Volume 1 Chapter 93 Brother and Sister Sell Themselves (2)

  He only knew that the woman in front of him, who was high above him, refused to take him as a slave! He gave up his strong self-esteem and lowered his proud head. He made a great determination and summoned great courage to make this decision, selling himself into slavery. What he lost, only he himself knew, but she actually refused!

  What he considered more precious than life itself was, in her eyes, utterly worthless.

  Fan Lei's heart was suddenly cut with a sharp knife, and some things were instantly shattered.

  "It's you who is seeking me, not the other way around. There are many servants under heaven, why would I want to buy one who thinks he's superior and has a bad temper in front of me? In other words, what qualifications do you have to be so presumptuous with me? I think you still haven't figured out our positions clearly!" Yao Cunhui said with a glance at him.

  "Second Miss..." Fan Shuang's eyes revealed unbearable pain and pleading as she gazed at Yao Cun Hui, seeking a favor.

  Yao Cunhui raised her eyes and shot a glance over, Fan Shuangshuang was taken aback, the second half of her sentence stuck in her throat.

  "I beg of you, Second Miss, to take me in. I will be loyal to you and never betray you. I am willing to go through life and death for you, without any hesitation! Please, Second Miss... grant my wish!" Fan Lei's body trembled slightly, his hand clenched into a fist at his side, the knuckles turning white, the veins on the back of his hand bulging. As he spoke, his knees softened and he fell to his knees in front of Yao Cun Hui. But instead of lowering his head, he raised it high, his deep eyes fixed intently on Yao Cun Hui.

  "Second Miss, please Second Miss!" Fan Shuangshuang's nose turned sour and her eyes welled up with tears again as she also knelt down, gently tugging at Yao Cunhui's hem.

  Yao Cun's eyes flickered uncertainly, and after a moment, he said faintly: "Alright, all of you get up! Fan Li, considering your sister and parents' sake, I'll reluctantly take you in. Listen carefully, if there's even half a point that displeases me, I can make you leave at any time!"

  He saw his dark red lips tightly pursed into a cold straight line, and the lines on his face were also tense. He didn't say a word, but between his eyebrows, he could see a hint of disobedience and discontent. Yao Cun Hui couldn't help but get angry again, and coldly laughed: "Don't think you're so wronged, and I've taken advantage of you! Your two taels of pride are not even worth one cent in my eyes!"

  "... Fan Li's heart was filled with rage, and he glared at Yao Cunhui, but ultimately lowered his head and said in a cold tone: "I dare not. I have said that I will die for the second young lady, and I will not go back on my word. No matter what the second young lady asks me to do, I absolutely will not say no."

  Yao Cunhui glanced at him and didn't say another word, as usual, also letting him sign a life contract.

  At the moment he pressed his fingerprint, Fan Lei's heart shook violently, and that bright red color made him lose the courage to look again.

  He painfully closed his eyes! Man, after all, can't fight against fate!

  He thought that with his skills, he could make a name for himself and give his parents and sister a life of wealth and comfort. But no! After all the struggles, he ended up becoming someone else's slave with just a thin contract of selling himself.

  "I'll give you three days to settle your family affairs, and after that, come find me at the Yeo Manor. Take this twenty taels of silver back with you first." With that, Yeo Cun Hui pushed the silver towards the edge of the tea table.

  "No pay without work, Second Miss, please take it back. We're already grateful for the three months' wages paid in advance!" Fan Lei blurted out his refusal.

  Yao Cunhui hummed softly and said bluntly, "It's not free, it will be deducted from your wages slowly! The medical skills of Zhu Dafu at Changchuntang on Wangling Road in Dongshifang are good, and his character is also good. Take advantage of the fact that it's still early to hurry up and ask him to come home and take a look at your mother!"

  Both brothers and sisters went to the Yao government office, mother's illness needs money, eating needs money, and even asking neighbors for help also needs money. Fan Li stayed, refusing to say anything else again.

  "Thank you, Second Miss!" Fan Shuangshuang suddenly came to her senses and, unlike Fan Lei, didn't have many concerns. She quickly took the silver herself and knelt down to thank Yao Cunhui, then left with her brother.

  It just so happened that Old Master Yao was thinking of assigning a few attendants to serve by Yao Cun Hui's side, and Yao Cun Hui took the lead in buying over the Fan siblings, which wasn't anything out of the ordinary. He would just need to report back to Old Master Yao afterwards and that would be the end of it.

  In the afternoon, she returned to the Yao residence. Yao Cun Hui was just about to wash her face and go find Old Master Yao to discuss this matter when she saw Rong Ma and Hong Lian walking out of the Luomei courtyard with big smiles on their faces, calling out "Second Miss".

  Two people were beaming with joy, their eyes sparkling like they had just received the best news in the world.

  Yao Cunhui was taken aback and smiled, just about to speak up when she heard Rong's mother laugh and say: "Second Miss, it's really a big happy event! Our eldest miss is pregnant, the messenger from the Xie family arrived this afternoon, and Master is overjoyed!"

  "Really?" Yao Cunhui was taken aback, then also became overjoyed, "That's great! Good news, it's really wonderful!"

  Offspring is too important for women in this era, especially for those from big families. The saying "a mother's status rises with her son" isn't just an empty phrase; it carries a lot of weight.

  Yao Cun Jia had just married over and soon spread good news. In any case, the people of Xie's family would look at her with more respect.

  "How many months has it been? Is everything all right with sister?" Yao Cunhui grasped her mother's sleeve somewhat nervously.

  Rong's mother said with a smile all over her face: "It's been two months! I heard that Mr. and Mrs. Xie are overjoyed, they treasure Big Miss like their own eyeballs, Big Miss is doing great! Hehe!"

  "That's great!" Yao Cunhui smiled, and at the same time, her mouth twitched uncontrollably. She thought to herself, Brother-in-law, you're really something. Calculating it this way, maybe that night was when I got pregnant... This is really...

  Yao Cun Jia was found to be pregnant at a family banquet a few days ago.

  At that time, there was a steamed mandarin fish on the table, which was a fine product among fish, with an exceptionally fresh and delicious flavor. Xie Yunbian smiled and helped his beloved wife to a chopstick, but unexpectedly, Yao Cun's stomach churned violently, and he suddenly couldn't hold back, turned around, covered his mouth, and started dry vomiting.

  Yao Cun Jia's face was extremely embarrassed, but Xie Fu Yun thought she was ill and uncomfortable, so he quickly supported her to sit down and repeatedly called for a doctor to come quickly.

  The young couple didn't understand, but Mrs. Xie and the old nanny beside her exchanged a knowing glance. Mrs. Xie hastily called someone to pour hot tea for her and asked a few questions about her physical condition over the past few days. Upon inquiry, she became tense with anxiety, her heart racing wildly, and lost interest in eating; together they waited for the doctor's arrival.

  When the doctor diagnosed that Madame Wang was two months pregnant, Old Master Xie and his wife were overjoyed, their faces beaming with smiles. The whole Xie household was stunned, but after a moment's reaction, they too burst out laughing like fools.

  Mr. and Mrs. Xie had a son, and their daughter-in-law had just entered the house when they heard the good news. The couple was overjoyed and immediately rewarded the doctor heavily. They also ordered the servants in the mansion to be given extra rewards, with double the usual amount for those in the Ronghua Hall. Mr. Xie then instructed the steward to prepare incense and offerings to worship their ancestors, while Mrs. Xie told the nanny to get everything ready for a trip to the temple tomorrow to thank the Buddha!

  What about Yao Cun Jia? She naturally became the treasured darling of the mansion, like a precious porcelain vase. After that, whenever Madam Xie saw her walking, she couldn't help but feel anxious and kept calling out for people to carefully support and remind her to be careful again and again.

  After the joy, Mrs. Xie couldn't help but scold her son again, saying he was careless and didn't even notice that his wife was two months pregnant; after scolding her son, Mrs. Xie's gaze fell on Yao Cun Jia, slightly blaming her with a glance but not daring to say anything accusatory, only saying: "You young couple really don't know the weight of this matter, how can you not notice such a big thing at all? What if something unexpected happens, what would be good?"

  Xie Fu Yun didn't know, but Yao Cun Jia's heart couldn't be without a clue. At least, she should have been very clear about the one who didn't come last month.

  Yao Cun understood what Mrs. Xie was getting at, and his face grew slightly hot as he forced a smile and said: "The daughter-in-law isn't sure, so she didn't say anything good. However, the daughter-in-law has her own thoughts, and knows to be careful."

  "That's good, that's good!" Mrs. Xie hurriedly held her hand and patted it gently, smiling warmly: "Mother is also worried about you, good child, you've always been steady, now that you've said so, mother can rest assured! Only next time, no matter what, be sure to let mother know in advance, okay?"

  Having children is a big deal, not like playing with kids. If they announced it first and it turned out to be false happiness, the new daughter-in-law's face would be lost in a big way. Mrs. Xie also understood Yao Cun Jia's difficulties.

  "Yes, Mother! The daughter-in-law understands! The daughter-in-law will follow your teachings!" Yao Cun Jia looked at Mrs. Xie with gratitude for a moment.

  Xie Fu Yun didn't understand what was going on, seeing his mother talking about his wife as if she had been hiding something from him. He became unhappy and said: "Mother, you're wronging Jia Er! She's not that kind of person! She just found out now, didn't she? If she had known earlier, she would have definitely told me, right?"

  Yao Cun Jia's lips moved slightly, and he raised his eyes to meet the gaze of Mrs. Xie, who was also crying and laughing at the same time. He murmured a vague "uh-huh" and nodded randomly.

  "Did you hear that, Mother?" Xie Fu Yun looked at Mrs. Xie with an expression of seeking confirmation.

  Mrs. Xie could only say: "I heard that, mother didn't blame Jia'er!" In her heart, she didn't know what to say to her son.

  "Alright, alright, take your wife back to rest now! Tell the kitchen to prepare some light food and send it over later." Mr. Xie also spoke up at this point.

  "Alright, alright, let's head back first!" Xie Fu Yun patted his forehead and put his arm around Yao Cun Jia to help her up, carefully supporting her.

  "Slow down, Green Lotus, Green Leaf, hurry up and support Grandma! Auntie Xu, you personally see off Grandpa and Grandma, wait until Grandma is settled in and then come back to tell me! Jia Er, when sitting down, slow down a bit, put a soft cushion behind your waist, don't sit in the draft! And also, don't get cold water on you, don't drink cold tea, no cold fruits or vegetables are allowed...and also, all the incense in the house is stopped, knives, scissors, needles and threads, tell the girls to put them away, wear soft-soled shoes...and...never mind, I'll have someone come over tomorrow to instruct you carefully, don't stand around, hurry up and go back, go back!"

  Mrs. Xie felt more and more unclear as she spoke, seeing Yao Cun Jia standing there listening to her lecture in a dignified manner, suddenly thinking of the child in her belly, she hurriedly raised her hand to stop herself from continuing.