Fu shook her head repeatedly and sneered, "No matter how arrogant you are, you must have the confidence. You are just an adopted daughter of the Yan family. How can you ask the Yan family's own daughter to beg you?"
Hu Ajing asked, "Aren't you afraid that your cousin's wife will sell Caiyu when you say this?"
Yan Funing said coldly, "It's true that Caiyu was once my maid, but why does Yan Haitang think that he can control me at will by using a former maid?"
Hu Ajing stiffened her neck, as if she had seen through the truth: "That's because you can't afford a hundred taels of silver to redeem Caiyu!"
"Yes, I don't have a hundred taels of silver. Even if I did, do you think I would redeem Caiyu?" Yan Funing smiled. "If it were you, would you spend a hundred taels of silver to redeem a maid?"
Hu Ajing choked suddenly.
If it were her, she would never be taken advantage of.
One hundred taels of silver can buy several maids.
Yan Funing added, "It's true that Caiyu and I have a master-servant relationship. Yan Haitang wants to use Caiyu to anger me, but she's miscalculated."
If she guessed correctly, the Yan family wanted her to go back, and that meant she would be useful.
By saying this at this moment, she could also protect Caiyu from being bullied by Yan Haitang to the greatest extent possible.
Fu's eyes rolled. "You don't care about the life or death of your former maid. You are so cruel. If the Yan family wants you to go back, I have brought you here. It's up to you to decide whether to go or not."
It has to be said that given Fu's age, her thoughts are more profound than her granddaughter's.
After the first harsh words were spoken, Yan Funing remained very calm, but Fu Nanyao was extremely nervous.
Fu Nanyao knew that her sister-in-law had a deep affection for her maid Caiyu. If the Yan family wanted to do something to Caiyu, her sister-in-law was in the countryside and it would take time for her to rush to the county town. She really wouldn't be able to protect her for a while.
She immediately pulled Yan Funing's sleeve and whispered, "Sister-in-law."
Yan Funing patted the back of her hand, signaling her to calm down, and said calmly, "Let's cook quickly. It's not good to let my husband starve."
Fu Shi felt like she had punched cotton. She snorted coldly and pulled Hu Ajing away.
Yan Funing and Fu Nanyao returned to the kitchen.
Wan Niang, supported by her youngest son and Ali, also went to the kitchen. "Fu Ning, they're using Cai Yu to threaten you. I think your maid has a good relationship with you."
Fu Nanyao answered helpfully: "Mother, sister-in-law and Caiyu have a very good relationship."
Wan Niang asked anxiously, "Then according to what the Hu family's grandparents said, will Cai Yu be harmed?"
Yan Funing comforted her, "Mom, Caiyu is fine." She turned to Ali and said, "Light the fire, make sure it burns well."
Ali responded and sat back behind the stove.
Yan Funing took out the soaked vegetables from the basin and shook them dry.
She heated up the pan, poured in oil, waited for the oil to heat up, poured in the vegetables, and stir-fried them quickly.
Wan Niang listened to the clatter of spatulas and asked worriedly, "Fu said something harsh, probably to make you anxious. It's not worth spending a hundred taels of silver to redeem a maid. But if we don't redeem her, she might be sold to a trafficker..."
Yan Funing stared at the food in the pot, her hands still stirring. "Mother, the more harsh words Fu speaks, the more it proves one thing: the Yan family is anxious to call me back. They want me to go back, probably because they need something from me. Don't worry, I will take care of it."
Wan Niang nodded and left the kitchen.
The vegetables were quickly fried and served.
Yan Funing poured two bowls of braised pig's trotters with soybeans, one large and one small. She also placed two plates of vegetables. She placed the small bowl of braised pig's trotters with soybeans and the plate of vegetables in the food box.
The Hu family's grandparents came over but did not say why the Yan family wanted her to go back.
If she asked, they would think she was willing to go back. She was afraid that it would be difficult to implement her plan, so she didn't ask.
Thinking of Yan Haitang's unpredictable personality, she couldn't help but worry about how he would deal with Caiyu.
Feeling restless, she wanted to go outside to get some fresh air.
Then he went to the main hall and said to his mother-in-law, "Mother, I will go to bring food to my husband today. You can eat at home first and don't wait for me."
Ali said, "Sister-in-law, I'll go and send it off."
Fu Nanyao pulled Ali and said, "Sister-in-law wants to see brother, don't get involved."
Yan Funing glanced at Fu Nanyao indifferently and did not deny it in front of her mother-in-law.
Wan Niang smiled and said, "Alright, let's eat first. Fu Ning, put an extra portion of vegetables and rice in the lunch box, and you and Ci Yi can eat together at the village school."
Yan Funing nodded: "I understand, mother."
After saying that, he went back to the kitchen, filled two bowls of rice, took two pairs of chopsticks, put them in the food box, and carried them out the door.
It's early March and the breeze is warm.
Walking along the village road, the branches on both sides of the sunny side are dotted with tender green, and the bright spring light is reflected in the pond like a mirror.
Her mood suddenly brightened, and Yan Funing carried the lunch box, her steps unconsciously becoming lighter.
--
In the village school, the headman and his daughter were talking with Fu Ciyi outside the classroom.
In the classroom, the sound of reading can be heard loudly.
Fu Ciyi's gaze would occasionally pass over the window lattice to monitor whether the students were reciting without thinking, and sometimes he would respond with a few words to the head of the village.
The village head sighed, "Recently, I went to town and discussed with the village head the matter of having a few concubines selected for the imperial palace. The village head said the same thing as last time, saying that my daughter could be sent to the palace."
Fu Ciyi asked, "What do you think?"
"Originally, I didn't want to send my daughter to the palace, but in our village, there are not many unmarried women of marriageable age. The key is what the head of the village said. He said that if a palace maid is favored by the royal family, she may rise to the top and become a phoenix." The head of the village said frankly, "I'm just a head of the village. I can't even compare to the head of the village, but I also want my daughter to have a good home."
If he were the county magistrate, his daughter would be able to get a place as a concubine.
But he is not the county magistrate.
On second thought, what are the chances of my daughter entering the palace as a maid and being noticed by the royal family?
Even if she likes her, she can only be a concubine or a maid to warm the bed.
The chance of becoming the real master is low, but it is not impossible.
Fu Ciyi said bluntly, "This matter concerns your daughter's lifelong affairs. I think it's best if you can consider it thoroughly. Other people's opinions are actually unimportant."
The implication was that the village head didn't need to ask him about this matter again.
The village head naturally heard it and said, "Master, if my daughter could find a good marriage, I would naturally make the decision and would never send her to the palace. But now, where can I help her find a good husband?"
When he said this, his eyes were fixed directly on Fu Ciyi.
The girl behind him had an even more piercing gaze.
Fu Ciyi was startled. He was just thinking about how to get people to leave the village school...
Then the village head continued, "Master, your character, knowledge, and appearance are all excellent. You will surely achieve great things in the future. It is normal for a man to have three wives and four concubines. Of course, I don't mean to make my daughter a mistress, but I hope that Master will take her as his equal wife for my sake. That way, she won't have to enter the palace. When Master achieves fame and success in the future, he will have two wives by his side. This will be a wonderful story."
Enjoying all the blessings of life is what most scholars yearn for.
Anyway, he had this goal when he was studying.
Yan Funing had just reached the courtyard of the village school when she heard the headman's remarks.
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