Chapter 24: A Living Contract?

As she spoke, Mother Sun reached out as if to strike Jiang Lihua.

The village chief, along with Yang Wenbin and Huang Yingrong, were so exasperated by Mother Sun’s stupidity that they were nearly moved to tears.

Yang Wenbin, seething with anger, yanked Mother Sun back and hissed into her ear, "Hand over the deed of indenture, and then shut your mouth."

Terrified by her son, Mother Sun tremblingly produced the deed and handed it to him.

Holding the document, Yang Wenbin said, "Lihua, no matter what, you are a member of the Yang family. Your deed of indenture is still right here."

Jiang Lihua truly hadn't known about the existence of such a deed. Damn it, the original owner’s family was truly ruthless; they had actually signed her into indentured servitude?

Ni Wenyu spoke up, "Since you abandoned her, she is no longer one of yours. You come to snatch her away only after I saved her with a thousand-year-old ginseng? What kind of logic is that?"

Yang Wenbin retorted, "Scholar Ni, are you truly intent on setting yourself against us?"

Ni Wenyu replied, "I am not setting myself against you. I have only one thing to say: return the thousand-year-old ginseng I used to save her, and you may take her away."

"Uncles and aunts, tell me, is this not reasonable? That was a thousand-year-old ginseng! I hadn't been willing to use it even in my most impoverished days, hoping to keep it as a family heirloom. Who would have thought I would encounter such a life-or-death crisis?"

Ni Wenyu spoke with such sincerity that he appeared to be on the verge of tears. The villagers began to speak up in his defense.

"That is only fair. You let her die and dumped her at the back mountain, effectively acting as if she didn't exist."

"Exactly. The young scholar saved her with a thousand-year-old ginseng, so her life belongs to him."

"Indeed. One could buy countless child brides with the money from selling that ginseng."

Yang Wenbin said with a dark face, "It was his own wishful thinking to save her; we did not ask him to. This is Jiang Lihua's deed of indenture; she belongs to the Yang family, in life and in death."

Uncle Jiang walked over to Ni Wenyu and whispered a few words to him.

Ni Wenyu then addressed Yang Wenbin, "There are two options now. First, give me the deed, and I will buy her from you for whatever price. Second, return my ginseng, and you can take her away."

"Don't even think about it! Everyone knows that Jiang Lihua's workshop makes money now."

Ni Wenyu sneered, "Oh, so it was all for the sake of the workshop."

The crowd finally realized the truth—Yang Wenbin had his eyes on Jiang Lihua’s workshop—and they looked at him with contempt.

Yang Wenbin’s expression was grim. "Hmph, you are forcing me to hand over the deed now, isn't that also for the sake of her workshop?"

Ni Wenyu laughed out loud. "Ha, ha, ha... This workshop was mine to begin with, and the house she lives in is also mine."

Yang Wenbin shouted, "Impossible!"

"Hmph, the village chief knows best. The land for both the house and the workshop belongs to me." As he spoke, Ni Wenyu looked toward the village chief.

The village chief coughed and said, "That is indeed correct; it belongs to the young scholar." The village chief had been confused by the Yang family's constant harping, and because Jiang Lihua had always been the one managing the workshop, he had temporarily forgotten the fact.

Hearing the village chief confirm this, Yang Wenbin’s face went stiff. Why hadn't the village chief told him this beforehand?

The crowd burst into laughter. The Yang family had ended up with nothing but an empty basket.

"Young Scholar Ni, you certainly kept that well-hidden."

"Indeed, we all thought the workshop belonged to Lihua."

Ni Wenyu bowed to the crowd and said, "I hope you will forgive me. After I saved her, she lived in the village under the guise of my cousin. As a young girl with no one to rely on, I let her manage these things."

Yang Wenbin countered, "That’s not right. Where would you get the money and the recipes to do all this?"

The crowd paused to think. They were, after all, well aware of the young scholar's financial situation.

At this, Ni Wenyu smiled faintly. "This, in fact, can be considered a stroke of fortune granted to me by your family. That night, after I followed you up the mountain to save Lihua, I happened upon an injured man. I saved him, and in return for my kindness, he introduced me to the proprietor of Wanfulou to do business. That is how this all came to be."

Ni Wenyu spoke with such sincerity that everyone believed him.

Yang Wenbin felt as though he were going to vomit blood. If they had come down the mountain a little later that day, would all of this have been his?

"We don't know anything about the recipes. They are sent to us already prepared, and we are only responsible for processing them. Anyone who has worked there knows this."

Those who had worked there nodded; it was true that the sauces were always provided pre-made.

Ni Wenyu stared at Yang Wenbin. "Speak. How much do you want for the deed?"

Yang Wenbin’s face was dark. "Not for sale. Don't even think about getting it. As long as I don't sell it, she belongs to the Yang family forever."

Ni Wenyu stopped arguing with him and began to usher them away. "If you won't sell, then leave. Don't hinder our workshop from doing business."

Jiang Lihua thought Ni Wenyu looked truly dashing today. She gave him a thumbs-up, and Ni Wenyu smiled slightly, signaling for her to rest easy. Seeing their interaction, Yang Wenbin’s expression darkened even further.

With the scene escalating, the village chief felt embarrassed and was the first to leave. Seeing that the spectacle was coming to an end, the villagers slowly dispersed.

Mother Sun tugged at Yang Wenbin’s sleeve. Yang Wenbin shook her off and said grimly, "She belongs to the Yang family. Whether you like it or not, you are coming with us today."

Jiang Lihua said nonchalantly, "I am all by myself now, and I have nothing. Even if I were to go back, I wouldn't work like I did before, nor would I let you bully me."

"So, I advise you to take some money and leave, lest you end up with neither the person nor the profit."

Mother Sun and Huang Yingrong heard this and felt Jiang Lihua made a valid point. They whispered to Yang Wenbin, "The dead girl is right. Just ask for a higher price."

After some thought, Yang Wenbin opened his mouth, "Fifty thousand taels, and the deed is yours."

At these words, everyone was stunned. Yang Wenbin was truly audacious. Fifty thousand taels—they wouldn't be able to spend that much in several lifetimes!

Ni Wenyu chuckled. "Let me see the deed first."

Afraid that Ni Wenyu might snatch it, Yang Wenbin held it in his hand and showed it to him. Ni Wenyu recognized the handwriting immediately; it belonged to his teacher, the old village scholar, Li Wenyao.

"I haven't seen the contents clearly yet. Do not judge a gentleman by the measure of a villain; I will not snatch it from you."

Yang Wenbin glared at him and spread the document out for him to see. Ni Wenyu read it carefully. It stated that due to poverty, the Jiang family had voluntarily sold Jiang Lihua to the Yang family as a child bride for ten taels of silver.

However, at the very end, there was an additional clause: "Should there be a desire to redeem her in the future, it must be done for ten times the original price, and the Yang family shall not obstruct it."

Ni Wenyu smiled. He figured Yang Wenbin must have been so blinded by greed that he had never actually read the deed himself.

"Scholar Yang, I am sorry, but I can only give you one hundred taels, not fifty thousand."

"What do you mean?"

"Read the deed yourself. It is written right there: if anyone wishes to redeem her, it must be done for ten times the original price."

Yang Wenbin hurriedly looked at the deed, and it was indeed as stated. His legs went weak.

Mother Sun shrieked, "Impossible, this is impossible!"