Upon hearing this, everyone around was stunned, staring wide-eyed at He Jiu Niang with disbelief in their eyes.
Although Sun and the others were also surprised, they did not show it too much. They felt that He Jiuniang must have her reasons for doing this, so they held back from speaking.
Zhang Li Shi only paused for a moment before bursting into laughter. It turned out that the most agreeable person in the Lu family was actually this Third Madam. Cui Ya had previously said that the Third Madam was a jealous woman, but now it seemed that wasn't entirely true.
She has a soft heart, and as long as she has a soft heart, many things will be easier to handle.
"Third Madam is the most understanding. My Cuiya is diligent, so you can order her around from now on!"
She smiled and pulled Zhang Cuiya forward. Zhang Cuiya looked at He Jiuniang with some trepidation, wondering why she had agreed. Could it really be because of her aunt? Was her aunt's influence that great?
However, considering that He Jiuniang had already relented, her joy outweighed her doubts. In any case, as long as she entered the Lu family, she would have a chance to get close to Third Master Lu. As long as Third Master Lu took a liking to her, she wouldn't have to be afraid of He Jiuniang.
Zhang Cuiya was about to kneel down to express her gratitude, but before she could, He Jiuniang said, "However, it's not so easy to enter our Lu family. Our Lu family never accepts maids with unclean backgrounds. If you want to enter the Lu family, you have to sign a contract of servitude, otherwise our family won't take you."
Signing a contract of servitude?
Zhang Cuiya gasped. If she really signed the contract of servitude, she would truly be just a lowly maid, a person of low status.
She clenched her fists tightly, feeling resentful.
She is now a law-abiding citizen. Even if her family is not rich, her status is at least higher than that of a slave. But if she really signs a contract of servitude and becomes a slave, can she ever turn her life around?
Zhang Lishi never expected He Jiuniang to pull such a stunt. Nowadays, it's not uncommon for poor families to sell their daughters, whom they can't afford to raise, to wealthy families as servants, but they wouldn't do it unless absolutely necessary, as it wouldn't sound good if word got out.
But now...
If they don't sign a contract of servitude, it will be virtually impossible for her daughter to enter the Lu family. But if they do sign one, then entering the Lu family will be perfectly legitimate. And when they return to the prefectural city, they might even be able to take Cuiya with them. Then their family will truly rise to prominence!
After hesitating for a while, Zhang Li quickly made up her mind. You can't catch a wolf without risking your cub. In order to help her daughter climb the social ladder, she was willing to sign a contract of servitude.
So, without even asking Zhang Cuiya's opinion, she nodded and said, "Okay! We can sell ourselves, but I don't know how much money the Third Madam is willing to pay us?"
She didn't want to miss out on this small benefit. The Lu family was rich, so it was only right that they paid her for buying her daughter as a maid.
"Um?"
He Jiuniang raised an eyebrow, puzzled, and said, "Didn't your family come here to apologize? We're willing to let your daughter into our home, you should be grateful, why do you still want money?"
Her surprised expression made Ms. Sun secretly give her a thumbs up. Sure enough, as long as she has no morals, no one can control her.
This move of getting something for nothing is truly ingenious!
Zhang Li's eyes widened. They were about to sign a contract of servitude, but they didn't want to pay?
That won't do!
He wanted to retort, but seeing He Jiuniang's bewildered expression, it was clear that she wasn't prepared to give money. If he asked for money, his daughter might not be able to enter the Lu family.
She turned around and pulled her husband aside to discuss it. She felt that the most important thing right now was to get her daughter into the Lu family. As for money, once her daughter became Lu Sanye's woman, would they have to worry about not having money to spend?
"Alright, we sincerely want to apologize, even if we can't pay for it!"
Zhang Li turned around and agreed with a pained expression.
Zhang Cuiya looked at her mother in disbelief. She had wanted to fight for herself, but thinking about how hard she had worked and how she had ruined her reputation to get the chance to enter the Lu family, she ultimately said nothing and waited for He Jiuniang to send someone home to get paper and pen to write a contract of sale.
The indenture was written by the village chief as a witness, which was exactly what Zhang Li and her husband wanted. With a witness, the Lu family couldn't back out even if they wanted to.
After receiving the indenture, He Jiuniang examined it carefully and then asked Zhang Lishi, "You should think this through. Once you sign this indenture, Zhang Cuiya's life or death will have nothing to do with you anymore."
The life and death of a slave are decided by the master. Even if the master beats a slave with a contract of sale to death, it is recognized by law and no one else can interfere.
Zhang Li felt that she had spoken too seriously, why was she talking about death and life out of nowhere?
Besides, she had heard how good the Lu family was to their servants. Look at the group of maids standing beside her now, each one dressed better than them, and they were given new clothes regularly and could eat meat every meal. She felt that selling her daughter into the Lu family was definitely a good deal.
He Jiuniang said this to scare her, to make her back out at the last minute, and to make her daughter miss the chance to enter the family!
"I've thought it through. It's a blessing for Cuiya to go to the Lu family. She made a mistake and needs to atone for it. I'll do whatever it takes!"
She deliberately spoke very definitively because she felt that He Jiuniang would definitely not dare to do anything, after all, so many people were watching, unless she didn't want her reputation anymore.
"Okay, then sign and put your fingerprints on it."
He Jiuniang read the contract of sale and, finding no problems, put it back on the table for both parties to sign.
The Zhang family was illiterate and could not write, so the village chief did it for them, and they just pressed their fingerprints on the contract. He Jiuniang, however, did it herself, and the contract was completed.
The Zhang family was overjoyed, feeling that this was the first step towards their great success.
Zhang Lishi pulled Zhang Cuiya aside and gave her a long lecture, telling her that once she arrived at the Lu family, she must behave well and try to get into Lu Sanye's bed within the next few days, so as to give the Li family a good slap in the face.
Zhang Cuiya was also very excited, and nodded with a blush on her face.
Everyone thought the matter was over, but He Jiuniang added, "By the way, weren't you just about to sever ties? Since the village chief is here, why don't you write the letter of severance as well?"
"Hey! Right, right, let's write it together!"
Before He Jiuniang could even react, Zhang Lishi eagerly echoed her words, as if afraid that the Li family would disagree.
"Big sister, what nonsense are you talking about? Didn't you just say you wouldn't break the bond?"
Mr. Li was a little angry. His wife and all his sons had just said they were severing ties, but his eldest sister was unwilling. He had been trying to persuade her out of consideration for their sibling relationship. Why did she change her mind so quickly?
"Isn't it obvious? Your wife said she doesn't care what happens to my family in the future, so that's fine. Let's sever ties and never have anything to do with each other again. Don't even think about getting any benefits from me!"
Zhang Li spoke smugly, making it clear that she wouldn't allow the Li family to take advantage of her.
Her daughter is now a member of the Lu family, so the Li family has no further use to her, and naturally there's no need for her to maintain any kinship ties with them.
Moreover, the Li family just resigned from the Lu family. If they don't reconcile, their daughter will definitely have to plead for them to get back into the Lu family's workshop. Would they still have a place then?
With the Li family stepping down, it's perfect for their family to take over – how wonderful!
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