Ruan Xiaojiu didn't dare to answer, and looked at Su Yao with fear and hesitation: "Miss, you have already been a great favor by agreeing to my sister's matter, how can I still ask for your money..."
However, Su Yao insisted that he take it.
Ruan Xiaojiu had a complicated expression. Finally, as if she had made up her mind, she took the banknote from Yan Cao's hand, knelt down and kowtowed three times to Su Yao: "Girl, you are my second parent. From now on, my life belongs to you!"
Seeing that Su Yao just smiled, he pursed his lips but didn't say anything else. He just walked out and went straight out of the mansion and returned to his home in the alley outside.
Because the family had no money to use connections, my father was unable to work in the government office, so he had to find other ways out. He worked in an orchard tending fruit trees for others, and often only came home once every few months. My mother worked in the laundry room in the outer courtyard, washing clothes for those capable maids and old women, earning 300 coins a month. After returning home, she would also help the neighbors or the wives who worked in the government office to wash clothes to earn some money. But even so, life was still not easy for their family.
Our family recently installed two kangs, which cost my father half a year's wages. My parents gave some of the remaining money to my grandparents and to paint my brother's house, so it's basically gone. Recently, I've been worrying about my sister's dowry.
As soon as he entered the house, he saw his sister sitting on a small stool washing clothes. Her face was red and it was obvious that she had been crying again.
He sighed, and heard the loud voice of the matchmaker Yang in the room: "Ah, sister-in-law Ruan, with your family's situation, you can get such a good marriage, which is a blessing for your ancestors! You have to thank me, otherwise, your daughter is pretty, so what? At most, you will be married to a poor boy like your son, and you two will live in darkness!"
Mother Yang's harsh voice continued to float out: "Besides, if you marry this girl, you will be able to get some benefits. It will be just right for your two sons to find wives. Otherwise, with your family, how can you find a wife? You may have to wait until the next life!"
My sister lowered her head even more.
Ruan Xiaojiu gritted his teeth, walked in a few steps, closed the courtyard door, and strode into the main room. He saw Mrs. Yang who was talking loudly and her mother who was sitting beside her with a distressed look on her face but had no choice but to smile.
A surge of blood rushed to his heart, and he said loudly: "No need, Mother Yang! We won't marry anyone off! Don't bother you to worry about it!"
His voice was so loud that Mrs. Yang was caught off guard and was surprised. She blinked a few times and then said in astonishment, "Xiaojiu, are you crazy? Such a good marriage, others can't even think of it, but you are so good, why don't you get married?"
Mrs. Ruan was also shocked and anxious, but she was a dull and honest person and didn't know how to react.
Mother Yang smiled sarcastically again: "You can eat whatever you want, but you can't say whatever you want. This matter has been decided by the higher-ups. If I hadn't come for Mr. Pu's sake, I wouldn't have come! You kid, you really don't know what's good for you!"
Ruan Xiaojiu's sister, Ruan Sanmei, ran in and hurriedly pulled her brother with her red and rough hands: "Stop talking nonsense, this is not the place for you to talk..."
Ruan Xiaojiu was trembling, and she looked at Mother Yang and shouted, "If what I said is true, you can find out if you go and ask! The fourth lady and the eldest master have personally agreed. My sister and Mr. Pu's affair is over! My sister doesn't have to get married, so naturally, I won't bother you to take care of it. Please go back!"
Everyone was stunned for a moment and looked at Ruan Xiaojiu in surprise and suspicion.
Mother Yang wanted to laugh at him for being dreamy, but when she thought that he seemed to have really been chosen by Su Yao to do the job, she became skeptical - Su Yao was more influential in the mansion now than the third young lady and the third young master were back then, so maybe he really agreed to it without any hesitation
But, but Puzhuangtou...
She couldn't figure it out, but she was concerned about Su Yao. Finally, she smiled awkwardly, said hello to Mrs. Ruan, and left in a hurry.
Mrs. Ruan and Ruan Sanmei couldn't believe it for a moment, and chased Ruan Xiaojiu to ask whether it was true or not.
Seeing that his honest mother and sister both had red eyes and were acting cautiously, Ruan Xiaojiu was overwhelmed with emotions and nodded in affirmation: "Of course it's true. The fourth lady said it herself. She asked you and dad to find another marriage for my sister and also gave me two hundred taels of silver..."
When they heard Ruan Xiaojiu say that Su Yao had rewarded them with two hundred taels of silver, both mother and daughter couldn't believe it at all. Even when they saw the silver note for the two hundred taels, they still felt like they were dreaming.
The whole family cried and laughed, and waited until Ruan Da came back in the evening. They could not believe it even more, and did not care that they could not straighten their backs. They stammered and asked about the banknote. They held the banknote in their hands for a long time before they burst into tears.
A man in his forties, who had never cried in the past no matter how difficult the situation was, now cried like a child.
After crying, Ruan Da pulled Ruan Xiaojiu to his side and patted his son's shoulder fiercely: "Good! Good, you are a capable boy, unlike your father. Your father never made so much money in his life... You must follow the fourth lady well in the future and listen to her..."
As he spoke, he added seriously: "Your mother and I are going to kowtow to the fourth girl..."
On the other side, after Su Yao went back, he spoke a few words to Su Rong. Someone from the old lady's side came and urged Su Rong to come over. She made the excuse that she had something else to do in the conference room and asked Su Rong to go first, but she winked at He Jian.
Not long after, He Jian came back again, and Su Yao asked him, "What happened to Pu Zhuangtou?"
Even if there is a favor, Mr. Pu is still a servant of the Bo's mansion no matter what. Besides, he has been made the head of the mansion, so why does it seem so important for the mansion to find a daughter-in-law for him
He Jian sighed and shook his head. "The time when Mr. Pu rescued the young master, it was not at someone else's house, but at the other courtyard of the young master's then-fiancee, the Zhang family. The young master happened to see Miss Zhang and her cousin talking about their feelings and threatening to cancel the engagement..."
Su Yao understood.
Pu Zhuangtou must have witnessed this incident at that time.
No matter what, being cuckolded is not a good reputation for anyone, especially since Su Rong had a broken leg at that time...
Pu Zhuangtou witnessed the incident and probably also saw Su Rong arguing with the young lady of the Zhang family. He also saved Su Rong, so the Su family naturally could not treat him unfairly.
Sure enough, He Jian continued, "After that incident, the family let Pu Zhuangtou be the village head. Some time ago, Pu Zhuangtou came to the family to ask for help with his son's marriage, and brought up the incident again..."