Chapter 138 Before Departure 2
Xie Wanniang nodded, "If her parents do as I said before and spend money to redeem her, then I will tear up the indenture and let her stay in the village."
Upon hearing Xie Wanniang's words, the village head knew without even asking Xiao Yang's parents that they would definitely not agree.
If Xie Wanniang were to give the child to them for free, they would definitely accept it with great joy, since the child is now healthy and has even learned some basic skills in cooking, embroidery, herb gathering, and processing from Xie Wanniang.
But if Xie Wanniang were to ask for money, Xiao Yang's parents would definitely shake their heads vigorously.
He sighed, "Then it seems you'll have to take Xiaoyang with you."
Xie Wanniang shrugged, “It’s a pity that her parents aren’t as understanding as you. When I talk to them about this later, they’ll definitely cry and make a scene, try to force me to send Xiaoyang back without paying a single penny.”
The village head sighed again, "I'll have my eldest son go with you, and you can also call Fifth Master's grandson along."
With him and that Fifth Grandfather keeping things in check, Xiao Yang's parents didn't dare to go too far.
Xie Wanniang was the first to come to the village head, and she did indeed intend to ask him for help. So she smiled and thanked the village head, accepting his kindness.
The three bid farewell to the village head and others, and took the village head's eldest son with them to Fifth Grandfather's house, telling him that they would leave the village with Xiao Yang on the sixteenth day of the first lunar month.
Fifth Master was in good spirits. After Xie Wanniang finished explaining her purpose, he sighed and said, "Since you bought that girl, she will naturally go with you."
He beckoned his eldest grandson over and instructed him, "You go with them, lest that girl's parents cause any more trouble."
Without Xie Wanniang asking, the old man took the initiative to do what Xie Wanniang wanted him to do.
Xie Wanniang bowed and said, "Thank you, sir. Don't worry, even if I don't live in the village anymore, I will never mistreat that child."
A faint smile appeared on Fifth Grandfather's usually serious and stern face. "This old man believes you."
If this girl hadn't been kind-hearted, Xiao Yang wouldn't have been rescued, much less raised to be as rosy-cheeked, healthy, and lively as she is now.
After leaving Fifth Grandfather's house, Xie Wanniang and her "Four Great Protectors" went to Xiao Yang's former home.
Of course, before going in, she went to Hao Yu's house and brought Xiao Yang over.
The five adults and one child walked in one after the other, making Xiao Yang's parents, older brother and sister all tense up immediately.
Xie Wanniang didn't waste any words and directly told them that she would take Xiaoyang away from the village on the sixteenth day of the first lunar month.
"What?!" Xiao Yang's parents were alarmed upon hearing this. Her father, his face full of anger, shouted at Xie Wan's mother, "No! Absolutely not!"
Xie Wanniang reached out her hand, "So you want to buy Xiaoyang back? Sure, we can exchange money for him."
Xiao Yang was extremely nervous, fearing that her parents would actually pay to buy her back.
Having spent so much time with Xie Wanniang, she is now even more afraid of living with her parents and following in her sisters' footsteps.
But remembering what Xie Wanniang had said to her before, even though she was nervous, she just stood there silently, letting Xie Wanniang negotiate with her parents.
Sure enough, her parents' momentum immediately weakened when they heard the word "money".
After all, Xie Wanniang had already said that if she wanted to buy Xiao Yang back, she would have to pay all the money she had spent on Xiao Yang in one lump sum.
They had just built a new house, which, although just an ordinary adobe house, had already emptied most of their savings. In addition, Xiaoyang's sister-in-law had given birth, adding another member to their family, so their future expenses would undoubtedly be even greater than before.
Even if they could afford it, they would choose to use it in more valuable ways—such as buying an extra acre or two of land and growing more grain.
Only in this way can they ensure that they and their children and grandchildren have enough to eat in the future.
If the village head and Fifth Master hadn't sent their own children and grandchildren, the couple would have planned to play the victim and act pitiful. But now that the village head and Fifth Master are clearly backing Xie Wanniang up, how could the couple dare to cause trouble?
Xiao Yang's mother tried to appeal to his emotions, "Little girl, my daughter, don't you miss your parents at all? Please stay, your mother can't bear to see you go!"
Xie Wanniang reminded her, "You've got the wrong person. I bought her. Whether she stays or leaves is none of her business; it's up to me to decide."
Seeing that she was about to cry and wail at her, Xie Wanniang spoke first, "Don't say anything about asking me to pity you and not separate you and your daughter. My money didn't grow on trees. If you really can't bear to part with your daughter, go and borrow money from the villagers and buy Xiaoyang back to raise her yourself."
Xiao Yang's mother immediately fell silent. She and Xiao Yang's father shared the same attitude: if Xie Wan's mother could ask for no money or ask for less money, such as just one or two coins or ten coins, they would definitely be overjoyed to buy Xiao Yang back. But what Xie Wan's mother wanted now was an outrageously high price that included Xiao Yang's medical expenses and living expenses.
She wiped away her tears, avoiding Xie Wanniang's intense gaze, "The child's father..."
As always, she would never step forward to be the bad guy.
As the head of the family, Xiao Yang's father had no choice but to step forward and make his stance clear. He glared at Xie Wan Niang resentfully, "My family has no money!"
Xie Wanniang nodded, "Alright then, I'll take Xiaoyang with me."
She patted the little girl on the shoulder, "Kneel down to your parents."
Xiao Yang knelt down without saying a word and kowtowed repeatedly.
Xiao Yang and his sister were in tears, but no one stepped forward to beg their parents.
It wasn't that they didn't want to, but they knew that even if they begged, their parents would absolutely not agree to spend money to buy Xiaoyang back.
In their hearts, they also felt that it was actually better for Xiao Yang to stay with Xie Wan Niang than with their parents.
Xiao Yang's parents looked grim, but because the village head and Fifth Master's children and grandchildren were present, they didn't dare to cause any trouble.
After leaving their house, Xie Wanniang thanked the village head's eldest son and the fifth great-grandfather's eldest grandson. The group parted ways on the village road and went home.
Xiao Yang, who had been keeping his head down like a puppet, only began to show a more expressive face once he entered Xie Wan's family home.
Over the next ten days or so, Xie Wanniang used her spare time outside of teaching hours to gradually pack up the things she planned to take with her.
The oxen that her family and Hao Yu's family originally raised, as well as the oxen they each bought, were all sent to their newly purchased estates for the tenants to use for a fee.
Of course, this "paid" does not mean charging more rent, but rather that they are needed to help with careful feeding.
Anyway, there are always village leaders on the estate. Once the cattle are handed over to the village leader, the village leader will take good care of them according to the owner's requirements and lead the tenants.
The only regrettable thing is that she can no longer get the vegetable seeds and seedlings from Aunt Ge.
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