Xie Jinzhu grabbed the shoulder pole Father Xie was swinging toward her and declared firmly, “Who took Sixth Sister? I’ll go right now and—”
“Do you think I’d stand by and watch my daughter get snatched away if I could stop it or afford to buy her back?”
Second Aunt rushed over, shoving Xie Jinzhu off balance, and cried, “Two hundred taels!”
“A full two hundred taels of silver!”
“Where would our family get two hundred taels to buy Xiao Liu back?!”
Xie Jinzhu’s heart skipped a beat at the number, stunned. “How could it be two hundred taels?”
The original owner had clearly sold herself for only ten taels. Where did the extra one hundred ninety taels come from???
Seeing Second Uncle Xie, Second Aunt felt she had found her pillar of support. On the way to Cuihong Lou with the whole family rushing over, she finally managed to explain the situation between sobs.
The other party had barged directly into the Liu family to seize her.
The group consisted of a sturdy older woman and three burly men. They entered, immediately produced the indenture contract, pointed at Xie Xiao Liu’s name on it, confirmed it was her, and then moved to grab her.
Second Aunt and Xie Er Ni, of course, refused.
But the intruders were aggressive. Liu Cheng and his mother were startled at first, then delighted to watch the Xie family’s humiliation, standing by without lifting a finger to help.
Second Aunt and Xie Er Ni couldn’t hold them off. After struggling and grappling for a long time, they were ultimately forced to watch Xie Xiao Liu being taken away.
Before leaving with Xie Xiao Liu, the other party left a message: If they wanted to redeem Xie Xiao Liu, they needed to prepare two hundred taels of silver and bring the other half of the signed document from when she was sold.
But the family had no money left.
Early that morning, ninety-six taels had gone toward repaying debts. Some had been spent on Xie Er Ni, and Xie Jinzhu had only kept a few dozen taels as capital.
Xie Jinzhu also couldn’t produce the other half of the document.
The original owner simply didn’t have it.
A flurry of chaotic thoughts raced through Xie Jinzhu’s mind. She looked at Second Aunt and asked, “Did they say anything else besides that?”
Second Aunt was practically gnashing her teeth, wishing she could bite Xie Jinzhu to death. She spat out hatefully, “Are you actually suggesting I’m slandering you? You…”
“I’m not saying you’re slandering me, but the amount of silver is wrong.”
Xie Jinzhu forced down the bitter resentment of being unfairly blamed and gritted her teeth. “When she was sold, it was for ten taels, not two hundred.”
The details she could recall were fragmented and vague.
But Xie Jinzhu was certain the original owner hadn’t received that much silver.
Second Aunt stared blankly at her words. “Then why would they say two hundred taels? They…”
“If it’s ten taels, Xiao Liu can be saved.”
Eldest Uncle Xie said quickly, “We can afford ten taels. Even thirty taels would be manageable.”
They would sell everything they had if necessary—they absolutely had to redeem Xie Xiao Liu!
When Father Xie looked at her, Xie Jinzhu decisively pulled out all the silver she had, using action to show her determination to bring Sixth Sister back.
Combining what Xie Jinzhu had with what the whole family scraped together, they had a total of forty-eight taels of silver.
Second Aunt cradled the money in her hands, her heart in turmoil, torn between tears and laughter. “With this money, can I bring Xiao Liu home?”
Her Xiao Liu had always been timid since childhood, never even speaking loudly to others.
To have such a good child sold into a place like Cuihong Lou, a den that devoured people—wasn’t that like taking her own life?
Second Uncle Xie struggled to control his murderous thoughts, gritting his teeth tightly as he said, “We will.”
“Xiao Liu was just taken there. As long as we bring the silver, she can come home with us…”
Eldest Uncle Xie also spoke words of comfort, while Father Xie remained too ashamed to utter a word throughout.
When Second Aunt’s sobbing finally subsided slightly, Xie Jinzhu gazed at the Cuihong Lou looming before her, an inexplicable sense of foreboding rising in her heart.
She felt the money might not be enough.
According to Eldest Uncle Xie’s original plan, Xie Jinzhu was not supposed to go with them.
No matter how disgracefully Xie Jinzhu behaved, she was still a young woman. Even the slightest association with a place like Cuihong Lou would tarnish her reputation.
But Xie Jinzhu stepped forward first. “Eldest Uncle, this trouble was caused by me.”
This was not a good place to visit. The Old Xie Family were all honest, simple folk. If they went in, something might go wrong.
She would go herself.
Eldest Uncle Xie glanced at Xie Jinzhu and sighed, “Forget it.”
“Let’s go.”
They arrived quickly. Only an hour had passed since Xie Xiao Liu was forcibly taken to Cuihong Lou.
The matron who had gone to seize the girl emerged. Second Aunt pointed at her excitedly, exclaiming, “It’s her!”
“She’s the one who took Xiao Liu away!”
The matron covered her mouth with a handkerchief, her smile not reaching her eyes. “Oh dear, what are you talking about?”
“Our establishment has always operated on mutual consent. We never engage in forced transactions.”
She swept a disdainful glance over the Xie family members and sneered, “But once someone enters Cuihong Lou, their life and death belong to us. It’s no longer your concern.”
“You…”
“We’re here to redeem her.”
Xie Jinzhu stopped the emotionally distraught Second Aunt, silently repeating to herself three times that Xie Jin Zhu was truly a beast, then enunciated each word clearly: “Xie Xiao Liu of the Xie family—the girl you just brought from Liu Family Village.”
“We’re taking her away now.”
The matron hadn’t expected the Xie family to gather the money so quickly and said in surprise, “You brought the two hundred taels?”
Xie Jinzhu steadied Second Aunt, who nearly collapsed, and replied coldly, “The silver isn’t an issue. I want to see her first.”
“Bring her out, and I also want to see the signed indenture contract in your possession.”
Xie Jinzhu could accept a price increase, but the figure the other party quoted was truly excessive.
Yet the matron insisted on two hundred taels, clearly not a number fabricated just to intimidate them.
The problem likely lay with the indenture contract.
The matron narrowed her eyes, studying Xie Jinzhu without moving.
Xie Jinzhu raised an eyebrow and said, “Xie Xiao Liu is my sixth sister, a little older than me, but she’s not as pretty as I am.”
Everyone present was taken aback by her words.
The matron even chuckled in disbelief. “Are you a man or a woman? Why are you dressed in men’s clothes, yet…”
“Of course I’m a woman.”
Xie Jinzhu reached up and untied the male hairband from her head, letting her ink-black hair cascade down her shoulders. She dampened a handkerchief with cold tea, roughly wiped away the deliberately applied marks on her face, and gave the matron a half-smile. “If you want beauty, Xie Xiao Liu falls far short of me.”
Although the original host had been raised as a son, she had been exquisitely beautiful since childhood, like a delicate porcelain doll.
Old Mrs. Xie had always boasted about the family’s good fortune, claiming that the Bodhisattva had blessed them with a golden child. In reality, however, it might not have been a golden boy but a jade maiden.
Xie Jinzhu’s face, once covered in a layer of dust, was now wiped clean, revealing skin so fair and delicate it almost dazzled the eyes.
Her bright eyes shimmered, and her red lips were exquisitely shaped—a living, breathing beauty stood right before them.
The old woman was momentarily stunned. Xie Jinzhu spoke directly, “Bring Xie Xiao Liu out. After I see what I mentioned, we can sit down and talk.”
“If I can’t produce the silver within the agreed time, the terms of the indenture contract can be swapped.”
“Let Xie Xiao Liu go, and I’ll take her place.”