Chapter 63: Contract of Sale
The Fourth Madam was forcibly brought before Su Shengsheng and immediately knelt at her feet, her voice trembling: "In the past, Fourth Aunt was blind. I beg you to be magnanimous and forgive us this time."
Seeing Su Shengsheng's expressionless and indifferent face, she hurriedly pulled Su Wenqian to her side and kowtowed together to plead, "Sheng girl, your fifth sister is still young, and this matter has nothing to do with her! Please forgive your fourth uncle this time. We will definitely make amends and never cause trouble again."
Su Wenqian was relieved to hear that Su Shengsheng was willing to cover the gambling debt, but when she heard that they all had to sign a contract to sell themselves, she was afraid that they would end up worse off than Qing Ning and the others, so she cried and begged, "This is none of my business, Sixth Sister, please let me go."
Su Shengsheng pulled out the hem of their clothes and said in a cold voice, "A son should pay for his father's debts. It's only natural."
The manager standing by actually admired the female manager who remained unmoved despite the pleas of her relatives.
How could he know that Su Shengsheng had suffered the pain of betrayal by her clan members in her previous life and had long been numb to such situations.
"Alright, sign it now, or I'll chop you off."
Under the steward's half-intimidation and half-coercion, the three of them finally signed the indenture.
"Why not just end it this quickly earlier?" The steward took the Jiaozi handed over by Su Shengsheng with satisfaction and waved his hand, "Let's go to Xiaolou to find a new courtesan to drink with the brothers."
When they were far away, Su Deyong's face suddenly became extremely sinister, and he stared at Su Shengsheng viciously: "You have no conscience, wait for me to get the chance, I will peel off your skin."
Su Shengsheng put away the three bloodstained indentures and said, "Second Brother Bao, thank you and the brothers for making another trip. Take him to the pharmacy to have his injuries checked and teach him some rules."
Bao Er immediately understood: "Don't worry, Miss Su, leave everything to me."
After saying that, he picked up Su Deyong, whose face was pale, and left with his brothers.
Seeing this, the Fourth Lady no longer dared to act like a spoiled child. She could only hold Su Wen Qian and hide aside, trembling.
Zai Qing looked at the backs of the steward and the others as they left, with a worried look on his face, "Miss, will they stop now?"
Su Shengsheng said calmly, "Even if they want to declare war, they have to think it over first."
If they endure it this time, the next blow will come soon.
Qing Ning first ran to find Brother Bao to deliver a message, and then hurried to collect money from the account.
When she ran back panting, she found that the matter had already been settled.
She brushed past Su Deyong, who was covered in blood, and ran to Su Shengsheng in panic to check on her: "Miss, are you okay?"
"You're here at the right time." Su Shengsheng called Qing Ning and Zai Qing to his side and whispered some instructions to them.
Qing Ning looked nervous: "Miss, is this okay?"
"Who do you think is the most anxious about the new courtesan becoming popular?" Su Shengsheng asked softly.
"That must be the former courtesan..." Qing Ning said, and quickly understood Su Shengsheng's intention, "Miss, are you trying to use someone else's strength to your advantage?"
Su Shengsheng nodded. "If we confront them head-on, it would be like hitting a rock with an egg. But the one in Scarlet Flame City might not be afraid of them."
Although Qing still had doubts, he knew that the other party had come to his door and made harsh remarks, so it was impossible to avoid him.
He immediately clasped his fists and said, "I will follow your orders, young lady."
But before leaving, he glanced at Su Wenqian and her daughter who were hiding by the wall: "Miss, how are they going to deal with it?
Su Shengsheng looked at the two people and said in a cold tone, "If you behave yourself in the future, this debt will be written off. But if grandparents find out about what happened today, I will never let you off easily."
Hearing that she was still concerned about the two old people, the Fourth Lady immediately understood that Su Shengsheng was trying to make a big deal out of a small matter.
She immediately swore to heaven that she would never reveal a single word to anyone.
It's easy to imagine that if this were to be made public, the first ones to be unable to hold their heads up would be the fourth family.
Qing Ning stomped her feet in anger, feeling that letting them go like this would be a real bargain for these blood-sucking insects.
But the courtyard was in chaos at the moment, and she knew that Su Shengsheng had to suppress the matter for the time being.
Zai Qing also understood that if this matter was exposed, the Su family would lose face.
Without further ado, the brother and sister left.
"Fourth House doesn't need to come here again." Su Shengsheng finally spoke, her voice as cold as the wind. "If it happens again, Grandfather won't protect you either."
Su Wen Qian knew that since Su Shengsheng had made such a harsh statement today, she would definitely do what she said, so she immediately helped her mother up and fled from there.
After a short delay, Su Shengsheng, worried that her grandparents might be worried, turned around and went back to the yard.
As soon as she walked into the main hall, she heard several ladies discussing how to raise money for her so that they could get through this difficult time together.
Mrs. Li was pacing anxiously in the room. When she saw Su Shengsheng coming back, tears immediately flowed down her face. "Sheng'er, I was so scared. Are you okay?"
Just now, Old Master Su and the old lady were too frightened to stand up, and they were helped to the couch to rest.
Several ladies wanted to go out and help, but they just couldn't raise enough money.
The men were stuck at the mine and couldn't come back, so the wives were all at a loss and extremely anxious.
Jiao stepped forward, shook Su Shengsheng's hand, and placed a purse in her hand: "The tuition fees you gave to your aunt haven't been used yet. Although it's not much, it's a small token of your appreciation."
Su Shengsheng gently pushed it back, "My sister-in-law is going to give birth in a few months, and we still need money to take care of all the things at home."
She turned to look at her second aunt, who had also stood up and approached, and gently pressed down her hand as she was about to offer the purse. "Aunt, Second Aunt, please rest assured. Sheng'er still has enough money, but she will need to be frugal in the future."
Upon hearing this, Second Aunt sighed helplessly and slowly put the purse containing ten taels of tuition back on the table.
"Are we really going to sit idly by and let these black-hearted people get away with it?"
Gambling houses are legal here, and so is loan sharking, otherwise Su Shengsheng would have reported it to the police long ago.
She comforted them and sat them down together. She heard her grandfather coughing constantly in his room. Just as she was about to go and check, she saw her grandfather walking out with a pale face.
The eyes that used to be clear and bright are now dull and lifeless, and the person has wasted a lot of time.
The grandfather, who has always been the mainstay of the Su family, now seems to be unable to breathe under the invisible burden.
He slowly sat down at the table, looking at Su Shengsheng with an apologetic look in his eyes, and finally revealed his decision: "Sheng girl, a letter from your cousin will arrive soon. He intends to take you back to your grandmother's house. Grandfather and your grandmother hope you can go back."
When Li heard this, she was shocked, "Father-in-law?"
The old lady walked over to Su Shengsheng, who was stunned, and held her hand tightly. "Child, the Su family can't let you get into trouble anymore."
Su Shengsheng came back to her senses, her eyes slightly red, and she instantly fell to her knees.
"Sheng'er has been raised by the Su family since childhood. Now I can only do my little bit to help. How dare I say that I am implicated? Grandpa and grandma, saying this, won't it break Sheng'er's heart?"
The old lady wanted to help her up, but Su Shengsheng stubbornly refused to stand up. The old lady could only sigh helplessly.
"Grandpa and grandma are sorry for you. Even if you go back, you can always come back to visit us." The old lady's eyes were full of love, and she gently stroked Su Shengsheng's head. "What's more, as the daughter of a criminal, marrying into the Ji family is not a long-term solution. We must always plan for your future."
Upon hearing this, Su Shengsheng turned to his grandfather eagerly, "Grandfather, didn't you make an agreement with Sheng'er?"
Old Master Su avoided her gaze and whispered, "It's the Su family that has wronged you."
Li sat back in her chair speechlessly, stunned and speechless.
Naturally, she was reluctant to let her daughter marry far away, knowing that they might never see each other again.
But she also understood that the Su family was already in deep trouble, and whoever could leave was the best.
Jiao and Zhong listened silently and did not say anything to persuade them.
Because in their opinion, this is the best way out for Su Shengsheng.
Looking at the people who had made up their minds, Su Shengsheng sighed, "Grandfather, have you ever thought that since they have already abandoned Sheng'er, how can they truly treat her well?"
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