newbobooks Chapter 382 Departure to the Manor
Chapter 382 Departure to the Manor
"It must be paid off within five days, or else..."
"hum"
A fierce-looking man raised his fist and clenched it so tightly it cracked. Father He was terrified and quickly pulled Mother He, who was throwing a tantrum, away.
"Where's my daughter's money?!"
When they got to a more distant place, Mother He flung him away and put her hands out in front of Father He.
Father He took two steps back and looked away. "Wh...what silver?"
He laughed it off, and Mother He could tell from his expression that he had taken the money and gambled it away.
He's gambled away all the silver he gave him to buy a hen, hasn't he? He even owes the tyrant two hundred taels of silver!
Mother He felt disheartened. Now the family was in debt for several hundred taels of silver. How could they possibly repay it?
Thinking of her daughter at home, she walked towards the market, feeling disheartened.
Father He followed silently behind, not daring to breathe, only observing Mother He's expression when she occasionally stopped.
When He's mother went to buy a chicken, He Lingfei, who was inside the house, heard the voice and quickly called out, "Mother! Did my father give you the money?"
Father He shrank back, and Mother He entered the house and swiftly chopped off the chicken's head with a knife. Her expressionless face made Father He tremble involuntarily.
"Boil water and pluck the chicken feathers."
After throwing the chicken in front of He's father, He's mother coldly said something and then poured out a bowl of medicine from the medicine pot to go see He Lingfei.
At this moment, Father He dared not say anything, and worked diligently to boil water and pluck feathers, not daring to slack off at all.
"Mom, what's wrong with you?"
Seeing her mother looking exhausted as she entered, He Lingfei's heart tightened, and she asked again, "Has my father already gambled away all the money?" She bit her lip hard, feeling utterly powerless.
She knew her father too well; he would never keep money at home, and even if he had only a few copper coins, he would spend them at the gambling den.
Mother He sighed and took a damp cloth to wipe her face. "She's not just lost everything, she still owes the gambling den two hundred taels of silver."
As she spoke, she clenched the handkerchief in her hand tightly, wishing she could divorce He's father right now.
He Lingfei was silent for a while, then resignedly lay on the bed and said in a muffled voice, "Once I'm better, I'll go beg Wen Zijin to forgive me."
She buried her face in the quilt, thinking that if being forceful didn't work, she would try being gentle, and she didn't believe that Wen Zijin, a scholar, would bother with her.
Furthermore, she didn't do anything substantial, and Wen Zijin wasn't poor, so he probably didn't lack those two hundred taels of silver.
"You're not allowed to go see that Wen Zijin again! He's a jinx to us!"
Mentioning Wen Zijin made He's mother furious.
His own daughter spends money on dressing herself up because of him, and buys him expensive things to make food in order to please him, but he doesn't necessarily accept them. In the end, it's all a waste!
Now, their own daughter has been misled into making a mistake, and they've already punished her but still have to pay two hundred taels of silver in compensation.
In the end, didn't they get nothing?!
In her opinion, Wen Zijin is a real jinx!
He Lingfei was taken aback by her outburst, wondering why her mother was reacting so strongly.
"Mother...what...what about the money?"
She swallowed hard, only then realizing the terrible trouble she had caused in a moment of impulsiveness.
This question clearly stumped Mrs. He, and she remained silent for a long time, creating an awkward atmosphere in the room.
"My dear wife, I've cleaned the chicken."
"Do you want it chopped into pieces or stewed whole?"
Grandpa He appeared at the door carrying a dangling chicken, breaking the dull atmosphere inside the house.
"father!"
He Lingfei turned her face toward him and gritted her teeth, yelling at him. He's father almost fled in panic when he saw the hateful look in her eyes.
He stammered, moving closer to the door, "Fei'er likes to gnaw on chicken legs, I... I'll stew the whole chicken for you."
He grabbed the chicken and ran off quickly. Seeing how cautious he was, He's mother wasn't so angry anymore.
She looked up at the house she had just bought and then said to He Lingfei, "Selling this courtyard will give us some money, and we can also raise some by pawning Mother's dowry."
After saying that, she got up and walked out. He Lingfei watched her back and realized for the first time that she didn't understand her mother at all.
Every day she would complain that she didn't want to live like this anymore, or that she would fight and bicker and live like this. She said that she didn't care about her and her father anymore, and that if something really happened, she wouldn't abandon them like she had heard from others when disaster struck.
Xia Chan was the happiest person to hear about He Lingfei's situation. At that moment, while applying medicine to Bai Qinghuan, she said, "Evil people will be punished by Heaven."
"She dared to abduct an innocent young man in broad daylight; she deserves what she got."
Bai Qinghuan was amused by her. After only three applications of the medicine, she felt that her leg no longer hurt.
"Let's go find Luo Zhi tomorrow; I'm really having a headache over this estate situation."
Bai Qinghuan pulled Xia Chan, who was squatting on the ground, up and said to her.
I was appointed to manage this place during a time of crisis; previously, it was my younger brother who was in charge.
She was truly afraid that she wouldn't be able to solve Zhuangzi's predicament and would disappoint the elderly people who had followed the Bai family for decades.
Xia Chan knew what she was worried about, but still advised, "Miss Luo Zhi said to let Miss rest for a couple of days first, there's no need to be in such a hurry, is there?"
Bai Qinghuan pursed her lips and remained silent. Seeing her worried expression, Xia Chan had no choice but to compromise, "Then Miss, please rest well in the room. I'll go and talk to Miss Luo Zhi."
She left as soon as she finished speaking, and Bai Qinghuan couldn't stop her in time.
What if she's too hasty and makes others dislike her?
Thinking this, she got up and went downstairs, unaware that Wen Luozhi was happy to hear that she could go to the estate tomorrow.
"Alright! Then you can talk to your young lady about it, and we'll set off first thing tomorrow morning!"
Bai Qinghuan was just at the top of the stairs when she heard Wen Luozhi's cheerful tone and breathed a sigh of relief.
The carriage slowly set off early the next morning, taking about an hour to travel from the restaurant to the estate.
Based on this time consumption, if vegetables can be grown and transported here, it would be extremely advantageous.
"Miss! You've arrived!"
As soon as the group got off the carriage, an old man came over carrying a hoe. He was visibly happy to see Bai Qinghuan.
"Uncle Fu, what are you doing? Isn't there nothing left to grow on the estate?" Bai Qinghuan asked.
Uncle Fu sighed and said with a faint smile, "Nothing can stay idle! I was just saying I was going to check the patch of land next to the well."
He pointed, and Wen Luozhi's eyes lit up as she looked in the direction he was pointing.
The farmland not far away was flat and unbroken, and looked extremely pleasant at first glance.
It's hard to see clearly from a distance, but it's not hard to tell that the land is quite clean, and at least there are no weeds.
How could they be bad at planting? They should be able to take such good care of the land.
"Qinghuan, let's go take a look at the land."
When Wen Luozhi spoke, Bai Qinghuan realized she had forgotten to introduce them. After getting acquainted, Uncle Fu led the way.
When Wen Luozhi arrived at the land, she was even more satisfied. Every plot of land was well-maintained, with no weeds or stones in sight.
She squatted down, scooped up some soil, looked at it, and then looked up and asked, "Uncle Fu, what do you use this land for planting?"