Chapter 142 Deed of Indenture

Xu Ruojin went to find her father, but instead of mentioning the accompanying servants, she directly asked for the deeds of servitude of the people around her.

This included the deeds of Huaimiao and her husband.

"Since they are all accompanying me to the Liang family as dowry servants, having their deeds in my hands will make them take my words to heart. The Liang family already looks down on me; if the servants are disobedient as well, I will completely lose all face. I might as well just hole up at home and grow old in obscurity."

Xu Ruojin's reasoning was sound, leaving Xu Yaohui with no room to refute, yet he did not agree immediately either.

"It is fine to give them to you. I was merely afraid that you might not be able to manage so many people all at once. With your maiden family backing you up, managing them would be easier."

"Mother is not showing her face right now, and eldest brother is not here either. Who is there to back your daughter up?"

Xu Ruojin pointed at the names on the list. "Besides, aside from the dowry maidservants I chose myself, I don't recognize a single one of these accompanying servants. Furthermore, they are different from the people Mother originally arranged. I was planning to summon them to have a look anyway. If their deeds are not in my hands, I won't have a backbone to stand straight."

"Besides, they are people I am bringing to the Liang family. If something goes wrong and I still have to run back to my maiden family for support, I would be so mortified my face would sink into the cracks of the earth and I'd never be able to lift my head again."

Saying this, a hint of a smile crossed Xu Ruojin's face as she continued:

"It doesn't matter much if I lose face, but once I go to my husband's home, matters should be decided by my mother-in-law. If I still drag you into it, it will only make Madam Liang suspicious, and Father, your kind intentions will go unappreciated. I know you cherish your daughter, but we should handle this ourselves and become self-reliant. There will always come a day when we cannot rely on others."

Xu Ruojin's words caused Xu Yaohui's expression to turn cold instantly.

He was not a fool; how could he fail to hear the underlying meaning in his daughter's words?

First, she was implying that someone had tampered with the list. Madam Yang was not showing her face, and the eldest daughter-in-law had already passed away. Currently, Concubine Liu was managing the household affairs, so the only one capable of tampering with it was her.

Second, the daughter was also accusing him of worrying that she would cast off the Xu family once she got married.

A few mere deeds of servitude alone could not manipulate her.

Had it been before, Xu Yaohui might have hesitated, but now he was increasingly convinced that his daughter's competence was far from shallow.

And this matter had originally been arranged by Madam Yang...

"Forget it, forget it. They are merely the deeds of a few servants, yet they have provoked so many words from you."

Xu Yaohui summoned Chen Cai inside. "... Go to Concubine Liu's place and bring back the deeds of all these people on the list."

"Yes."

After acknowledging the order, Chen Cai immediately hurried off to Concubine Liu's small courtyard.

Xu Ruojin's expression eased slightly.

It was not that she was being deliberately tense, but in her interactions with her father, every expectation had been met with disappointment.

She did not want to experience that heart-wrenching pain again; it was better to treat matters strictly as a transaction to avoid heartbreak.

Having received Chen Cai's message, Concubine Liu personally brought the servants' deeds to the master's study.

"This concubine had already prepared them, waiting only for the Second Miss to return to her courtyard to send them over. I didn't expect them to come to the Master's place first." Concubine Liu found a very appropriate excuse and handed a neat, square little box to Xu Ruojin. "Four dowry maidservants and two households of accompanying servants, making twenty people in total. Here they are."

Xu Ruojin gave no response to her smile, opening the box and checking the deeds one by one, yet Huaimiao's family was missing.

"Where is Huaimiao's?" Xu Ruojin asked Liu Cui directly. "Didn't Chen Cai pass on the message just now?"

"How could this concubine not take Huaimiao's matter to heart? It's just that she made a mistake previously and was assigned a husband by Madam. All their deeds are in the box for unconditional, permanent contracts, which Madam keeps separately and securely; they are not with me."

Concubine Liu wore a look of utter innocence. "Just now, this concubine already sent a maid to fetch them... I only fear—I only fear that Madam may be unwilling to hand them over, and in that case, this concubine would be powerless as well."

The latter sentence was spoken with grievance, clearly intended for Master Xu's ears.

Xu Ruojin rolled her eyes dramatically. "Is Mama Huang around?"

Concubine Liu hurriedly replied, "She is attending to Madam."

"Wasn't she previously sent to look after the little nephew? How is she attending to Mother again?"

Without sparing her the slightest bit of face, Xu Ruojin directly exposed Concubine Liu's falsehood.

Xu Yaohui also frowned as he looked at her. Concubine Liu hastened to explain:

"It was because Madam was feeling unwell the past two days, so this concubine asked Mama Huang to accompany her. Being an old mama who has served for many years, she still has a set of experience. The young maidservants are not thorough in their care, and Madam finds it displeasing."

Xu Ruojin smiled faintly. "You used to serve Mother as well; you really ought to go and replace Mama Huang. After all, since you have never given birth, you wouldn't know how to look after the little nephew properly, making you far less experienced than Mama Huang."

Concubine Liu's expression immediately fell, looking so wronged she was on the verge of tears.

Exasperated by the cryptic and thorny dialogue between the two women, Xu Yaohui interjected, "Enough. I will get you the deeds for Huaimiao's family as soon as possible. If there is nothing else, go prepare for your wedding. In a few days, people will come one after another to bring wedding congratulatory gifts. You must deliberate on how to receive them properly."

"This daughter understands," Xu Ruojin said.

With that, she left with her maidservants.

Yet not long after she had left, she heard someone calling out to her from behind.

Turning her head to look, she saw it was Concubine Liu hurrying up to catch her.

"Does Concubine Liu still have something to say?" Xu Ruojin's single sentence immediately widened the distance between them.

Hastening over, Concubine Liu dismissed her personal maid and said to Xu Ruojin:

"Second Miss, I originally harbored good intentions toward you. Even if you scold me for not knowing my place or understanding the rules, I still harbor good intentions toward you. But why must you act this way? Could it be that my sincere and loyal heart toward you cannot even compare to Madam, who treats you so harshly?"

Concubine Liu was deeply indignant. Last time she had admitted to being foolish, but this time, she was determined to get a clear answer.

"Some words do not need me to say them; you know them clearly in your heart."

Xu Ruojin could no longer be bothered to waste words with her. "You are clever, but I am not stupid either. Father dotes on you right now because you are obedient and seem simple, and you would do well to maintain a sense of propriety. If Father ever finds out that you harbor ulterior motives, his affection for you will likely be thinner than paper and turn to ashes in no time."

"But I—"

"There is no need to say more." Xu Ruojin looked at her. "I will not form any alliance with you, nor will I help you anymore. By casting your schemes upon me, you have chosen the wrong path. Farewell."

Finishing her words, Xu Ruojin turned and walked away.

Concubine Liu was filled with unwillingness, yet her heart was stung by those words.

Was the Master's affection for her truly that shallow?

Ever since Liang Fangru and Mama Fang returned from the Xu family, Madam Liang had begun preparing for Liang Xiao's wedding.

Although she looked down upon Xu Ruojin, she was exceptionally meticulous regarding this marriage.

Even the number of folds on the bright red wedding flowers was counted one by one.

Liang Xiao came to pay his respects every day, and his relationship with Madam Liang grew increasingly harmonious.

One evening after dinner, just as he was about to leave, Madam Liang called in two maidservants from outside. "These two girls have followed me for many years. I intend to give them to you; take them with you right now."

Seeing the blushes on the maidservants' faces, Liang Xiao's brow furrowed tightly.

These were concubines-in-waiting sent to his courtyard by his mother. Should he accept them, or should he not?