"That damned woman, she actually hid money from me behind my back." Song Xiaoqi sneered and crumpled the letter into a ball.
Ye Shan broke out in a cold sweat, lowered his head, and dared not look up at Song Xiaoqi.
“Master… perhaps it was a gift from the eldest mistress’s family, a special tribute, and not something the eldest mistress kept for herself.”
"Hmph, that bitch! If she didn't still have something important to hand over, would I care whether she lives or dies?"
"Master, be careful what you say..."
Song Xiaoqi placed the letter on the candlestick, lit it, and burned it to ashes.
"What's there to be afraid of? This is a deserted place, who would dare to do anything to us?"
Seeing that Song Xiaoqi was in a bad mood, Ye Shan dared not speak anymore and simply stood quietly to the side, waiting for his orders.
......
On the other side, Qin Xiaoniang had fainted several times due to emotional distress.
Song He'er tried to get him to wake up several times, but he showed no signs of waking up.
“Your stepmother’s health isn’t good anymore. Look at her, she’s lost half her weight on the way here. We need to get to work quickly, and once we’ve earned some money, we’ll buy a chicken and stew it for her to help her recover,” Zhang Xiu’e said.
Song He'er didn't speak. She glanced at the sky outside; it was almost dark. Presumably, the person delivering the oil paper would arrive soon.
"When they come tonight, tell them in advance that after they finish their work tomorrow, they don't need to exchange the money for silver, but can exchange it for some emergency rice first."
Zhang Xiue nodded. "Yes, that's fine."
Darkness fell quickly. As always, Jiang Huaifu's men were punctual. Once the surroundings were quiet and no one else was around, they carried several sacks and got off the small boat on the river.
Perhaps because they brought things today, the number of people who came increased from two to four.
From a distance, Song He'er could tell from their figures that these were highly skilled martial artists, not ordinary servants.
"Third Aunt, the person has arrived. I'll go over and hand them over first. You can have someone come and collect the things later..."
Zhang Xiu'e was somewhat surprised and asked, "Why? Wouldn't it be perfect if I went with you to get the things back?"
Song He'er paused for a moment, then casually picked up an excuse and replied, "If too many people go, it will inevitably arouse suspicion. Besides, it's hard to guarantee that those women won't come out to relieve themselves. From a distance, a dark shadow will appear, and they will definitely come to investigate. The fewer people who go, the better. After those servants have left, it won't be too late for Third Aunt to call Third Uncle to go together."
Zhang Xiu'e looked around and, seeing that it was pitch black and she couldn't see anything, began to worry. "You're so young, what are you going out to do alone? I'm worried about you if I don't go with you... Why don't you ask your third uncle to go?"
"Isn't Third Uncle busy collecting those adobe bricks that were turned out this morning? This little bit of work is already hard enough. I'll do this small thing. Tian Niangzi has to take care of the child, so I'll leave my stepmother in your care!"
Having said that, before Zhang Xiu'e could even speak, Song He'er hurriedly turned around and ran away...
Zhang Xiue watched her figure from behind and shook her head helplessly.
The servant was very tall, a full two heads taller than Song He'er. When he saw her, he respectfully addressed her as Miss Song.
"You really don't need to be so polite. I'm just a prisoner now, and it's only thanks to Your Highness's protection that I can do some handicrafts to earn a little money. I hope that in the future you can treat me like an ordinary person, otherwise, I'll feel very uncomfortable..."
This was indeed what she was thinking. If Jiang Huaifu's subordinates treated her with utmost respect in every way, it would make her feel guilty. It would be better to treat them as equals.
“Miss Song, please don’t worry, this is just proper etiquette.” As he spoke, one of the servants took off the burlap sack from his shoulder, opened the contents, and let Song He’er inspect them.
"Miss Song, all the goods are ready. This totals eighty catties of oil paper, which, based on the consumption of the finished products, can make about sixty umbrellas. If you can finish making them by tomorrow, we will deliver the payment to you on time."
Song He'er looked at the things on the ground, and then pondered for a long time.
"Sure, we can make it."
The servant smiled, then took out something wrapped in yellow paper from the bundle behind him and handed it to Song He'er.
"This is our sincere offer, and we hope Miss Song will accept it."
Song He'er opened it and saw four or five plump chicken legs wrapped in greasy yellow paper, with a rich aroma wafting from them.
She hadn't eaten meat for many days, and the smell made her stomach tighten involuntarily.
"this......"
"Take it. His Highness said it's not like you're eating for free; it can be deducted from your wages."
Song He'er thought it over and over again. The chicken was really delicious, and she didn't want to refuse this delicious food. So she took out a piece of jade from her bosom and stuffed it into the servant's hand.
"I'll pay."
The servant was dumbfounded. "Huh?"
"What? If you don't want to give it to your prince, then just put it in your pouch as a tip!"
"But... we don't need that many."
"Here you go, thank you Your Highness for treating me to chicken."
These jade stones were originally a gift from Jiang Huaifu when she left the palace. Now, there's not much left, so returning them to him is fine; there's nothing to regret...
After saying that, Song He'er picked up the chicken leg and started to walk towards the tent...
The servant glanced at Song He'er's figure, then looked down at the jade in his hand, and suddenly became somewhat dumbfounded.
The person next to him slapped him on the head: "Are you stupid? Hurry up and leave!"
"But this money... should we accept it or not? His Highness didn't tell us to take any money..."
The servant next to him was a little more astute. Hearing this, he immediately retorted, "Why don't you just go back and tell His Highness the whole story? Are you going to hold onto this little stone and wait here until dawn?"
Hearing about the man's poverty, the servant carrying the jade also became displeased, "Just leave, why are you lecturing him?"
Having said that, the two, still unconvinced of each other, left the riverbank and boarded the small boat.
When Song He'er returned to the tent, she first gave the chicken leg to Zhang Xiu'e, and then went to the bedside to see if Qin Xiaoniang had woken up.
"What...what is this? It smells so good!"
Song He'er smiled and said, "Third Aunt, why don't you open it and take a look?"
Zhang Xiue frowned and carefully lifted the yellow paper.
"Wow! It's a chicken leg!"
......
My darlings, the update is late today, but I'll still try my best to post two updates a day!
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