A Good Country Wife
Chapter 458 - 452_1

Chapter 458: Chapter 452_1

"Fine, the empty houses are already available. You can move in directly, and here’s what I’ll do—I’ll send you a carriage to pick up your family and move your belongings. But first, we need to sign the contract," Lin Yue said, instructing a servant to bring pen and ink. She wrote down the terms agreed upon with Zhang Qiusheng and let him review them.

Zhang Qiusheng, who could recognize only a few characters, was able to approximately understand the content of the contract. Realizing he had no other option, he promptly signed his name and affixed his fingerprint without hesitation.

Lin Yue took the signed contract and her face, previously stern and sharp, softened with a gentle smile, "Master Zhang, rest assured that although the contract has been signed, our family is not the kind to be harsh on people. As long as you do your work well and don’t harbor any ulterior motives, I will still pay you twenty percent more than the standard wage, as I said before. The household arrangements have also been made by a servant; your family will have a separate house to live in. As for any other living requirements, feel free to mention them; I will facilitate whatever I can, so just be at ease," she said.

Zhang Qiusheng had no choice but to sign the contract. Although his daughter had escaped the fate of becoming a concubine for Old Master Wei, thinking of the days ahead still left him with a chill in his heart. Given how astute and formidable the mistress of the house appeared, he feared that future days would be tough. But he had to endure for the next ten years, so when Lin Yue put away her sternness and treated him kindly, he felt surprisingly grateful and wondered if there might still be hope for the days to come. He couldn’t afford to lose heart just yet.

Lin Yue was adopting a strategy of combining sternness with reward. Her previous harshness was intended to let Zhang Qiusheng know he couldn’t be easily deceived, serving as a warning to deter him from underestimating her. Now that the contract was signed and Zhang Qiusheng understood her fierceness, she offered him benefits. Ultimately, she valued Zhang Qiusheng’s skilled craftsmanship, which would be highly useful in the future. It was always better to have servants who were willing to work out of gratitude rather than ones forced to comply.

"Thank you, Mistress. Since the contract is signed, I would like to pick up my family now," said Zhang Qiusheng, who was preoccupied with concern for his family’s well-being, fearing any delay might lead to unforeseen problems.

"Go ahead. I’m aware of Old Master Wei. He likes to use sneaky tactics and despicable tricks. Since he has set his sights on your family, it’s best to bring them here sooner. I’ll send two people with you; in case you run into Old Master Wei’s men, they can look after you," she said.

Knowing what kind of man Old Master Wei was, Lin Yue sent Zhao Fuquan and Liu Aniu to accompany Zhang Qiusheng. This way, should there be any complications, there would be no cause for concern.

Zhang Qiusheng thanked Lin Yue again before setting off into the city with Zhao Fuquan and Liu Aniu in the carriage. Meanwhile, Lin Yue had someone clean out a small courtyard house. Those were left over from the time they built the farm. Since she had hired help, Lin Yue thought it best to finish the houses intended for the servants on the allotted plot of land. This now came in quite handy.

Lin Yue’s guess was correct. Old Master Wei, having set his sights on Zhang Qiusheng’s parents, might cause unexpected troubles, so he had someone watching nearby. When Zhang Qiusheng left with Zhao Fuquan, Old Master Wei’s spy was aware, but since Wei had instructed to keep an eye primarily on Zhang Qiusheng’s daughter, the girl of radiant beauty, he didn’t pay much mind to Zhang Qiusheng’s whereabouts, as long as the family remained. The person couldn’t escape.

Only when Zhang Qiusheng returned with Zhao Fuquan and Liu Aniu, carrying belongings onto the carriage piece by piece, did Old Master Wei’s spy realize something was amiss. This display resembled preparations to leave the house. Could it be that the master’s speculation held, that Zhang Qiusheng couldn’t withstand the master’s pressure and planned to flee with his family? This couldn’t be allowed; if they escaped under his watch, Old Master Wei would surely not spare him. Thus, he immediately ran back to inform Old Master Wei of the situation.

"Master, Master, something terrible has happened!"

Master Wei was then pleasantly listening to a song performed by a concubine, and he was very displeased to be interrupted. "Can’t you speak properly? Why curse me without reason? I’m perfectly fine. What’s with all this panic?"

"Master, I spoke wrongly, it’s not that you are unwell, it’s that carpenter Zhang Qiusheng. This morning, someone took him away for some reason, and just now he came back with two strangers, began to move his household goods onto a carriage, as if he’s planning to flee."

"What! Zhang Qiusheng has grown bold, daring to run away from me? He’s completely disregarding me—come, take all the servants from the mansion and let’s see what’s happening."

Not only did Master Wei covet Zhang Qiusheng’s exquisite carpentry skills, but he also had his heart set on Zhang’s daughter, who was as beautiful as a flower. That’s why he specially had someone watch Zhang. Now, hearing the news from the servant, Zhang Qiusheng had dared to escape his watch—he couldn’t allow that. This old man really needed to be taught a lesson.

Zhang Qiusheng had some wealth in the past, but ever since the incident with Master Wei, and with Zhang’s wife falling ill, most of their household goods had been sold off. All that was left for the Zhang family to quickly pack was some clothing for changing and a few daily necessities. Fearing that Master Wei would get the news and block their way, Zhang urged his family to move even faster. In no time at all, they had moved their things, boarded the carriage, and rushed towards Zhao Family Village, thinking that once they reached there, they would truly be safe.

The Zhang family fled swiftly. Even though Master Wei received the news and rushed over immediately, he arrived only to find empty rooms. He was furious. Believing that the delay caused by the servant who reported the news was to blame for letting Zhang escape, he punished the servant harshly. Only then did he send people to inquire about the whereabouts of the Zhang family. They had not left long ago; he ordered his people to follow the traces and insisted that they could be caught.

"Well, did you find out which direction Zhang Qiusheng ran off to?"

"Back to you, Master, the Zhang family headed towards Zhao Family Village. Should we pursue them?" The servant relayed the information to Master Wei, waiting for his command.

"What? Why did they head in the direction of Zhao Family Village? Could it be they’re planning to escape to the south?" The direction in which the Zhang family fled was clearly a surprise to Master Wei. Given Zhang Qiusheng’s skilled woodworking, logic dictated that if he were to flee, he would head towards the Capital City, which was closer. The journey south was not only farther but also not as conducive to making a living.