Chapter 332 - 333: Coming to Plead

Chapter 332: Chapter 333: Coming to Plead

Kuang Tianman looked frightened. She dodged behind her father but said nothing.

"Little Sister, what are you doing? Look how you’ve scared Tian Man."

"I haven’t even settled the score with you yet! My perfectly fine daughter has been in your mansion for so long. Did your boy seduce her?"

Hearing her own brother say this, Kuang Yunqiao nearly fainted from anger. "She and Jingyang have barely met a few times! How could my Jingyang possibly seduce her?"

"I never thought my niece would be so capable. When she couldn’t seduce Bai Jinglie, she actually set her sights on Jingyang."

A chill crept into Kuang Tianman’s heart. ’This ’dear’ aunt of mine certainly didn’t talk this way before. She wasn’t nearly so disgusted with me then.’

’Good thing I was ruthless yesterday. Otherwise, even if I were thrown out of the Marquis Mansion right now, this aunt of mine probably wouldn’t feel the slightest bit of guilt.’

’So what if he’s my cousin? As long as I achieve my goal, who’s to say I can’t become a Marchioness like my aunt in the future?’

This dispute dragged on for several days. The Kuang Family only began to quiet down after Kuang Yunqiao finally relented and offered the position of a noble concubine, giving everyone plenty to talk about.

Jin Qianqian couldn’t help but give this "cousin" a mental thumbs-up. ’To scheme against her own family for the sake of so-called wealth and glory...’

’But that’s her choice to make. I have more important things to do right now.’

The Ministry of Internal Affairs had investigated so many people that some of the better shops and estates in Shangjing were now on the market.

The ones in better locations had already been snatched up. Jin Qianqian had her housekeeper make inquiries all over town and only managed to acquire four storefronts and a small estate.

The estate was in a more remote location than the one Xu Nuo had offered to sell her, but in many other ways, its conditions were much better.

Jin Qianqian made the executive decision to turn it into a soap workshop. For the past few days, renovations had been underway with great vigor.

"Madam, Li Zhuangtou is here to see you," Li Xia said. Thinking Jin Qianqian might have forgotten, she added a reminder, "I wonder how that little boy is doing. Have his wounds healed?"

Xie Ermao. Jin Qianqian immediately recalled the name. ’I’ve been so busy today, I really did forget about the boy.’

Soon enough, Jin Qianqian learned what had happened next. Liu Qingmei quickly reported all the information she had just found out.

The boy named Xie Ermao was lucky to be alive. Because he happened to run into Jin Qianqian that day, he was sent to a doctor at top speed, and his life was ultimately saved.

However, he had been bitten in so many places that you could say he was now completely disfigured.

Li Zhuangtou had come today because of this child, hoping to beg the master of the house to give the boy a way to survive.

Jin Qianqian had no choice but to go to the side hall to meet Li Zhuangtou. "Since he has been saved, you can just take him back with you. I imagine his father and brother must have left him a small inheritance."

Housekeeper Fu had already delivered the silver to pay all the medical bills, so it wasn’t as if the boy had no means to live.

Li Zhuangtou’s face was grim. "Brother Xie and the others did leave him something, but he’s just a half-grown boy. Every family in the village is struggling. No one can afford to help him."

A flash of displeasure crossed Jin Qianqian’s mind. ’What is he trying to say?’

Li Zhuangtou’s voice trembled as he mustered his courage to finish speaking. "This humble one was thinking, Madam’s estate must need people for work. Do you think you could give Ermao a chance? His face is ruined, and he’s sure to frighten people if he goes out. I thought about it for several nights and could only come to beg you, Madam. I was hoping to find a job for him in the back courtyard, to let him help out there."

Jin Qianqian asked, "Are you thinking of having him sell himself into servitude, or...?"

"No, no, Ermao can’t sell himself," Li Zhuangtou said, shaking his head quickly. "Brother Xie definitely wouldn’t have wanted Ermao to sell himself as a slave. Madam, Ermao is a good kid. He’s strong and can do a lot of work."

Li Zhuangtou truly had no other choice. In the few days since Ermao returned to the village, the other children would cry in fear upon seeing him. Now, everyone avoids him. Li Zhuangtou was afraid that over time, a once lively and lovable child would be ruined.

Seeing that he wasn’t trying to sell the child, Jin Qianqian’s expression softened a little. "Is his face very frightening now?"

’Even in the modern world, people are superficial. They might not voice their aversion, but a look of disgust is often the most hurtful thing.’

’And he’s just a child. Worn down day after day, even an adult might not be able to endure it.’

Li Zhuangtou gestured on his own face. "He has several particularly ugly scars. The doctor said that even with some miracle cure, the marks could never be removed."

Jin Qianqian remembered that Gu Wenheng had taken in some more children recently. ’I might as well place the boy with them so he can at least learn a few things,’ she thought.

"Wait until his body has fully recovered, then bring him to the mansion. We’ll see about arrangements then."

"Thank you, Madam." Li Zhuangtou was naturally overjoyed to get a definite answer. He considered this the last thing he could do for Brother Xie. From now on, the boy’s future would depend on his own fortune.

After the man had left, Qing Mei said angrily, "I heard that Ermao’s father and brother took good care of all those people. I can’t believe that now that they’re gone, those same people can’t wait to get rid of the child."

When Housekeeper Fu went to deliver the silver earlier, he had taken her along. Out of curiosity, she had asked some of the villagers about it.

Jin Qianqian replied, "Isn’t that normal? Not everyone knows how to repay kindness. Besides, we saw it for ourselves at the estate that day. Those tenants probably have enough trouble just feeding themselves; they truly don’t have the spare capacity to raise someone else’s child."

"That Li Zhuangtou is also a cunning one. He thought to push the child onto us, making a gamble on that sliver of pity in our hearts."

Gu Lehuan received his wages for the month from Xu Nuo. Looking at the extra silver ingot in his hand, Gu Lehuan looked up at her. "This is too much."

Xu Nuo said, "It’s not. That’s your payment for helping me sell that estate last time. Thanks to your help, I was able to make a bit of extra income this month."

’Although my mother left me a sizable inheritance, who would complain about having too much money if they can earn more?’

Xu Nuo actually didn’t quite understand what Gu Lehuan was thinking. Mr. Gu was his own uncle, and the family was preparing to return to their hometown. There was no need for him to grind away here for a few pieces of silver.

Gu Lehuan was about to refuse, but Xu Nuo shot him a glare, and he could only pull his hand back.

"This will probably be the last time we see each other," Xu Nuo said with a smile. "After you go back, I suppose you won’t have to work odd jobs like this anymore, right?"

Gu Lehuan replied, "I don’t know what things will be like when I get back. You take care as well, Mr. Xu."

Xu Nuo nodded, gathered her things, and turned to walk back inside. She faintly heard him say, "Wait for me..."