Chapter 166: The Greedy One Falls into a Trap
The news of Madam Xie wanting to buy a maid spread throughout Mountain Village in the following three days, causing a stir among many people.
On the Riverside, a group of women washing clothes were fervently discussing the matter.
"I heard she is willing to pay a hefty sum, something like over ten silver pieces. However, no matter how poor we are, we don’t sell our daughters," said a kind-faced woman.
"What if the family is extremely poor, wouldn’t they still resort to selling their children? Besides, who knows, the child might end up living a good life at a rich family’s house. I heard that household chores of wealthy families are easier than those of us farmers," another old woman chirped in.
"No matter how good a life they live, they will still be slaves. Even if they have children, they will also be born to servitude, without any freedom." The woman at the front rebutted.
The murmuring crowd suddenly fell silent, yes, their descendants will all be servants, forever considered below everyone else.
"Isn’t Madam Xie the legitimate daughter of a big household? Doesn’t she have any kind of maid she wants? Why is she thinking about buying a maid here now?" After a while, someone asked in bewilderment.
Thus, rumors began to spread among the crowd with everyone enthusiastically sharing their thoughts, but to no avail. In the midst of the heated debate, someone spotted Lin Ping’er carrying her washbasin to the Riverside. Their eyes lit up and they called out, "Hey, Zehao’s mom, come wash your clothes here!" Then they turned to the others and said, "We can just ask Zehao’s mom, right?"
Everyone nodded their heads in agreement. As Lin Ping’er approached, laughing, she was immediately asked about why Madam Xie wanted to buy a maid here. With so many people interrogating her, she felt her scalp tingle, but thankfully, Ruozhu had already instructed her on what to say, else she would have been hard-pressed to come up with a convincing explanation on the spot.
"Madam Xie came from Jiangnan after her marriage. All her maids are excellent in every aspect, but none of them is capable of doing the heavy work. Mr. Xie doesn’t like waste, and Madam Xie doesn’t want to keep too many maids either. She is thinking of choosing a maid who is honest, capable, and strong. Of course, the Xie Family values the character of their maids highly," Lin Ping’er said slowly and calmly.
Someone smacked their forehead, "Isn’t that right? Our local girls are the most honest and strong enough to work, no wonder she’s asking around here."
"Most importantly, they feel comfortable with your family and trust you to help select a maid," someone else chimed in, addressing Lin Ping’er with a flattering smile.
After modestly batting away their compliments, Lin Ping’er subtly described Madam Xie’s elegant demeanor when she visited their home. Many were attentively listening; after all, they rarely encountered women from wealthy families.
"The girl Chun Ya from the nearby village was sold as a maid to a wealthy family, wasn’t she? I heard her master is charitable, and she sometimes sends silver home." Lin Ping’er spoke in a mysterious tone, "Mr. Xie and Madam Xie are both good people. Working for Xie Family won’t be too hard."
This was all Ruozhu’s doing. In fact, Ruozhu didn’t want Guizhi’s mother to bother her in the future, but she had to make sure that Zhou Family was more interested. As for the future, well, she could worry about that later.
After being rescued, Guizhi would have to face new problems, such as what direction her life would take, and where she would end up. Since Ruozhu had already saved her, she needed to see it through. It was very hard for a woman to fend for herself outside, and even if Guizhi felt uncomfortable staying with Ruozhu’s family, Ruozhu would never agree for her to venture out alone.
So she had already thought of a plan: she would tell Guizhi, "I have advanced over ten silver pieces for you, so you have to work to pay off your debt!"
Hehe, with Guizhi’s honest character, would she still dare to leave?
Lin Ping’er finished washing her clothes quickly and started heading back. She noticed a figure hiding behind a big tree, eavesdropping. She took a quick look and realized it was Guizhi’s mother. To not tip her off, Lin Ping’er suppressed her excitement, pretending she hadn’t noticed Guizhi’s mother.
Nobody in Mountain Village knew about Guizhi’s marriage issue; nonetheless, several people in Linjiang Village knew about it. Even though Guizhi’s mother was moved by the idea, she dared not show it too obviously for fear it would reach the ears of the Yang Family in Linjiang Village. As a result, she might miss out on the money from this side and also ruin the plan on the other side.
Watching Lin Ping’er leave, Guizhi’s mother followed secretly, and, after making sure no one was watching, she gently knocked at the Bai family’s courtyard gate.
"Is Ruozhu here? My Guizhi asked me to pass a message to you." Guizhi’s mother was much friendlier than she had been in the past few days, her attitude was like night and day.
Ruozhu signaled to her family and then went to open the door with Dengdeng in her arms, asking anxiously, "Auntie, how is Guizhi doing? Is she well now?"
"Nothing serious, just a common cold, she’ll be okay soon. She asked me to tell you so that you wouldn’t worry. She said she would come to play with you in a few days once she’s better, lest she pass the sickness on to your child." As Guizhi’s mother was speaking, she also forced a flattery-filled smile. Her sycophantic demeanor was nauseating.
Ruozhu suppressed her feelings of disgust and, with a forced smile, said, "That’s good. I was really worried for her. Ah, I was so involved in speaking to you that I forgot to invite you into the house. I’ve been negligent. Auntie, come in and have some tea, won’t you?"
"Ruozhu, you are really too polite; I increasingly feel you’re quite sensible and a very good girl." Guizhi’s mother had a wide smile that could have split her face into a chrysanthemum.
Ruozhu grimaced inwardly, weren’t you the one who used to despise me? But now you can praise me without batting an eye. I’m really astonished.
After inviting Guizhi’s mother into the house, Lin Ping’er also greeted her, albeit in a neutral manner since she supposedly didn’t interact much with Guizhi’s mother.
Guizhi’s mother sipped the Osmanthus Honey Tea that Ruozhu had poured for her and kept admiring how good it tasted. Bai Ruozhu, being perceptive, immediately refilled her cup, saying, "This tea was given by my second brother’s mother-in-law. I heard it was brought from the south, and it’s not available in our town. If not for Guizhi and my close relationship, I would definitely have bought some to give to you."
Guizhi’s mother’s eyes brightened. Madam Xie is clearly well off, isn’t she?
As she thought, she guided the conversation off topic and within a few exchanges, they started discussing Madam Xie’s intention to buy a maid.
"Ruozhu, do you know how much silver Madam Xie is willing to give for a maid?" Guizhi’s mother asked.
"Does Auntie have someone to recommend?" Ruozhu asked.
Guizhi’s mother hesitated for a moment, then nodded. Her eyes were filled with eagerness, glued to Ruozhu’s lips, as if expecting the words from Ruozhu’s mouth to transform into silver pieces.
"I only know that it will not be less than fifteen silver pieces." Ruozhu covertly observed Guizhi’s mother’s reaction; she seemed pleasantly surprised but not overly excited.
"However, Madam confided in me that if the girl is particularly competent and of good character, she may be willing to give up to twenty silver pieces." After finishing, she chuckled, "Of course, the final decision would be made by the Madam after seeing the person."
As expected, Guizhi’s mother’s eyes lit up once she heard the figure of twenty silver pieces.