Chapter 31 Even in death, she'll be a ghost of the Liu family.
Shanlai had already experienced the bitterness of being a servant, so she couldn't help but be afraid; in fact, she was terribly afraid.
But when she was given the chance to escape her servitude, she did not choose to seize it despite the risks.
Mr. Lian found Shan Lai and brought up the old matter again, saying he would redeem her from her servitude.
When Tong Shan told him about this, Mr. Lian was carrying five hundred taels of silver that he had borrowed from a friend. Even when he was in such dire straits, he had never asked anyone for help. He had truly given Shan the best he could.
Shanlai knew nothing about his sacrifice, but even if she did, she could only say one thing.
"I can't."
Mr. Lian naturally asked why.
She had refused to leave before because her father was still alive, but now that he was dead, what could possibly hold her back?
It is love.
Money wasn't important, at least not to Old Madam Qin. When Shanlai needed money the most, she gave him a lot of money without hesitation. Shanlai accepted this enormous sum.
Shanlai understood why Old Madam Qin was willing to give so much money.
What Madam Qin valued was her as a person.
Since she knew the truth and still took the money, she couldn't pretend to be confused.
Otherwise, it would be a breach of faith and treachery.
She can't do that kind of thing.
Her heart was at peace; she would not regret dying to repay the debt of gratitude.
If she is to leave, it can only be done by Old Madam Qin or Liu Min taking the initiative to let her go; otherwise, she will be willing to do anything for Liu Min.
This was exactly what she was thinking. She might not have said it to others, but Mr. Lian had treated her well, and she could feel his true feelings for her, so she chose not to hide it.
After hearing this, Mr. Lian remained silent for a long time.
To sacrifice personal gain for righteousness is the way of a gentleman, entirely proper and beyond reproach.
It's just a pity.
That's such a pity.
She was so talented and possessed such rare virtue, yet she was destined to live a life confined to the inner quarters of the house, and only as a concubine.
It's such a pity, it's almost unbearable.
He simply couldn't stand by and do nothing.
He remembered that the young master of this family seemed to be very reasonable. Didn't he say that he invited him over for her sake?
Mr. Lian went to find Liu Min again.
To get straight to the point.
"With Miss Yao's talent, it would be a waste for her to remain a woman confined to the inner quarters. What do you think, Young Master Liu? I wish to redeem Miss Yao from her servitude and do everything in my power to help her become a first-rate lady of our time. I hope you will grant my request."
That's wonderful! How could Liu Min not be willing?
"I also think it's a pity that she's a servant. The world doesn't lack someone to serve her, but it lacks the pen in her hand."
However, Liu Min is not currently in charge of the Liu family, so this matter requires the approval of Old Madam Qin.
Liu Min thought there wouldn't be any problems because Mr. Lian had money.
Money is confidence.
After paying his respects, Mr. Lian took out a silver note from his person and handed it to Liu Min to present to Old Madam Qin.
"Here are five hundred taels, Madam. I wish to redeem Miss Yao from her servitude. She is a woman of great talent and should not be wasted in the household. I beg you to show her compassion and let her come with me."
Liu Min placed the silver note beside Madam Qin and smiled as he spoke up for Mr. Lian: "Since you've spoken, Madam, please grant his request. I've seen it for myself; she is indeed a very talented person. She shouldn't be restricted. Let her soar like a bird in the sky and leap like a fish in the sea. Isn't that a great virtue? And you've always been the kindest person..."
Old Madam Qin remained silent with a cold expression.
Upon seeing this, Mr. Lian recalled what Shan had told him and realized that she had already seen through it all.
The more we prevent her from leaving, the less she should leave.
At this point, Mr. Lian gave up hope.
But Liu Min did not.
He smiled and said to Madam Qin, "Does our family need someone to serve us? Let her go. I can handle the affairs in the study myself from now on. Please agree to this, Madam."
The old lady turned her head to look at him, her eyes deep and dark. When he saw this, his heart skipped a beat, and he suddenly couldn't shake it off. He calmed down abruptly.
He fell silent, but Old Madam Qin spoke up, asking him, "If you want her to leave like this, is there something wrong with her? Do you dislike her very much?"
How could that be?
"She's fine."
Liu Min hurriedly said.
He regarded Shanlai as a respectable person, so how could he think she was bad? He respected her so much that he couldn't even utter a single bad word about her.
"It's precisely because she's too good that we should let her go. It's too much of a waste of her talent. Like I said, our family doesn't need another person to do our bidding."
But I'm afraid you'll lack a suitable partner.
Madam Qin sighed quietly, her heart filled with bitterness.
"You think she's great, you like her a lot, right?"
Liu Min nodded quickly and said with a smile, "Who wouldn't like someone like her?"
That's good.
Looking into his eyes, Old Madam Qin slowly said, "When she came, she signed a deed of sale. Having signed the deed of sale... she'll die a ghost of the Liu family..."
Upon hearing this, Liu Min frowned.
Why is that? So resolute, as if there's absolutely no room for negotiation; it's never been like this before.
He suddenly felt weak and listless. He must be tired. That's what he thought.
Then Madam Qin asked, "What about Shanlai? What's she thinking? Did she tell you she wanted to leave?"
Shanlai was summoned to Fuzetang.
Overwhelmed with grief, she lost all interest in doing anything. She could only recall the trivial things she had shared with her father, her heart filled with sorrow. So when someone called her, she didn't ask any questions and just followed numbly. Therefore, she didn't know what had happened or why she had been called over; she was completely unprepared.
But once she entered the room and saw that Mr. Lian and Liu Min were both there, she almost instantly understood what had happened.
Of course she knew what to do.
They bowed in turn to Madam Qin, Mr. Lian, and Liu Min, but the words were spoken only to Madam Qin.
"Why did the old lady call me here?"
Madam Qin said, "Good day. The master wants to redeem you. Do you want to go with him?"
Upon hearing this, Shanlai knelt on the ground, shook his head, and said to Madam Qin, "I have already sold myself to you, Madam. My life and death are entirely in your hands, and my stay or leave is also up to you. If you want to send me away, I will never dare to stay in your presence for even a moment longer... As long as you don't send me away, I will definitely stay in the mansion to repay your kindness. I can never fully repay the kindness you have shown me in this lifetime..."
The implication, of course, is that she's not leaving.
Madam Qin nodded in satisfaction.
Liu Min didn't say anything more.
Mr. Lian, of course, had nothing to say.
That was the end of it.
Shanlai's life at the Liu residence was peaceful and uneventful.
As Ru Hui said, Gan Tang, who replaced Yun Ping, was very sensible. The incident of Shan Lai being called to work while asleep would never happen again. Gan Tang practically worshipped her, handling everything related to her perfectly, subtly and quietly, without ever trying to curry favor with her, never disturbing her peace. Shan Lai didn't go to Yang Sheng Xuan again. Liu Min was extremely understanding towards her, and besides, he hadn't really asked her to do anything. Moreover, he later realized that it was his grandmother who was keeping her from leaving; she knew this all along, which was why she said those things. He couldn't really argue with his grandmother for her sake, so he could only keep her as a servant. For this, he felt very sorry for her and wouldn't say anything more.
Liu Min had promised that he would send Shanlai home every seven days. He was a man of his word. Shanlai would leave Liu’s residence in the early morning and return at dusk on the appointed day, and all was well.
Only four or five days after Yao Yong's burial, Shan Lai had already calmed down. She herself found it unbelievable; she had expected the sky to fall for a while, but it turned out to be like this. She felt she had failed in her duty as a daughter, that she was unfilial. So she often forced herself to recall the happy moments she shared with her father, deliberately inducing grief as a footnote to Yao Yong's passing. Thinking about it over and over again, she suddenly noticed some previously unnoticed details, all of which were quite problematic.
She had suffered a great calamity and barely escaped with her life. She cried every day, but her father wasn't there to watch over her every moment. Instead, he would stand a few steps away from her when she cried alone... How could this be? Also... she had always felt that her father's kindness towards her was no different from his kindness towards others. He was gentle and polite... He was good to her and good to others. It seemed that apart from providing her with food and clothing, he treated her no differently from others. She had resented this, but what she resented most was that he had sacrificed his own health for others without considering her at all, and also Ah Bao.
Ah Bao...
Sometimes her father would call her Abao. She hadn't thought there was anything wrong with it before, because he was always happy when he called her Abao. She thought it was just an affectionate way of saying that she was his darling. But when he was about to die, the way he raised his hand and called out "Abao" to the void seemed to indicate that Abao was someone else. Of course, it was also possible that he was confused and disoriented in his final moments. But how do you interpret the first part?
Why not let her go to the capital?
The words a person leaves before they die must be very important, right? So how could it be just that one sentence?
What happened in the capital?
She had completely forgotten what happened in the capital; she didn't even remember what her mother looked like...
Mother……
She fell ill because of this, and when the day came for her to go home to pay her respects, she couldn't even get up.
When Liu Min found out, he assumed that she was still grieving the loss of her father and was in a daze, which led to the invasion of wind and cold into her body.
How can a person feel better if they keep thinking about sad things?
We need to think of a solution quickly.
That day, Shan Lai had just gotten up and was about to eat breakfast when Liu Min rushed over, grabbed her hands, and dragged her up from the stool. Then, he suddenly turned around and shouted, "Quick, someone come and comb her hair!" After shouting, he immediately turned back, his eyes crinkling as he asked her, "Where are the clothes the old lady made for you? Pick out a nice one to wear! We're going out today! To Biqing Creek!"
"Don't say I didn't think of you when there was good news! Let me tell you, a few days ago a guy named Bai Lian came here. He's got quite a reputation! They say he's a talented scholar from Hedong, who once served in the Wenying Hall. He's not even twenty years old yet, and his painting skills are superb, ranking among the top ten in the world. His landscape paintings have been praised by His Majesty more than once! It's said that because of this, he's become even more arrogant, resigned from his post in the Wenying Hall, and traveled around, declaring that he wants to be the number one landscape painter of the time. Now he's visiting us, and he wants to meet friends through painting at Biqing Creek. How can we not go to such a grand event? I'll take you out to broaden your horizons, okay?"
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