“Have you lost your mind?”
“Xie Jinzhu, do you still want to live a decent life?!”
While the people from Cuihong Lou went to fetch Xie Xiao Liu, Second Aunt slapped Xie Jinzhu’s arm hard, tears streaming down her face in anger.
“We’re here to take Xiao Liu home. Why are you causing trouble?”
“Our family is a respectable, law-abiding household. Our ancestors would be ashamed to see us stoop so low!”
Xie Jinzhu was the apple of the old lady’s eye, and Xie Xiao Liu was her lifeline.
No matter how unruly they were, they were still the family’s own girls. Who would willingly sell themselves off?
Father Xie’s face turned cold and dark: “Jinzhu, step outside.”
“Your uncles and I can handle this here. You—”
“You can’t manage it.”
Xie Jinzhu endured Second Aunt’s slaps, gritting her teeth as she squeezed out the words: “The money definitely won’t be enough.”
She didn’t want to say it outright and give the other side the impression they could take advantage. Not only would they likely fail to take Xie Xiao Liu away today—they probably wouldn’t even get to see her.
The Xie family members were all stunned at once.
Eldest Uncle Xie said in disbelief, “That can’t be, right?”
“Didn’t you say she was only sold for ten taels of silver? If we offer a bit more, surely…”
Eldest Uncle Xie’s voice grew weaker and weaker until even he could barely hear himself.
The other side insisted on two hundred taels.
Was such an enormous sum truly baseless?
What else was there that they didn’t know?
Xie Jinzhu grabbed a hair ribbon and hastily tied up her hair, lowering her eyes as she said, “Let’s take Sixth Sister back first. We’ll deal with the rest after we get past this hurdle.”
She had just recalled some details, but now wasn’t the time to mention them.
However, one thing was certain: compared to Xie Xiao Liu, the manager of Cuihong Lou definitely wanted her more.
Xie Jinzhu never imagined that one day she would have to rely on selling her face to achieve her goal. Feeling a mix of complex emotions, she forced herself to suppress her anxiety and looked toward the direction the others had left.
No matter what, she had to take Xie Xiao Liu away today!
The other party returned quickly.
The moment they saw Xie Xiao Liu, Second Aunt and Second Uncle Xie rushed forward.
Second Aunt was blocked and couldn’t reach Xie Xiao Liu. In desperation, she cried out, “Child, were you frightened?”
“Don’t be afraid. Your parents are here to take you home…”
Xie Xiao Liu had been timid since childhood. Being forcibly tied up and taken away from the Liu family by strangers without warning had long since scared her out of her wits.
Now, seeing her family in the depths of despair, she cried so hard she couldn’t speak, but two burly women held her tightly, preventing her from reaching her family, who were so close yet so far.
Even Second Uncle Xie, an honest man, was so furious he nearly rolled up his sleeves.
Xie Jinzhu stepped forward and stopped him: “Let her go.”
They were on someone else’s turf. Making a scene would only bring harm, not benefit.
The priority now was Xie Xiao Liu, who was in their hands.
The woman who had spoken with Xie Jinzhu earlier now wore a meek expression, her hands clasped over her abdomen as she stood behind another person.
The woman at the front appeared younger, her body heavily scented with powder and perfume, adorned with gold and silver. Her status in Cuihong Lou seemed anything but ordinary.
Flower Madam first looked Xie Jinzhu up and down, ignoring her words. Instead, she used a fan to lift Xie Jinzhu’s chin: “Will you trade yourself for her?”
Xie Jinzhu tilted her head to avoid the other’s fan, ignoring the flirtatious tone in their words, and smiled faintly. “Yes.”
“What, am I not worthy?”
Hearing this, the flower madam covered her mouth with a round fan and giggled coyly, teasing, “A fake scholar who can read, write, and speak of romance, yet blessed with such a face of peerless beauty.”
“With a face like that, no matter how strange or unruly your temperament may be, you are more than worthy.”
Xie Xiao Liu was indeed quite good-looking, and at the most valuable age.
Otherwise, Cuihong Lou wouldn’t have been willing to pay the high price of ten taels to buy her.
But compared to Xie Jinzhu, Xie Xiao Liu’s beauty was less striking.
Xie Jinzhu curled her lips in a forced smile, pressing her palm down to signal Second Aunt not to cry in haste, and said slowly, “Since I am worthy, why haven’t you brought out the purchase contract yet?”
The flower madam swayed her wrist, fanning herself with the round fan, and teased, “The sale contract comes in two copies.”
“Why don’t you look at your own, little lady, instead of insisting on seeing mine?”
Xie Jinzhu remained expressionless. “I was in a hurry when I left, so I forgot to bring my copy.”
“But it doesn’t matter. The contract is made in duplicate and cannot be falsified. Having yours as proof is just as good.”
The flower madam’s smile deepened, carrying a subtle air of certainty. “If that’s the case, then fine.”
“Someone, bring it.”
The woman who had tied up the girl pulled out a flimsy piece of paper, unfolded it, and held it directly in front of Xie Jinzhu’s eyes.
Xie Jinzhu skimmed through it quickly, unable to hold back from cursing Xie Jinzhu in her heart several more times as a genuine beast.
When selling Sixth Sister for such an unconscientious price, he only dared to ask for a measly ten taels.
But in the breach of contract clause, he actually dared to fill in an astronomical price of two hundred!
No wonder the other party immediately mentioned a redemption fee of two hundred taels!
Yet what lay before her eyes didn’t match her memory. As a chill crept up her spine, Xie Jinzhu silently confirmed her suspicions.
Eldest Uncle Xie and the others strained to look at the paper but found that while they recognized the black ink, they couldn’t make out a single word on it.
The entire family was illiterate.
Apart from Xie Jinzhu, no one understood it.
Xie Jinzhu felt as if she were trapped in an ice cellar, but her words remained calm. “If I take Xie Xiao Liu away, the name on this contract should be voided, right?”
The flower madam replied with composure, “Of course.”
“What’s needed here is your name.”
If she could bring a beauty like Xie Jinzhu to Cuihong Lou, silver from all directions would surely fly into her pouch as if on wings.
Such a rare opportunity—she couldn’t wait for Xie Jinzhu to agree to the exchange herself.
Xie Jinzhu guessed the other’s thoughts at a glance. While feeling nauseated to the core, she immediately said, “Give me the indenture contract. I’m taking Xie Xiao Liu away.”
The flower madam waved her hand, and someone brought over a set of brush and ink. She raised an eyebrow with leisurely confidence and smiled. “Then we’ll need another document.”
“Write clearly that you are willingly exchanging for her, and she can leave.”
After saying this, the flower madam smiled contentedly and pointed her fan at Xie Jinzhu. “You stay.”
Seeing Xie Jinzhu move, Father Xie hurriedly grabbed her. “Jinzhu!”
“You…”
“I can write.”
Xie Jinzhu picked up the brush and slowly dipped it in ink, speaking deliberately. “But the time to fulfill the promise is not today.”
She had never intended to sell herself.
But breaking the deadlock would take time.
Madam Hua said unhappily, “Are you toying with me?”
“We are clearly having a proper discussion.”
Xie Jinzhu wrote the first character, her brushstrokes sharp yet unhurried: “You know where to find people, and you are well aware of my background.”
“For people like you, from the moment I decided to exchange Xie Xiao Liu back, you already had complete means to keep an eye on me. There is no need to worry about me running away.”
She couldn’t escape, and she never intended to in the first place.
Both she and Madam Hua understood this perfectly well.
Xie Jinzhu slowly wrote the second character, smiling as she said, “But for you, buying me for ten taels of silver is a sure profit.”
“With such obvious benefits, are you so stingy as to not even spare a little time?”
Watching Xie Jinzhu’s brush move stroke by stroke, Madam Hua narrowed her eyes and said, “How long do you want?”
“Half a month, at most—”
“Three days.”
Madam Hua waved her round fan impatiently, cutting off Xie Jinzhu’s words, and sneered, “Little lady, this is a brothel, not an Academy where you discuss poetry and songs.”
“Three days at most.”
“If you cannot produce the two hundred taels of silver to redeem Xie Xiao Liu within three days, the rest of your life will be spent amid the rouge and powder of Cuihong Lou.”
Meeting Xie Jinzhu’s slowly shifting gaze, Madam Hua smiled meaningfully: “Xie Jinzhu, I will be waiting for you here.”
“You had better not let me end up with nothing but disappointment.”