Chapter 197 Countering Lady Cao
Cao Yingying, not understanding what was going on, walked over.
Zhao Ergou wrote four characters on the paper: Cao Ji Trading Company.
After he started doing business, he developed the habit of keeping accounts, and gradually, his handwriting became quite decent.
Her face suddenly turned pale, but she tried her best to remain calm: "What did you write? I don't understand it."
"Many people in Ping'an Town are saying that the Cao family is offering a reward of one hundred taels of silver to find their daughter. The news from Hekou Town has even reached Ping'an Town, so you can imagine how big this matter has become," Zhao Ergou said slowly. "You must be the Cao family's missing daughter."
Cao Yingying smiled sarcastically: "It's really touching that my stepmother is willing to pay a hundred taels of silver to find me."
Looking at her mocking smile, Zhao Ergou felt a pang of sympathy for her.
He had inquired and learned that the Cao family was a wealthy family in Hekou Town, with more than a hundred servants in their mansion. The masters were served whenever they came and went, and they lived a life of luxury that ordinary people could not even imagine.
What kind of injustice had she suffered that she didn't even want to be a rich young lady anymore, preferring to come to Dahe Village and be an ordinary maid?
“Cao Laoda is your father, right? I heard he won’t be back in Hekou Town for another two weeks.” Zhao Ergou’s voice softened. “You should stay at our house and wait for your father to come back before we make any plans.”
Cao Yingying didn't say anything more.
She felt completely lost and had no idea what to do. It seemed that there was no other way but to wait for her father to come back.
She lowered her head and continued arranging the fabric.
Cheng Wanwan came out of the shower and said with a smile, "Yingying, could you come and help me dry my hair?"
Cao Yingying immediately put down what she was doing, took the dry towel from Cheng Wanwan's hand, and walked over to the side to carefully dry her hair strand by strand.
"Yingying, I went to Hekou Town today and heard something."
Cheng Wanwan had just started talking.
Cao Yingying said in a low voice, "Yes, I am the lost young lady of the Cao family. Aunt Zhao, I know you are not a greedy person, and I know you will not send me back for a hundred taels of silver, but I still want to say that when my father comes back, I will definitely repay your kindness."
Cheng Wanwan smiled and said, "I kept you here not so that you would repay my kindness, but because I think you are a pretty girl. I only have sons and no daughters, and I can't help but soften when I see pretty girls. If you were my daughter, I would definitely cherish and protect you like the apple of my eye."
Cao Yingying's eyes suddenly reddened.
She used to be her mother's precious darling, but her mother passed away long ago.
She lived under the same roof with her stepmother for ten years. Although she lived a life of luxury, she was always in fear and had to be careful every day. She had long forgotten what it felt like to be loved and cherished.
She looked at Cheng Wanwan through teary eyes.
If Aunt Zhao were her stepmother, she probably wouldn't have suffered so much injustice all these years.
But that's impossible.
Because her father only liked young women, and the youngest concubine in the family was only two years older than her.
"Alright, stop crying. Be careful Si Dan sees you and laughs at you." Cheng Wanwan wiped away her tears. "Although you're still young, you should learn to handle some things yourself. The Cao family's daughter being sold into a brothel is the talk of the town right now. Whether you were really forced into prostitution or not, just having been to a brothel is equivalent to ruining your reputation. That Madam Cao is now using this to spread rumors about you. By the time your father comes back, the rumors will have become facts. Even if your father feels sorry for you, he probably won't openly take you home."
Cao Yingying pursed her lips: "My father won't believe it."
“If Madam Cao’s evidence is conclusive, even if it’s fabricated witnesses and physical evidence, it’s still evidence. Do you think your father would still believe you?” Cheng Wanwan pointed directly to the facts. “For men, especially successful men, the reputation of their family is far more important than their daughter’s life or death. Not to mention, you’re not the only daughter of the Cao family. To protect the Cao family’s reputation and to prevent the Cao family from being ridiculed, I think your father would do things you wouldn’t even imagine.”
Cao Yingying bit her lower lip.
Her father was indeed very concerned about his reputation. If the fact that his daughter had been sold into a brothel was confirmed, even if the Cao family didn't force her to prove her innocence by dying, they would send her to a small village in the suburbs and marry her off to a random merchant from out of town. In that case, she would have no further connection with the Cao family for the rest of her life.
She didn't want this kind of life.
She forced herself to calm down, and after a long while, she finally spoke: "Shen Zheng and Zhao Ergou know that I did not sell myself to Yihonglou. They can testify for me."
Cheng Wanwan looked at her and said, "Yingying, what you need to do now is not to prove that you were not sold into servitude, but to use this matter to counter Madam Cao."
Cao Yingying opened her eyes in confusion: "Countermeasures?"
Cheng Wanwan nodded.
Fortunately, she had watched some palace dramas and family dramas, otherwise she really wouldn't know how to help this child.
“Madam Cao made two mistakes. First, she forced you to marry an old man while your father was away. Second, after you were sold into prostitution, she not only failed to rescue you, but also publicized the matter extensively. The one who ruined the Cao family’s reputation is not you, but Madam Cao.” Cheng Wanwan said methodically. “As the saying goes, the wicked accuse first. You must collect evidence before Madam Cao accuses you and send it to your father. Then, the first thing your father will do when he returns will definitely be to seek justice for you, instead of being used as a pawn by Madam Cao.”
Cao Yingying listened blankly.
She never thought she could use this to get back at her stepmother.
Thinking about it carefully, similar things have actually happened a lot over the years. According to Aunt Zhao's methods, she has countless opportunities to fight back.
But she never thought of fighting back, thus missing a golden opportunity, which allowed her stepmother to go further and further, forcing her to run away from home.
"Auntie, I understand, thank you." Cao Yingying sincerely thanked her, "When I return to the Cao family, I will definitely repay you properly..."
Aunt Zhao was truly the most remarkable elder she had ever met; it seemed there was nothing Aunt Zhao couldn't do.
"Why do you keep talking about repaying kindness?" Cheng Wanwan gathered her slightly dry long hair. "Two lambs are bleating in the backyard. You should go feed the lambs and rabbits."
Cao Yingying nodded and went to get busy.
Watching her figure, Cheng Wanwan sighed. The children in the village suffered from poor material conditions, and the children in the courtyards also suffered from infighting.
I hope that after this incident, Yingying can stand up for herself and not be bullied by her stepmother like this again.
Cheng Wanwan went to attend to her own business.
These past two days, the second son has started a fabric business, and the third son has been sent to work in the martial arts world. The eldest son is the only one left in the family who can take on important responsibilities.
However, the fields need the eldest son, and Hui Niang, being pregnant, also needs him at home. Therefore, the task of delivering goods to Zui Xian Lou needs to be handled by a specially hired person.
Zhao Da was familiar with the route and was a very suitable candidate, but he was too honest and couldn't say a word to strangers. Even with Manager Yang, whom he dealt with every day, Zhao Da didn't dare to say a few words to people directly.
Furthermore, the deliveryman would temporarily hold onto the more than twenty taels of cash, which was an astronomical sum for the villagers, something no one could believe.
No problem, we can change the model and arrange for someone to deliver the goods, and she can settle the bill every three days.
Cheng Wanwan stretched her hand out from under the eaves. The rain was almost stopping. She braved the drizzle and walked to Old Zhao's door.
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