Chapter 58: 058. Yang Yu Writes a Letter, Xiaoyue Leaves (First Update)
Translator: 549690339
Liu Family’s mother carried a wooden basin out of Su Liang’s room and turned into the kitchen, her eyes red and sighing constantly, “What a sin!”
Su Liang paused in cutting vegetables, “Did she start talking?”
Wiping her tears, Liu Family’s mother nodded, “Xiaoyue only said one sentence, and then I had more trouble… That silly girl, she has been strong since she was a child, never crying when she got hit or scolded. If it were someone else, they wouldn’t have made it through this!”
Su Liang sighed, “Indeed.”
Liu Family’s mother washed the wooden basin and the handkerchief inside, and said to Su Liang, “She drank some chicken soup, couldn’t eat anything else, and fell asleep. It’s her fortune to follow you in the future. If it weren’t for you taking her away from that family, she would have been ground to death by their black hearts!”
“Let’s talk about the future after she gets better,” Su Liang said.
Liu Family’s mother nodded, ‘My younger brother is not married, and I’m afraid people will gossip if I take her in to take care of her. You’re busy, and now you have to take care of her too. Sigh!”
Speaking of Bai He, Liu Family’s mother mentioned another matter.
“I have no objection to my younger brother liking Huilan. She’s my sister’s child, and I know her roots. It’s nice for her to be my sister-in-law, but my mother-in-law is absolutely against it. After all, Huilan’s past is with that horrible family of the cow-wife. I wouldn’t be happy if it were my child, so I’ve never tried to persuade her.”
“But my brother-in-law isn’t giving up. Little Tiger’s father has tried to persuade his in-laws several times, and my mother-in-law stopped saying anything. My father-in -law asked me to inquire about what Huilan’s family means by this.”
“I figured this matter must be more or less settled; as long as my brother-in-law proposes to Huilan, her family will agree without a second thought.”
“On the day of the fair, I happened to meet Huilan’s mother in town. I didn’t mention my brother-in-law, just asked how they plan to handle Huilan’s situation.”
“And guess what? Huilan wasn’t willing to marry the butcher who beat his wife to death, and that didn’t work out. The very next day, someone came to Huilan’s house to propose marriage! It was a carpenter from the village. I know him; he’s honest and capable. His wife died in childbirth, leaving only an old father and a four-year-old son, and he took a liking to Huilan!”
Hearing this, Su Liang recalled that earlier today, she and saw a man leading a child carrying things, heading to Liu Huilan’s house on their way to Liu Family Village.
Liu Family’s mother sighed, “When I heard this, I couldn’t say anything further. To us, my brother-in -law seems better than the carpenter because he has never been married, but what use is there in us thinking that? Maybe Huilan doesn’t want to marry into Su Family Village at all?”
“I told them at home, and they will decide. My brother-in-law insists on getting a matchmaker to propose marriage. My father-in-law asked me to go back to my maiden home and visit Huilan while I was there, to ask her opinion in private, without anyone knowing.”
“I did go. Huilan was very surprised to find out that my brother-in-law had taken a liking to her, but she said she was not worthy and that marrying the local carpenter as a stepmother would be good for her. There are fewer people in that family, it’s simple, and she’s not afraid of being a stepmother or suffering hardships; she just doesn’t want to be bullied anymore.”
Liu Family’s mother shook her head and chuckled, ‘We all thought that we would be the ones to choose, and our family was considering this matter behind closed doors, but in the end, Huilan found another good match!”
Su Liang was a little surprised by this outcome, but thinking about it, even if Bai Family had proposed marriage earlier , Liu Huilan probably wouldn’t have wanted to marry Bai He.
It’s not that Bai He isn’t suitable himself, but compared to the carpenter, the latter is more fitting for Liu Huilan. If she were to marry into Bai Family, she would have to bear a lot of pressure.
Liu Family’s mother lamented, “Huilan said that she couldn’t live through the bullying from that cow-wife’s family back then, and she tried to hang herself one night. Somehow, the rope broke, and it was as if she heard someone talking to her, telling her to live. The next day she was kicked out, and she was so happy at the time! Now her suffering has turned into sweetness; Heaven is not blind after all!”
Su Liang smiled without speaking. It was she and Ning Jing who had saved Liu Huilan. Now, the cow-wife had been knocked silly by Ning Jing, Su Xingzhe who had almost raped Liu Huilan was dead, and Liu Huilan had found the home she wanted. Everything was going well.
As for Bai He, when the right time comes, he will find a girl who is suitable and whom he likes.
After finishing her story, Liu Family’s mother saw it was getting dark outside and hurriedly got up, “I need to go back.”
They didn’t finish cooking the dumplings at noon, and there were still many leftovers. Su Liang let Liu Family’s mother take half of them back and told her how to cook them.
As soon as Liu Family’s mother left, Ning Jing returned.
The 500 taels of silver bills, brought back in their original form.
Ning Jing was washing up, and Su Liang started making pan-fried dumplings. It’s not as delicious if you make it ahead of time, so she waited specifically until he came back to make them.
Ning Jing listened to Su Liang recount Bai He and Liu Huilan’s affairs, and said indifferently, “They were never meant to be married, just like you and Xing Yusheng; you were not suitable.”
Su Liang wanted to grab a golden, hot pan-fried dumpling and throw it at Ning Jing’s face, saying irritatedly, ‘What kind of lousy analogy is that? I didn’t even want to marry Xing Yusheng!”
Ning Jing saw that the dumplings were almost fried, and served the chicken soup, getting ready to start the meal.
Mai Fei put down his chopsticks and frowned, saying, “Nothing tastes good.”
Chang’an suggested, “Why not let Miss Su write down all her dishes in a cookbook and let Master buy it?”
Mai Fei snorted lightly, “A little steamed bun costs me a hundred taels. Guess how much would she ask if I want to buy her cookbook?”
Chang’an coughed lightly, “This subordinate was too impulsive. Master probably can’t afford Miss Su’s cookbook. As for buying Ms. Liu for 500 taels today, next time you meet Miss Su, you’ll have to pay her back.”
Mai Fei looked at Chang’an with a cold gaze, ‘Why should I pay for Su Liang’s purchase of Liu Xiaoyue as her maid?”
Chang’an’s neck shrank, “Didn’t Master say that the government office will bear all the expenses for inviting her to treat Ms. Liu?”
“I said treatment, but I didn’t say anything about buying a maid.” Mai Fei said, his eyes flickering slightly, “However, 500 taels, which is just the money for five steamed buns, is not worth much. You can give it to her later.”
Chang’an did not understand why Mai Fei suddenly changed his mind and heard Mai Fei say, “With Liu Xiaoyue as her maid, she will definitely learn all of Su Liang’s cooking skills. In a few days, we can take Liu Xiaoyue back as our cook. After all, I paid the money, and the person should be mine. What do you think?”
Chang’an gave a thumbs up, “Master is too smart!”
“Go tomorrow and tell Su Liang and Ning Jing that I’m asking for their help going to the Wu Family to find account books. As long as they can find them, I will report to Father Emperor and give Ning Jing a great credit,” Mai Fei said.
The Wu Family was sealed off. The people Mai Fei sent never found the account books. He thought Su Liang and Ning Jing could try, as their thoughts were different from that of ordinary people, and there might be discoveries.
After dinner, Ning Jing moved everything in the firewood room to the backyard, cleaned it up, and it became a clean room.
Xing Yusheng sent them a lot of new furniture, and the unused ones were all placed in the empty room.
Su Liang was reading when she heard Ning Jing knocking on the door.
“Let her live in the firewood room,” said Ning Jing.
Su Liang went over to take a look, and though it was simple, everything was there. She just needed to bring over the bedding, and it would be suitable for living.
“Alright,” Su Liang nodded, “I’ll bring her over.” Otherwise, she’d have to sleep on the floor tonight.
Liu Xiaoyue had taken calming medicine and was sleeping soundly. Su Liang carried her over, laid out the bedding, and closed the doors and windows.
The next morning, the Liu Family came again.
Seeing that Liu Xiaoyue was placed in the original firewood room, she was taken aback and quickly said, “This is very good! She’s a maid, how can she live in your room?”
Su Liang smiled, “We’ll talk about it when she gets better.”
After a while, Liu’s mother helped Liu Xiaoyue out of the room.
Liu Xiaoyue had been locked in a secret chamber without sunlight for a long time. Her face was so white that it was almost translucent, and she was terribly thin. But she still had beautiful features. Otherwise, Huang wouldn’t have wanted to take her as his concubine, and she wouldn’t have been captured by the Wu Family.
“Xiaoyue, this is Su Liang, your lifesaver,” Liu’s mother said to Liu Xiaoyue.
Su Liang walked over, and Liu Xiaoyue gently pushed her mother away, almost losing her balance, and slowly knelt down. Her voice was weak but firm, “Thank you, Miss Su, for saving my life. Without your help, I would still be in that horrible place.”
Her words revealed that Liu Xiaoyue knew the Wu family’s scandal was exposed because of Su Liang. Otherwise, she would have no chance of seeing daylight again.
Liu’s mother teared up again but didn’t help Liu Xiaoyue up.
Su Liang looked at Liu Xiaoyue and asked the doubt in her heart, “Why didn’t Wu Huaian kill you alone?”
Upon hearing that name again, Liu Xiaoyue’s body trembled slightly, but her back straightened even more, “After being captured, he said he liked me, that he was just too lonely and wanted me to accompany him. He said he would give me a status in the future, but I didn’t believe him. I didn’t know how long I had been in that secret chamber, and I wanted to die but couldn’t. One day, he asked me to say that I belonged to him and was willing to die for him. As long as I said it, he would let me go home. But I knew he was lying, and no matter what I said, I couldn’t leave. All his nice words were fake, not a single word could be trusted! I couldn’t say I was willing to die for him; I just wanted him to meet a bad end!”
Liu’s mother looked horrified.
Su Liang’s eyes turned cold. She was familiar with Wu Huaian’s tactics, having experienced them herself. He was not only physically disabled, but also a psychologically twisted man, enjoying playing with women’s bodies and emotions. He seduced, tormented, humiliated, and deceived them to the extreme.
Liu Xiaoyue didn’t know how long she had been in the secret chamber, but Su Liang guessed it had been around half a year.
The other girls who died at the hands of Wu Huaian were seduced and tormented by him. They said what he wanted to hear, thinking it would set them free, but they didn’t realize that it was his way of showing that he was tired of them and wanted them to complete a ritual before they died according to his fantasies.
Liu Xiaoyue survived because she never believed in Wu Huaian’s false promises and never compromised. This challenged his high and mighty image of manipulating others and fueled his desire to crush her psychologically, making her the last one to survive.
“Not only did my benefactor save me, but also brought justice for my dead sisters. No matter what my benefactor asks me to do in the future, I won’t hesitate.” Liu Xiaoyue declared.
Su Liang’s expression was indifferent, “If I ask you to do something morally wrong, will you still do it?”
Liu Xiaoyue shook her head, “That won’t happen, you are a good person.”
“Actually, I didn’t plan on having you as a maid. I don’t need one. You can stay here until you recover and decide where to go and what to do in the future.” Su Liang said.
Liu’s mother was startled, “Where…where can she go?”
Liu Xiaoyue looked at Su Liang with tearful eyes, “I can cook and do laundry, and I can learn whatever I don’t know. If my benefactor doesn’t want me, I can only become a nun!”
“Becoming a nun is also a peaceful place.” Su Liang said.
“But how can I repay my benefactor if I become a nun?” Liu Xiaoyue shook her head.
Su Liang was about to say that she didn’t need repayment, but changed her mind.
Liu Xiaoyue was strong, principled, morally clear, and had a clear mind, which was very rare.
Su Liang didn’t need a maid, but hearing Liu Xiaoyue call her a benefactor made her think of Yang Yu. Even if he regained his family property, he would still have a hard life and need trustworthy helpers. Liu Xiaoyue had potential, and if she stayed with Yang Yu, she could learn skills and become independent. “Get up.” Su Liang helped Liu Xiaoyue up, “In a few days, I’ll arrange a place for you.”
Liu Xiaoyue persuaded Liu’s mother to go home, saying she was fine and didn’t need care. When she returned home after being rescued, her family’s coldness hurt and discouraged her. Now that she had a new home and things to do, she could do more.
After Liu’s mother left, Liu Xiaoyue wanted to wash Su Liang’s clothes, but Su Liang ordered her to rest for three more days before she would have plenty of work to do.
Chang’an returned, offering the 500 taels for buying Liu Xiaoyue, but Su Liang refused to accept them.
“At Liu’s house, I didn’t want to deal with them and just wanted to leave quickly, so I didn’t explain. I wanted her, and I should pay for her. I didn’t ask you to pay.” Su Liang said.
Chang’an was dumbfounded, “How can that be? My master invited Miss Su to go there. It’s not right for you to pay.”
“He invited me to treat Liu Xiaoyue. If it’s for medical expenses, I can accept it and use it to buy her more supplements. If it’s for selling herself, then forget it.” Su Liang said seriously.
Now Chang’an was in a dilemma – he couldn’t give the money, nor could he take it back. His hand hung in mid-air.
Yesterday, when he said he would return the 500 taels to Ning Jing, he was impulsive. After returning, he was scolded by Mai Fei, who said that he had grown too accustomed to being swindled by Su Liang.
But now that Mai Fei had changed his mind and wanted to give the money and had plans for Liu Xiaoyue, Su Liang refused to accept it.
“You take the money back. She is healthy and is now mine, and I will cover the medical expenses. Please leave.” With that, Su Liang closed the door and bolted it from the inside.
Chang’an left with the 500 taels, feeling like crying but having no tears. He had accomplished nothing on this trip. It was a complete failure.
Ning Jing was building a new carpentry workshop in the backyard. Su Liang walked over and sneered, “Mai Fei is so stingy. He’s always reluctant to give money, but this time he voluntarily gave 500 taels. There must be some trickery.”
If Chang’an were here and heard Su Liang complaining about Mai Fei being stingy, he would definitely spit blood. In just half a month, Su Liang had been taking advantage of Mai Fei time and time again, and he had given her everything she wanted!
“He gives the money, we give him the girl,” Ning Jing said.
Su Liang stepped forward to help, “We can’t give her to him. Didn’t you say it yourself? Stay away from people in the Royal Family. Maybe he’s taken a liking to Xiaoyue’s character and plans to use her for something.”
On this point, Su Liang was actually right.
Although Mai Fei told Chang’an that he would take Liu Xiaoyue away to be a cook after some time, what he truly wanted was to use her since she survived in Gai Huai’an’s hands and managed to impress Su Liang enough to be taken home.
“What are you planning to do?” Ning Jing asked.
Su Liang shook her head, “Let her follow Yang Yu.”
Ning Jing looked up at Su Liang and nodded slightly, “Not bad.”
Liu Xiaoyue heard Su Liang’s words in her room. She didn’t know who Yang Yu was, but she knew clear that Su Liang didn’t plan to keep her as a maid.
When Chang’an returned to the county town and took out the 500 taels, Mai Fei’s face turned black, “Damn it! I volunteered to give it to her, and she doesn’t want the girl now?”
Chang’an nodded, “It seems Miss Su really wants to keep Miss Liu. She didn’t even agree to helping us find the account book. She said that if we can’t find it, maybe it’s not in the Wu Family.”
Mai Fei stared, “Search for three more days. Tear down everything above ground, and dig every place!”
Three days later, Su Liang saw the person sent by Yang Yu to deliver a letter and check in on them.
The person, named Zhou Yuan, was a middle-aged man with a burly physique, a bear-like waist, and a beard. Just by appearance, he looked ferocious, but his demeanor and conversation were quite cultured, suggesting he was a trusted person of Yang Yu.
In the letter, Yang Yu wrote that she knew there was no chance of reconciliation with Yang Wu and that if she returned home, she would definitely be killed. So along the way, she found a way to hire an assassin from Yanyun Building to eliminate Yang Wu before she arrived home.
Su Liang sighed a little. Yang Yu’s brother, Yang Feng, was killed by Yan Shiba, and she didn’t expect Yang Yu to actively seek out Yanyun Building. The innocent and kind girl she first met had been forced by reality to become ruthless.
But it was a very rational choice.
Although Yang Wu was Yang Yu’s half-brother from the same father, their relationship was ultimately a life-and-death struggle. The one who truly killed Yang Feng was Yang Wu. It was Su Liang’s intervention that allowed Yang Feng to live a few more days. If Yang Yu had been kind and soft-hearted, she would have died.
As for the cousin who sold Yang Yu, she was given a taste of her own medicine.
Yang Yu wrote that many people in her family did not accept her, not for any other reason, but simply because she was a woman. Her parents were no longer around, and a group of outsiders insisted on adopting a cousin’s son as their own to continue the family line and inherit the family business.
“My father started from scratch and accumulated such a large family business. The so-called relatives just took advantage of him to enjoy a good life, without any ability or effort. If I were to give the Yang Family to them, they would soon squander everything. Why should I give up what is rightfully mine?”
“Don’t worry, I won’t let them bully me. Once I finish handling my family’s matters, I’ll visit you.”
Su Liang put away the letter. Zhou Yuan handed her a jade token engraved with the character “Yang”. With this token, she could go to any of the Yang Family’s Money Houses to withdraw money.
After Su Liang accepted it, she invited Zhou Yuan for tea and food. While they ate, she wrote a reply, updating Yang Yu on her and Ning Jing’s recent situation and introducing Liu Xiaoyue’s situation, asking her to find something for the
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Liu Xiaoyue had long known that Su Liang was going to send her away but didn’t expect it to happen so quickly. She didn’t even have the chance to cook a meal or wash clothes for Su Liang.
The only thing Su Liang asked Liu Xiaoyue to do in these three days was to recount what she knew about Gai Huai’an’s actions. Su Liang recorded it, and Liu Xiaoyue pressed her fingerprint. This would be sent to Mai Fei as testimony.
Su Liang briefly explained Yang Yu’s situation to Liu Xiaoyue, and upon hearing that it was a woman, Liu Xiaoyue immediately breathed a sigh of relief and accepted Su Liang’s arrangement.
“Go on. You’ve survived until now, so there’s nothing to be afraid of,” Su Liang gently patted Liu Xiaoyue’s shoulder. “I hope that the next time I see you, you’ll be smiling.”
Liu Xiaoyue held back her tears and nodded heavily, “Stay safe, my benefactor! I won’t let you down!”
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