Erqing accompanied the process throughout, handling the handover of the house and land deeds, and then sent Ancestor Mu back to the Mu family.
On the road, in the mule cart, Erqing took out a silver note worth fifty taels and gave it to Ancestor Mu: "This is a red envelope from the Young Master, please, keep it."
Ancestor Muâs eyesight was poor, but he vaguely recognized it was a silver note, and waved it off, saying, "No, no, Miss Gu has already done this old woman a great favor, so I canât take this silver note."
Miss Gu already offered three thousand taels in silver out of kindness, taking another fifty taels would weigh on her conscience.
She knew very well that their family house was an old residence that hadnât been repaired for twenty years, swaying like a boat every time the wind and rain came, ready to collapse at any moment, it wasnât worth much at all.
Mu familyâs fourth granddaughter-in-law was also there, keeping her head down, not daring to look at the silver note, wanting to persuade Ancestor Mu to accept it, but thinking it wasnât right to take advantage of the Gu family.
Erqing smiled and said: "Please, take it. Our Young Master said, reaching seventies is already rare, but youâre an elder in your eighties, a blessed person. Consider this silver note as a blessing for our Young Masterâs parents, hoping they too can live into their eighties."
After hearing this, Ancestor Mu finally groped to accept the silver note: "This old woman thanks Miss Gu very much. Girl, when you go back, tell Miss Gu I will definitely pray for her and her parents."
Erqing just smiled in response, without saying much.
In fact, this fifty taels of silver was intended by the Young Master for Ancestor Mu to have some money for her own use. The Mu family had many descendants, a chaotic household, and Ancestor Mu lived a difficult life, a little money would make things easier for her.
The mule cart rattled along for nearly an hour before finally arriving at the front gate of the Mu family in the north of the city.
Mu Family People were all waiting at the doorway. Seeing the mule cart arriving, they hurried to gather around.
Grandmaster Mu, also over sixty years old, was furious and pointed at Erqing, knocking his cane, scolding, "You little scoundrel, what did you take my mother away for? Old man tells you, donât think about taking advantage of my mother, our house is an ancestral home, ancestral home! Wonât sell for less than ten thousand taels!"
Erqing laughed, if the Young Master were here, he would definitely say: "Old man, if your house is so valuable, why donât you trade it to the Emperor for a throne."
From five thousand to eight thousand, then to ten thousand, never seen a price hike like this before.
The other Mu family members chanted: "Yes, our house is an ancestral home, donât think you can trick our Grand Ancestor into selling it cheap to you!"
Mu Familyâs great-great-grandson was also anxious, jumping to support Ancestor Mu, crying: "Grand Ancestor, you canât sell the house cheaply to them, if itâs not sold for eight thousand taels, none of the twenty brothers will have enough to share, not even enough silver to marry a wife. Aunt Dai said, one hundred taels is just the dowry, we still need to give another one hundred taels as the bride money and fifty taels for the wedding banquet."
Dai Family also lived in the north of the city, always mingling in the hustle and bustle, well-informed. Knowing someone wanted to buy the Mu family house, they called Mu Familyâs great-great-grandson over and said more silver was needed to marry Tangniang to him.
Seeing Erqing coming several times, and bringing Grand Ancestor as a guest today, he thought the Young Master wouldnât give up on his familyâs house, and agreed at once.
Ancestor Mu always cherished this great-great-grandson, and wanted to find a good wife for him, but Dai Family was a bottomless pit, and that Dai Tangniang, though pretty, wasnât good. A few years ago, she worked as a maid at Elder Wuâs house, but was later sent back, rumored to have had involvement with the Wu family housekeeper.
Though Dai family always denied it, Wu family was in the city, and the Wu family servants once spoke of this matter, saying Dai Tangniang wanted to be transferred to the young masterâs room as a maid, bribed the housekeeper, and ended up trapped by her own schemes.
Ancestor Mu, hearing his great-great-grandsonâs words, raised her hand to grope around and said, "Brother Tai, just stand there."
Mu Familyâs great-great-grandson had no idea what Ancestor Mu wanted to do, thinking he would get the money to marry if he obeyed, responded with a sound and stood there.
But the moment he stood still, Ancestor Mu slapped him with a âsmack,â scolding: "If you dare to marry Dai Tangniang, then get out of the Mu family immediately. Out of twenty great-great-grandsons in the Mu family, without you, the remaining nineteen will get a bigger share of the silver!"
Mu Familyâs great-great-grandson was stunned, from a child, Grand Ancestor doted on him, never hit him, now all he wanted was to marry Tangniang, yet Grand Ancestor hit him for it.
"Grand Ancestor, you sold the house? Now thereâs money, why wonât you let me marry Tangniang? She has waited for me for two years, anymore she will become an old maid!"
Ancestor Mu ignored Mu Familyâs great-great-grandson, only telling him finally: "As I said before, if you want to marry Dai Tangniang, get out of the Mu family, the Mu family may be poor, but we wonât have grandchildren who are bastards!"
These words bluntly informed Mu Familyâs great-great-grandson that Dai Tangniang was no longer a virgin, she had soiled her reputation.
Mu Familyâs great-great-grandson had heard some rumors, but Tangniang cried, saying those were false, she was pure, wanted to face poverty with him, but her parents demanded a hefty dowry.
The fourth granddaughter-in-law of the Mu family couldnât stand it, said to Mu Familyâs great-great-grandson: "Dear Nephew, about Dai Tangniang, go ask around North of the city how many people know? Only you are foolish enough to believe her. Sheâs so proud, and Dai family loves money so much, if she were still pure, could she like you? She wouldâve chased after a wealthy familyâs young master long ago."
Liu Liuâer from Liu Family in the north, although just ordinary-looking, was decent, better than Dai Tangniang, but Brother Tai looked down on her, even taunted Liu Family as manure diggers, almost made Liu Liuâer cry to death.
Eventually, Liu Liuâer figured it out, married last year, to a street vendor in the city, now living a prosperous little life, while Brother Tai is still stuck on Dai Tangniang, remaining a bachelor.
Upon hearing this, Mu Familyâs great-great-grandson felt his face burning, more humiliating than being slapped by Ancestor Mu, yet he liked Dai Tangniang, Tangniang was so beautiful, she was the flower of the north of the city.
It dawned on Grandmaster Mu, asking: "Mother, you said share the silver, really sold the house? For how much? Was it eight thousand taels?!"
At least it shouldâve been five thousand.
Ancestor Mu laughed angrily and spat at him: "Eight thousand taels, youâre dreaming!"
Then she addressed all the Mu family: "The house is sold, sold for three thousand taels, the silverâs already divided for you all. If you want this silver, come with me to the countryside, those who donât, wonât see a single copper coin."
"Three thousand taels!" Grandmaster Mu exclaimed, surprisingly not making a fuss.
Though it wasnât sold for five thousand taels, three thousand was quite an improvement from before, looking back at their nearly collapsing house, he accepted the price.