novelraw Chapter 193, give half first.
Chapter 193, give half first.
Chapter 193, half given first.
Gu Liansheng secretly glanced at the silver in Li's hand, but didn't argue. He wrote whatever she told him to write, and soon filled an entire sheet of paper with his eloquent writing.
Li was literate. After Gu Liansheng finished writing, she carefully read it twice, and then had Old Master Gu and the others sign and put their fingerprints on it.
When it was Gu Liansheng's turn to sign, he refused to sign the indenture. He said seriously, "I am Siya's uncle. It is not appropriate for me to sign. It is better for my parents to sign. They are my grandparents. Selling Siya is justified and legal."
Grandpa Gu thought this made sense, so he didn't let his son sign it.
But Madam Li refused, saying, "I made your whole family sign this to prevent you from turning against us. Once you sign, we're all in this together, no one can scheme against anyone else, and we'll all work together towards the same goal. If you have nothing to hide, what are you afraid of?"
These words left Gu Liansheng speechless. Could he say that he didn't want to get involved in this matter?
After all, he was a scholar, and signing this document would leave him with leverage, which would be detrimental to him.
Gu Liansheng dawdled, unwilling to step forward and sign.
Li wouldn't tolerate him: "If you don't sign, then the price will have to be halved!"
The price is halved, meaning ten taels becomes five taels.
Gu Liansheng was greedy and naturally unwilling to halve the price. He turned his attention to Madam Feng and asked his mother for help.
Madam Feng was still angry, but she wouldn't take it out on her son. Seeing him being mistreated, she could only feel sorry for him.
She wanted to discuss it with Madam Li, but before she could speak, Madam Li seemed to guess what she wanted to say and spoke first about the matter of death.
“Auntie, I know you love your son dearly, but there’s no room for discussion. We’re going to conspire to steal and sell someone’s daughter. Everyone in this house, including your daughter, has to sign! Only when we’ve all signed will I feel at ease, and only then will I dare to have someone kidnap your fourth daughter!”
Madam Feng paused for a moment. Madam Li's words were quite blunt; there was really no room for discussion, and everyone had to sign.
She glanced at her daughter and asked, "What do you say? Are you willing to sign?"
This matter has nothing to do with Gu Zhier. She doesn't receive any of the ten taels of silver from her maternal family or the fifty taels from Li's side.
However, in order to suppress the Gu family, Li dragged her into the mess as well.
If Gu Zhier had any sense at all, she would have firmly refused at this point. But she was foolish and wholeheartedly sided with her family. In order not to put her family in a difficult position, she nodded in agreement without hesitation.
“Sign it, everyone will feel at ease once it’s signed. Just like my third sister-in-law said, once it’s signed, we’re all in the same boat, and we’ll all work together to keep it a secret from my second brother. No matter how much he thinks about it, he’ll never imagine that Siya was kidnapped by my third sister-in-law.”
These words greatly displeased Gu Liansheng. He was about to reprimand Gu Zhier when he heard Madam Feng call out to him, "Eldest brother, your sister has a point. Just sign the document."
I know what you're afraid of, but this contract of servitude not only has our own names on it, but also yours, Li Mei's. There's nothing to worry about. Sign it."
Upon hearing this, Li smiled obsequiously and flattered Feng, saying, "Auntie is so sensible and insightful. I just want peace of mind; I would never do anything that harms others or benefits myself."
If you really do that, will I still be able to continue my business? No matter how valuable your fourth daughter is, she can't guarantee me a life of comfort for the rest of my life.
I have a whole house full of girls and boys to support, plus my eldest brother's family, my second brother's family, my in-laws, and my sister-in-law—all waiting for me to provide the money to feed them. I value my reputation more than you do! This was the truth. There are plenty of human traffickers out there; if you ruin your reputation, who will want to sell people to you?
Without a source of business, they can only wait to starve to death.
Grandpa Gu also advised his son not to think about anything else but the immediate benefits—the piles of silver!
Signed, ten taels of silver in hand.
If you don't sign, the price will be halved, from ten taels to five taels.
Gu Liansheng was not a man of strong will, and after being persuaded by the others, most of his previous unease dissipated.
"...Then I'll listen to my parents and sign it."
Picking up the pen, Gu Liansheng wrote his name on the indenture.
After the ink dried completely, I pressed a red handprint on it.
Li took the paper, read it carefully, and her smile never faded.
She didn't need the Gu family to urge her. After Gu Zhier finished signing, she took the pen from Gu Zhier's hand, quickly signed her own name, and also pressed her fingerprint.
There is a blank space in the signature area, which is reserved for Gu Tang.
"Once I get my hands on your fourth daughter, I'll force her to leave her fingerprint here, and that'll be the end of it. Once I sell her far away, your second son will never be able to find her again."
Madam Feng nodded, and a smile finally appeared on her old face, which had become twice as plump: "That girl is no good. She was born to collect debts. Keeping her by the second son's side will only cause trouble for the whole family. Selling her will be a way for her to accumulate good fortune. Maybe she can be reborn into a good family in her next life."
"Yes, yes, yes! Thank you for your kind words!" Li agreed with a smile, but in her heart she was cursing the old hag, who was very vicious!
Now that the indenture is settled, the money should be paid.
Li did not give away all two small silver ingots at once, but gave away half of them.
The Gu family members immediately changed their expressions, glaring at Li Shi with hostility.
Li was not afraid and told them frankly: "This is the rule of the trade. Once the person is in hand, the money can be paid in full. If the person is not in hand, only half of the money can be paid. This is because in the early years, some people took the money and ran away with the person, causing many people in this business to suffer great losses. So this rule was established later."
If you don't believe me, just ask around. Everything I've said is true. Your daughter knows that last year, a family in the mountains sold their granddaughter, just like you, secretly. They told me to find a way to get her myself. I paid half the money upfront, and only paid the other half after I got her.”
Upon hearing Li mention Gu Zhier, Old Master Gu and the others all looked at Gu Zhier and asked, "Is what your third sister-in-law said true?"
Gu Zhier thought for a moment, then nodded: "It's true. I helped out in that business last year. I saw it with my own eyes, it's definitely true."
At this point, Gu Zhi changed the subject and began to persuade her parents: "My third sister-in-law is not an unknown person. Whether she gives half first or all at once, they are all relatives, and I am in the middle. What do you have to worry about?"
Besides, giving you half now isn't entirely bad. If you give me all the money and it's all spent, what will the family do next spring? My elder brother needs money for his studies, and my nephew needs money for his studies too. Where will you get the money then?