To Hold One’s Joy

hapter 9-2: Coincidences

Hongdou strode in, followed by two little maids. The two little maids hurriedly greeted Luo Sheng. In contrast to their anxious attitude the day before, they were slightly more excited now. Money certainly possesses the power to affect people's attitudes. "Let's hear the information you've gathered," Luo Sheng got straight to the point.

One of the maids, Qinghong, quickly said, "Miss, I inquired about Miss Qian. She is the daughter of Scholar Qian. Last year, Scholar Qian arranged a marriage for her with one of his students. However, Miss Qian fell in love with Su Er Gongzi. She declined to marry the other man, against her parents' wishes. As the wedding day approached and she could no longer defy her parents, she tragically commited suicide by hanging herself..."

The other maid, Hancui, anxious not to be overshadowed by Qinghong, interjected, "I entrusted my elder brother to gather information as well. In addition to what Qinghong mentioned, which is already known to outsiders, my brother discovered another piece of information."

Luo Sheng looked at Hancui with a calm expression. Hancui hastily continued, "My elder brother obtained information from Qian's family coachman. According to him, Miss Qian happened to encounter Su Er Gongzi on the street. She became so infatuated with him that she followed him all the way to the outskirts of his residence before finally leaving."

Hancui couldn't help but cover her mouth with a smile as she spoke. "Although many young ladies in Jinsha County secretly admire Su Er Gongzi, it is still quite rare for someone like Miss Qian to boldly chase after him."

Qinghong, standing beside her, tugged at her sleeve, whispering, "Hancui!" Suddenly realizing her mistake, Hancui's face turned pale. She was too excited and forgot that what the Miss in front of her had done was even more astonishing than Miss Qian's actions. The little maid trembled as she looked at Luo Sheng.

Luo Sheng remained composed and instructed Hongdou, "Give two taels of silver to Hancui." Hongdou promptly complied. Hancui's complexion brightened as she received her reward. Qinghong stared at the silver ingots in Hancui's hand with envy. Two taels of silver were more than her several months' worth of salary.

"And give another tael to Qinghong," Luo Sheng ordered. With this command, she signaled for the two little maids to leave. As the rewarded maids exited and sat on the veranda, they looked at each other in disbelief.

Hancui pinched the silver ingots, expressing her disbelief. "Just for completing a simple task, I can receive four taels of silver?" Yesterday's two taels and today's two taels added up to more than half a year's worth of her monthly salary. This reward was her own private money, not something she had to hand over to her parents. Qinghong glanced back at the room, resting her cheek on her palm, and murmured, "Why do I feel that Miss isn't as... bad as I thought?

Hancui scoffed, "Just because she gave you money?" Qinghong carefully tucked the silver away in her sleeve and rolled her eyes. "If a master who rewards you is considered bad, then would a master who beats and scolds you be considered good? Besides, it's not just about the money..."

Although Qinghong couldn't quite pinpoint the exact reason for her feelings, she knew it was more than just about money.

Meanwhile, in the room, Hongdou didn't feel concerned about the money she gave out but instead sighed: "Miss has become more shrewd than before." Luo Sheng frowned. How could randomly rewarding the maids with seven or eight taels of silver be considered shrewd?

Hong Dou hurriedly said to reassure Luo Sheng: "Miss, have you forgotten that we have nothing except a lot of money." When Commander Luo sent Miss away, he provided a large sum of silver notes. Unfortunately, the other maids and servants who used to accompany Miss on her outings were not allowed to follow, except for Hongdou.

Thinking of Kouer, Miss another personal maid who was left behind and almost blinded from crying because she couldn't accompany them to Jingnan County, Hongdou felt fortunate. Luo Sheng wasn't concerned about the amount of money Miss Luo possessed, so she waved her hand to dismiss Hongdou.

The sound of the door closing resonated in the room. Luo Sheng sat beside the square table, lost in thought. Miss Luo and Miss Qian both committed suicide by hanging themselves due to their infatuation with Su Er Gongzi. The coincidence was truly frightening.

Luo Sheng pursed her lips and lightly dipped her fingertips into the tea on the table, using them to write two words on the table.

Those two words were "Su Yao".