Too high to reach

Chapter 20 Homegrown Cabbage
Her husband stormed off, and Wang, still angry, scolded him for a long time.

She couldn't care less about arguing with him anymore; the things were still lying on the ground. So, she and her maid started tidying up.

To be fair, the things my husband bought were of pretty good quality.

Although she couldn't read many words, she was quite good at accounting. She even had her own unique way of remembering things. After calculating carefully for a while, she realized the amount of silver was incorrect. It seemed there was an extra...

Could it be that he received bribes along the way?
"Madam!" Wang Qing arrived from outside.

"Come in!" It was time for Wang's routine business.

After being reprimanded by Mo Ruhai, Wang Qing knew what he should say. He honestly recounted what had happened along the way, focusing on how his master had reacted when outsiders offered him beautiful women as tribute.

In fact, these kinds of things are perfectly normal in officialdom. Not to mention the officials accompanying the master, even those who serve him are specially entertained. Going to "that kind of" place after drinking is commonplace.

When you're in a situation, you can't afford to be aloof and isolated. The master isn't a womanizer; he only lets the women serve tea and wine and sing a few songs. He won't let them get close. That's quite good, at least better than him…

Even so, Madam Wang was furious, her face turning pale. Wang Qing saw this and felt helpless. Unconsciously, he shortened what he wanted to say to his wife.

But I can't say nothing at all. My wife is very shrewd! If she doesn't trust me anymore, it'll be troublesome.

So he mentioned that when the local officials invited the adults to visit a famous lake, the master did not go with them, but instead wandered around the market for half a day.

"What are you doing wandering around the market?" Wang asked, somewhat puzzled.

"The master was browsing the book market and saw a few interesting books. Because they were too expensive to buy, he gave some silver and copied them over there."

Wang curled her lip in dissatisfaction, "Tch, it's just a few books, what's so interesting about copying them? How much tribute did they receive?"

He handed over the form in his hand; that was Wang Qing's rough guess.

She held it in her hand, looking at it; she still needed to hand it over to her husband for the accounts later. Wang turned and asked, "Isn't there anything else?"

"That's all," Wang Qing said softly, head bowed.

Seeing that the room was still full of things, Wang gave Qiu Hong a tip and then waved him away.

Wang Qing sighed as he came out: She would accept the money offered as tribute from her servants, but she wouldn't let the master get close to her. The key was: although the mistress seemed strong, deep down she couldn't go against the master's wishes.

He can't afford to offend either side; being a servant is tough!
Not hearing anything too upsetting, Wang focused her attention on dealing with the things her husband had brought back. She thought to herself: I should send some to Mrs. Liang.

The marriage arrangements with the Xu family are not yet finalized, so there's no need to rush.

"Is Second Sister-in-law inside?" Wang frowned. Liu?

As soon as he finished speaking, he entered the room.

"I just saw my second brother go out, so I came to check on him." Liu looked around the room. "Oh dear, I heard my second brother came back with several cartloads of stuff. My sister-in-law is taking inventory, and you're taking inventory too, so I'm just sitting here doing nothing. I've come here with my bare hands to ask if there's anything I can help with!"

She's just being envious again.

“This is nothing, you don’t need to do anything for me. The things at your sister-in-law’s place were given to you by your second brother before he left. Your eldest brother made a list and slipped him some money to take back, saying they were for New Year’s gifts.”

Although Mo Rushan's official position didn't offer much in terms of personal gain, he still had to send gifts to his superiors during the holidays, and he always had to find ways to get some inexpensive and high-quality items.

"Oh! Is that so? Good thing I asked, I thought there was no one from our third branch!" Liu said sourly.

Wang ignored her, having already understood most of the items. "I'm still busy here for a while. Third sister-in-law, go ahead and take care of your business. I'll go to your room to talk later after I've made the arrangements."

Liu had finished examining the items.

"Oh, I see... Alright then, I'll head back first. Second sister-in-law, with so much stuff, don't forget our poor Mo Yuan!"

……

In the other room, Mo Ruhai was still asking Mo Yi, "Your mother said that your third aunt argued with you about the daffodils?"

Mo Yi then recounted the whole story.

Mo Ruhai remained silent, his face grim.

“Father, our affairs need to be more stable. Otherwise, it will be like these daffodils. You bought the flower heads, and I carefully carved them, changed the water and let them bask in the sun every day. I moved them around... but once the buds formed, I couldn't keep them, and they all became someone else's.”

Mo Ruhai nodded: "I'll talk to your uncle about Liu's matter! And don't always treat me like a coward, bullying me whenever you want. This... I left you two pots?" He saw them on the windowsill.

"This is my second brother, he managed to get two pots for our daughter!" She didn't mention that she had cried from anger.

"Yes, Mo Fan is a kind-hearted kid."

"Yes, Father! Second Brother has helped his daughter a lot. He often brings food back for her!"

"Later, your father will leave him some silver. Whatever you want to eat or use, just let him buy it!"

Mo Yi chuckled inwardly. Her father was speaking with more confidence now. "Father, our family's livelihood is largely supported by my eldest uncle. I'm willing to do things for him. You don't need to be so concerned."

"Yes, Dad knows. Although your uncle isn't the most particular person, his consideration for his brothers is genuine. Otherwise, our family would still be living in that little courtyard, and life would be even worse than it is now. And your eldest sister might not have gotten that marriage."

"Father, regarding the daffodils alone, it's really nothing. But if things continue to go smoothly like this, what we're doing will become a serious matter. Giving some of the money we earn to Uncle and Mother is only right. But it's best not to let them know, and even more importantly, we can't let them control it. You know Mother... if she finds out, she'll definitely be furious, and then she'll take it. And then..."

The father and son were no match for that domineering mother.

Mo Ruhai smiled wryly: "Hearing you say that, getting engaged to Liang You is actually a good thing."

Coincidentally, the same thought also popped into Mo Yi's mind: once she got married, she would be able to go out and about.

She has private property that her mother doesn't interfere with, and even the Liang family can't control it!

Liang You, well, he should be easy to talk to. And Mrs. Liang is such a kind person…

Then, you can be in charge of your own life, go out to work and earn money openly and honestly. You won't have to worry about others finding out and trying to steal it… That feeling would be wonderful!

Thinking of this, she nodded and smiled!
But Mo Ruhai felt depressed when he saw his daughter's approving and happy expression.

A daughter is no longer under her father's control once she grows up!

He only enjoyed her happiness for two years before she was going to belong to someone else?

This is the only person in the world who truly understands me!

That damned Liang You! He didn't even pass the imperial examination, what kind of engagement is he?!
My perfectly good cabbage is about to be eaten by a pig just as it's grown?
Hmph! How dare Madam Wang look down on her daughter like that! Liang You is truly blessed to have married Yi Yi!
(End of this chapter)