Chapter 544: Chapter 544: Become a Concubine for the Qi Family?
Gu Jinli smiled, "Aunt, rest assured, I’m not here to return the merchandise, I want to make a deal with you."
Yesterday’s purchased servants have all been checked and had their pulses taken by her; no one had any severe illness, just very weak bodies.
Aunt Lv’s eyes brightened, and she chuckled as she leaned in to ask, "Auntie can tell you’re blessed at first glance, you’ve come here seeking a profitable transaction with me, right? Speak up quickly."
Gu Jinli took out a booklet detailing the backgrounds of Sister Li and the other twenty children, as well as the documents showing their voluntary servitude, and handed them to Aunt Lv: "I’ve bought twenty children who fled the famine, I’d like to ask Auntie to help take them in as government slaves first, and then assist me in getting a red deed from the Prefecture Government Office."
After saying this, she took out ten taels of silver and handed them to Aunt Lv.
The glint of the silver was blinding. Aunt Lv was extremely tempted by the silver, but she still took the documents and the booklet to examine first and then looked up at Qiu Lang to ask, "Are these children your companions?"
Aiding with registering at the government slaves and getting a red deed from the government office, Aunt Lv and the others had done it many times. It wasn’t difficult and could be easily accomplished.
Qiu Lang nodded, "Yes, they are too young. After we sold ourselves into servitude, they were bullied in West City. Fearing to leave them there, we all discussed and decided to sell ourselves into servitude to our young master."
"West City?" Aunt Lv was shocked, "Is it Ma Shisan and his gang who bullied them?"
Aunt Lv was well-versed in the ways of the marketplace. She had heard about the capture of Ma Shisan and his gang not long after it happened, after listening to gossip for half an hour, she had only just returned.
Qiu Lang nodded again, "Exactly, Ma Shisan and his bunch. When they were bullying Ah Jiang and the others, they were coincidentally caught by our young master. Young Master Qin knows important people in the Prefecture Government Office, we reported it and had Ma Shisan and his gang captured."
"What?!" Aunt Lv stood up in shock, looking at Qin San Lang, "Young man, you know the important officials from the Prefecture Government Office?"
Qin San Lang nodded, "I have some acquaintance with Magistrate Liang, Assistant Magistrate Ding, and Deputy Magistrate Hu."
Aunt Lv’s smile grew earnest and even slightly flattering, as she addressed Gu Jinli, "Young guest, wait a moment, Auntie will go and handle it for you. It will be done in half an hour."
After finishing her words, she glanced at the ten taels of silver, wanting to take it but not daring to.
Gu Jinli straightforwardly stuffed the silver into her hand, "For Auntie’s hard work, please take it."
"Aiyoh, I knew you were a nice person. Just wait, Auntie will be back soon." Aunt Lv tucked the silver into her sleeve pocket and called over to the official tooth manager’s young errand boys, "Hurry and serve tea and snacks to the young guest and Grandpa Qin. Are you all blind? Don’t you have any sense?!"
"Coming right up." The official tooth errand boys immediately brought hot tea and pastries, carefully serving them.
Gu Jinli blinked at Qin San Lang, teasing, "You’ve already become a ’Grandpa.’"
Qin San Lang’s lips curved up, picking up the hot tea the errand boy had brought, and took a sip. Indeed, his demeanor in drinking tea was very much lordly.
Aunt Lv first recorded Sister Li and the others in the government slave book, counted as the government’s property, after doing so, she acquired twenty indenture documents, then she headed to the Prefecture Government Office.
As the Official Tooth Manager, she was in and out of the Prefecture Government Office daily for the transactions of buying and selling servants. The clerks all knew her and quickly processed the red deeds for her, then recorded the names of Sister Li and others in the government office’s Slave Registration Book.
Aunt Lv returned with twenty red deeds, smiling cheerfully as she handed them to Gu Jinli: "Have a look, young guest, all have been taken care of for you."
Gu Jinli took them and checked that there were no issues. After thanking Aunt Lv, he left the official tooth manager and went to the bank. He exchanged a silver note for eighty taels of silver and then repaid Qin San Lang with the silver he had borrowed before: "Brother Qin, these thirty-six taels are what I previously borrowed from you. Please keep it."
When Qin San Lang had lent her the silver, he hadn’t expected it to be returned, but he accepted it nonetheless and said to her: "If you need silver in the future, just ask me for it."
I’ll give you money to spend.
"Hmm," Gu Jinli nodded with a smile, taking everyone to buy some replacement clothes and daily necessities for Sister Li and others.
...
At the Qi family, Old Madam Qi had been waiting for Gu Jinli. She thought, even though the Gu Family had become well-off, they were still of peasant origin. As a Madam Imperial Decree, wasn’t it expected for them to hurry over to her upon receiving her invitation?
However, after resting through an afternoon nap and having some refreshments, she still hadn’t seen anyone from the Gu Family People even by midafternoon.
Old Madam Qi finally couldn’t bear it any longer, she called over her chief maid and asked: "Have the Gu Family People visited?"
The chief maid replied: "To report to Old Madam, the people from the Gu Family haven’t arrived yet. I reckon something must have delayed them."
The chief maid’s words were meant to keep Old Madam Qi from getting angry, but how could Old Madam Qi not be furious?
With a clang, she smashed a teacup, furiously saying: "The Gu Family goes too far! I personally sent them an invitation and yet they dare not to come. Peasants will always be peasants; even if they become rich overnight, they still lack manners and are rude and vulgar!"
Seeing Old Madam Qi in anger, the chief maid was startled and knew she couldn’t calm her down. She quickly had a maid go and invite Nanny Chen over.
Nanny Chen had Old Madam Qi’s confidence, only she could soothe the Old Madam.
In not too long, Nanny Chen arrived with the assistance of a maid, and seeing Old Madam Qi’s rage, she hurriedly said: "My dear Madam, what’s happened? What could be worth such great anger?"
Old Madam Qi relayed the disrespect she felt from the Gu Family: "Just look at that family, what a bunch of vulgar bunch! The second son even wants to forge marital ties with the Gu Family. He must have been blinded by their silver. Such an ill-mannered girl can forget about stepping into the Qi Family."
Nanny Chen shook her head upon hearing this and said to Old Madam Qi: "Madam, you are too hasty. The manner in which you sent the invitation was ill-advised, it’s normal that the girl didn’t come."
It’s unheard of for someone to respond to an invitation right away, even a servant in one’s own house needs to be given some time, not to mention the Gu Family are not the Qi Family’s servants.
Old Madam Qi knew that the way she handled things today was improper, but it was deliberate. She wanted to intimidate the Gu Family.
Nanny Chen continued: "By doing this, what position does it put the Second Young Master in? The business of the flavoring spices is extremely good. The eldest son wrote back saying he presented the spices to the higher-ups and even received their praise. The Gu Family is beneficial to our Qi Family, it is not good to tear our faces apart."
"I, of course, know the usefulness of the Gu Family to the Qi Family, but no matter how useful they are, I cannot trade my legitimate grandson for it." Old Madam Qi clutched at her chest, genuinely pained: "I have but four legitimate grandsons, each one of them a talented young man. They are meant to marry ladies from official’s families in the Capital, how can they marry some uncouth rural woman?"
She also scolded Master Qi: "All this is the second son’s fault; if he hadn’t entertained this idea, would I be this anxious? I didn’t want to openly confront the Gu Family, I just wanted to give the Gu Family’s daughter a lesson, so that in the future when someone from our family seeks to marry her as a concubine, the Gu Family wouldn’t dare to act high and mighty."
Nanny Chen was shocked to hear this, thinking Old Madam Qi was being senile. The Gu Family was not some poor household struggling to feed themselves, and it was said that the parents cherished their daughter deeply – how could they possibly let her become a concubine to the Qi Family?