Miss and farmhand

Huang Chu was shocked and immediately asked the tailor to explain the matter of speculating on silver in detail.

Such a thing didn't happen in my past life because the Japanese pirates came too fast; there wasn't even time to escape, and they immediately sealed off the city. Speculating on silver requires a dangerous yet safe environment. With fighting going on, the danger is right at your doorstep, but you're gambling that they won't actually invade your home. Everyone still needs to live at home, which is why they need money. If things really went to the point of my past life, money would be useless; what you'd hoard is grain.

The tailor thought he could act as a middleman for these two wealthy ladies and earn a commission, so he gave them a very detailed introduction. Unexpectedly, after listening, Huang Chu immediately told him, "Don't buy anymore. Sell what you have now as soon as possible, and don't get involved anymore."

The tailor was immediately stunned. Seeing that Huang Chu's expression didn't seem to be joking, he felt a little embarrassed. He thought that people like them looked down on their business of buying and selling, and that he was so enthusiastic in telling them not to think that he wanted to make money off them.

Shen Xuying sensed it too. She originally wanted to ask more, but could only laugh it off and send the tailor away. Then she asked Huang Chu, "Why did you talk like that just now? The old tailor meant well..."

"Mother, things aren't that simple. There's always been money speculation going on, and I won't stop you if you want to do it, but people like the old tailor can't afford to lose money right now."

Shen Xuying was stunned: "Loss? Didn't you say there was a profit to be made, that one thousand would become two thousand, and that it would go up further..."

"The price increase is only due to the war. Copper coins are scarce because they're not as safe as silver. Once the war is over, the exchange rate will drop back to one to a thousand. What will happen to those who bought silver at high prices? It's okay if you lost money; your father won't blame you. He'll just teach you a lesson. But how much silver does someone like the tailor have to lose? You're talking so enthusiastically. If you really get carried away and bet your entire capital, you're finished."

"No, that can't be. This kind of thing is at most an insurance policy. Who would bet their entire fortune on something like this..."

Huang Chu coldly replied, "Quite a few. They work so hard to earn money; didn't they say it themselves? If you don't work, you don't eat. They're definitely thinking about how much more they can earn. If they did business honestly, how many clothes would they have to make to double their money? The harder life is for them, the more they want to get something for nothing."

Shen Xuying thought about it and agreed, but still couldn't bear to say it: "Maybe they'll make a profit this time, so it's not a bad thing..."

"Mother, what are you thinking?" Huang Chu sighed. "The bet that the money keeps going up is the bet that the war will continue. The longer it goes on, the more money will go up. They certainly won't say this outright, but think about it, Mother, isn't that unethical? Besides, those people don't know the truth, but we do. When Zhao Yuze left, he was already almost certain of victory. The war at sea won't last long."

However, this "soon" is in comparison to other periods of war and banditry, which usually last for years, during which time the value of silver would increase many times over.

After hearing what the tailor said, Huang Chu and the others specifically asked the old women to keep an eye out and inquire. As a result, even the old women were tempted when they returned, wanting to spend some money to get involved and save up for their own funerals. Huang Chu had to give them a good scare before they were barely able to stay calm.

"Is it really going to be over soon?" Mrs. Han asked, still unwilling to give up.

"Really, it's even more real than pearls." Huang Chu rolled her eyes in annoyance.

Mother Han whispered, "I saw carriages coming and going in front of several money exchange shops without stopping. They were all carriages with their badges removed and staff carrying boxes and bundles. They were making such a fuss; it didn't seem like the fight was about to end..."

"Say that again, and I'll punish you by making you copy Buddhist scriptures. Isn't it good that you've finished fighting? Oh, so you can make more money. You'd love to fight at sea for a few more years, anyway, even if everyone in the garrison dies, it won't stop you from making a fortune, right? Doesn't it feel hot to hold dead people's money?"

"Oh dear, what are you talking about, young lady? I'm just saying, I haven't even exchanged a single copper coin myself."

Mrs. Han blushed. After all, she was an old mother, and she felt embarrassed to have the girl she raised say such a thing.

She wanted to change the subject, so she suddenly clapped her hands and said, "I don't recognize the others, but I did see a car going to exchange money next door."

Huang Chu was taken aback. "Next door?"

Mother Han nodded, winked meaningfully, and whispered, "It's just a small cart that was hired. It's not ours, it's Yong-ge's servant from next door. I remember him, the one who's a head taller than Yong-ge. He's just as gloomy and silent as Yong-ge. When he came out, he was carrying a huge bundle that his thin arms couldn't even hold."

Huang Chu never expected to hear news about Huang Yuguang at this time.

"How did he get out?"

"I guess I'm getting old, so it's normal for me to run errands for the master."

Mother Han knew that a fight had broken out between the two sides. After all, the New Year had already passed, and the two masters hadn't interacted at all, which was obvious to everyone. They just kept forgetting to change their way of addressing each other. On one hand, it was a habit they couldn't break, and on the other hand, they simply couldn't believe that there were really only two brothers; could they really never see each other again? They were neighbors, and neither of them could move away. Surely, there would be a day when they could make peace. Most of the servants on both sides thought the same way: when masters had a conflict, servants shouldn't get involved.

Huang Chu asked, "With so much money, can we really trust him to handle it all by himself?"

Han's mother's expression suddenly changed, and she became embarrassed. Huang Chu looked at her curiously, "What's wrong?"

"It's hard to say... He definitely won't go alone, someone will be with him."

"Who is it?"

"...Young Master Zhu, who used to come to our house often."

……

Luo Shutao did not run away with Huang Yuguang that night.

She's not stupid. Being locked up in the Huang family and dying is one thing, but where can she go if she goes out? She might even get kidnapped and sold before she even reaches the outskirts of the city.

Humans are truly amazing. She had been in a similar situation before, when she was being bullied by Zhao Dong and recuperating at the Huang family's house while waiting for Shen Yurui to send her to the nunnery. At that time, she seemed to have a terrible nightmare. She was terrified of the nunnery, and the nunnery became a den of iniquity in her dream. Once she entered, she could never turn back or escape. She refused to go to the nunnery even at the cost of her life.

Looking back now, her fear of the nunnery might have stemmed largely from her prejudice against Shen Yurui. She hated Shen Yurui, hated that she had brought her from the countryside, promised her a beautiful dream, but delivered nothing but a filthy reality. She hated that Shen Yurui couldn't keep her promise; when things went wrong, Shen Yurui escaped all consequences, while she herself ended up like this. Why? Just because she was young and poor, did she have to be manipulated? She was indignant. She refused to submit to Shen Yurui's wishes, and she absolutely refused to spend her life silently in the nunnery. She wanted revenge, she wanted Shen Yurui to pay the price, and that's why she set her sights on Huang Xingyu.

The satisfaction she derived from Huang Xingyu stemmed more from Shen Yurui's defeat. But to be fair, Huang Xingyu wasn't initially bad to her, especially after her experience with someone like Zhu Xiaoxu. Huang Xingyu was taciturn, rigid, and uninteresting, but he gave her a title. His silent indulgence brought Luo Shutao a more wonderful kind of joy than Zhu Xiaoxu's sweet talk. He gave her the power to manage the household, a power he had taken from Shen Yurui.

This feeling of victory, this joy of power, was absolutely incomparable to the sweet talk and flattery a young girl experiences in love. Zhu Xiaoxu's aura quickly faded, becoming someone she could barely remember, like the hurt Zhao Dong had caused her. At that time, Luo Shutao was full of vigor, standing shoulder to shoulder with the man who brought her all the glory. For a period of time, she genuinely believed that Huang Xingyu was someone she could rely on.

It wasn't until Huang Xingyu's initial infatuation with her wore off that she realized how naive she had been.