Farm Girl's Manor
Chapter 410: Ruthless (2)_1

Chapter 410: Chapter 410: Ruthless (2)_1

Hiss, forty-five taels!

The crowd inhaled sharply, their mouths agape. So the daughter of the Tang Family was worth so much. No wonder Mrs. Tang was adamant about selling her—having a daughter who could be traded for two brick and tile houses, who wouldn’t be tempted?

Initially, Mrs. Tang was overjoyed, but soon after, she felt disgruntled. Humph, that Mother Yu was too much. That wretched girl was clearly worth forty-five taels, yet she had only offered twenty-five taels at first, nearly fooling her. Otherwise, she would have lost a grand brick and tile house!

"Mr. Mo, how many taels of silver do you plan to offer?"

Mother Yu looked proudly at Mo Qingze, thoroughly enjoying the thrill of throwing silver at people. That girl could probably fetch fifty taels if sold to a brothel; buying her for forty-five taels would still net a profit of a few taels. It wouldn’t be a wasted trip. But the thought that even if she acquired the girl, she’d have missed out on twenty taels made her heart ache.

However, if this person, who was blocking her path to riches, offered more than she did and bled heavily for it, that would be satisfying. Even if she didn’t get the girl, she could vent her frustration. With this thought, her mood improved slightly.

Mo Qingze was unaware of her scheming and extended one finger.

"One hundred taels?"

Mother Yu exclaimed in shock, staring at Mo Qingze in disbelief. Had this man gone mad? One hundred taels could buy five or six well-trained maids.

Mrs. Tang’s cheeks flushed with excitement, her eyes fixed intently on Mo Qingze’s finger, without an ounce of doubt. One hundred taels, it was really one hundred taels! They were going to be rich, truly rich!

The villagers were also shocked by Mo Qingze’s "generous offer." They hoped that Mr. Mo would buy the poor girl from the Tang Family to save her from a worse fate, but the lure of a hundred taels was simply too great. They didn’t know whether to envy the wealth of the Mo Family or to be jealous of the Tang Family for raising a daughter who could command a hundred taels from the Mo Family.

With that hundred taels, it wasn’t just about building a spacious brick and tile house—they could eat white rice every day and afford meat every month!

Seeing their reaction, Mo Qingze knew there was a misunderstanding. Enduring their strange looks, he clarified distinctly, "Not one hundred taels, ten taels."

"What? What did you say?" Mrs. Tang snapped back to reality, the word "ten taels" hitting her like a hammer, waking her from her dream of fortune. With wide-eyed fury, she demanded, "No way, Mother Yu is willing to offer forty-five taels. How can you only offer ten taels?"

Mo Qingze took a step back, dodging the saliva she spat out, and explained with a frown, "Mother Yu is willing to spend forty-five taels to send the child to that kind of place, to be abused by others; I am spending ten taels to give the young girl a playmate, and she will certainly not be mistreated. As a mother, you should be happy about this. Besides, these ten taels can help your family pay off debts. Why won’t you agree?"

Mo Qingze’s confusion wasn’t feigned; although he knew that Tang Yushi abused her stepdaughter, he found it hard to believe she would ignore the girl’s life and death. Thus, his words carried an undertone of persuasion.

At this moment, Tang Yushi’s mind was entirely fixated on the difference between a hundred taels turning into ten. Such a vast gap had left her with no capacity to ponder the implications of his words! Pointing at Mo Qingze with a mocking tone, she said, "Ten taels of silver? And you call yourself a scholar? How can you even mention such a paltry sum! I am not that wretched girl’s birth mother. All I know is, whoever offers the most silver is who I’ll sell her to. Even if she’s ruined to death, it’s just her own damn fate for being born into the Tang Family. It’s not my fault for having a heart of stone."

The onlookers stared with eyes wide, speechless at Tang Yushi’s words, and looked at the emaciated Tang Xin with a chill in their hearts, unable to fathom how such a malicious stepmother could exist. Some of the villagers, who had also lived under stepmothers, secretly felt relieved; though their stepmothers had been unaffectionate and biased towards their own children, they had never been abusive.

Tang Xin clenched her fists tightly, glaring at Tang Yushi with a desire to rush up and scratch that sycophantic face. She had long known the woman’s malice, but hearing these words in person still filled her with indignant fury.

Feeling the tension in her body, Xin Er reached out and quietly took her hand, whispering words of comfort, "Don’t be angry. After all, she’s not your real mother. Once you make something of yourself, just watch her regret her actions bitterly!"

A warmth spread through Tang Xin’s heart, and she gripped Xin Er’s hand back, nodding fiercely, "There will definitely come a day!"

Mo Yan listened to their conversation with a faint smile. Tang Yushi’s current tantrum might not be wholly bad for Tang Xin. If Tang Xin really did succeed one day, and Tang Yushi tried to make unreasonable demands by leveraging her status as a stepmother, it was likely the villagers wouldn’t criticize Tang Xin for refusing.

Seeing Tang Yushi continue to squabble over her father, Mo Yan’s patience wore thin. She frowned, about to ask Tang Xin what she planned to do when she saw her quietly turn and enter a room behind. When Tang Xin emerged, she was startlingly holding a pair of scissors!

The scissors looked old, covered in rust spots, but the sharp tip gleamed chillingly white. They would be difficult to use for cutting things, but the sharpened tips could easily pierce the skin, allowing blood to flow freely.

Seeing Tang Xin’s determined expression, Mo Yan had a guess at what she was going to do and couldn’t help but worry. She wasn’t concerned that Tang Xin couldn’t handle the scissors without hurting herself, but that if Tang Yushi didn’t compromise, the young girl might really injure herself in a desperate act.

With this concern in mind, she watched Tang Xin closely, ready to intervene immediately if necessary. Even if it meant paying more silver from her own pocket, she didn’t want the girl to escape her miserable fate in such a manner.

Tang Yushi refused to accept that a hundred taels of silver could just slip away. She ignored Mother Yu, adamant only that Mo Qingze bring out the full amount or she would not release the girl.

Mo Qingze had only offered ten taels of silver in compliance with Tang Xin’s request the day before. Seeing Tang Yushi stubbornly holding out now, he was at a loss for what to do. He couldn’t help but turn to Tang Xin, wanting to ask her for her plans.

But when he looked at her, he shouted in shock, "Miss Tang, what are you doing? Put down the scissors at once!"

The crowd, puzzled, turned to look and were equally horrified. They saw Tang Xin holding a pair of scissors in her right hand, the cold tip pressed against her sallow cheek, with a startling trail of bright red blood slowly flowing down...