Chapter 103 - Two Monthly Coins Combined

Hearing her say that, Chai Xingyu pursed his lips.

"Is there some difficulty?" Chai Xingyu asked.

Lin Chuntao nodded slightly, "It seems I'm not a free agent yet."

"Then we can redeem her. How much ransom is needed?" Chai Xingyu asked.

Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "It seems to be thirty or forty taels. I'll ask her. It seems she's saving up to buy her freedom. If possible, I'll come find her."

"How much do you pay them per month?"

"Two strings of cash. If business is particularly good, then they will receive an additional bonus each month based on how much they sell."

Two strings of cash isn't a small amount, but the people around Chai Xingyu are all from the Chai family, living and eating with him. While two strings of cash are quite good, if she were to live and eat on her own, she would still need to spend some money. She would have to ask Zhang Qingqing about it.

Lin Chuntao and Chai Xingyu said, "Before opening, you need to have the accountant calculate the employee bonuses and determine the percentage. It needs to be agreed upon beforehand, otherwise there will be conflicts later."

Chai Xingyu: "Yes, I'll have the accountant calculate it in a bit."

Lin Chuntao decided to go and ask Zhang Qingqing.

When she arrived, Zhang Qingqing wasn't in the shop. Instead, the girl who had previously looked down on her was leaning against the door with a sullen face, as if someone owed her money.

"Miss, is Zhang Qingqing here?"

Zhang Huarui glanced at her and said sarcastically, "What do you want with her? She's been taken back by the master to enjoy a life of luxury! What do you want to buy?"

Lin Chuntao frowned slightly, her heart skipped a beat, but she pretended not to understand.

"What does 'enjoying happiness' mean? Does it mean she's not selling fabric anymore?"

Zhang Huarui scoffed disdainfully, "Country bumpkin, she's going to be promoted to a concubine by the master and become the mistress! Don't you even know that?"

Lin Chuntao was stunned for a moment, then hurriedly asked, "When did this happen?"

"Just today, she was called away by the madam for a while."

Where is your master's house?

Zhang Huarui glanced at her sideways, looking her up and down. "You're going to our master's old house?"

"I need to see Zhang Qingqing. Could you show me the way?" Lin Chuntao said, taking out a few copper coins from her pocket and handing them over. Zhang Huarui took the coins, weighed them in her hand, turned around, greeted another person, and led Lin Chuntao away.

She led Lin Chuntao to the entrance of the alley and pointed inside: "That's the main gate. I won't go in; you can find it yourself."

The alley was very long, with only one gate in the long alley, and the Yang family's house was quite large.

She turned to Zhang Huarui and said, "Thank you."

Zhang Huarui: "Don't tell anyone I brought you here."

Lin Chuntao nodded. "Okay, I won't say."

After Zhang Huarui left, Lin Chuntao jogged over and knocked on the door.

The doorman, a young man, looked Lin Chuntao up and down and asked, "Who are you looking for?"

Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "Hello, young man. This must be the home of Manager Yang of Yang's Cloth Shop, right?"

"Yes, who are you?"

Lin Chuntao: "I'm looking for Zhang Qingqing, her cousin."

Hearing this, the doorman frowned slightly. "How come I've never heard her mention having a cousin?"

Lin Chuntao said, "We were separated when we were young, and we only met a few days ago. Is she at home? Could you please ask her to come out for a moment?"

"You wait!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the door slammed shut with a loud bang.

At this moment, in the backyard of the Yang family, the first wife, Madam Qiao, was furious. Zhang Qingqing was kneeling in front of her, crying, while the old nanny standing next to her was cursing.

"Madam is kind enough to send you to the cloth shop to gain experience and learn some skills!"

"You've got nothing better to do than think about the master?"

Zhang Qingqing cried as she looked at Madam Qiao: "Madam, I didn't do it, please believe me!"

Qiao glanced down at her, her Adam's apple bobbing slightly.

"Now that things have come to this, how can you expect me to trust you? I thought you were smarter and more docile than your sister, but I never expected you to be even more capable than her. In that case, I can't let you live!"

After saying this, Madam Qiao looked at the old nanny beside her.

"Go find a matchmaker."

Zhang Qingqing, who had been standing ramrod straight, suddenly collapsed, her face deathly pale, her heart filled with despair.

The Qiao family is trying to sell her off! She won't be able to take the money she's saved with her!

Once she left the Yang family, she didn't know where she would be sold to; she had no hope left for the rest of her life!

Having received Qiao's message, the old nanny had just reached the door when the gatekeeper arrived. "Nanny, is Sister Qingqing here? Her cousin is here to see her."

Zhang Qingqing's cousin? Never heard of her.

The old nanny turned around and glanced at Madam Qiao, who in turn glanced at Zhang Qingqing.

"You have a cousin? How come I didn't know that?"

Zhang Qingqing replied, "Madam, we met just a few days ago."

Madam Qiao gestured to the old nanny, "Bring her in."

Lin Chuntao waited at the door until the old nanny arrived.

The old nanny sized her up and asked in a deep voice, "Are you Zhang Qingqing's cousin?"

"Greetings, Granny. I am."

Her tone was gentle, and she smiled warmly. The old nanny nodded and then said, "Come with me."

Lin Chuntao followed the old nanny through one archway after another, finally arriving at the backyard.

Qiao held a string of Buddhist prayer beads in her hand, casually twirling them. Zhang Qingqing knelt in front of Qiao, her eyes red and her face still streaked with tears.

She didn't have a cousin, but this person who suddenly appeared made her secretly hopeful that she really did have a rich and powerful cousin who could save her from this predicament, for which she would be eternally grateful.

The moment she saw Lin Chuntao, she was completely stunned.

Seeing Zhang Qingqing and Qiao Shi in this situation, Lin Chuntao thought that they probably hadn't become concubines yet. Qiao Shi's expression must also be unhappy, which is why she made Zhang Qingqing kneel here.

She nodded slightly to Madam Qiao and said with a smile, "Greetings, Madam."

Qiao frowned and remained silent. Lin Chuntao looked at Zhang Qingqing, who was kneeling, and said with a smile, "Cousin, you asked me to raise money for you before, and I have raised enough. I wonder if it's enough now..."

Lin Chuntao left her words unfinished, looking at Qiao Shi, who asked in a deep voice, "What money are you raising?"

Lin Chuntao looked at Zhang Qingqing with confusion, but still replied to Qiao Shi's words.

"Madam, please raise the money to redeem my cousin from her servitude. She said that you are kind-hearted and treat your servants very well. If someone wants to redeem themselves when they reach a certain age, they can do so once they have enough money. My cousin is of marriageable age, and I have a younger brother who is about the same age as her. I was thinking that once we redeem her, we can go back to the countryside to hold a wedding banquet for them and then live a peaceful life at home."

Madam Qiao and the old nanny exchanged puzzled glances, then looked at Zhang Qingqing. At this moment, Zhang Qingqing kowtowed to Madam Qiao and said, "Please grant this servant's request, Madam. This servant will remember your great kindness."

Some people in the household did get redeemed and leave, but that was a very small minority. Their families had made a fortune and saved up enough money to redeem them.

Most of them are poor and will never be able to redeem themselves in their lifetime.

"You want to buy your freedom? When did you first have this idea?"

Unable to fathom Qiao's thoughts, Zhang Qingqing could only echo Lin Chuntao's words, "When I met my cousin, she tried to match me up with my cousin."

Lin Chuntao also smiled and said, "Yes, Madam, a bride price is required when getting a wife, so Qingqing and I discussed it and decided that we would save up money to redeem her from her servitude, which would serve as the bride price. Qingqing agreed to it."

"I came here today to tell Qingqing that I've raised enough money, and I want her to ask Madam when we can proceed."

Looking at Lin Chuntao, Qiao Shi thought she wasn't much older than Zhang Qingqing. If the money for redeeming her was really being used as a dowry to marry her, then it should be done by an adult, not by a maid like her.

Mrs. Qiao asked Lin Chuntao, "Did you come alone? No adults?"

Lin Chuntao said, "My family elders are long gone. I am the one in charge of my family."

Qiao stared at Lin Chuntao with sharp eyes.

“Miss, you’re probably too late. My master has taken a fancy to Qingqing. I have to keep her in the manor to serve him. In the future, she will be our Yang family’s concubine.”

Lin Chuntao was stunned for a moment by Qiao's words, then she laughed.

“The old nanny led the way in just now. The Madam’s mansion is really big. The Madam manages such a big mansion and such a big family business. It’s just a matter of saying a word if the Madam wants someone to be a concubine or a maid. Besides, with so many women living together, what does the Master care for compared to what the Madam cares for? Please, Madam, be lenient.”

As soon as Lin Chuntao finished speaking, Zhang Qingqing grabbed Qiao Shi's skirt and kowtowed repeatedly, begging her.

Looking at Zhang Qingqing, Qiao recalled that the reason she had arranged for her to work in the shop was because she was hardworking and quick-witted, and she wanted to train her. Unfortunately, she had only been there a short time before she caught Yang Guangrong's eye.

Yang Guangrong didn't speak to her personally; instead, he had the old lady speak to her.

They wanted to elevate Zhang Qingqing to the position of concubine, since there hadn't been any young people in Yang Guangrong's household for the past two years.

Since it was supposed to be a young person serving her, she could carry the load and just arrange anyone. But when she spoke to Yang Guangrong, he directly specified that he wanted Zhang Qingqing.

She asked the people in the shop and they said that Zhang Qingqing had been getting very close to Yang Guangrong lately. Whenever Yang Guangrong went to the shop, Zhang Qingqing would go to his room to find him. Qiao was furious when she heard this.

This means that the two of them had been having an affair behind her back for a long time.

The more Qiao thought about it, the angrier she became.

There was no way she could keep Zhang Qingqing. She had originally planned to find a matchmaker to sell her directly, but who would have thought that she wanted to buy her freedom.

"Do you have feelings for your cousin?" Qiao asked.

Zhang Qingqing nodded vigorously, and Qiao snorted coldly: "What about the master? Since you have your cousin in your heart, why do you seduce the master?"

Upon hearing Qiao's words, Zhang Qingqing kowtowed with a thud!

"Madam, please understand. I have no ill intentions towards you, and I would never dare to implicate you, Master. I only want to save money to redeem myself and go home!"

Zhang Qingqing cried and kowtowed. Qiao Shi glanced at the old nanny, who then quickly looked at Lin Chuntao and asked, "Did you bring the money?"

Lin Chuntao said, "I didn't bring it today. I was thinking of telling Qingqing, and then bringing the money after she told you, Madam. Since it's okay today, I'll go back and get it now. Qingqing, why don't you thank Madam?"

Zhang Qingqing quickly kowtowed to express her gratitude, and Qiao raised her hand and looked at Lin Chuntao.

Lin Chuntao pursed her lips and said to Madam Qiao, "Madam, how about this, you write the agreement first and give it to the nanny, then have her come back with us to pick it up, is that alright?"

The old nanny narrowed her eyes. "Miss, thirty taels for redemption, not a penny less. Are you sure you've really raised enough?"

Lin Chuntao said, "It's enough, but I came in a hurry today and didn't bring it from home."

Seeing Zhang Qingqing's appearance, Qiao took a deep breath and finally loosened her grip a little, gesturing to the old nanny: "Go with them, and let the coachman take the carriage."

Lin Chuntao said, "Thank you, Madam."

The old nanny went into the room and brought out Zhang Qingqing's indenture. Qiao Shi wrote a receipt herself, signed it, and pressed her fingerprint on it. Lin Chuntao also signed it and pressed her fingerprint on it.

However, the old woman still held the receipt. Only after Lin Chuntao paid the money could she receive the indenture and receipt.

As she was leaving, Madam Qiao said, "Since you've been redeemed, go back inside and pack your things to take with you. After all, you grew up in our family."

Zhang Qingqing didn't expect that Madam Qiao would say such a thing, so she knelt down and performed a grand salute to Madam Qiao.

"Thank you, Madam!"

The package was packed. Lin Chuntao looked at Zhang Qingqing and then said to her, "Qingqing, you should have the nanny check the package for you. It's better to leave clearly."

Zhang Qingqing glanced at Lin Chuntao, then opened the package.

The old nanny checked and found that apart from a few clothes and some jewelry that the lady had given her before, there was nothing else.

After confirming that everything was correct, the group left the Yang family's residence.

Because the old nanny went along, Lin Chuntao took Zhang Qingqing back in a carriage.

When they arrived home, Lin Chuntao didn't let the old nanny into the courtyard. Lin Chuntao went into the house herself and took out the money.

Her money was all in copper coins, thirty strings of cash, and it was a huge cloth bag.

The old nanny frowned as she looked at the bag of copper coins. Lin Chuntao said, "Please forgive us, nanny. We commoners pool our money one coin at a time, so we haven't exchanged it for silver yet. I asked a few days ago, and it's exactly one string of coins to one tael of silver now, which is exactly thirty strings. Please count them."

The old nanny simply counted that it was thirty strings of cash, accepted the money, and gave the indenture and receipt to Lin Chuntao.

After Lin Chuntao took the things, the old nanny looked around the courtyard, then looked at Zhang Qingqing, and said in a deep voice, "Live a good life from now on."

With tears in her eyes, Zhang Qingqing looked at the old nanny and said, "Thank you, nanny!"

The old woman didn't say a word, got into the carriage, and left.

Watching the carriage leave, Zhang Qingqing knelt down before Lin Chuntao with a thud, "I will never forget Sister Chuntao's life-saving grace!"

Lin Chuntao pulled her up and looked at her, saying, "Don't thank me yet. I had no choice but to resort to this in an emergency. Now let's talk about the thirty taels."

Zhang Qingqing looked at Lin Chuntao with some confusion. Lin Chuntao said, "I don't have that much money to buy a maid for thirty taels. Even if I did, I wouldn't buy someone to bring home. I don't have any younger brothers to marry."

Hearing Lin Chuntao's words, Zhang Qingqing's eyes instantly filled with tears. She said to Lin Chuntao, "Sister, don't worry, I will return every single one of the thirty taels to you!"

Lin Chuntao: "Then let's write an IOU. You owe me thirty taels of silver. Consider it money you borrowed from me to redeem yourself. You don't have to pay me back all at once. Just calculate how much you should pay me back each year."

After saying this, Zhang Qingqing's tears began to flow.

She had only thought that being bought by Lin Chuntao would be better than falling into the hands of a matchmaker, but she never expected that Lin Chuntao was just helping her out and wouldn't take her indenture.

They weren't cousins, just strangers who had met a few times, yet Lin Chuntao saved her like this.

“I’ll write this down. I still have some silver I’ve saved in my bag. I’ll give it to you first. As for how much you owe me, I’ll write you an IOU.”

Lin Chuntao nodded slightly. Zhang Qingqing squatted down, opened the package, took out clothes, found three menstrual belts, unwrapped them, and poured out the silver from the ashes inside. She looked at Lin Chuntao awkwardly and explained, "New, unused."

She hid the loose silver in her menstrual belt, so even if someone wanted to find the money she had hidden, they wouldn't think of the menstrual belt.

Although it was loose silver, Lin Chuntao felt that it was at least twelve or thirteen taels, since it was taken out of her menstrual belt two months ago.

Zhang Qingqing said, "I'll pawn these pieces of jewelry later. That should be enough to raise half of it. I'll give it to my sister first."

Lin Chuntao nodded, accepted the silver she handed over, took it inside and weighed it; it was twelve and a half taels.

After accepting the money, Lin Chuntao followed Zhang Qingqing back to the county town.

The two walked back, and on the way back Lin Chuntao said, "Aren't you going to ask me why I came to see you today?"

Zhang Qingqing then came to her senses. Yes, why did Lin Chuntao go to find her?

“I’ve been making sauces lately. The young master of the Chai family opened a sauce shop, and I need to sell my sauces there. He needs someone to help sell the sauces since his new shop is opening, so I came to you to ask if you’d be interested in joining us.”

Zhang Qingqing looked at Lin Chuntao. She had only mentioned wanting to redeem herself that day, but Lin Chuntao had taken it to heart and even found her work.

Her eyes were filled with tears, and she just kept nodding.

"Wow! I'm interested."

Lin Chuntao said, "I asked Young Master Chai, and he said it's two strings of cash a month, but he'll have to tell you the specifics in person."

Zhang Qingqing pawned all her jewelry, including bracelets and hairpins, for eight taels of silver. She kept five hundred coins for herself and gave seven and a half taels to Lin Chuntao, which amounted to exactly twenty taels, leaving her still owing ten taels.

He hired a letter writer to write him an IOU for ten taels of silver, agreeing to repay it within two years at the latest, with a minimum of five taels to be repaid each year.

She signed the IOU and pressed her fingerprint on it. Lin Chuntao accepted the IOU and prepared to give her the indenture.

Zhang Qingqing said, "Sister, give me the indenture again when I've paid off my debts."

Lin Chuntao shook her head: "You should keep it yourself; it's such an important thing."

Zhang Qingqing said, "Then please keep this for me, and I'll give it to you in a few days after I've settled in."

Perhaps fearing that the Yang family might renege on their promise, Lin Chuntao, having paid for it, felt that the item was safer in her hands than in hers, mainly because she trusted Lin Chuntao.

Lin Chuntao took her to Chai Xingyu's shop.

The shop was staffed entirely by men, so the sudden appearance of a woman surprised Sanbao and the others. However, since she was brought by Lin Chuntao, they treated her with great courtesy.

Looking at Chai Xingyu's face, Zhang Qingqing felt a little scared, but since this was her future employer, she calmed herself down.

Lin Chuntao introduced her: "Chai Xingyu, the owner of the sauce shop."

Zhang Qingqing nodded slightly: "Hello, boss. My name is Zhang Qingqing, and I am..." She paused halfway through her sentence, and Lin Chuntao took over: "Friend."

Chai Xingyu said, "My sister's friends are my friends too. If there's anything you need to do at the shop, just tell me."

Zhang Qingqing said, "Thank you, boss."

After getting to know people, Zhang Qingqing, unlike Sanbao and the others, worked here and signed a labor contract that stipulated a minimum monthly wage of two strings of cash.

Chai Xingyu said, "If the sauce sells well in the future, there will be more money, but the details haven't been discussed with the accountant yet. Once we've agreed on them, we'll add them to the contract. Don't worry, young lady."

Because Zhang Qingqing had nowhere to stay, Chai Xingyu originally wanted her to stay in their courtyard as well, but with a group of men and only Zhang Qingqing as a woman, it was really inconvenient.

Zhang Qingqing had no choice but to rent a place.

Lin Chuntao accompanied her to rent a house. It cost 100 wen a month. It was a very dilapidated courtyard with several families living there. However, they were mostly women and children, so it wasn't very dangerous. The house was also very small, with just a simple bed board.

Zhang Qingqing didn't think it was a big deal. She still owed ten taels of silver, and the sauce shop paid two strings of cash a month. She could save up enough money quickly, and once she paid back Lin Chuntao, she would be completely free.

Seeing that she didn't have any pots and pans, Lin Chuntao realized that while she had found a place to stay, she would definitely need to find something to eat. She said to Zhang Qingqing, "There's a Lin's Rice Noodle Shop in the market. My sister makes the noodles. If you have trouble finding a place to eat, you can go there for lunch."

Zhang Qingqing nodded. Actually, if she went to buy an earthenware pot and some millet, she could cook a pot every day and be full.

After settling in, Zhang Qingqing went to the sauce shop, which was opening the day after tomorrow, and she was sure she would have a lot to do.

Actually, it wasn't just because she was busy with other things, but also because Lin Chuntao had told her that her sauce would be sold in a shop owned by Chai Xingyu. She had heard that the Chai family was domineering, and she didn't know the current situation between Lin Chuntao and Chai Xingyu.

She took Chai Xingyu's money to sell sauce, so she'll definitely do the job well. But Lin Chuntao asked her to come here, so it's not just for her to sell sauce. She's happy to help Lin Chuntao watch over things and be her eyes and ears.

After a morning of running around, Lin Chunxing and Pei Ying were getting ready to go home.

Lin Chuntao went to find them and told them about Zhang Qingqing's situation. Lin Chunxing and Pei Ying just listened quietly.

Lin Chunxing had originally planned to use thirty taels to redeem someone, but now she still owed ten taels, and it would take two years to get it back.

But when she heard that Lin Chuntao had arranged for that person to work at Chai Xingyu's sauce shop, she thought that ten taels of silver didn't seem like a huge loss, and the person would pay her back later.

As promised, Yang Guangrong waited until evening, but Zhang Qingqing did not appear. Qiao told him, "I didn't have time to tell you today. Zhang Qingqing's cousin brought money to redeem her from her servitude. She has already taken the indenture home. Let's find someone else."

Yang Guangrong's face instantly darkened, and he looked at Qiao Shi with a sinister expression.

"What a coincidence! And it just so happens to be today."

Mrs. Qiao: "Yes, it's such a coincidence, it's today."

"It's a bit of a coincidence for us, but not for Zhang Qingqing. She had been planning to buy her freedom and go home for a long time, and today she has finally gotten her wish."

Yang Guangrong took a deep breath, looked at Qiao's lifeless face, and sneered.

"Thirty taels? What relatives of hers could come up with thirty taels?"

Qiao said, "She said she was my cousin, and I just met her a few days ago."

The old nanny stood behind Madam Qiao: "Young master, I received the money, a full thirty strings of copper coins. Would you like to take a look?"

Yang Guangrong snorted.

"The Madam manages all the finances in this household, and it's only thirty taels a month. Now that she's gone, let's find someone else."

Qiao asked, "Zhang Huarui, what does the master think?"

Yang Guangrong frowned slightly, feeling a bit disgusted, when he thought of Zhang Huarui's fawning appearance. But Zhang Huarui was young and had a charmingly naive appearance, so perhaps she would be interesting in a way and would definitely disgust Qiao Shi for a while.

"Then let's go with her."

Qiao agreed very readily, and in less than an hour, she had arranged with Zhang Huarui to send him to Yang Guangrong's room.

Upon returning home today and learning that Zhang Qingqing had already left, Zhang Huarui had been hoping that since the master couldn't have Zhang Qingqing, he would definitely choose someone else, and that person would most likely be her. Unexpectedly, she actually got her wish.

After tonight, tomorrow she will be the mistress of this mansion!

It wasn't for nothing that she led Lin Chuntao to the right path today; it truly opened up a road to wealth for herself.

When they got home today, Lin Chunxing and Lin Chuntao discussed, "Sister, the soup noodles with pickled vegetables are very popular, but I feel that if we make the sauce, we might lose a lot of customers. Let's make braised pig's feet on the 22nd."

Looking at her expression, Lin Chuntao asked softly, "Are you worried that the noodle soup business will be affected?"

Lin Chunxing nodded, and Lin Chuntao said, "It will definitely be affected, but selling sauce is also how we make money, and selling soup noodles is also how we make money. In the end, the money will all go into our pockets, right? Don't worry too much. Let's see how the sauce business is doing. Once it stabilizes, I'll start making new things."

"Besides, the opening day of the sauce shop will definitely be a big event. Many people will be there to watch the excitement, and no one will remember your new braised dishes. It's better to do it another day."