Chapter 53
The Yao family, which Yao Chunnuan was concerned about, was in turmoil at this time.
The once peaceful farmyard was now filled with suppressed and angry quarreling sounds.
Yao's mother said coldly, "When you insisted on marrying Chen Da regardless of anything, I told you that a daughter who is married off is like spilled water. Whether you are rich or poor in the future, it has nothing to do with us. So we won't care about your affairs and won't lend you any money!"
Yao Xing was unconvinced. "But, when my aunt was in trouble, why didn't you say that a daughter who is married off is like water spilled? Now it's my turn to be in trouble, and you cruelly stand by and watch! My aunt was exiled, and you secretly gave her a hundred taels."
"This is mother's money. I can give it to whoever I want. What's it to you? Your father, mother, uncle and aunt don't dare to say anything, but you have a big objection." Speaking of this, Yao's mother was angry and couldn't help but glared at Yao's wife. It was all her fault for letting the cat out of the bag.
Mrs. Yao shuddered.
Yao Xing stamped her feet. "You're so partial! We're still not sure if this hundred taels will reach my aunt's hands. Maybe it'll even be taken away by the escorting officer in the end."
"Don't worry. I know you don't wish her well, but your aunt is very clever." Yao's mother couldn't help but feel proud. After Tian Qigang returned, the child's father, accompanied by his uncle, brought gifts and visited him. He learned from him that his daughter hadn't suffered much during her journey. He also inquired indirectly with other escort officers and confirmed that the 100 taels of silver they had sewn into her shoe uppers had not been discovered and taken away by the escort officers.
After feeling proud, she looked at Yao Xing again, and her mother was disgusted again. "You are already married, but you still care about your parents' money. You are really a loser."
Her grandmother's words were so harsh that Yao Xing almost cried. "You are really too biased. When I got married, you only gave me twenty taels of silver as a deposit, and the rest of the dowry was just over ten taels." When she got married, she didn't know that they had given her younger sister a hundred taels. Otherwise, how could she be willing to let her go with just over twenty taels of silver?
"Have you ever earned a cent for the family after raising you to this age? We gave you twenty taels for the box and ten taels for the dowry, and you're still not satisfied. Look at our Jinniu Village and the nearby villages. They all give you less than ten taels."
"Grandma, can you please be fair? The dowry issue is over. But please help us with this matter. Otherwise, I won't get my money back. Just one hundred and twenty taels, and the shop can be revived."
"Don't even mention 120 taels. I won't give you even 12 taels. As for your mother's money, it's not coming back. After all, that money belonged to your mother. It's you who betrayed her trust. It's you, a good daughter, who made her lose everything." Speaking of this, Yao's mother wanted to scold her daughter-in-law again. "When she came back to borrow money to open a shop, I told her I wouldn't lend it to her, but you insisted on giving it to her secretly. Now the loss is your own, and I won't compensate you."
She had long known her grandmother's hard-heartedness, but it still shocked Yao Xing. "Grandma, it's not like our family can't afford the money. He's not a whore or gambler, he just lost money in business. Why can't you give us a hand?"
"You're not a whore or gambler, but you're so audacious you'd borrow money from a loan shark. How could you possibly be so helpless? You can get a divorce. After that, the Chen family's debts won't be yours." Yao's mother snorted coldly. She looked down on both Yao Xing and Chen Da. And you still want her to spend money on these two idiots? No way!
Yao Xing's face changed, and she said with difficulty, "As the saying goes, if you marry a chicken, you follow the chicken, the dog, the dog. How can I divorce so easily? Besides, my younger sister-in-law has already divorced. If I divorce again, I'm afraid it will be difficult for the girls in my family to get married."
"Then let General Chen sell the small house near the county school to pay off the debt."
Upon hearing this, Yao Xing looked at her mother in horror. How could she have known this? They had clearly been extremely careful when purchasing that small house. With her secret exposed, Yao Xing could only retreat in disgrace.
Yao's mother sneered, "You little brat, you've brought trouble upon your mother's family." Seeing her eldest daughter-in-law standing beside her, she couldn't help but vent her anger again, "Your daughter is really unlike us Yao family members. She's completely scheming against her mother's family."
Mrs. Yao lowered her head in despair.
Yao's mother felt bored and returned to the house. After sitting on the couch, her high spirits suddenly deflated. With her daughter gone, she didn't even have a close friend to talk to. Yao Xing was a troublemaker who held grudges but never remembered kindness. She would never spend money on her again.
She put Yao Xing aside and thought intently of her daughter. Half a year had passed, and she wondered if she was doing well. It was winter, and Yichun was so cold. Was her house warm? How was her food and clothing? Was the baby in her belly causing her any trouble? And then there was the birthing issue; it was almost time to start preparing. Every single thing was truly worrying.
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After half a month of rapid travel, the pick-up team, led by Kang Xiaodong, finally arrived in the suburbs of Beijing.
"Jinniu Village, this should be it?"
"Old man, is this the way to enter Jinniu Village?"
“Yes, yes…”
"Walk!"
Kang Xiaodong and others asked along the way. Seeing that the villagers were frightened, they had to show them the way. When they arrived at Yao's house, it was bustling with activity.
"She got married a long time ago. What does the debt she and her husband owe has to do with our Yao family?" asked Yao's father.
"You are a jinx who always brings disaster to your mother's family. When your mother gave birth to you, I really wanted to drown you to death!" Yao's mother hated it.
Yao Xing huddled aside.
Brother Yao and Sister-in-law Yao were also extremely disappointed with their daughter.
The loan shark boss boasted arrogantly, "We don't care about your parents' family or your in-laws' family, we just want to get the money." His subordinates said that the Chen family was too thin and could not produce more than two ounces of oil, and the Yao family was more wealthy.
The Yao family dared to be angry but not to speak out.
"Have you sent someone to the yamen to invite someone?" asked Grandfather Yao.
"I'm going." Uncle Yao was actually a bit nervous. He didn't have the same say in the government office anymore. Now it all depended on the strength of the loan shark's backing.
"What are you doing?" Kang Xiaodong waved his hand, and the soldiers under him quickly subdued the loan shark's thugs.
The loan shark shouted, "Who are you? Mind your own business!"
"Who are you?" Looking at this scene, the Yao family was also confused. Although these young people were wearing casual clothes, their temperament was very different. They obeyed orders and operated in a uniform manner.
"My name is Kang Xiaodong. May I ask if you are Yao Chunnuan's family?"
Yao's mother nodded hurriedly, "Yes, yes, I am her mother, and he is her father."
Kang Xiaodong grinned, "Hello uncle, hello aunt, I am Kang Xiaodong, the captain of the Yichun military garrison!"
Wow, once they show this attitude, people will know that they and the Yao family are friends, not enemies.
"Captain of the army! Military rank!" The loan shark's pupils shrank, and he said in a timid voice, "Killing someone means paying with your life, and debts must be paid. It's only natural. Even if your general comes, you can't ignore this rule, right?"
Kang Xiaodong looked at Yao's father and mother and said hesitantly, "Do you owe them money?" It's difficult to deal with owing money. The interest can be wiped out, but he doesn't know how much principal is owed. He has more than three hundred taels in his pocket. He doesn't know if it is enough to pay it back?
Yao Xing curled up there, looking at her grandparents, parents and others pleadingly.
"No!" Yao's mother flatly denied it. It wasn't her family's fault, so no one else could take the blame!
"Then these people..."
The expressions of Kang Xiaodong and the others changed immediately. They looked at the loan shark and the others with ferocious eyes. They had all been on the battlefield and seen blood and lives. When they were so imposing, ordinary people would become weak in the knees.
"The debtor is right there." Yao's mother pointed at Yao Xing and explained the situation in a few words. "She's my granddaughter, and she's married. The money she borrowed isn't our responsibility, and we don't want to. These big brothers are bullies. They didn't go to her husband's family to make trouble, but instead came to our Yao family to make trouble and ask us to pay back the money."
Big Brother: Auntie, please, can you please say less?
Kang Xiaodong understood what was going on. With a wave of his hand, a dozen soldiers rushed out, throwing the brothers and Yao Xing together. They also warned them, "Every debt has its perpetrator. Go ask whoever lent you money! If you dare to cause trouble again, I'll break their legs!"
Then, he glanced around sharply and saw that those who were clinging to the wall and watching the fun had all left quickly.
"Do you know my Nuan?" Yao's mother poured each of them a bowl of hot water and asked affectionately.
Kang Xiaodong took the bowl with both hands and said with a smile, "We know him. We all know Chief Secretary Yao."
"Zhu Bo?" Grandfather Yao had sharp ears and caught the word sharply. "Isn't Ah Nuan a prisoner? Why do you call her Zhu Bo?"
Kang Xiaodong replied in a serious tone, "Clerk Yao is indeed the Chief Clerk."
His deputy team leader pushed him aside and said, "Boss, let me come. Let me chat with the old man and the old lady."
Yao's mother liked the chubby-faced boy in front of her, "Then you tell the story, young man."
The chubby-faced deputy captain cleared his throat and began, "Uncle, Madam, let's start from the beginning. Yao Zhubo was indeed a criminal at the beginning. But she was also a capable person. During her exile, she earned preferential treatment from the escort officers thanks to her ability to identify herbs and brew refreshing tea. And Yao Zhubo was also a good cook, so she later took care of the escort team's dinner..."
Everyone in the Yao family listened silently. After hearing this, they nodded in their hearts. They were responsible for the escort team's dinner, so they could eat something good, or at least be full.
"After Yao Zhubo arrived in Yichun, she was first promoted and given important positions by Zhao Qianfu's personal guard Chen Jin... Then our chief steward spotted her with a keen eye. She is currently serving in the shogunate of the Guanjun General's Mansion in the Yichun military settlement..."
Before leaving, she told them to talk more about her situation with her family, wanting to tell them that she had not suffered much during the journey and that she was now able to take care of them, so they could move in without worrying too much about their livelihood here.
But she hadn't expected that Kang Xiaodong and his fellow officers knew her rise to fame so well, and when recounting it, they used exaggerated rhetoric to portray her as overly capable. Fortunately, she wasn't present, otherwise, she would have been so embarrassed that she would have dug a hole in the yard with her toes. It would have been so humiliating.
After saying this, he also mentioned the purpose of their trip. "Master Yao was always worried about you when she was in Yichun. She had to use a lot of favors to persuade the general to send us to pick you up. You really need to think about this matter carefully."
"By the way, these are what Chief Secretary Yao asked us to bring back for you." Kang Xiaodong quickly handed the bundle to Yao's mother.
"Is this our Ah Nuan? Why does she sound so unlike her?" Brother Yao was confused after hearing this.
"It sounds so fantastic." Yao Er Ge felt the same way.
"Who else could it be if not your sister? Who would joke with you about two hundred taels?" Mother Yao slapped her two sons on the back twice. She looked at the bundle and found a letter inside. She took it out and handed it to the old man.
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