Four Harmonies and Good Fortune

Chapter 124 Sorrow
Grandma Li liked this little boy; he had a kind of compassionate quality like a monk, but was also much more clever.

"Are you from the temple?"

Yan Sui nodded.

"What can you do?" asked Granny Li.

Yan Sui pointed to the villagers: "I can pick up stones too."

Grandma Li smiled and said, "But how much strength can someone so small have? You don't need to do these things. Come over at the end of the 11 PM tomorrow to help me get food for everyone. Once everyone has food in their bowls, you can take your bowl and eat."

Yan Sui's eyes lit up: "Start tomorrow?"

Grandma Li nodded: "We have to keep going until the 29th of this month, and then it will be the second day of the Lunar New Year."

Yan Suihuan happily agreed, bowed to Granny Li, and ran towards the temple. He was now certain that these people hadn't come specifically to collect stones; they had other things to do.

What should we do? Yan Sui had no idea.

Just as he told his master, all that matters is saving Baode Temple.

He wanted to meet the female benefactor who bought up the coal and had so many people working for her. This female benefactor managed more people than his master. If he could learn something from her, his master wouldn't have to worry about anything in the future.

Yan Sui walked back happily. As he passed the entrance of the main hall, he saw his master still fiddling with his prayer beads. He couldn't help but shake his head and sigh.

His silly master is going to get so cold that his legs hurt and he won't be able to sleep.

……

Xie Yuyan made a trip to Baode Temple and had enough crushed coal in his hands.

When Old Mrs. Yang heard this, she felt that Yang Mingjing was lying to her.

“Impossible,” the second old lady said. “How could there suddenly be a coal mine? She’s saying this on purpose to make us bow down.”

After being tormented for several days, the old lady's hair turned much whiter and her wrinkles deepened. Every day she clamored to see Yang Mingjing, and after seeing her son, she urged him to inquire about the news.

The Xie family must have another way; they won't let Xie Yuyan deceive them.

This was the old lady's only hope.

But... Xie Chongjun was never released after he went to prison. The Xie family also kept quiet, except for sending someone to deliver a letter to the Yang family, asking them to take a letter to Xie Yuyan, and then they did nothing else.

“Mother,” Yang Mingjing said, “didn’t you see? This was a trap from the very beginning. Just like you said, the coal mine wouldn’t suddenly appear. Xie Yuyan knew about the Baode Temple coal mine a long time ago, but she didn’t make a move. She just wanted to lure the Xie family into the trap.”

"If you had listened to your son and stopped having any more thoughts, you wouldn't be in this situation today."

The old lady's house was completely empty. She had borrowed money from her relatives and couldn't pay it back. Most of the things she had saved up her whole life had been taken away.

Mrs. He stood by, her heart pounding with fear, and finally collapsed into a chair in terror.

Xie Yuyan was too ruthless. She knew that the Xie family would buy land and that the two old ladies were colluding with the Xie family. Even at the very last moment, she didn't reveal a single clue, ensuring that they were completely wiped out and had no chance of ever coming back.

“She’s avenging the third branch of the family,” Madam He murmured. “No matter who begs us, she won’t let us go.”

Mrs. He felt that this time it was the Second Madam, and next time it would be her turn.

As for when, she didn't know, nor could she guess how Xie Yuyan would make her move. After managing the household for so many years, she was bound to make some mistakes.

Whenever He thought of this, she would immediately break out in a cold sweat.

She even felt that Xie Yuyan's treatment of the two old ladies was just a show for her.

Yang Mingjing frowned and glanced at Madam He: "Go back and pack your things, and let Mother and Yu-ge'er stay in our courtyard."

The two old ladies' house was in such a mess that no one could live there anymore.

Upon hearing this, the two old ladies became agitated: "I won't leave. This courtyard is something I've worked so hard to get my hands on. I'd rather die here."

How much effort did she put into getting this courtyard from the third wife back then? Now you want to take it away from her? Dream on.

Gone, all gone.

The two old ladies thought about it, and when they saw the mess in the room, they immediately felt a pain in their chest.

After finally settling the two old ladies and Yang Yu in, Yang Mingjing looked at Madam He as he left the house and said, "Don't have any other thoughts. Just do whatever she tells you to do." Madam He nodded blankly.

Seeing that Yang Mingjing had gone to the study, Madam He was helped by the head housekeeper to sit down in the east room.

The main house was given to the two old ladies, and their entire second house was squeezed into one place again.

It felt like I had suddenly returned to the past...

"How much money do we have left?" Madam He asked the steward. "Go and buy some cloth to replace that batch of winter-bestowed cloth."

At that time, the price of cloth changed every day, which made He feel distressed.

She had previously hoped that Xie Yuyan would be taken down by the Xie family so that she could take the opportunity to push all the blame onto Xie Yuyan. Now that was no longer possible, she had no choice but to spend her own money to buy new cloth.

“Buy a few more bolts of silk,” Madam He gritted her teeth. “I will personally deliver them to the third household tomorrow.”

This was her way of apologizing, and from then on she never argued with the Xie family again.

She only asked that the Xie family would spare her.

The steward nodded.

Madam He continued, "Give some more money to Madam Yu. We've been mistress and servant for a while, so let her put in a good word for us."

The steward gave him five taels of silver and headed towards the third branch of the family. Before he even reached the third branch, he saw the clansmen hanging lanterns in the long corridor.

“Just hang them here,” the man and woman instructed the others. “From here to the third house, there shouldn’t be any more of these.”

The clansmen said, "Why don't we just not hang ourselves?"

“That won’t do,” the man’s wife said. “The eldest daughter-in-law said that since the sixth son is of a lower generation, the clan should celebrate New Year’s Day as usual. That’s the proper way to do it.”

The head housekeeper couldn't help but purse her lips. These people were clearly doing their work, yet they were still praising Madam Xie. No wonder the second branch of the family lost. Who could have such methods?

"Did you get your pay today? Look, you all received quite a bit."

As the two were talking, one of them noticed the head housekeeper of the second branch of the family and immediately swallowed the words that were about to come out. However, she quickly realized that there was nothing to hide.

"Everyone received a lot, even the lowest was seventy strings of cash."

"Not to mention the stewards and wives who followed the eldest daughter-in-law from the very beginning."

The stewardess opened her mouth in astonishment. Seventy strings of cash in just a few days? That's like picking up money off the ground!
Thinking of the five taels of silver in her bosom, the head housekeeper suddenly didn't want to go find Mama Yu anymore.

Looking at the smiling face of the young man and woman, the head housekeeper felt both envious and regretful. If she hadn't sided with Madam He, she would have received the money by now.

Since the second branch of the family is on the verge of collapse, why should she continue to stay by their side? It would be better to tell Madam Xie everything that Madam He is planning to do.

The supervising mother quickened her pace.

His enthusiasm was quickly dampened.

Not only did she fail to see Madam Xie, but even Madam Yu did not come out; she simply had a servant hand her the key to the small storeroom.

"Tomorrow the clan's winter offerings will be distributed. The eldest daughter-in-law asked you to tell the second daughter-in-law to make sure there are no mistakes."

The head maid dared not utter a word and could only obediently accept the cloth. With the cloth mended, the second daughter-in-law was spared from losing face in front of her clan.

They had no other way to go.

"Don't worry, Madam," the head maid said, "I'll handle everything perfectly." Now, even if Madam He was unwilling, she would have to persuade her to get everything done.

After the second-in-command's mother left.

The servant then reported back to Xie Yuyan.

Xie Yuyan took out a lifelike flower made of cloth from the box, and each woman in the clan received one.

“Tell everyone that tomorrow I will receive the winter solstice gifts, and then I will wear flowers in my hair before I go.”

Madam Yu responded. She had to admire Madam Xie; with just a wave of her hand, she could make Madam He suffer the consequences of her actions.

(End of this chapter)