Zhutian: Starting from the Space-Time Merchant

Chapter 562 Aunt Xue: My son, say something!
Jia She, who had lost a hand and an ear, was terrified.

His head was wrapped up like a rice dumpling, and he hid in his room, not daring to even go out the door.

He even refused to go when summoned by Grandmother Jia.

Left with no other choice, Grandmother Jia came to inquire in person, but Jia She dared not say anything.

Say what?

He claims to be helping rebels find connections and avenues for them to instigate rebellion?

Or perhaps you intended to gain both wealth and people, but were instead outmaneuvered and killed by the other party?

Or perhaps, Lin Dao never intended to let him go.

Now, we only take one hand and one ear, and we only collect some interest.

Once things settle down, will he take my dog's life?

Even if these things were told to Grandmother Jia, could this mother possibly save him?
Despite her prestigious title of Imperial Noblewoman, she was no match for the number one traitor and the powerful nobles plotting a coup.

At this moment, Jia She finally understood why Lin Dao dared to lend them a huge sum of money to build a garden.

They are genuinely not afraid of them defaulting on their debts.

They are rebelling against the imperial court, the emperor, and the entire nation!
The Jia family is nothing special.

"Mother~"

The weakened Jia She interrupted Grandmother Jia's incessant chatter.

His eyes gleamed. "In recent years, the estates outside the pass have been sending less and less supplies. I want to go out and take a look."

As the saying goes, no one knows a son better than his mother, and Grandmother Jia knew her eldest son all too well.

That's how it was back when I was following Prince Zhongyi.

They shouted loudly, but chickened out at the crucial moment.

Now, having been hurt so badly, he doesn't even dare to say a word.

They even considered running away.

Only the royal family or noble families could accomplish this.

The civil officials are no good!

"You unfilial son!" Grandmother Jia sighed repeatedly, "What kind of demons and monsters have you provoked?"

"Back then~"

"Alright," Jia She said, rarely arguing with his grandmother. "I'm already in such a state, and you still want to lecture me!"

"Are you really trying to drive me to my death?"

He was truly terrified.

The number one traitor is right in his own home, and he's keeping a close watch on him.

Not only is her elderly mother unable to help, but she also wants to hinder her.

This is insane.

In the past, Grandmother Jia would have given her a good scolding.

After all, the Jia family was brought to its current state because of this rebellious son.

But at this moment, seeing her eldest son's head wrapped up like a rice dumpling, Grandmother Jia sighed, got up and left.

What an eventful time.

Jia She was holding back his anger.

Everything went wrong, and he was seriously injured.

Given his temperament, he's bound to vent.

Usually, it's the concubines who suffer.

Beatings and scoldings were common occurrences.

Or perhaps it's Madam Xing. Despite having the title of the first wife, her family background is actually weak, and no one gives her any face.

This time, however, Jia She roared, "Drag Qiu Tong over here!"

He already knew that the reason Lin Dao had stumbled upon this matter so unfortunately was because Qiu Tong had gone to tell Yuan Yang on it.

Mandarin ducks~
One day, I'll pin him down on the bed and give him a good hard time!

But now she's the old lady's head maid, so it's really not a good idea to do anything to her.

But Qiu Tong, that's my own maid, how dare she betray me!
How can this be tolerated?

Today we must teach her a lesson she won't forget, make her wish she were dead, and then sell her to a brothel so she can never be reincarnated.

"Uncle~"

A servant rushed forward in a panic and reported, "Qiu Tong, she... she ran away."

"Ran away?" Jia She was furious, but this aggravated his wound, and he cried out in pain for a while.

"Where did she run off to? Her indenture is still here, who would dare take her in?"

"Send a report to the authorities and have them arrest him!"

Ancient China was said to be a feudal era, but in reality it was more like a slave society.

From tenant farmers to servants, the vast majority of people actually had no personal autonomy.

Just like Qiu Tong, with a contract in hand, she has nowhere to run.

Not only would no one dare to accept it, but it would also implicate their family.

Moreover, the authorities will not help her; they will only arrest her.

Someone like her wouldn't even have the chance to become an outlaw; she would only be subjected to the arbitrary humiliation of her master.

"Grandpa~ Grandpa~"

The servant hurriedly explained, "Qiu Tong was arranged by Sister Yuanyang to serve in the private room of Master Lian's friend, I think his name is something like Young Master Lin~"

"I'll take men and snatch it back right away!"

'Snapped! '

Jia She used his only remaining hand to slap the servant across the face.

The movement aggravated the wound on his other hand, causing him to scream in pain.

After finally calming down, he took a breath and started cursing.

"idiot!"

"If you want to die, then go die by yourself. Don't drag me down with you!"

After resting for a while, Jia She instructed, "Go and find Qiu Tong's indenture and send it to Young Master Lin. Tell him that Qiu Tong gave it to him."

"Huh?" The servant was puzzled; this was not the master's style.

"Fuck you! Hurry up and go!"

Jia She's wound was very painful, and it took him a while to recover.

He could clearly sense that Lin Dao didn't not want to kill him, but rather that he was still of some use to him for the time being.

But if I wait until afterward, I will surely die.

In this situation, running away is the only option.

While he was busy packing up his valuables, one problem after another came knocking on his door.

"My lord, Sun Shaozu, the commander of the Southern City Garrison, requests an audience."

"Just say the master isn't home!"

Sun Shaozu came to ask for advice.

Jia She accepted his deposit of five thousand taels, but the transfer to the Beijing garrison was still not processed. That was a huge sum of five thousand taels! Sun Shaozu was so anxious that his eyes turned red, and he came to see him every day.

Jia She actually wanted to help him with his business, since he still had 5,000 taels of silver left to pay.

The problem is that, given Sun Shaozu's official rank, to be transferred to the Beijing Garrison, he would at least need to be a guerrilla general.

In places like the Beijing Garrison, let alone a guerrilla general, even a commander-in-chief is a one-person-one-position job.

The Jia family's ancestral spirit has long been wasted by those women.

Even with Jia She's influence, he couldn't possibly get this done.

Logically, if the matter cannot be resolved, the money should be refunded.

But Jia She was greedy and didn't want to return the money.

Jia She had originally planned to use Jia Yingchun to pay off the debt, but after Lin Dao's insults towards Madam Wang, he dared not provoke him.

He just kept dragging it out, never seeing Sun Shaozu again.

Sun Shaozu can't exactly break in, can he?

Before they could even catch their breath, Madam Xing rushed in.

"Sir, some relatives of mine have come to stay with us. My cousin has brought his daughter with him."

"Enough!" Jia She was furious.

"They come to bother me with all sorts of ridiculous nonsense, one after another, all of them are relatives who have come to seek refuge, as if the Jia family is a charity!"

"Get out! Get out of here!"

Lin Dao was unaware of Jia She's agitation.

Even if he knew, he wouldn't pay attention to such an insignificant person.

Once the matter is settled, such minor characters will naturally be cut off and disposed of.

Lin Dao finally returned from his busy work.

He connects to so many different time periods and spaces, that the number of things he deals with is countless.

In particular, they acquired various materials and transported them to the modern world in exchange for various industrial products.

Because only he could handle this matter, he was always very busy.

This trip, for example, lasted for several days.

When they returned, they picked up their suitcases and left.

The maids watched cautiously, none of them daring to say a word.

Xiao Hong is the most senior, but also the youngest.

Seeing Lin Dao leave, he rolled his eyes and started teasing Qiu Tong, who had just arrived.

"Sister Qiutong, did you get your medicine?"

"Medicine?" Qiu Tong asked, puzzled. "What medicine?"

"They are small pills on a plate, sometimes white, sometimes pink."

"No." Qiu Tong was even more puzzled. "What kind of medicine is this?"

"I don't know what kind of medicine it is either," Xiao Hong replied with a grin. "But if I serve Young Master Lin tonight, I'll receive it in advance."

Qiu Tong now understood that receiving medicine was linked to serving the young master.

This girl is clearly flirting with me.

The two immediately started joking around.

Carrying his suitcase, Lin Dao arrived at Pear Fragrance Courtyard.

Aunt Xue was puzzled. Why would a man from outside the family come to see them, a widow and her daughter?
To her shock, Xue Baochai actually agreed and even asked Aunt Xue to leave.

Aunt Xue, who was avoiding the topic, had only one thought on her mind.

'When did they start dating?'

"Auntie~" A bright and beautiful young girl asked curiously, "Who is it? Why do I have to see them all by myself?"

"I don't know either," Aunt Xue shook her head. "Let's ask again later."

"Oh~"

The girl acknowledged and left, but then turned and ran to hide behind the screen to peek.

Her name was Xue Baoqin, and she was Xue Ke's younger sister, from the second branch of the Xue family.

After receiving her aunt's letter, she and her brother rushed over from Nanjing.

Xue Ke, the elder brother, was busy managing various shops, while Xue Baoqin was of marriageable age.

She is engaged to the son of Hanlin Academy scholar Mei, and she has come here to get married.

Because he was still young and his parents had died early, and his older brother Xue Ke was busy with business and had little time to discipline him, he was very curious.

Quietly approaching behind the screen, she saw the man placing a wooden box on the table through the screen.

"Miss Xue~"

Lin Dao unlocked the door. "I still have a use for that villain, so I'll spare his life for now."

"Let's collect some interest now, and once it's done, we'll hand it over to Miss Xue to do as she pleases, shall we?"

Holding a round fan, Xue Baochai's pretty face flushed red, and she softly responded with an "Mmm".

She had no thoughts whatsoever about Jia She.

His mind was filled with the scene of how he had lost face in front of Lin Dao.

Just thinking about it makes my whole body feel like it's on fire.

It's so embarrassing.

Your most private secrets have been seen by the person in front of you.
The wooden crate was opened, and Lin Dao gestured for her to look inside.

Xue Baochai, who was absent-minded, glanced over to the side.

The next moment~
"Ah~~~"

Xue Baochai's scream pierced through the entire Pear Fragrance Courtyard.

When Aunt Xue rushed over in a panic, the first thing she saw was the screen lying on the ground and Xue Baoqin lying on the screen. Only then did she look at Xue Baochai, who was trembling.

"My son."

Aunt Xue exclaimed and ran over, hugging Xue Baochai and watching Lin Dao warily.

But the next moment, she saw the hands and ears inside the wooden box. After a slight pause, she burst out with a sound even sharper than Xue Baochai's.

The maids and servants flooded in like a tide.

Fortunately, Xue Baochai quickly came to her senses and hurriedly chased everyone out.

Lin Dao closed the wooden box indifferently.

"I go first."

After he left, only Xue Baochai and her daughter, Xue Baoqin, and Ying'er remained in the room.

Aunt Xue, still shaken, gripped her daughter's hand tightly.

He asked the question, his voice trembling.

"What exactly happened?"

"You are talking!"

"I'm so anxious!"

(End of this chapter)