Chapter 311 Exorbitant Prices
Soon, Xu Jinnian received a message from Princess Shanmin requesting the Jingzhao Prefecture to release the person.
In the evening, instead of going home immediately, he took a detour to his favorite pastry shop and bought two packs of pastries made by the master chef.
Not long after Xu Jinnian left the pastry shop, the shopkeeper collected the remaining pastries and gave them to a little beggar on the street, closing the shop half an hour earlier than usual.
The Liu and Xu families have been staying at this unassuming inn for almost a month.
During that month, they explored almost every street and alley in the capital, leaving home with smiles on their faces and returning to the inn with great joy.
Most of the time, these people returned empty-handed, unable to spend money lavishly, but this did not affect their good mood at all; they wished they could stay in the capital for as long as possible.
These people knew their place; staying in the capital was impossible, and even with a hefty hush money offer, they had no way to remain.
To avoid retaliation, one must leave immediately after receiving the silver.
In the evening, a group of people were walking into the inn when Peng Chunlan inadvertently spotted a familiar face in a corner.
An ordinary-looking middle-aged man who would not attract anyone's attention in a crowd.
Her eyes lit up. Without alerting anyone else, she deliberately lagged behind and quickly walked to a corner when no one was looking. She asked impatiently, "Can we go to their door to collect the money now?"
The middle-aged man's voice was devoid of any emotion: "Tomorrow morning, go directly to the Ministry of Revenue to find Xu Huaining and have him give each of your families five thousand taels of silver."
Five thousand taels of silver?
Peng Chunlan gasped in shock; this was an astronomical figure she had never even considered.
Before coming to the capital, she thought she would be happy if she could get a hundred or two hundred taels.
Two thousand taels of silver—she might not earn that much even in ten lifetimes!
A look of greed appeared on Peng Chunlan's face, but she had not completely lost her mind: "There is so much silver, the Xu guy simply cannot come up with it. He would rather hire someone to kill him than give it to me."
The middle-aged man's voice remained flat: "For the man surnamed Xu, his bright future is something that ten thousand taels of silver couldn't buy. He may not have money, but he has powerful backers."
Upon hearing this, Peng Chunlan's restrained greed slowly took over.
Thinking that with two thousand taels of silver, her family could live in a large mansion, buy hundreds of acres of fertile land, and live a life of luxury with servants at her beck and call, she no longer hesitated: "Yes!"
Xu Huaining was relieved that Xu Laosi and Feng Lianhua were about to be released, and he left for the Ministry of Revenue early the next morning.
Just as he reached the door, a familiar yet unfamiliar voice came from the side: "Son-in-law, your mother has finally found you!"
Xu Huaining subconsciously looked in the direction of the sound and saw Peng Chunlan and the others with bright smiles on their faces.
In an instant, a strong sense of crisis surged into Xu Huaining's heart, and he finally understood why Xu Laosi and Feng Lianhua had been detained.
Leaving aside the impending disaster for Xu Huaining's family, Sheng An leisurely took care of her daughter, watching her grow up day by day, her little face becoming more and more beautiful, and felt extremely satisfied.
When Xu Jinnian returned home, she came over with Zhuozhuo in her arms, showing her off:
"Our daughter learned to roll over this afternoon. She moved her limbs around like a little turtle turning over in its shell. It was so cute. I'll let her roll over and show you in a bit."
Zhuozhuo was able to roll over at just over three months old. Although her hands and feet were weak and her movements were not very agile, it showed that she was being well cared for.
Seeing his wife treating their daughter like a toy, Xu Jinnian was both amused and exasperated: "Zhuozhuo is still young, don't tire her out."
Sheng An didn't like hearing this, as it made her sound like a wicked stepmother: "A daughter needs to move her hands and feet more to have energy, so she can grow up quickly and strong and won't get sick easily."
After raising her child for several months, Sheng An considers herself a semi-expert in childcare.
Not only do I pay attention to my daughter's diet and behavior every day, but I also analyze what she wants to do through her subtle emotional changes.
In other words, Sheng An could tell whether her little dumpling needed to poop or had gas just by farting.
Xu Jinnian is not home during the day and has limited time to spend with her daughter, so she naturally knows less about her situation than Sheng An does.
Seeing Sheng An's confident assertion, he believed her without a doubt: "I see, An'an is really amazing, knowing so much even though it's her first time being a mother."
Grandma Sheng, who was standing nearby, couldn't stand it anymore and stepped forward to take her great-granddaughter, who had been fussing over by her granddaughter for half a day:
"Don't listen to her nonsense. Zhuozhuo is growing and needs more rest and sleep to grow well and fast."
After saying that, the old lady glared at her granddaughter and said, "If Zhuozhuo wants to roll over, let her roll over; if she doesn't want to, let her lie down properly. If you dare to let her roll over like a turtle again, see how I scold you!"
Sheng An had just been severely scolded, and hearing her grandmother's threat, she replied listlessly, "Grandma, I understand."
Sigh, now that she has a daughter, she's no longer Grandma's most beloved granddaughter.
Seeing this, Grandma Sheng was both amused and annoyed. She tapped her great-granddaughter's cheek and said, "You're such a fool. You didn't even cry when your mother played with you until you almost vomited."
Zhuozhuo was already exhausted and asleep, automatically blocking out all external sounds.
Even after dinner and a shower, the couple lay in bed chatting while their little one remained soundly asleep.
Sheng An thought she had hurt her daughter, and was so frightened that she put her finger under her nose to see if she was still breathing.
Feeling the breath on her fingertips, Sheng An finally felt relieved and leaned back into the man's arms: "I thought it was hard to get pregnant, but I didn't expect that raising a child would be even harder."
She has too many things to worry about, and she easily becomes anxious if even the slightest problem arises, fearing that she will raise the child badly.
Xu Jinnian gently wrapped his arms around his wife's waist and pulled her closer to him, saying, "Thank you for your hard work."
Sheng An nuzzled against his chest, placed one hand on his neck, and lightly pinched his earlobe:
"With Hongliu around, and my grandparents and father helping to take care of me, I don't feel tired."
Xu Jinnian asked, "Should we hire a few more people to serve us?"
Sheng An immediately refused: "No need, I'd be even more worried about having a new person in the family!"
Seeing her strong reaction, Xu Jinnian felt even more guilty: "It'll be soon, it'll be soon, An'an, just wait a little longer."
Sheng An knew what he meant, and his eyes lit up: "Yes, you should also be careful, lest Xu Huaining resort to desperate measures against you."
Xu Jinnian kissed her forehead: "Don't worry, he won't be able to keep this up for long."
As Sheng An listened to the man's steady heartbeat, her anxiety gradually subsided.
"I don't have big ambitions. As long as my family is safe and healthy and I can raise Zhuozhuo well, I will be very satisfied."
Xu Jinnian's movements became increasingly careful, his deep voice tender and gentle: "Yes, it will, it definitely will."
He would not allow the tragedy of his past life to happen again.
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