Jiang Cuihua held Zhuang Yan tightly as she retreated, angrily cursing at Zhuang Laoda.
"You heartless old scoundrel! This Zhuang family house and land were all bought by Zhuang Yu for Zhuang Yan!"
"Not only did you refuse to give them to Zhuang Yan, but you even dared to sell him off!"
"Aren't you afraid that Zhuang Yu might return someday and take your lives?"
Zhuang Laoda snorted coldly, "Jiang Cuihua, stop talking nonsense. Zhuang Yu is my own second brother. This house and land were bought for us!"
Zhuang Lao San also nodded, "Exactly! Both the land deed and the house deed bear mine and my elder brother's names!"
"There's no Zhuang Yan's name on them!"
A villager couldn't help but interject, "But that's because Zhuang Yan was too young at the time…"
Zhuang Laoda's wife, Mrs. Li, cut the person off, "Zhuang Yan is just a child my second brother-in-law picked up from outside. We've raised him all these years—that's already more than enough kindness!"
Zhuang Lao San's wife, Mrs. Huang, chimed in, "Apart from his passable looks, he's utterly useless! Can't even do manual work properly."
Zhuang Laoda nodded, "Now, it's time for him to repay our Zhuang family!"
"Selling him only brought in ten taels of silver!"
"But think of all the money we've spent on him since he was little…"
"Even if my second brother returns someday, at worst, I can adopt my own son to him. That would be closer than this Zhuang Yan!"
Zhuang Lao San echoed, "Right! I can also have another son and adopt him to Second Brother! Definitely better than this outsider!"
The butler frowned, paying no mind to their arguments. The money had already been paid, after all.
He was determined to take Zhuang Yan away.
Following the butler's orders, one servant pushed Jiang Cuihua aside while another went to grab Zhuang Yan.
A few days earlier, while carrying firewood down the mountain, Zhuang Yan had injured his leg and arm. Not yet recovered, his face was now frighteningly pale. His body swayed unsteadily, barely able to stand.
Mrs. Hao thought of the Pan family Liu Shiqi had mentioned and felt a chill run through her entire body.
She had watched Zhuang Yan grow up. When Zhuang Yu was around, he had entrusted her with looking after the boy.
Even her eldest son's job had been secured through Zhuang Yu's connections.
Remembering all this, she couldn't stand by and watch Zhuang Yan fall into the fire pit.
Gritting her teeth, Mrs. Hao rushed forward and grabbed hold of Zhuang Yan.
Seeing the situation turn urgent, Old Man Zhong also hurried over to help.
"Zhuang Yan is still injured! Even if you buy him back, he won't be able to work! What's the point?" someone pleaded sympathetically.
The butler frowned, growing impatient. "We don't need him to work. He just needs to lie down and serve others…"
The crowd didn't immediately grasp what he meant.
Liu Shiqi narrowed her eyes. [It seems I guessed right—it is that Pan family!]
[If Zhuang Yan goes in, he'll become a catamite for the Pan family's eldest young master…]
Upon hearing this, Mrs. Hao and Old Man Zhong had no time to wonder how Liu Shiqi knew so much.
Driven by instinct, they fought even harder to stop Zhuang Yan from being ruined.
Repeatedly obstructed, the servant grew angry. He raised his foot and aimed a kick at Mrs. Hao.
Liu Shiqi frowned. In a flash, she swiftly stepped in front of Mrs. Hao.
Before the servant even realized what was happening, he felt a sharp pain in his leg, and then his entire body was sent flying.
With a "thud," he landed, stirring up a cloud of dust.
Everyone was momentarily stunned.
"You… you dare hit me…" the servant finally managed to climb to his feet, cursing.
But when he saw that the person before him was a pretty little girl of about eleven or twelve, his words died in his throat.
He simply couldn't believe that Liu Shiqi had been the one to kick him flying.
But aside from Liu Shiqi, there was no one else.
Liu Shiqi had acted too quickly, and the situation had been too chaotic, so few people had actually seen what happened.
Of course, Mrs. Hao and Zhuang Yan had seen it.
Mrs. Hao was so shocked that her mouth hung open in an "O" shape, unable to snap out of it for a long time.
Zhuang Yan was also wide-eyed with astonishment as he stared at Liu Shiqi.
She, she, she… she's so impressive…
As Liu Shiqi drew closer, she found Zhuang Yan's dazed yet beautiful appearance quite amusing.
【Huh, up close, he looks even better!】
【Brother Zhuang, Brother Zhuang!】
【Let me practice calling him that in advance, to get used to it…】
Liu Shiqi didn’t notice that Zhuang Yan’s ears and neck had turned red.
Zhuang Yan whispered softly, "Th-thank you!"
On the surface, Liu Shiqi remained serious and nodded.
"When one is in trouble, all should come to their aid. Brother Zhuang, there’s no need to be so polite!"
【Gotta rack up goodwill points in front of the future big shot!】
【When he rises to power in the future, how could he possibly forget me!】
【If I keep calling him "brother" a few more times, he might even make me a princess or a noble lady!】
Zhuang Yan…
Mrs. Hao: This is too embarrassing… she’s already calling him "brother"…
Old Man Zhong: This is taking an unexpected turn!
Does Shi Qi actually like Zhuang Yan or not?
Why do I feel a bit confused?
Just as the servant was about to step forward again, the Butler waved his hand, signaling him to stop.
The Butler narrowed his eyes as he looked at Liu Shiqi.
With his extensive experience, he immediately noticed that Liu Shiqi was different from the other villagers.
What ordinary village girl could have such fair skin?
Moreover, the villagers were all fearful and cautious around him, avoiding eye contact and keeping their heads lowered.
But this young girl kept her head held high.
Her demeanor seemed somewhat out of place here.
It was the kind of bearing one would expect from a young lady of a prominent family.
Though dressed plainly, she carried an air of pride and nobility that even surpassed that of his own young mistress.
The key was the white jade hairpin in her hair.
If he wasn’t mistaken, that hairpin was something that had come from the imperial palace in the capital.
He had seen it when their eldest young lady returned home for a visit.
The young lady treasured it dearly.
For this little girl to be wearing such an item, her status must be anything but ordinary.
But why was she calling Zhuang Yan "brother"?
What exactly was going on?
Frowning, he asked Liu Shiqi, "This… young lady, why are your people obstructing mine?"
"We are conducting a legitimate transaction, and we have broken no laws!"
"Your actions are putting me in a difficult position…"
Liu Shiqi smiled.
【It seems Mother and Grandfather are determined to save Zhuang Yan.】
【Perfect, I can’t just stand by and watch a future big shot get snatched away by someone else.】
【Today happens to be the day he’s in trouble, so I’ll be the one to offer help in his time of need!】
【He’ll be so moved!】
【But to save him now, going after Zhuang Laoda and the others won’t help. The key lies with this buyer.】
【Looks like I’ll have to borrow some authority to intimidate them!】
Having figured this out, Liu Shiqi looked at the Butler with a smile and said, "Judging by your demeanor, you must be the Butler of the Pan residence, right? You must be highly trusted by Lord and Lady Pan!"
Everyone enjoys hearing flattery, and the Butler was no exception.
"Yes, I am the Butler of the Pan residence. I came here specifically to purchase servants for the household!"
"But, young lady, how should I address you?"
Liu Shiqi’s eyes sparkled as she replied with a smile, "My surname is Liu. I’ve just returned from the capital recently!"
She wasn’t lying. Before this, she had indeed lived in the capital with the head of the Liu family—her adoptive parents.
It wasn’t long ago that she had been sent back due to the matter of the true and false heiresses.
The butler thought to himself, indeed.
The Liu family was the largest in the county town, and the head of the Liu family held an official position in the capital, ranking as a fifth-grade official.
Although their Pan family was not inferior, they lacked real authority.
With the Liu family, they could only maintain friendly relations and must not offend them.
The butler, understanding the situation well, bowed and cupped his hands respectfully toward Liu Shiqi, "This humble servant greets Miss Liu!"