"Summons them and drive them out," Hu Lianyu's words fell, and several servants wielding clubs and looking menacing immediately appeared in the room. It was only then that the Zhou family realized what it meant to turn their faces as quickly as they flipped a book.
"Isn't it just about money? We'll give it to you. We agreed on a seven-three split." Mother Zhou said, reluctantly taking out a few banknotes from her embrace and handing them to Hu Lianyu. Hu Lianyu did not take them at all.
Seeing that there was no other way, Mother Zhou had to reluctantly take out a few more. The banknotes were handed to him, but he remained motionless.
Mother Zhou thought for a moment. When one is under another's roof, one must bow one's head. She had to take out two more, saying with some annoyance, "This is ten thousand taels. I got a total of thirty thousand taels from Old Madam Hu. According to the agreement, you should have received nine thousand taels. This extra thousand taels will be our protection fee. We need to hide here with you for a while."
Only then did Hu Lianyu calmly accept it, glanced at it, and indeed it was ten thousand taels. He handed it to Wu Caiwei, who was standing beside him.
Wu Caiwei immediately tucked it into her embrace, as if she hadn't seen Mother Zhou's dagger-like gaze.
After the two left, and only the Zhou family remained in the room, they finally took a deep breath.
The imposing manner of the couple just now was too frightening. To be honest, they had never been so panicked even when facing Old Madam Hu. They subconsciously felt that Hu Lianyu was not someone to be trifled with.
However, no matter what, they had at least settled in Hu Lianyu's courtyard. They were overjoyed with the large sum of money they received, but they did not dare to go out. Every time, they peeked out through the crack in the door and found that the people following them were still there.
At first, they didn't care. After all, they had been traveling for a long time, and it was a rare opportunity to rest properly. However, ten days to half a month passed, and staying in the courtyard was too boring. They didn't know why the people outside had such perseverance and refused to leave.
In the Hu family, Old Madam Hu was not in a hurry, but Madam Hu and the steward couldn't sit still.
In Madam Hu's eyes, a portion of those thirty thousand taels belonged to her, and most of it belonged to her aunt's sons. But no matter what, she just didn't want Hu Lianyu to benefit from it.
Without even leaving the house to inquire, she knew her reputation in the city. The reason she had ended up in her current state was all thanks to Hu Lianyu and his wife. The thought of them holding so much money made Madam Hu lose her appetite and sleep.
Old Madam Hu looked at her anxious niece with a sigh. She was really impatient. After only half a month, she was already so anxious. As the saying goes, a gentleman's revenge is never too late, even after ten years.
"Aunt, say something! We can't tolerate this. That's thirty thousand taels! If you don't do anything, I'll find a way myself." Although her aunt always said she wouldn't let Hu Lianyu and the Zhou family off, so much time had passed, and there was still no action. She felt like she was going crazy if this continued.
"When will you learn? Have you forgotten your previous rashness? We need to wait for the right moment. I don't believe the Zhou family will stay in Hu Lianyu's courtyard forever and never come out. They will always have a time to go home. Once they are outside Yu City, in the wilderness, anything that happens won't be blamed on us."
Originally, Old Madam Hu did not want to reveal this plan, but seeing her niece's increasingly thin face, she finally softened.
Madam Hu was still unwilling. "The Zhou family has been punished. I don't believe those two didn't benefit from it. Are we just going to let them appear in the city brazenly?"
"A gentleman's revenge is never too late, even after ten years. How much time has passed? What's the hurry?" Old Madam Hu continued to drink her tea, looking at her with disdain, thinking that she was truly incorrigible.
Madam Hu stomped her feet in frustration. Seeing that her aunt clearly did not want to talk to her anymore, she dared not bother her further and could only leave, looking back repeatedly. Sudancn.com
"Madam, should we listen to Old Madam?" After leaving Old Madam Hu's courtyard, her personal maid couldn't help but ask her mistress.
"Listen to her? If I listened to her, would I still be Madam Hu now? She actually wanted me to marry into the Liu family! And she kept saying she loved me. I think she loves herself the most. The Liu family is dirt poor. They only took a fancy to the money I brought from my ex-husband. And she, to please her mother-in-law, wanted to marry me off to her mother-in-law's maiden family.
You know what kind of life Madam Liu is living now. Will I have a good life if I marry into their family? For so many years, I haven't relied on anyone but myself." When she spoke of these things, a hint of resentment appeared in Madam Hu's eyes.
After thinking for a moment, she continued, "How is the matter you were asked to handle last time?"
"This... this is beyond my ability. Although I arranged for someone to enter Hu Lianyu's courtyard, she's just a maid who cleans. She's utterly useless."
"To achieve this much in such a short time is already quite good. Don't mention him, even our own personal maids, not everyone can become one. Absolute trust is required. It's normal for them not to use new people."
Her personal maid looked up in surprise, looking at Madam Hu's retreating back, wondering why her mistress was so accommodating today. She had expected to be punished, but unexpectedly, she was so understanding. If she hadn't heard it with her own ears, she wouldn't have believed it was real.
Within two days, Old Madam Hu suddenly received a letter. Seeing the contents, she became furious.
Madam Hu was brought before her by a stern嬷嬷 from beside Old Madam Hu, still bewildered, not understanding what mistake she had made. The only thing she had done secretly was to act, could that matter have been exposed? She thought it was quite possible, but since her aunt had helped her resolve it last time, it would be the same this time.
Old Madam Hu looked at her niece, who was kneeling before her, with extreme disappointment. She hadn't expected her to be so foolish. She had already warned her, yet she still made the mistake.
Madam Hu looked at the old madam sitting in the upper seat with a dark expression, feeling a little uneasy. This was the first time she had seen such an expression on her face in many years, giving a sense of impending storm. However, similar things had happened before. As long as her father was mentioned, she would soften. This time would likely be no exception.
"It seems that our Hu family truly cannot tolerate you. I told you long ago not to act personally. With your skills, you would definitely be discovered. You never listened. Now, Hu Lianyu has directly handed the person over to the yamen. With both evidence and witnesses, I'll see how you can argue." Old Madam Hu had expected herself to fly into a rage, but when the matter actually happened, she was terrifyingly calm. At the same time, she had made a decision.
She hadn't expected it to be true. At this moment, Madam Hu, instead of reflecting on herself, actually blamed that little maid, saying she was useless and ruined things.