171 Blackmail
Compared to the peace and quiet of Su Xiao Xiao’s family, the Su family could be said to have exploded.
No one expected things to turn out like this. They had clearly planned it, but what had gone wrong?
Why did they mess it up in front of the villagers?
If not for Su Erlang being smart and taking responsibility, the Su family’s reputation would probably have been ruined.
Old Master Su sat in the central room with a livid expression.
Su Can and Su Erlang had ugly expressions.
Su Can was puzzled. “I don’t understand. Dad, didn’t you send Yuniang away? Why is she back?”
This was also something that Old Master Su could not figure out. He had personally seen Su Dalang carry her to the ferry.
That place was at least ten to twenty miles away from the village. With Su Yuniang’s strength after her confinement, she could not have walked back in the dark.
Su Jinniang walked silently toward her room.
“Stop.” Old Master Su stopped her.
Su Jinniang turned around in fear and lowered her head, not daring to look at him. “Grandpa.”
Old Master Su looked at her obvious expression and asked in a low voice, “Do you know something?”
“I…” Su Jinniang bit her lip and whispered, “Fatty Su came to look for me last night. She… she found that bag and asked if I pretended to be Sister to hide the bag at her house.”
Su Can was shocked. “Why didn’t you say so earlier!”
Su Jinniang said aggrievedly, “I was knocked unconscious by Fatty Su. When I woke up, I went to look for you, but…”
However, at the entrance of Little Su’s house, Old Master Su did not give her a chance to speak.
If he had known this news in advance, Old Master Su would have stopped Su Can and his son from slandering the Su family.
That way, things would not have ended up like this.
Knowing that he had made a huge mistake, Old Master Su closed his eyes in regret.
Su Can suddenly said, “By the way, Dad, Yuniang is back. Where’s Dalang?”
Su Dalang only arrived home at noon. He was kicked into the water by the man in black who had appeared for no reason. He drank a stomach full of ice water. When he was pulled ashore by the boatman and his wife, he almost lost half his life.
It was not that he did not know how to swim, but he could not swim at all in such thick clothes in winter.
He thought that he had suffered in the water, but his troubles had just begun.
The couple complained that he had offended someone he shouldn’t have provoked and asked him to compensate them for their boat!
How could Su Dalang have money?
The boatman and his wife refused to let him go and even threatened to arrest him to see the officials.
Su Dalang was frightened out of his wits. In the end, under the “forgiveness” of the boatman and his wife, he signed an IOU and was released by the two of them.
When Old Master Su heard this, how could he not understand that his grandson had been extorted?
That couple had done something shameful. If they really reported it to the officials, the two of them would have to spend the rest of their lives in prison!
As long as Su Dalang insisted that he did not know that person, the boatman and his wife could not do anything to him.
If it were Su Yuniang, she would not have fallen for this.
Thinking of Su Yuniang, Old Master Su felt even more stifled.
“Dalang, how much did they ask you to compensate?” Su Can asked.
Su Dalang lowered his head. “Five, five hundred taels.”
“What?” Su Can’s vision darkened and he fainted on the chair…
—-
It was noon when Su Xiaoxiao woke up.
She stretched, feeling energetic.
It was not that she had not survived the night in the past, but no matter how long she slept, she still felt a trace of fatigue when she woke up.
She was extremely sure that multivitamins did not have such an effect. Could it be the collagen peptide from last time?
In that case, not only could it increase the elasticity of the skin, but it could also nourish blood and qi and increase one’s stamina.
She had to admit that the effect was not bad.
She was gradually appreciating the small pharmacy.
After Su Xiaoxiao washed up, she went to the kitchen to eat some sweet potato pancakes. Ever since Little Wu took charge and managed the production department, Su Xiaoxiao felt much more relaxed.
She was feeling less and less pressured.
Little Wu’s monthly allowance was one tael. She had worked for half a month in the first month. Logically speaking, she should have been given 500 copper coins, but she had a total of two taels.
Little Wu was dumbfounded.
In half a month… she had earned two taels… This, this was too…
Su Xiaoxiao didn’t tell her that there was still a quarterly dividend at the end of March.
Liu Ping was also given two taels. Liu Ping had taken on all the logistics and purchases, in addition to the big and small carpentry work at home. It was truly a lot of work.
Su Xiaoxiao went to the backyard to get a basin of water and squatted on the ground to soak the jade.
Su Yuniang walked over with the baby who had just finished drinking milk and looked at Su Xiaoxiao strangely. “What are you doing?”
“Raising jade,” Su Xiaoxiao said.
Su Yuniang was very envious of people who could squat down flat on their feet. She could not squat unless she stood on her tiptoes, and her balance was not good.
She found a stool and sat down. She looked at the crystal clear jade pendant in the water. After Su Xiaoxiao wore and maintained it, the jade gradually returned to its original green and luster.
This was a top-grade jade.
“Where did you get it?” Su Yuniang asked.
Su Xiaoxiao raised her eyebrows. “Didn’t I tell you? It’s an heirloom.”
Su Yuniang expressed her doubts. “With this family heirloom, can you still be poor until now?”
Su Xiaoxiao said, “My father couldn’t bear to sell it!”
Su Yuniang looked straight at the jade pendant and thought of something. She muttered, “My grandfather seems to recognize this jade pendant.”
“Huh?” Su Xiaoxiao turned to look at her.
Su Yuniang recalled, “The night I asked San Lang to send the jade pendant back to you, my grandfather saw the jade pendant. His expression was strange at that time.”
Su Xiaoxiao thought for a moment and said, “My father picked up this jade pendant when he was young. At that time, my father was still a cowherd in Willow Village. He shouldn’t have seen your grandfather, right? How did your grandfather know my father’s jade pendant?”
Su Yuniang asked, “Where did your father get his jade pendant?”
Su Xiaoxiao said, “He doesn’t remember either. He’s been wearing it since he can remember. He suspects that he picked it up on the way while escaping.”
—-
In the afternoon, Manager Sun came.
He had brought a business.
“It’s from the prefecture city!”
He beamed.
Su Xiaoxiao handed him a cup of brewed tea. He brought it over and took a sip, and almost vomited!
Manager Sun’s expression was indescribable. “Boss, what tea is this?”
Su Xiaoxiao said, “Oh, Chameleon Grass.”
Manager Sun trembled. What grass? You’re giving me grass to drink?
Su Xiaoxiao asked, ” Is there actually someone in the city who dares to invite me to do business?”
She had offended the prefecture lord. Who was so bold?
Manager Sun dusted his wide sleeves and said, “Don’t you know who ran the business? Am I, Sun Quan, such an incompetent person?”
Su Xiaoxiao said, “Speak human language.”
Manager Sun coughed lightly and said, “It’s for a funeral. No, no, it can’t be called a funeral. Worshipping the ancestors, do you understand? They… are returning to their hometown to worship their ancestors.”