn’t help cursing, “That fucking pervert!”
Chang’an immediately asked, “What did Miss Su say?”
Ning Jing had a faint expression, “She was praising your master.”
Chang’an asked with a smile, “What was she praising? I didn’t hear it clearly just now. I have to tell my master when I get back.”
“She was praising him for his generosity.” Ning Jing said.
Chang’an looked up at the sky in silence. Wasn’t he generous? He was being extorted every day.
After returning to Su Family Village, Chang’an said that once Liu Xiaoyue could speak, he would inform the County Government Office, and they would need to take her testimony then.
After Chang’an left, Su Liang asked Ning Jing to go to the Bai Family and call Mrs. Liu.
Mrs. Liu was Liu Xiaoyue’s cousin. Upon seeing Xiao Yue in this state, she broke into tears immediately. When Su Liang asked her to help take care of her, she quickly agreed.
Su Liang was indeed too busy to take care of everything. And since Liu Xiaoyue was traumatized, it would be better for her to have someone she trusted by her side.
Su Liang had previously heard from Mrs. Liu that before she got married, Liu Xiaoyue was often beaten and forced to do heavy labor without being given enough food in her family. Mrs. Liu’s family was in better condition, at least they had enough food to eat, so she used to secretly save her own food and share it with Liu Xiaoyue.
Madame Bai also came over. After hearing Su Liang explain the situation, she cursed the Liu Family for being heartless and reminded Su Liang to be cautious of them causing any troubles in the future.
Su Liang, however, was not worried. She just wanted to save Liu Xiaoyue; otherwise, she wouldn’t have had much time left.
As for where Liu Xiaoyue would go and what she would do afterward, Su Liang planned to let her decide on her own once she recovered. Even if Liu Xiaoyue chose to end her life, it would be a kind of release. But it seemed that the young woman was very strong and didn’t have thoughts of suicide; otherwise, she would be dead already.
Although Su Liang was very busy, she didn’t need a maid to serve her. Moreover, both she and Ning Jing had secrets, so it wouldn’t be suitable for them to become close with others.
Furthermore, Su Liang was curious about why Liu Xiaoyue was able to survive to the last. There must have been a reason.
As the sun set, while Su Liang was cooking, Ning Jing said he was going out.
“Where are you going?” Su Liang asked casually.
Ning Jing was heading out when he said, “To retrieve the 500 taels.”
A faint smile appeared on the corner of Su Liang’s mouth, “Good. If you didn’t go, I was planning to pay a visit tonight myself..”
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