At this point, Father Zhou knew in his heart that Pan Jiuniang should have guessed that her beating was related to the Zhou family.
Furthermore, in the past, Pan Jiuniang was polite to him, but she would never speak coldly to him... No, this matter cannot be brought to court. Otherwise, the Zhou family will be ruined, and even if Taohua can escape, she will be disgusted by her master.
"Jiuniang, you are a maid in the house. If you are involved in a lawsuit, the master will definitely not be happy."
Chu Yunli's face was pale: "Young Master has abandoned me and will move me to the suburbs in two days."
Father Zhou: "..."
He looked around and saw that there were too many people around him. It was difficult to explain some things clearly, as it would be bad if someone listened to him.
So, he took a step forward and said in a low voice: "Jiu Niang, you have to be merciful and merciful. These people came to trouble you because they were distracted. They must have regretted it at this moment. I will be the middleman.
Help us to make peace, we can discuss whatever you want."
Chu Yunli smiled half-heartedly: "What can you give me?"
"It's not me!" Zhou's father emphasized: "It's them. You just have to make demands."
Chu Yunli shook his head: "I am so seriously injured, and I am also rejected by the young master, which is equivalent to being ruined for the rest of my life. I don't want anything, I just want to seek justice for myself."
Father Zhou was dumbfounded: "But when you live in this world, you have to look forward! My mother-in-law has taken in so many people, and just eating brown rice every day will cost a lot of money in a month. You have been rejected by the young master, how can you just
Don't you have any plans for the future?" At this point, he lowered his voice and said, "I'm going to discuss it with them and let them each contribute ten taels of silver, which adds up to quite a lot. Do you think about it?"
"The rest of my life is worth thirty taels?" Chu Yunli's face was full of ridicule: "Others spend thirty taels to buy peach blossoms for the rest of their lives, will you sell them?"
Of course not for sale!
Taohua is the first woman to follow the young master, and she was given to him by his wife. To put it bluntly, even if the future mistress comes in, she will be more polite because Taohua is the mother-in-law. Not to mention the wages and wages Taohua gets as a maid.
If you are lucky enough to give birth to a boy and a half girl, you will become a great person.
Zhou's father looked a little embarrassed: "Jiu Niang, don't get into trouble. You have encountered that bad luck, and you are no longer the same as Tao Hua... In this way, I will discuss with them and try my best to fight for you. I will give you at least fifty taels and treat them as one of them.
A chance to make a new start, okay?"
After saying this, without waiting for Chu Yunli to reply, he turned around and went to whisper to a few people.
Chu Yunli looked pale and said leisurely: "It doesn't matter if we don't make a big fuss. Three hundred taels of silver or a penny less won't do. Otherwise, there is no need to talk."
Father Zhou's body stiffened slightly, and when he spoke again, his voice was trembling: "Three...three hundred?"
Chu Yunli nodded and urged: "Have you thought about it? If we delay for a while, the person who reported the message will have gone far, and we will not be able to catch up."
"Less!" Zhou's father looked embarrassed: "These people are not rich. If you want so much, you are trying to force them to death."
"There is no need to discuss." Chu Yunli jumped to the carriage and said, "I'm going to rest for a while. It's still early for the people from the Yamen to come."
Father Zhou tried to speak again, but he stopped listening.
Gritting his teeth, he finally agreed: "Jiuniang, let them come back quickly."
Chu Yunli stretched out her intact hand: "Where is the money?"
Father Zhou looked at the hand in front of him: "I don't have one!" He forced a smile: "I'm just the middleman who helps negotiate peace, and they have to collect the money. Not so fast!" Today's short confrontation made him
He understood that the injured girl in front of him was no longer the easy-to-talk girl before. Seeing that her face was about to change again, he hurriedly said: "I will ask them to write you an IOU, with black and white writing on it, and a certificate. If you can't meet the money, you can
It’s not too late to file a complaint.”
Chu Yunli nodded: "That's okay, but you owe me. After all, firstly, I don't know them and don't trust them, and you took the initiative to find a guarantor who is suitable for you. Secondly, they took me
With the fight like this, I don’t want to talk to him.”
"This..." Father Zhou didn't want to get involved, but the person in front of him had a serious face, and it was obvious that there was no need for discussion. He had no choice but to agree, and emphasized: "I really have good intentions, so you came to take a trip into this muddy water."
, it’s not that what they said has anything to do with peach blossoms.”
Chu Yunli closed her eyes and refused to answer the question.
When the matter was settled, Zhou's father wanted to quickly catch up with the person who reported the letter. He quickly found a gentleman in the crowd who was helping people write letters and asked someone to write an IOU.
He didn't dare to play tricks here. After Chu Yunli took a look, he pressed his finger prints and said, "I'm waiting in the teahouse in front. I'll see the silver in half an hour."
Zhou's father looked bitter.
Chu Yunli didn't care so much. Before leaving, he saw the three people lying or sitting on the ground. He sneered and kicked them each before getting into the carriage.
Hongdou didn't make a sound from the beginning to the end. Father Zhou really gave too much. Let's put it this way, you may not get three hundred taels by accompanying the young master for a lifetime.
"Girl, you must save some of this money and don't squander it all." Hongdou suggested in a low voice: "You are injured so seriously, I don't know if you will have any hidden diseases..."
The bones have been broken into several sections, and there is a 99% chance that he will become a cripple. He is no longer innocent, and there are still a lot of burdens behind him. If he doesn't leave some money, he won't be able to marry even if he wants to!
In Hongdou's eyes, the girl is still so young and it is impossible not to get married.
Chu Yunli did not argue with her, but found a nearby teahouse and went in.
The injured men were carried away, but many people still wanted to watch the fun, so they followed Chu Yunli into the teahouse.
On weekdays, there are not so many guests in the teahouse. The owner is smart and knows that today’s business is all because of Chu Yunli. So, he stepped forward with a smile and said he would treat them to tea and invited them to wait in the private room upstairs.
.
*
Zhou's father took the injured people and had them carried back to their homes before they had gone far, while he hurried to Luo's house.
The Luo family is considered one of the wealthiest families on this street. If Taohua hadn't entered the He mansion early and was taken under his wife's side, the two families would have been engaged long ago.
"Three hundred taels?"
The young men were so surprised that they even shouted at the top of their lungs.
Father Zhou sighed: "That little girl is young and has a big appetite. She insists on asking for so much. I have tried hard to get it, but she won't let go at all. You see..."
"What am I looking at?" Luo Dajiang jumped in anger: "Do you really think highly of me? Even if we sell everything in our family, we won't be able to get so much!"
Father Zhou was silent, this was indeed not a small amount of money. Even though Taohua had been in the government for many years, and the money was sent back almost every month, the Zhou family had not squandered it, and they had only accumulated more than twenty taels over the years, even if they passed it down to their ancestors.
The house I bought was sold, and I could only raise half a hundred taels.
"They said that the money must be seen within half an hour, otherwise those people will be sent to the Yamen. Taohua should be able to stay out of it, you..."
It was indeed Luo Dajiang who bribed a few people to attack Pan Jiuniang. Others could escape, but he must be convicted.
Thinking of this, Luo Dajiang became more and more irritable. He walked around the room twice with his hands behind his hands: "I did these things for the sake of peach blossoms. You can get some of this money."
Father Zhou was heartbroken and bleeding, but for the sake of his daughter, he still gritted his teeth and said: "I only have twenty taels of silver in cash, and I will send it to you later."
Luo Dajiang was a little absent-minded: "Fifty taels, I'll think of the rest. Hurry up and prepare!"
Father Zhou: "..." That's fifty taels, not five taels!
Even if the whole family is sold, it may not be enough!
Besides, no one wanted to sell it for a while, but no one bought it. He smiled bitterly and said: "I'm not lying to you, it's really only twenty."
"Write the rest and write the IOU." Luo Dajiang waved his hand roughly: "Hurry up and prepare. Otherwise, if things get serious, I won't be able to get away, but I am afraid of pain and cannot bear torture, so I will definitely attract trouble.
I also know that I should be able to stay out of the matter if I remain ignorant, but I will definitely be disliked by Mr. He, or at least be suspected..."
This is not nonsense. Father Zhou couldn't stand it any longer, so he turned around and left: "I'll go get it right now."
What he didn't know was that as soon as he left the house, Luo Dajiang followed him and drove the carriage out toward the inner city. When he came back half an hour later, he had a big bag on his forehead and his hair was messy.
There is still some water vapor left.
At first glance, it looked like someone had hit his head with a teacup or teapot.
Zhou's father did not dare to face the Luo family alone. When he heard that Luo Dajiang was not here, he did not go in and only waited outside.
Seeing Luo Dajiang's carriage, he hurriedly greeted him: "Where have you been?"
During the pause of waiting, he still had a glimmer of extravagant hope in his heart... It would be great if Luo Dajiang had already gone to pay back the money.
It's a pity, it's just a wishful thinking.
Luo Dajiang was quite impatient and stretched out his hand: "Where is the money?"
Father Zhou handed it over with a face full of reluctance.
"Where's the IOU?" Luo Dajiang frowned: "I'm very kind to Taohua, but don't treat me like a fool. If you don't get the IOU, I won't go to the teahouse, and we will all die together!"
Father Zhou really has the idea of defaulting on the debt. If he doesn't write this IOU, he won't admit it until the crisis is over!
Another quarter of an hour later, Zhou's father appeared in the teahouse in a depressed mood, carrying a small baggage.
Seeing him coming, everyone in the teahouse suddenly became interested.
Father Zhou went upstairs and held the bundle in front of Chu Yunli: "Jiuniang, please order a little!"
Hongdou opened the baggage. After Chu Yunli read it, he took out the IOU from his sleeve and said, "Tell Taohua not to target me again. If it happens again, no matter how much money you give, it won't work."
Zhou's father was shocked, but he did not forget to explain: "It has nothing to do with the peach blossom. If I had known you would be suspicious, I would have said nothing to be the middle man. It is simply a thankless job."
Chu Yunli was too lazy to listen to his nonsense, so she picked up the crutches and walked downstairs slowly.
The people watching the excitement below had no idea what was going on in the private room. Someone who was truly curious and courageous asked: "Really?"
Hongdou nodded: "Pay it forward!"
Everyone exclaimed.
That's not a small amount of money. There are not many people living in the outer city who can afford so much money.
When they walked out of the teahouse, the sky was already hazy. Chu Yunli had already found a coachman before, got on the carriage and immediately rushed to the city.
The coachman wanted to hurry up, but after Chu Yunli was hurt by the jolt, he asked him to slow down.
The carriage moved slowly and leisurely, so it was already night when we entered the mansion. The candles in many courtyards had been extinguished, leaving only a little light lit by the night watchman.
When Dongshan saw it, he frowned and said, "As a maid, how can you come back so late?"