I think you know I'm back safe and sound, haven't become your scapegoat, so you came to silence me!"Ripple sarcastically retorted."If you hadn't betrayed us, how do you explain being alive The Japane...“We can pool our money together and make do for now, but if we want to buy land and build a house, where will the money come from We can't have the whole family sleeping in a ditch!”

With winter approaching, our food supplies are already meager. We still need to buy some more grain...

After Liu Dashan finished speaking, he began scratching his head.

Everyone fell silent. Finally, Feng Xu'er gritted her teeth and said:

"Father, I want to go to the old master's house tomorrow. Maybe Madam will show some kindness because of our past service and say a good word for us. If we can just save this down payment, we can hold on until next autumn harvest."

"Alright, Third Daughter-in-Law, I'll ask you to make a trip tomorrow. The fact that our whole family can safely reach Youzhou City is already something we should be grateful for."

Now if we can solve problems with silver, and if we run out of silver we can earn more. As long as we don't starve, it's fine. We can just tighten our belts for a few years.

Old Liu had lived a long life and was quite open-minded. He had already made up his mind that after settling down this time, he would split the family property and let his three sons each go their separate ways.

Fengxu'er listened to Liu Laotou's words, and her heart felt much lighter. After all, she was the one who proposed leaving Liujia Village. If she were blamed by her older and younger brothers' families because of this, she would also feel wronged.

The next day, she waited all day long for Fengxu'er to return. When she did, there was a mixture of relief and worry on her face, but she still carefully told her about what had happened at the old master's house.

Today, I met my old master, the young mistress of the wealthy merchant Gu family in Youzhou City. The mistress remembered me and, upon hearing about my situation, wrote me a letter of introduction. We are to take this letter to the government office when we handle our business there, which should save us some silver.

Having heard Fengxu's words, everyone let out a sigh of relief. Only Lianyi felt that there should be more to come.

As expected, Feng Xu'er paused for a moment before saying:

"The mistress asked about my family situation and gave me two choices: one was to directly settle on her estate, the other was to choose a village to live in myself. She said that her family would take care of me, but she wanted to find two maidservants with clean backgrounds for her daughter…"

Hearing this, Zhuang Sisi and Hehua immediately changed color. This was making them sell their daughter.

"Both sisters-in-law, please don't misunderstand. I'm not trying to buy a maidservant for the family, I just want to find an honest child to be a playmate for the young miss."

Because a spy from another family had been planted around the young mistress before, almost killing her, the Madam was too afraid to buy people from the tooth shop again, fearing that she would be infiltrated by another spy. Knowing that our family came from Xuzhou and it was impossible for us to be enemy spies, she made this proposal.

However, to enter a wealthy household, it's not just about pleasing the mistress. The young miss must also be satisfied. In essence, you become a companion for the young miss, and there's no need to sell yourself; simply sign a living contract. Once the child reaches sixteen years of age, you can return home.

After hearing Feng Xu'er's explanation, the two sisters-in-law's faces improved a little, but worry still lingered in their eyes. Although their family wasn't wealthy and they raised their children freely, they knew that big families had many rules and plenty of underhanded dealings. Could this not be a case of being targeted

"Madam said to bring the person over for her to see. If she finds her suitable, then she will keep her; if not, we will just let her go. She assured us that she would protect our Liu family."

If the Liu family is unwilling, she wouldn't force them. That invitation would be considered repayment for the disfigurement I suffered on her behalf, and afterwards I won't visit again.

Feng Xu'er finished the rest of her words in one breath, then handed the decision over to the Liu family. After all, they only wanted a girl, and she only had one son, so she didn't feel comfortable expressing her opinion on this matter.

After listening, Old Willow remained silent for a long time before speaking to the eldest and second son:

"This concerns your daughter's future, you should think it over carefully. If you're not willing, that's fine. With the face of the third daughter-in-law, we can save on dowry and still manage to live."

Liu Dashan and Liu Dachuan glanced at each other, then pulled their wives to a corner to discuss.

Lian'i listened to the whole thing. When her parents looked at her with worry, she spoke up like a little adult:

"Father, Mother, I am willing to go, and I will strive to remain in the Gu Residence."

"How old are you, and do you know what it means to stay at the Gu Residence It's to serve people. You're so young, how could your mother bear to let you go"

Zhuang Sisi's eyes welled up, and she choked back sobs.

"Mother, don't be sad. Your daughter understands. It's precisely because I understand that I've made this decision. Er Ya is too young and weak; she'd be easily bullied if she went. But I'm different. I'm strong and good at taking care of children. Dealing with a little girl like that will be no problem."

And just now, Aunt Three also said that this way we can choose a good place to settle and be protected from bullying. It's a good thing. When I get acquainted with the young lady, I can even go home and visit.

"Once I've earned enough money, I'll be able to afford to have my younger brother study. When he passes the exams and becomes successful, no one will dare look down on me anymore."

The ripples is already six years old and speaks very clearly.

"This..."

Zhuang Sisi hesitated, as did Liu Dashan. After eight years of marriage, they only had these two children, and he couldn't bear to part with either. But if both children had promising futures, he would naturally be willing to take a gamble. He couldn't let his children end up like him, relying on the sky for food and having to flee whenever disaster struck.

Liu Dachuan actually thought it was a good idea to let his daughter give it a try, but seeing Er Ya's timid appearance, both he and his wife felt that the chances of their daughter being chosen were slim.

"Well, maybe it's best to just forget about it. Er Ya is only four years old, she's still too young."

The lotus hesitated and said.

"Alright, I'll do that."

Although Er Ya is not Liu Dachuan's first child, he still likes her very much.

After dinner, both families informed Old Liu of the discussion's results. Old Liu wasn't surprised by the outcome and specially called Ripples over, giving her some detailed instructions. He also had Fengxu teach Ripples some etiquette of the Gu family first, so she wouldn't be looked down upon.

That night, Zhuang Sisi bathed Lianyi and held her daughter to sleep for the entire night. Early in the morning, she changed Lianyi into a new dress with no patches, then watched Feng Xu'er lead her away before starting to wipe away her tears.

"Well, our Da Ya is a smart girl and also fortunate. Maybe this is good luck. Things we can't give her, Da Ya might be able to earn for herself."

On the other side, Feng Xu was pulling Lian Yi's hand as they walked, reminding her of the taboos in Gu Mansion and urging her to stay away from the men there.

Ripples just nodded her head vigorously, whether she understood or not, only she knew.

Feng Xu'er entered the Gu residence from the back gate. Because she had been there yesterday, the doorman recognized her and informed Lian Yi, who then smoothly met with Madam Gu.

Mrs. Gu was resplendent in elegance, her features dignified and graceful. She wore fine silks and satins, and even with the elaborate hairpins and jewels adorning her head, she did not appear dishevelled, but rather more imposing.

"Xu'er greets the young mistress!"

"Liu Daya greets the young mistress!"

The ripples had a distinct shape as they travelled, carrying with them a crisp and clear introduction.

Feng Xu'er, at the young mistress's gesture, stood up and began to speak:

"Ma'am, only my elder brother's children are the right age. I will bring one over for you to have a look today. My second brother's maid is only four years old, so she wouldn't be suitable to accompany the young mistress."id you agree to the Li family's proposal""Of course it's to make them completely give up!"Ripple said softly."Miss, rest assured, we will all accompany you then.""Don't worry about that, I have other...