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Daya seemed to have guessed Erya’s thoughts. She grabbed her sleeve, her gaze firm. “I’ll go with you.”
Hu Shenyi said, “I like the spirit in this little girl, Erya. How about you become my daughter-in-law?”
“Pah! Your son is only three years old. Are you going to have Erya change his diapers?” Lu Qiniang couldn’t help but scold.
“Two thousand taels of bride price. I’ll go with you right now,” Erya said.
Hu Shenyi quickly waved his hands. “I can’t afford it, I can’t afford it. You’re quite a clever little girl.”
Lu Qiniang pulled Erya back. “You’re not going anywhere. Your mother can make money, don’t worry. Be good, listen to me.”
“Mother, we already have twenty taels of silver. It’s just that someone took it from us. Don’t go out. Stay home and wait. I’ll go to Xiao Dashan’s house and get our silver back.”
It turned out she was planning to demand the twenty taels of silver as her bride price back.
“Big Sister, don’t go. You want to get married, and your reputation is important. You can’t let people think you’re harsh. Plus, you’re so soft-hearted,” Erya said, considering everything. Her words were quick and crisp. “Sanya, come with me. The two of us will get the silver back!”
Lu Qiniang, of course, wasn’t at ease and wanted to follow.
But Erya insisted, refusing to let her go.
“You adults care about your face and are too embarrassed to say anything. But I’m still a child, so I can say whatever I want without issue. Mother, give me one tael of silver.”
“What do you need one tael of silver for?” Lu Qiniang asked, still uneasy.
Daya then spoke up, “Mother, just give it to Erya. She has a way.”
Lu Qiniang hesitated for a moment, but finally handed the silver to Erya.
To be honest, she did feel a bit heartbroken over the twenty taels of silver.
Originally, she hadn’t insisted on demanding it back, thinking that there was still room for negotiation in the marriage between Hutou and Daya. Although Zhao Shi, the mother-in-law, was difficult to deal with, a man like Hutou, willing to marry into the family, was already an excellent match. After marrying in, there would be no need to live with the mother-in-law.
However, after hearing Daya’s intentions, it became clear that she no longer had any interest in this marriage, and Lu Qiniang regretted not having been more firm in demanding the silver back earlier.
“Mother, don’t worry, I’ll be fine. I’ll be back in a little while.”
Erya, accompanied by Sanya, first went to borrow a broken gong from a neighbor, then sought out the village’s respected elder, Mrs. Xu.
Mrs. Hu, widowed at the age of twenty, had raised two sons by herself. Now in her sixties, she had been honored with a chastity plaque from the imperial court and was known throughout the village as a fair and upright person.
Erya handed over one tael of silver.
After listening to her, Mrs. Hu hesitated for a moment.
Erya said, “You don’t have to step in directly. There will be plenty of people watching, and you just need to find the right moment to speak a few words of justice.”
One tael of silver, especially in the form of silver coins, really looked quite impressive sitting there.
Mrs. Hu replied, “It’s not about the silver, don’t be so polite. It’s just that I can’t stand how Xiao Dashan’s family is so shallow, bullying orphans and widows like that.”
Upon hearing this, Erya understood and thought to herself that, indeed, money could move mountains.
On the surface, she pretended to wipe away a tear. “It’s just that there’s nothing we can do. During the New Year, who wants to cause trouble? But the three of us can’t be without a mother, don’t you agree?”
“Yes, yes, yes. You go ahead, I’ll be over soon,” Mrs. Hu replied.
“I knew it. You’re the fairest person in the village. If we get the silver back, you’ll be my mother’s lifesaver. I’ll never forget your great kindness for the rest of my life.”
Flattery cost nothing, and you could heap it on by the basketful.
After leaving Mrs. Hu’s house, Erya walked along, banging the gong. “Come, everyone, come see! It’s the New Year, and we can’t go on living like this!”
She didn’t stop until she reached Xiao Dashan’s doorstep, gathering a crowd from the nearby houses. After all, it was the New Year. Whether people were busy or idle, there was always time for some gossip.
Zhao Shi, already angry because Xiao Dashan had injured his leg, stormed out at the noise from outside.
“What kind of mourning are you putting on, Erya, during the New Year?” she immediately scolded.
Erya sat down on the ground, pounding her hands on the earth as she cried out, “My mother’s not going to make it! My mother’s not going to make it!”
Thanks to her previous experience with “begging for her father’s funeral,” Sanya hesitated only for a moment before following suit. She sat down beside Erya, wailing, “Father—”
Ah, she messed up, didn’t change the words in time.
“Father, Mother, you can’t die!”
While every family was happily celebrating the New Year, these two young girls cried with such heart-wrenching sorrow that it was enough to break anyone’s heart. Those who heard could only feel sadness, and those who saw couldn’t help but shed tears.
While crying, Erya lamented, “Originally, the twenty taels of bride price, we just assumed it was gone, wasted like food for dogs. But my mother, in order to save Xiao Dashan, was seriously injured and is now waiting for the silver to save her life. We’re not trying to repay kindness with hostility, we just want to get back what’s rightfully ours. Zhao Shi, please pity us sisters, will you? Please return our silver!”
Just then, Mrs. Hu, who had “rushed over upon hearing the news,” arrived. Though she hadn’t heard the earlier conversation, she spoke as though she knew everything, saying, “I saw it myself. Qiniang brought Xiao Dashan down from the mountain. If it weren’t for Qiniang, I’m afraid Xiao Dashan wouldn’t have made it through this year.”
The crowd whispered among themselves, finally realizing what had actually happened.
Everyone knew of Lu Qiniang’s strength.
So, no one questioned the fact that she was able to save a person.
“The life-saving grace should be acknowledged,” Mrs. Hu continued. “And besides, Qiniang was only helping because Xiao Dashan was injured. Zhao Shi, why don’t you just return the twenty taels of silver? That way, both families can avoid any grudges and get along peacefully.”
The crowd nodded in agreement.
That made sense.
When someone saves your life, even if there were past conflicts, they should be forgiven and forgotten.
The twenty taels of silver were meant to save a life; it wasn’t like they were being taken from your own pocket. It was simply a matter of returning what rightfully belonged to them.
Upon hearing this, Zhao Shi immediately flew into a rage, jumping up and shouting, “Nonsense! She was the one who fell ill—what does that have to do with us? She merely lent a hand, and now we’re supposed to support her in her old age and bury her when she dies?”
“Just lent a hand? Zhao Shi, you’re making it sound so simple,” Erya cried out. “Well, bring Xiao Dashan out here. If he says the same thing, I’ll kneel and apologize to you today. But if Xiao Dashan says it was my mother who saved him, then please return the bride price to us. If that’s not possible, consider it a loan, and when we have money in the future, we won’t forget your kindness!”
Sanya repeated after her, “We won’t forget your kindness.”
Erya knew that Xiao Dashan wasn’t the kind of person to say such things.
He was a man of few words and simple in nature, but he was upright. His only flaw was that he was soft-hearted and always under Zhao Shi’s control.
“Mother, return the silver to them,” Hutou came out from the house, his face dark with anger. “My father was indeed saved by them. Even if the engagement is broken, we haven’t lost anything. We can’t let them save us, and then we just stand by and do nothing.”
“You’re talking nonsense!” Zhao Shi yelled furiously, slapping her son across the face. “Turning your elbow outward! Who saw her save your father? Where are we supposed to get twenty taels of silver? We don’t even have two taels!”