Lin'an Never Night

Chapter 35 I'll show you the way
Yang Yuan asked with a smile, "There is a woman named Fan Danniang, do you recognize her, old lady?"

Mrs. Ding immediately became angry: "Fan Danniang? Of course I recognize her!
That was a concubine bought by my old man.

What, could it be that she went to the county magistrate to sue my Ding family?"

At this time, Mrs. Ding's grandson served tea.

Yang Yuan nodded to him first, then said to Old Lady Ding: "Old Madam, don't be anxious. Just listen to me and slowly explain my purpose."

He gathered his words for a while before saying, "If your old man wants to take a concubine, he should have obtained the consent of you, the main wife, which is reasonable.

Since you, old lady, don't agree, then it's against the rules to take this concubine.

Madam, it would be reasonable and legal for you to kick that Dan Niang out."

When Mrs. Ding heard this, her wrinkled face was filled with smiles.

Old Mrs. Ding said happily: "The county lord is wise, isn't that the truth?"

Yang Yuan smiled and said, "My parents are in charge of a region and they love the people like their own children, so they will naturally judge cases fairly.

I heard that your Ding family spent a full 150 strings of cash to buy this concubine?"

Old Mrs. Ding said angrily, "That's right, that damn old man, as soon as the family had some spare money, he started to have evil ideas.

An old monkey with his neck buried in the dirt actually wants to take a concubine!

That's a full 150 strings of cash. I usually live frugally, but he was willing to spend it."

Before Yang Yuan came here, he had already learned about the situation from Dan Niang.

In order to buy her as a concubine, the old man of the Ding family gave the Fan family 150 strings of cash.

Even though the minimum dowry for getting married is only fifty strings of cash, for taking a concubine, one hundred and fifty strings of cash is already an extremely low price.

The reason why buying a concubine costs more than marrying a wife is because the nature of the two is different.

A wife is a lady who is married in a formal ceremony and her status in the family is equal to that of her husband.

A concubine is a family property. Not only can the master or mistress resell her, but if she is kept at home, she will work for free all her life, which is more cost-effective than hiring a handyman and paying him or her monthly wages.

In fact, when the beautiful girls in Lin'an were bought as concubines, the highest price was several thousand strings of cash.

A woman as beautiful as Dan Niang, even in the countryside of Fuchun, would be worth at least three to five hundred strings of cash.

It was just because Dan Niang's younger brother Fan Dong was a gambler and owed a gambling debt to one of Old Man Ding's grandsons.

He really couldn't pay it back, but was forced into no other choice, so he went to the old man of the Ding family and begged him to extend the repayment period.

But he couldn't communicate the issue to Old Man Ding, so he suddenly had an idea and came up with the "good idea" of selling his sister to pay off the debt.

Therefore, after offsetting his gambling debts, the Fan family only received 150 strings of cash.

Yang Yuan asked, "After your Ding family drove away Dan Niang, did you ask the Fan family to return the money you used to buy a concubine?"

Old Mrs. Ding said angrily: "Our family's money didn't come from the wind, so of course we have to ask for it.

But the Fan family is a scoundrel and impoverished family. How could they be willing to spit out the money that has already been in their mouths?

I was really angry, so I took my children and grandchildren to Fan's house and made a few noises, but he would rather be beaten than return the money.

The county lord is very perceptive, please make the decision for our Ding family."

Yang Yuan sighed and said, "Old Madam, do you know that in order to avoid paying you back and not letting your Ding family catch anything wrong with them, after Dan Niang was driven away by you, she returned to the Fan family in the rain, but her parents didn't even open the door?"

Old Mrs. Ding was shocked and said, "What? This is absolutely heartless! How can there be such a beast in the world!

By the way, when I went to collect the debt, I didn’t see Dan Niang. The Fan family also said at the time that the person had been handed over to our Ding family, so they would never return the money.

This family is so cruel to their own flesh and blood, they are simply not human beings!"

Yang Yuan sighed, "That Dan Niang had no home to return to and was desperate, so she found a crooked tree in a small alley in the county town and hanged herself there."

"what?"

The old lady of the Ding family was so frightened that she stood up suddenly.

She stood there for a long while before clapping her hands together and said, "Oh, what sin have I committed?
How could such a good girl..., why should it be like this, why should it be like this!

How could this cause a death? This is truly a great sin."

As the old woman spoke, she secretly glanced at Yang Yuan's expression.

She was just afraid that this murder case would implicate the Ding family.

Seeing Captain Yang's indifferent expression, Mrs. Ding hurriedly said, "Captain Yang, this matter has nothing to do with our Ding family!

Our Ding family has wasted 150 strings of cash and still hasn't gotten it back.
That Dan Niang committed suicide because her parents were heartless, so it can’t be blamed on our Ding family..."

Yang Yuan smiled and said, "The old lady is kind-hearted. As the saying goes, a family that accumulates good deeds will surely have good fortune.

No wonder your Ding family paper mill business is booming and you’ve made a fortune.

Old lady, you don't have to worry. When Dan Niang tried to commit suicide, a passerby saw her and saved her."

Old Mrs. Ding breathed a sigh of relief, clasped her hands together, and thanked her repeatedly: "Amitabha, thank God, no one was killed."

Yang Yuan's expression became serious, and he continued, "However, even though the person has been saved, if she has nowhere to go, she will inevitably seek death.

If something like this happened in our county, it would have a great impact on the reputation and achievements of the county magistrate!

Of course, this matter has nothing to do with your Ding family. Your Ding family has also suffered an unprovoked disaster..."

Old Mrs. Ding quickly agreed, "Yes, yes, that's right, Captain Yang is right, that's exactly what he said."

Yang Yuan said with a half-smile: "Of course this is reasonable, but are the Fan family reasonable people?
Once their daughter dies, do you think they will bring the body to your house, disrupt your business, and extort money from you?"

Mrs. Ding’s expression suddenly changed, and all the wrinkles on her face tightened: "This...this..., not only did our Ding family lose all our money, but we are also being blackmailed?

Captain Yang, the government must take charge of our Ding family."

Yang Yuan smiled and said, "Old Madam, please be patient, sit down and talk slowly."

Her grandson quickly stepped forward to support his grandmother and helped her back to her seat.

Yang Yuan said with a smile: "My parents sent me here to discuss a proper solution with your Ding family."

Old Mrs. Ding said sensitively, "Captain Yang, this matter has nothing to do with my Ding family. What do you want to discuss with my Ding family? Could it be that the county lord wants my Ding family to accept Dan Niang?"

Yang Yuan shook her head and smiled, "Madam, you are thinking wrongly.

It is only natural that you don't allow Dan Niang to marry you. Who would make things difficult for you?
But isn’t Dan Niang innocent too?

Furthermore, if she really died, even if the Ding family was not guilty, it would be difficult for the government to intervene if the Fan family came to make trouble.

After all, someone has died, a delicate young girl, and the government cannot be unkind."

Old Mrs. Ding looked worried and asked, "Then...what should we do?"

Yang Yuan said with a smile: "Come, come, I will show you a way out, as long as you do this and that..."

(End of this chapter)