With only two won at ho, it wasn’t appropriate to invite guests over for a al, so Old Mother ng insisted and finally convinced Sun the Great Saint to visit in the evening to share a few drinks with ng Yuhuai. The entire afternoon was spent fussing over this, and after lunch, Hua Xiaomai took little Walnut back to their room for an afternoon nap. Around the beginning of the afternoon, Zhou Yunyun timidly arrived.
Old Mother ng wasn’t one to ddle in others’ affairs. Clearly seeing that Zhou Yunyun had sothing on her mind, she didn’t inquire further. She simply took little Walnut away, leaving the master and apprentice to talk in private. Hua Xiaomai had just woken up, still sowhat groggy, and went to the kitchen to fetch so snacks. She then brewed two strong cups of Pine Nut Tea and led Zhou Yunyun to the main room, shutting the door behind them.
From beginning to end, Zhou Yunyun kept her head down, her lips pursed as if on the verge of tears, indicating a heart full of grievances. Hua Xiaomai disliked her pitiful state and rapped on the table, cutting straight to the point, "There are no strangers here now, and since you’re willing to tell about this, you must trust enough. So why not tell everything clearly? What exactly happened with your wages? Could it be... you didn’t take a single coin back ho?"
Zhou Yunyun was holding her tea bowl pitifully, her upper teeth biting her lower lip, struggling for a long while before she finally said, "It’s not that, I..."
Indeed, the issue was truly related to those wages.
Although Zhou Yunyun had completed her apprenticeship, she was still a novice, and it was quite impossible for her salary to compare with that of Wang Zhanrui or Master Tan. However, seven hundred coins a month was far from low for a young person who had just stepped into the catering industry.
In February, when she received her wages for the first ti, the young girl was so delighted she nearly fainted. In the past, with her honest and timid nature, she would have definitely taken the full amount back to her family, not keeping a penny for herself.
However, after spending more than a year in Daoxiang Garden, surrounded by shrewd and uncompromising sisters-in-law like Chun Xi and La i, and with Hua Xiaomai occasionally advising her to consider her own interests more, the constant exposure to their influence ant she was no longer as naive as before.
Last month when she received her salary, she divided the seven hundred coins in two, taking three hundred and fifty back ho and keeping the rest a secret from Zhou Qing. She didn’t keep the money for herself; since Hua Xiaomai was in her confinent period and it wasn’t convenient, she handed it all to Chun Xi, asking her to save it for her, planning for her future.
"In front of my father, I insisted that I only had those three hundred and fifty coins, no matter how he questioned , I didn’t yield. He got angry, saying I was incompetent for not earning enough to cover his expenses," Zhou Yunyun said through her tears, choked up, "I’m guessing, if he wasn’t wary of Daoxiang Garden being fully staffed now and having Brother Yuhuai’s support, he would’ve caused a scene at the shop by now. Since he doesn’t have the guts to do so, he’s developed the idea to sell off, hoping to exchange for twelve or twenty taels of silver—needless to say, that money would never reach my mother or my sisters’ hands. Most likely, almost all of it would end up wasted on his drinking and gambling!"
As she spoke, she clutched at Hua Xiaomai’s hand, "Master, I’m really out of options... Tell , did I do sothing wrong? If I had taken the entire seven hundred coins back ho from the start, I wouldn’t have ended up in this situation, but I..."
"You are not wrong."
Hua Xiaomai’s anger grew as she listened, but she managed to restrain it and gently patted Zhou Yunyun’s shoulder, "You’re not so young anymore. If your father sells you now, it ans he doesn’t care about your fate at all. If he won’t consider your future and your mother is truly incapable of doing so, what’s wrong with you saving money for yourself? Even if this matter were to be brought before the villagers for judgnt, eight out of ten would stand by your side—I’m asking, do you recognize the procurer that deals with your father?"
Zhou Yunyun sobbed and shook her head, "How would I recognize such people? Likely, they’re friends my father drinks and gambles with."
This just proves the saying that one is judged by the company they keep. Having lived with her worthless father for so many years and still remaining kind and gentle, she could indeed be considered remarkable.
For a mont, Hua Xiaomai couldn’t co up with a good solution, so she simply comforted Zhou Yunyun and advised her to avoid going ho for the ti being.
"No matter what excuse your father uses to call you, do not believe him. Just stay in Daoxiang Garden with peace of mind. I think, you shouldn’t stay in the front tavern anymore; that girl called Xiao Feng, doesn’t she live in the garden? You might as well move in with her, it might be good for both of you. I’m not worried about the dayti, Qing You and Ji Xiang aren’t there just for show, but at night, you must lock the door well, and don’t let your father in, understand? Let think about this matter a bit, and later I’ll discuss it with your Brother Yuhuai. We definitely won’t let your father get his way."
With these words from her, Zhou Yunyun couldn’t help but feel a deep sense of gratitude, thanking her over and over again as she left with tears streaming down her face. Hua Xiaomai sighed deeply and went to check on little Walnut with Old Mother ng. As soon as ng Yuhuai ca ho in the evening, she couldn’t wait and imdiately clutched at his sleeve, recounting the situation to him.
ng had just beco a father, his heart brimming with love for his son. To suddenly learn that soone in Fire Knife Village was heartless enough to sell their own daughter, he felt sowhat unable to contain himself. Even with his calm temperant, he couldn’t help cursing a couple of tis, denouncing Zhou Qing for being unworthy of being human.
Still, he was ultimately a man of ticulous thought and quickly surmised the significance within. While gently holding little Walnut’s fist in his palm, he glanced at Hua Xiaomai, "Not to speak ill, but I advise you to also calm down. This matter, I’m afraid you can’t manage."
Hua Xiaomai had bottled up her anger, waiting for him to co back with a solution. Yet, what she waited for was this statent — how could she accept that? She imdiately slamd her hand on the table and exclaid loudly, "Why?!" (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welco to vote for recomndation tickets and monthly tickets at Qidian (qidian). Your support is my biggest motivation. Mobile users, please read at m.qidian.)
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