Chapter 138 Mo Family Affairs

Mo Kui Zi didn’t speak, but nodded his head.

Ms. Zhang, who had been holding her breath, finally relaxed, nearly bursting with joy yet fearing that Elder Mo might hear, she forcefully suppressed the joy that was about to escape her lips.

A while later, she said, "Head of the household, I know what you’re thinking, that the Mo Family People should stand united, so we won’t be bullied by others. But about uncle’s family... I don’t mind living with uncle’s family, it’s just that my heart aches for the children."

Ms. Zhang, wiping away her tears, said, "We had four children, and now only Brother Ming and Sister Qin are left. I don’t want them to suffer any further; I want their lives to be better."

When they first fled famine, there were seven of them in the family. By the time they arrived at Da Feng Village, his mother and two children had died, leaving only him and his wife and two children.

Thinking of Sister Qin and Brother Ming, who often complained of hunger pains, Mo Kui Zi felt distressed.

And uncle’s family was domineering; in a courtyard with five rooms, their family of four only got one. Sister Qin was already thirteen and still had to squeeze in with them, which was rather disgraceful.

Uncle even wanted to sell Chunyue to the Lu Family to work as a maid. If that really happened, Sister Qin’s reputation would also be affected, so it was better to move away.

"Don’t cry, let’s endure a little longer. We will move out after the spring plowing," Mo Kui Zi stood up, drank a bowl of cold saltwater to stave off hunger, took the hoe leaning behind the door, and said, "I’m going to look at the wasteland. If we work a bit harder, we can surely make our lives better."

"Head of the household, have your breakfast before you go," Ms. Zhang chased after him; if he didn’t eat breakfast, the old aunt would not keep any leftovers for him. But Mo Kui Zi left without looking back.

Ms. Zhang had no choice but to go to the kitchen to cook with Dayong’s wife, hoping to secure Mo Kui Zi’s breakfast to prevent him from going hungry.

But Ms. Zhang never won the scramble. Breakfast was boiled soybean soup with fifteen sweet potatoes.

No sooner had it been made, than Old Mrs. Mo arrived in the kitchen right on time.

Old Mrs. Mo took two wooden bowls, filled one with soybean soup, and placed two sweet potatoes in the other, handing them to Ms. Zhang with a smile, "Niece-in-law, this is your family’s breakfast. Quickly take it and eat with the children, Aunt has guests over today, so we won’t eat together."

Without waiting for Ms. Zhang’s response, she took the bamboo basket with thirteen sweet potatoes and Dayong’s wife took the pot of soybean soup to the main house.

Ms. Zhang trembled with anger yet didn’t dare to lash out, just silently shedding tears. Her family had also paid money for those soybeans and sweet potatoes, and the firewood for cooking was collected by Sister Qin and Brother Ming. Why was it that when it came to dividing the food, her family only got a bowl of soybean soup and two sweet potatoes?

They were poor and didn’t eat lunch, only breakfast and dinner. After this breakfast, they would have to last until dark to eat dinner; this was intentionally trying to starve them.

But Old Mrs. Mo didn’t care about how aggrieved Ms. Zhang felt. She was handing out sweet potatoes to Shuan Da’s wife, smiling as she said, "For a poor family, there’s nothing good to eat for breakfast. Niece-in-law, please do me the honor of trying this sweet potato."

Shuan Da’s wife, merely a servant of the Lu Family and a slave on the register, had a status that could not compare with those on the good register, but the Mo Family now needed her, so they had to lower themselves.

Shuan Da’s wife, accustomed to acting aloof, knew the Mo Family needed her and started putting on airs. She didn’t take the sweet potato, and instead, glanced dismissively at the pot of soybean soup and the basket of sweet potatoes, saying scornfully, "You can keep it for yourselves. These things are used to feed pigs in the Lu Family."

Old Mrs. Mo and the two daughters-in-law of the Mo family blushed with embarrassment upon hearing this, but they couldn’t flare up in anger.

Elder Mo was eating breakfast in the inner room when he heard this. He almost smashed the bowl in anger. What a audacious act from Shuan Da’s wife - a mere servant being so insolent! Wait until his granddaughter becomes a concubine of the Lu family; she’ll suffer then!

And to think, is the Lu family really that great?

Would the Mo family consider the Lu family if they could connect with a more powerful and influential family?

Elder Mo, who only bullies the weak and fears the strong, could only stew in his own anger inside the room, not daring to actually go out and drive away Shuan Da’s wife.

Upon seeing Shuan Da’s wife refusing to eat, Old Mrs. Mo didn’t dare to touch her chopsticks either, but continued talking about her eldest granddaughter entering the Lu family, "Niece-in-law, what do you think about finalizing the matter with Chunyue? Our Chunyue admires Young Master Lu San very much and has always wanted to serve Third Master Lu in the Lu Family."

Shuan Da’s wife said, "There are plenty of young girls wishing to enter the Lu family to serve Third Master. We can’t just accept anyone who comes along."

"This..." Old Mrs. Mo was taken aback. "Niece-in-law, what do you mean by this? Has Chunyue’s matter with entering the Lu Family fallen through? You weren’t saying this a while ago."

Just last month, after seeing what Chunyue looked like, Shuan Da’s wife had personally come to ask them to sell Chunyue. How could things have changed so suddenly?

Shuan Da’s wife said, "Entering the Lu family wasn’t a problem in the past, but just a couple of days ago, the County Governor sent a message, saying that Third Master Lu going on like this would not do, and he needs to continue studying, to participate in the county examination next year and strive for an official position."

"Oh, Third Master is going to appear for an official position; that’s incredible," Da Kui’s wife exclaimed, her eyes shining as she looked at Old Mrs. Mo.

People respect scholars, and since the county examination is managed by the county government, with County Magistrate Zou in place, it wouldn’t be a problem for Lu Laosan, as dense as he might be, to pass the county examination.

Da Kui’s wife could already envision Lu Laosan earning his official title and their Mo family rising to success through Chunyue.

Old Mrs. Mo understood and hurriedly said, "Niece-in-law, what our Chunyue likes the most are scholars, and she and Third Master are a match made in heaven. You must help us with this matter, we must have Chunyue enter the Lu family."

Shuan Da’s wife said, "Aunt, don’t worry, Chunyue is a good girl; I will absolutely help her enter the Lu family. However, we won’t be able to offer as much for the indenture silver."

She glanced at Old Mrs. Mo and said, "We previously agreed on five taels of silver, but now, at most, we can offer three taels."

Due to certain unsavory tastes of the men in the Lu family, the price for a maid’s indenture silver is eight taels. The lower the price could be pushed, the more Shuan Da’s wife could profit.

"Three taels!" Old Mrs. Mo nearly jumped up. "Why has it decreased so much all of a sudden?"

Shuan Da’s wife said, "If Third Master is to focus on his studies, it is not appropriate to take in maids at this time; wouldn’t that sabotage Third Master’s path to achieving an official position? The County Governor himself has spoken, advising Third Master to concentrate on his studies, not to wallow among women. I’m taking a risk to help you. If you don’t appreciate it, then I’ll just leave so I won’t be helping you only to be scolded."

Shuan Da’s wife stood up, poised to leave, and Da Kui’s wife hastily grabbed her, saying with an apologetic smile, "Sister-in-law Shuan, we all know how much effort you’ve put into this. Please be magnanimous and don’t hold it against us. My mother-in-law is just pained about her granddaughter, that’s why she feels the price is too low."

Shuan Da’s wife was trying to lower the indenture silver to take a cut for herself, and wouldn’t easily let it go. She took the opportunity to say, "Three taels of silver, if you agree, on the twenty-second, which is a good day for marriage, our Lu family will come to collect her. If not, let’s drop the matter."

She added, "You all know the situation with your eldest granddaughter; He Dacai has had his way with her, what kind of good family can she marry into now?"