Chapter Forty-Seven: Family Matters Are Hard to Untangle

"Seventy-five taels is the price for a slave girl with a broken leg. If you want one who is completely unhurt, it's one hundred taels."

Watching him arbitrarily raise the price on the spot, Liang Yunqing tightened her grip and began to assessing her success rate in knocking the man in front of her to the ground.

Hmm.

About ten percent, perhaps.

"Miss, please don't mind this humble maid anymore. You should leave quickly."

Xiaotuo's hopes were dashed once again, and she had already accepted the reality that she could not escape.

"Will seventy-five taels do?"

Liang Yunqing gazed at him sharply.

"One hundred taels."

Their eyes met, and each saw hostility in the eyes of the other.

Just as the tension reached a breaking point, an abrupt voice chimed in.

"Oh my, it seems I've arrived at an inappropriate time. Miss Liang is quite busy, I see."

From behind the crowd, a middle-aged man wearing a brown cotton robe walked over. His slightly plump figure now appeared quite imposing.

Upon seeing him, Liang Yunqing immediately put a smile on her face.

"Manager Yang, what brings you here?"

Manager Yang completely ignored the burly man standing nearby, smiling as he replied, "Naturally, it's because our master extends an invitation, hoping to discuss some business matters with Miss Liang. However..."

His gaze shifted toward the burly man, then glanced at the girl on the ground.

"However, Miss Liang seems rather busy."

The corners of Liang Yunqing's mouth twitched.

The burly man looked over at Manager Yang, his pupils contracting slightly. He immediately let go of Xiaotuo's collar, stepped forward, and said respectfully, "It has been a long time, Manager Yang. Our master has always been thinking of you."

"And you are?"

Manager Yang looked the man up and down, truly finding the face unfamiliar.

"I am a man under Master Qian."

"Oh, Old Qian's man. Then what brings you to cause trouble for my House of Joy today?"

Manager Yang's smile did not fade, yet his tone turned cold.

"Tell your Master Qian that we are buying this girl. One hundred taels, right? Our House of Joy will deliver the payment personally."

"No, no, no... How could we trouble you to buy a mere slave girl? Please, just take her."

The man cupped his hands, not even daring to raise his head.

"Business is business."

Manager Yang walked up eagerly and patted the man lightly on the shoulder twice.

"Go back and give your Master Qian my regards."

"Yes... yes... I'll go right now."

The man dared not linger any longer, immediately breaking through the crowd and running off into the distance.

The surrounding villagers who had gathered to watch the commotion were frightened by this turn of events. They had not expected Liang Yunqing to have such an influential figure backing her up.

A few busybodies did not dare stay to watch any further, and the crowd scattered in an instant.

At the entire village entrance, only the members of the Liang family remained.

***

"Manager Yang, the money for buying the slave girl, I will definitely..."

Before Liang Yunqing could finish, Manager Yang spoke up, "It certainly must be repaid. I won't stand on ceremony with Miss Liang about this."

"Why won't you stand on ceremony for once?"

"If I stood on ceremony, Miss Liang would undoubtedly take the opportunity to say she isn't paying at all."

"A crafty fox," Liang Yunqing scolded with a smile, and Manager Yang laughed along.

Ever since Manager Yang's arrival, the expressions of Lady Chu and Liang Mingxue had grown even darker. The mere thought that their daughter might have caught the eye of the proprietor of the House of Joy filled their hearts with gloom.

"Many thanks, Miss! Many thanks, Miss! From now on, Xiaotuo is your person."

Having narrowly escaped death, Xiaotuo knelt excitedly before Liang Yunqing, her head kowtowing continuously to the ground.

Liang Yunqing quickly withdrew her smile, helped Xiaotuo to her feet, and returned the silk flower hairpin to her.

"You should also thank Manager Yang here."

Upon hearing this, Xiaotuo moved to kneel before Manager Yang as well, which sent him into a flurry of frantic hand-waving.

"No, no, no, don't kneel to me. Miss Liang is the one who spent the money to buy you."

At the mere thought of money, Liang Yunqing felt a pang of heartache. She said to the mud-covered Xiaotuo, "Go back and wash up, and by the way, go check on your mother. It's been a long time since you've been home, hasn't it?"

"The miss is letting me go home?"

Hearing this, Liang Yunqing scratched her head.

"Even if you're going to work like an ox or a horse for me, you still need to go home and announce it first."

"Miss!"

Xiaotuo's tears poured down uncontrollably. Crying until she was beside herself, she once again offered up the silk hairpin.

"This is all this humble maid owns. I offer it as a pledge to the miss; this humble maid will certainly not run away."

"There's no need for that. Hurry back, and come back once your injuries have healed."

Liang Yunqing pushed the hairpin back, paid her no further mind, and instead pulled Manager Yang aside to speak.

"Manager Yang, did you come looking for me today because of the midnight snacks?"

"Precisely. The midnight snacks introduced by our master have been exceptionally popular, revitalizing the entire county town in just a few short days. The master specifically sent me to ask when you might be free to come to the House of Joy for a talk."

"This... it will probably have to wait until tomorrow."

Liang Yunqing glanced behind her, and Manager Yang nodded immediately.

"There's no rush, no rush. Miss Liang can handle her family matters first."

"Alright, I won't keep you for a meal today. See you tomorrow."

Liang Yunqing patted his shoulder, and after setting a time, she turned back to deal with the remaining mess.

Li Pinghua had wept and fainted back and forth several times, and by now she was being carried on Liang Youyong's back.

Liang Zhiyan still gazed lingeringly at the spot where Xiaotuo had left, unable to collect his wits for a long time, while Madam Wang on the ground looked rather awkward.

No one helped her up, nor did anyone pay her any mind.

Liang Mingxue, who had originally been the most solicitous toward her, now stood coldly to one side.

Seeing Liang Yunqing walk over, he immediately hurried to meet her.

"Qing'er, you weren't hurt, were you? Manager Yang was a great help just now, we..."

***

"It's fine, Father. I'll handle business matters myself. Let's go back first and tend to the wounds."

Liang Mingxue nodded.

The family returned home, each harboring their own thoughts.

Once Li Pinghua had recovered somewhat, she didn't say much else, simply twisting Liang Zhiyan's ear as she dragged him into the room.

Liang Mingxue and Lady Chu went to work in the kitchen, while Liang Youyong remained somewhat dazed, still startled by what had just happened.

"You did well."

Liang Yunqing pressed her hand onto his shoulder from the side.

"Ah... me? I didn't really do anything."

Liang Youyong was taken aback by the sudden praise, feeling a bit embarrassed.

"Just now, you didn't join your parents in making a fuss, and you kept trying to pull them apart. You did very well."

Liang Yunqing's voice possessed a unique quality that could quickly put people at ease.

Liang Youyong's nervous state of mind settled considerably, and he nodded with a blushing face.

Looking at the quiet courtyard, Liang Yunqing chose to lay her cards on the table right then and there. After pondering for a moment, she spoke up.

"Grandmother, let's divide the family property."

"What!"

Madam Wang, who had only just caught her breath, instantly sprang up.

Li Pinghua, who had just been inside the room lecturing her husband, also pushed the door open and rushed out, followed by Liang Zhiyan, who bore a fresh layer of injuries over old ones.

Liang Mingxue and his wife, busy in the kitchen, emerged as well, though there was little expression on Liang Mingxue's face, only a profound sense of resignation.

"I don't agree! This old hag isn't dead yet!"

Grandmother Wang shouted harshly.

"When did I ever need your agreement?"

Liang Yunqing looked at her coldly, and Madam Wang was instantly deflated.

"We were living just fine, why split the family?"

Li Pinghua still had dried tear tracks on her face as she hurriedly asked the question.

Liang Yunqing stared at her in silence for a long while before pulling a cold shaomai dumpling from inside her tunic.

"Second Aunt, I treated you like family, but you treated me like a fool."

Upon seeing the shaomai, Li Pinghua's face turned completely pale; her lips trembled and her eyes darted evasively.

"Th-this shaomai... is there something wrong with it?"

"Is that so? There's nothing wrong with this shaomai being made entirely of coarse grain? There's nothing wrong with it lacking any diced meat inside?"

Before everyone's eyes, Liang Yunqing broke the shaomai open. Seeing the filling inside, Liang Mingxue stamped his feet in exasperation.

He pointed angrily at Li Pinghua.

"Sister-in-law, how could you do such a thing?"

"I... what did I do? I was just trying to save money for the family, what did I do wrong!"

Li Pinghua stubbornly refused to yield, unwilling to admit that she had cut corners.

Without wasting any more words, Liang Yunqing tossed the shaomai directly onto the ground.

"From today on, the shaomai business will no longer be entrusted to you. You have lost all credit with me."