Chapter 54: Tenants Rejoice Over Gifts, Liu Fu Feels Frustrated After Rejection

Liu Fu paced back and forth in his room, thinking of a solution. Seeing two pairs of eyes staring blankly at him only fueled his frustration.

“What are you looking at me for? Think of a way!”

Madam Yang trembled at his outburst.

“Husband, isn’t this a bit too serious? After all, it’s just a rumor you heard.”

Liu Fu pointed at her and scoffed, “That’s a woman’s way of thinking! Haven’t you seen that all the prominent families in the county have gone to the Xu family to deliver New Year’s gifts? Do you think those people are fools?”

Liu Wangfu glanced at his father cautiously and hesitantly suggested, “How about we send another letter to my sister?”

Hearing this, Liu Fu slapped his forehead and immediately headed to the study. He had to write another letter to his daughter. If he had known things would turn out this way, he wouldn’t have sent the first one in the first place.

—

Meanwhile, the Xu family was busy sorting through the gifts they had received from various households. Xu Nian stared at the long list, feeling a little overwhelmed.

“There are so many pastries piled up. How are we ever going to finish them? It’d be such a waste if they spoiled.”

“Exactly. And look at all this wine and fabric—it’s enough to last us for ages.”

Madam Wang was also worried, especially about the fabric. If not stored properly, it might fade, which would be a real pity.

Since they had already sent out their New Year’s gifts to the villagers of Wanying, it wouldn’t make sense to make another trip just for the pastries. In the end, Old Master Xu thought of their tenant farmers.

Back in Dahe Village, their family wouldn’t even buy pastries outside of the holidays, let alone their tenant farmers.

Madam Wang had the same thought.

“If we’re going to send gifts, we shouldn’t just give them a few boxes of pastries. We have plenty of meat at home, so let’s add five pounds of meat and ten pounds of grain for each family.”

Madam Zheng followed her instructions and prepared ten gift packages, handing them over to Steward Zhang. He was genuinely happy for the tenants, hitched the cart, and set off to deliver the gifts.

The tenant farmers all lived near the estate, not far away. When Steward Zhang arrived at a row of thatched cottages, he saw several tenants sitting outside weaving straw sandals.

The tenants noticed it was Steward Zhang from the Xu family and quickly got up to greet him.

Steward Zhang waved his hand with a smile.

“No need to be so formal. Gather everyone, even those who aren’t here—call the heads of their households.”

The tenants noticed that Steward Zhang had been smiling the whole time, so they figured it wasn’t bad news. They quickly went to fetch the others.

Once everyone had gathered, Steward Zhang had the gifts unloaded.

“These are New Year’s gifts from the Xu family. The holiday is just around the corner, and they hope everyone will have a good celebration.”

At first, the tenants were stunned. Then, they erupted into cheers of joy.

Some of them had been tenants for decades, yet this was the first time they had ever received a holiday gift from their landlord.

“The master is so kind. We can’t just accept this without showing gratitude. Steward Zhang, how about we all go to the Xu family and kowtow to them?”

“That’s right, we should do that. It’s only proper.”

“……”

Steward Zhang raised his hand to quiet them down.

“There’s no need for that. The best way to repay the master is to work hard in the coming year. Spring planting will begin soon, so let’s strive for a great harvest.”

“Don’t worry, Steward! We’ll do our best!”

After Steward Zhang left with his donkey cart, the tenants eagerly carried their gifts home. When they opened their packages and saw not only the precious pastries but also a large piece of meat, their gratitude deepened.

As tenant farmers, after paying their rent each year, even filling their bellies was a struggle—let alone eating meat. But now, it seemed they would be able to enjoy a truly abundant New Year’s celebration.

The golden hues of the setting sun bathed the land in a warm glow, illuminating the laughing, bouncing children. Their joyous voices carried further and further into the evening…

The next day, Steward Zhang took his two sons to the county to deliver return gifts to various families.

At the same time, the Xu family received an unexpected visitor—none other than Master Liu Fu, who had spent the entire night scheming.

Since Steward Zhang was out, it was Xiu’er’s mother who answered the door when she heard the knocking. The moment she saw Liu Fu standing there, she instinctively slammed the door shut.

It took her a moment to recover before she reopened it and stiffly asked, “Who are you looking for?”

Liu Fu, having just been met with such blatant disregard, was furious.

“Do you even have a sense of propriety as a servant? A guest comes to the door, and you don’t invite them in but shut the door instead?

Hurry up and announce my arrival. Tell them I’m here to deliver New Year’s gifts.”

However, despite his rant, the servant remained motionless, further infuriating him.

“If you delay my business, can you bear the consequences? A servant like you would’ve been sold off hundreds of times in my household!”

Just then, Xu Nian and Zhang Xiu’er happened to come from the backyard and overheard everything.

Xu Nian’s voice turned cold. “How we handle our household matters is none of your concern, Master Liu. What brings you here?”

Liu Fu was displeased to see it was this same bold girl from before, but he still forced a smile.

“I’ve come to deliver New Year’s gifts. Perhaps we can discuss this inside?”

Xu Nian smirked. “Master Liu, you have quite the selective memory. Your precious son just destroyed our market stall and injured one of our people. And now, you show up with gifts as if nothing happened? If I recall correctly, our two families have no ties whatsoever.”

Being called out by a mere girl in public left Liu Fu humiliated. His face darkened.

“Is there no head of the Xu household? Do they actually let a little girl make decisions?”

Xu Nian sneered. “I advise you to save yourself some dignity, Master Liu. The threats you made to my father are still fresh in our minds. Instead of lowering yourself to seek our goodwill, why not remember your esteemed position as the father-in-law of an associate magistrate?”

Liu Fu’s face turned alternating shades of red and pale, his teeth grinding audibly in rage.

“So, are you saying I won’t be allowed through the Xu family’s doors today?”

Xu Nian rolled her eyes dramatically, turned back into the courtyard, and instructed,

“Aunt Zhang, close the gate. In the future, don’t let in anyone who doesn’t understand human language.”

Liu Fu watched as the door was shut in his face yet again. His jaw clenched, and with a furious flick of his sleeve, he stormed back to his carriage.

He had made up his mind—he would write to his daughter as soon as he returned. No matter what, he had to stop the Xu family from rising. If they did, it would spell disaster for the Liu family!

But fate had other plans. The rise of the Xu family was not something he could prevent—though that was a tale for another day.

—

When Xu Nian returned inside, Madam Wang curiously asked, “Nian’er, what was all that commotion outside?”

“Nothing, Grandma. Just a rabid dog trying to bite, so I chased it away.”

Madam Wang scoffed in amusement. “That was clearly a man’s voice. What dog are you talking about?”

Xu Nian grinned. Then, she recounted the whole incident with Liu Fu.

When she finished, Madam Wang spat in disgust. “Pah! Who wants anything from him? He’s truly shameless. With a son like that—completely useless—he’s bound to suffer when he gets old.”

Even Old Master Xu nodded in agreement.

“You did the right thing driving him away. If we had let him in, even if we didn’t accept his gifts, it would have tainted our family’s reputation. People like him won’t last long—retribution will come for them sooner or later.”

For the first time, Madam Wang found her husband’s words quite pleasing. Smiling, she refilled his cup of tea.