"My child, you have suffered so much."
Injuries and imprisonment—why is Ruanruan's life so miserable?
Seeing that she was about to cry again, Su Ruanruan quickly smiled and said, "Aunt, please don't cry. I'm perfectly fine."
Liu wiped away her tears, and thinking of the play she had performed in Maoshan Village that day, she pulled Su Ruanruan back into the house.
“I don’t know what happened in Maoshan Village that day, but it’s great to be able to sever ties with the Su family. You and your brother will never have to put up with their attitude again.”
"Since the owner of your tofu shop was willing to help you put on an act, he must be a kind-hearted person, otherwise he wouldn't have paid for your medical treatment out of his own pocket."
Liu took out a copper key from her waist, opened a cabinet door, and took out an old purse, handing it to Su Ruanruan. "This is the silver left over from selling ginseng. Take it back to the shopkeeper tomorrow. If it's not enough, we'll think of another way to raise it slowly."
"She's kind-hearted, so we can't just accept her help and then refuse to give her money back."
"Our family may be poor, but we can't be that kind of person."
Su Ruanruan felt the silver in her hand was burning hot. She wanted to tell Liu that she had silver, but it wasn't the right time yet.
“Aunt, you should take this money back. Brother Tie’s good day is coming soon, and we’ll need money for everything, won’t we? I’ve heard that the girl is gentle, virtuous, and sensible. We shouldn’t mistreat such a good girl. We can’t skimp on the wedding ceremony. We don’t want people to laugh at her.”
When the girl was mentioned, Liu couldn't hide the admiration in her eyes. "If you ask me, Da Tie is really lucky. It's a good thing he didn't get engaged to Wang Chunya, otherwise he would never have met such a good girl."
"Speaking of which, Auntie, I really have to thank you. Without you, I wouldn't have such a good daughter-in-law. You absolutely have to accept this money."
She patted Su Ruanruan on the shoulder, "Wait for me a moment."
After saying that, he turned and went into the house. When he came out again, he had two more taels of silver in his hand.
"Wan'er has also heard Da Tie mention your matter. This is what she asked Da Tie to bring back for you to use to pay off your debts. You can take all of these with you."
"Wan'er said that marrying Da Tie is not a bad thing. Now is the time when you need money. You'll feel more at ease if you pay off your debts as soon as possible, won't you?"
Su Ruanruan felt a surge of tenderness in her heart. Even before meeting her cousin-in-law Wan'er, she had already sensed her kindness.
It's wonderful that these two simple and kind families can become one.
Su Ruanruan stuffed all the silver into Liu's arms, saying, "Aunt, I appreciate your kindness, please keep this silver."
"This..." Liu was bewildered.
Su Ruanruan smiled sweetly, "Mu Bai has already paid off those debts for me, the IOUs have been burned, and even the letter of severance from the Wang family is with me."
Liu stared in disbelief, "Really...really?"
“It’s true, how could I lie to my aunt?”
Liu had also heard Su Ruanruan mention Mu Bai, and knew that he was a scholar who taught Ruanruan to read and write, and that he took special care of her in the city.
Now that they've even paid off her debts, does that mean they...
Facing Liu's gossipy gaze, Su Ruanruan rarely showed a hint of shyness, "Mu Bai is very good to me, just as Aunt thought..."
"Mu Bai is a scholar after all, and many people ask him to write poems and paint. He earns all that money."
Mrs. Liu felt somewhat comforted, "Ruanruan's suffering has finally come to an end, and we should really thank the Bodhisattva for protecting her. If your maternal grandmother and parents knew that you had such considerate people protecting you, they would be smiling in their graves."
"When the opportunity arises, I will definitely bring him back so that my aunt can see him."
“He has been with the Master to Lingzhou these past few days. I will definitely bring him back to see you and Uncle when he returns.”
"Good, very good." Liu nodded with satisfaction. It seemed she needed to prepare Ruanruan's dowry as soon as possible.
"Why are Uncle, Brother Da Tie, and Cousin Er Wang nowhere to be seen?"
“Hey, your uncle and Erwang went to another village with some strong men to build houses for others. Together they earn more than twenty coins a day, which is pretty good.”
"As for your brother Tie, I sent him to deliver some vegetables to Wan'er and her mother, but he hasn't returned yet."
"Wan'er and her mother are an orphan and a widow. They don't own any land and the two of them support themselves by selling embroidery. It's quite hard for them."
"I've seen the embroidery pieces Wan'er made; the craftsmanship is truly excellent. How can this child be so skillful? The more I look at them, the more I like them."
Su Ruanruan smiled too, "I'm glad you like it, Aunt."
That night, Su Ruanruan coaxed Xiaoxi to sleep and talked to him for a long time.
Xiao Xi answered all questions and even said that she had met her cousin Wan'er, who was very kind to her and her cousin Sanzhu, and had made them delicious sugar cakes.
"Does Xiaoxi want to go to the city to live with her older sister?"
Xiao Xi blinked his obsidian-like eyes; he longed to live with his older sister.
But Brother Sanzhu said that his sister was very busy working in the city.
Besides, my older sister has a crush on an older brother, and if he follows her, it will disturb them.
He wanted his sister to be happy, and he hoped she could stay happy forever.
“I don’t want to, I want to stay here. My aunt and uncle are very good to me, and Brother Sanzhu will protect me. I’ve already made several friends in the village.”
Su Xiaoxi grabbed Su Ruanruan's hand and grinned, "Sister, don't worry about me. Take good care of yourself in the city."
Su Ruanruan ruffled his hair. "Okay, I'll be fine, and Xiaoxi will be fine too."
"I heard a story in the city, shall I tell it to you..."
The next day, after having lunch at her uncle's house and playing with Xiao Xi and the others until late afternoon, Su Ruanruan took Bai Ruan and left for Maoshan Village.
The matter she asked Gu Jicha to handle should be progressing well by now.
Without evidence, she didn't want to draw any conclusions or wrong anyone.
When she appeared in Maoshan Village, the villagers on the road started talking all at once again.
"Su Ruanruan, you still dare to come back? Aren't you afraid your grandma will break your legs?"
"Why were you released so quickly? It's no use you coming back; the Su family no longer has a place for you to live."
Some busybodies have even gone to the Su family to spread the word.
Sure enough, before Su Ruanruan even reached Gu Ji's house, Wang Shi, Zheng Shi, and the newly taken widowed concubine Wen Shi had already blocked her way.
Su Ruanruan raised an eyebrow at the group. These people, who were originally at odds, had now formed a united front.
Granny Wang stood with one hand on her hip and the other pointing at Su Ruanruan, "You bastard, how dare you come back? Weren't you in jail? How did you get out?"
"You still have a ton of work to do at home. Get back here right now, or don't blame me for disowning you."
"If you tidy up the house, I might be able to add Su Xiaoxi to my Su family genealogy again."
"As for you, I can still leave you a place to stay. Do you really think that scholar would be interested in you? Once her initial infatuation wears off, you'll be crying too late."
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