The Wife of a Loyal Servant - Chapter 20

Ling Yu felt that as long as Cheng Shaotang could survive and return safely, no matter how difficult the process had been, there was no need to dwell on it.

Except for her increasingly deflated purse!

At that moment, her delicate brows were tightly furrowed as she stubbornly counted the remaining silver coins over and over, finally forced to accept the harsh reality—fifty or sixty percent of the silver she had painstakingly saved was gone.

“Oh well, I did receive fifty taels from the county magistrate for free, and not all of the money I spent was hard-earned blood and sweat,” she muttered to herself, trying to console herself with a touch of optimism.

Cheng Shaotang leaned against the headboard, watching her meticulously wipe the silver coins in the money box with a clean handkerchief, polishing them until they shone so brightly they could almost reflect a person, yet she still wasn’t satisfied.

“You must have spent quite a bit of money this time?” he suddenly asked.

“It cost a total of 84 taels and 389 copper coins. Subtracting the 50 taels given by Lord Guo, the remaining 34 taels and 389 copper coins came from my own household funds,” Ling Yu recited the figures with a pained expression.

Cheng Shaotang, “…That’s quite a lot.”

Thinking back on her words, he hesitated slightly before asking, “Lord Guo? Lord Guo from the county office? Why would he give you 50 taels?”

“Who else could it be but him? Speaking of which, Lord Guo isn’t bad. Although he’s a bit cowardly and timid, whose life isn’t precious? Being afraid of death isn’t something to be ashamed of.”

Mentioning this ‘generous old master,’ Ling Yu’s face lit up with excitement. Realizing she had gone off-topic, she quickly steered the conversation back: “The day you had your accident, I went to the county office. Lord Guo must have pitied this young woman who was about to lose her husband… Ah, pei, pei, pei, I misspoke, I misspoke.”

“In short, Lord Guo generously gave me fifty taels, telling me to go home and take good care of my parents-in-law and raise the children. I then used those fifty taels to bribe the officials, hoping they would let me see you, but those damned bastards took the money and wouldn’t do a thing!”

Cheng Shaotang remained silent for a long time.

It’s hard to believe, but he had been in prison so long that he hadn’t even seen the county magistrate before being dragged to the torture chamber and thoroughly beaten. He nearly lost his life there.

Thinking about the considerable amount of money she had spent, Ling Yu felt a pang of heartache.

“Nowadays, the tea stall business is getting worse and worse. I don’t think Shaoan can support it much longer, and then the family will lose another source of income. Mother gave me the eighteen taels she had saved. I returned it to her yesterday. Although it was to save you, it’s still money our elders worked hard to save, and we shouldn’t touch it unless absolutely necessary. Don’t you think that makes sense?”

“That makes sense. Thank you for your hard work!” Cheng Shaotang gazed steadily into her seemingly shining eyes and answered earnestly.

Ling Yu had originally intended to curry favor with him, showing off how filial, understanding, and exceptionally good a wife she was, but seeing his sincere thanks now, she felt a little embarrassed.

“Don’t worry. Once my injuries have healed a bit more, I’ll find a job and earn back the money I spent,” he promised softly.

“There’s no need to rush. Take care of your injuries first. We’re not so poor that we can’t even afford medicine,” Ling Yu said quickly.

Actually, her heart was in turmoil. Although she was relieved that Cheng Shaotang had returned safely, the thought that he survived this time thanks to Prince Qi made her uneasy.

In this lifetime, he wouldn’t risk life and death for Prince Qi again to repay the life-saving favor, would he?

Since some matters had gradually taken a different course, she was also a little unsure.

“Okay, I’m not in a hurry,” Cheng Shaotang obediently agreed.

His demeanor reminded Ling Yu of Xiao Shitou’s usual well-behaved self. She wanted to laugh but quickly held it in, hurriedly saying, “I’ll go wash up first.”

Just as Ling Yu had said, business was getting increasingly difficult. When things were gradually on track, Cheng Shaoan could earn at least several hundred to a thousand coins a day, sometimes even several taels of silver.

However, with more competitors appearing and local thugs and bullies targeting the area, frequently coming to collect protection money and resorting to violence at the slightest provocation, the commotion escalated. Passersby didn’t dare stop to rest, and the vendors naturally earned less and less.

That day, Cheng Shaoan returned with a bruised and swollen face, startling Madam Wang and Ling Yu. Even Xiao Shitou stared at his uncle with wide, curious eyes.

“What happened? How did you get beaten up like this?” Madam Wang asked, heartbroken as she applied medicine to his wounds.

Recently, something seemed to be going on at home. Both her sons were covered in bruises.

Cheng Shaoan, rubbing his wound, was filled with pain, anger, and grievance: “It’s all because those bullies were so unreasonable! They wanted protection money, and when I refused, they beat me like this and even smashed a lot of my things.”

“If they want it, just pay them. It’s better to lose money than suffer a terrible loss,” Ling Yu said, frowning.

“But they want one tael of silver! I work myself to the bone every day to earn so little. Why can they just take so much with a few words! Mother, be gentle, it hurts!” Cheng Shaoan was furious. Madam Wang, feeling heartbroken, accidentally tightened her grip, causing him to cry out again.

“They didn’t just talk. They hit him, too,” Ling Yu sighed.

They actually demanded one tael of silver! Such an outrageous demand. Can the business even continue? By then, all the money earned might end up going to someone else.

“What kind of world is this? We’re just trying to live a peaceful life, and yet one misfortune after another keeps happening! These thugs and bullies are bullying us like this. Why doesn’t the government do anything about it!” Wang said, wiping away her tears.

“There are people like this everywhere. Even if the government wanted to, it couldn’t possibly manage them all. Besides, which of these bullies who prey on the villagers doesn’t have powerful backers?” Ling Yu shook her head, then said to Cheng Shaoan, “I think we should stop doing business for now and focus on recovering at home.”

“How can that be? We’ve already spent a lot of money on my brother’s matter. Now we’re even giving up business! It’s just spending without earning!” Cheng Shaoan immediately panicked.

He had secretly sworn to his cousin Jin that once he earned a hundred taels, he would propose to his cousin Qiaorong! Cousin Jin had already tacitly agreed. Now, if business isn’t done, how could he possibly reach a hundred taels?

“Look at you! Even if you have customers, they’ll be scared away,” Ling Yu glared at him, annoyed.

His right eye was swollen like a walnut, and his once fairly handsome face was now covered in bruises and red marks. If he went out looking like this, he would certainly scare away the young ladies who secretly admired him.

Cheng Shaoan stammered, not daring to say anything more. He was quite aware of his current appearance.

However, he only rested for a few days. Once the injuries on his face were no longer so frightening, he ignored Madam Wang’s objections and went back to pushing his two-wheeled cart to set up his stall.

Ling Yu went along with him. It was good for young people to be energetic, which also showed that her method of using Jin Qiaorong to lure him was extremely effective.

Young men, what naive moments haven’t they had when trying to prove themselves to the goddess in their hearts?

She muttered to herself as she casually wiped her face.

“What are you putting on? The scent is rather pleasant,” Cheng Shaotang asked, having somehow slowly appeared behind her.

“Jade Complexion Cream. I don’t know if it’s real.”

“Why put something you’re not sure about on your face?” Cheng Shaotang’s eyes were full of disapproval.

Right, when did she put this on? Ling Yu realized that she had apparently been using it for a while but hadn’t noticed anything wrong.

She looked at herself in the bronze mirror from left to right and, unsure if it was just her imagination, even felt that her face was whiter and smoother than she remembered.

Could it be…? A sudden thought struck her. Just as she was about to lift her clothes to check, she remembered there were others in the room, so she hastily grabbed a clean set of clothes and ran next door.

Seeing her suddenly run off, Cheng Shaotang felt puzzled. He slowly sat on the edge of the bed, his eyes deep as he recalled the words Chief Escort Wu had sent over the other day.

Becoming a guard at Prince Qi’s residence? That sounded like a decent job. As the saying goes, even a seventh-rank official serves at the prime minister’s gate. A guard in a prince’s residence would at least have some dignity. With such a connection, Shaoan might face less bullying while doing business outside.

Although he had this idea vaguely, he still couldn’t make a firm decision. He pondered back and forth, feeling an inexplicable unease, until Ling Yu’s ‘thump-thump-thump’ footsteps interrupted his thoughts. He looked up to see Ling Yu running back, her face full of excitement.

“What’s wrong? Is something good?” Rarely seeing her so visibly excited, the corners of his mouth involuntarily curved into a smile as he asked in a deep voice.

“Great news! This is incredible news! Heaven has finally smiled upon me, letting me meet a lucky charm!” Ling Yu exclaimed, rubbing her hands together. She didn’t even have time to explain further, quickly pulling a few pieces of silver from her treasured money box and stuffing them into her purse. After tidying up the box, she hurriedly said, “You stay home and rest assured, I’ll be right back,” and disappeared.

Cheng Shaotang chuckled, feeling a strange sense of being instructed like a young lady.

Unconsciously, his smile faded.

Now it seemed the job at Prince Qi’s residence could be accepted. As a man, how could he let his wife worry daily about making a living?

Ling Yu didn’t care what he thought. She ran toward the county town as if her feet had wings. Thinking that she had smeared jade cream worth tens of taels of silver on her belly, she felt a pang of heartache and cursed inwardly. What a real waste of a treasure!

Jade cream! She’d heard that even the palace ladies used it. Sometimes it was so expensive, over a hundred taels, and still many noblewomen vied to buy it.

If she could come out on top this lifetime… The more she thought about it, the more excited she became, her steps quickening.

Shortly after she left home, Wu Liren arrived at Chengjia Village with Song Chao and Tang Jinyuan, bringing good medicine for treating injuries.