The Eldest Daughter of a Rural Family
Chapter 740: Compensate Five Hundred Taels (4)_1

Chapter 740: Chapter 740: Compensate Five Hundred Taels (4)_1

Hong Xia took two steps forward, her eyes reddening as she shed tears of grievance, "Third Miss..."

Her face was swollen, a bright red handprint stark against her skin. Pei Qian glared at Fang Hui with a fierce and spiteful gaze, "Who do you think you are to lay a hand on my maid!?"

Fang Hui’s face turned ashen, indignant and frustrated, she spat out, "She’s just a servant, doesn’t know the first thing about etiquette or rules, what’s wrong with me hitting her once!?"

"A servant she may be, but she’s a servant of my household! What gives you the right to come into our home and strike my maid, smash our property!?" Pei Qian roared furiously.

"You... You scold me without asking for details first!? I’m your aunt by marriage, your elder, and you forget all decorum and morals to curse at me!?" Fang Hui was also furious.

"I’m not asking for details?! On what grounds did you hit my maid?! And dare you say you didn’t smash the jade sculpture!?" Pei Qian was so filled with rage she wanted to beat her. Worthless scum! Some aunt! Worse than an animal!

Feng Shouxing, face pale as death, hurriedly tried to explain, "Pei Qian, your aunt didn’t do it on purpose, she was just upset, and the maid lacked manners, so she hit her. The thing wasn’t broken intentionally."

"Which one of my maids lacks manners, to the extent that they deserve your beating?! Who do you think you are!?" Pei Qian rebuked angrily.

Hong Xia raised her hand to wipe her tears, "They knocked on the door so loudly, there was nobody at home, and I suggested taking them to the workshop to look, but they weren’t willing. They said I had no etiquette and shouldn’t keep guests waiting outside, and that’s why they hit me. After I let them in, I went out to send a message to the workshop, and when I turned back, I saw they had taken the Jade Cabbage Sculpture from the shelf."

"If it wasn’t for your loud shouting that startled us, the thing definitely wouldn’t have broken! You lowly wench, how dare you frame people!?" Fang Hui was now desperate to shift the blame for breaking the Jade Cabbage Sculpture onto Hong Xia. Otherwise, if they had to compensate... how much would it be!?

"You hit someone first, broke something, and now you dare to frame one of my people?! You shameless lowlife! If you don’t compensate for the damage and apologize today, I will not let this go!" Pei Qian was literally exploding with rage. She had always said there was not a single good person in that family, and their dealings with her family were never with good intentions. First, they were shameless and took advantage, and now they even dared to come to her home. Did they think her family was easy to bully?

"You wretched girl dare to curse me!? I’m your aunt by marriage, your elder, do you have any manners left at all!?" Fang Hui seized onto Pei Qian’s mistake and clung to it fiercely.

"Who are you saying lacks manners!?" Pei Qin entered the room with leisurely steps.

Seeing her coming back, Feng Shouxing’s face turned pitifully distressed as he hurried up to explain, "Qinqin! It’s not what you think! Both were angry, and that’s why harsh words were spoken."

"Really? I had actually thought Mrs. Feng believed that the people I have brought up lack manners!" Pei Qin laughed softly and then sat down in the chair of honor inside the room.

"No, that’s not it! Not at all!" Feng Shouxing hastily denied, giving Fang Hui a look to implore her not to make a fuss. He was worried because the matter at hand hadn’t been resolved yet, and they had broken such a valuable jade ornament and didn’t know how to settle it.

Yet Fang Hui had never been one to take offenses lying down. If not for her immense restraint, she would have already torn this wretched girl’s mouth to shreds!

"Is that so?" Pei Qin looked at Fang Hui, raising an eyebrow in question.

With clenched teeth, Fang Hui saw Hong Xia picking up the broken pieces of jade and replied stiffly, "No, it was just a rash word spoken in anger."

"I thought so. Ever since the Emperor granted me this Decree of Third Rank, I’ve seen and learned a lot. If those I’ve taught lacked manners, then that would’ve truly been an embarrassment to the Emperor. And yet, these words were spoken by an aunt, who dares to say such things about her own family." Pei Qin said while glancing at her, then beckoned Hong Xia to bring the broken jade pieces over.

Feng Shouxing tried to explain again, reassuring that Fang Hui hadn’t done it on purpose.

Fang Hui, feeling more resentment but seeing those broken jade pieces, didn’t dare to show it, "It was only a word spoken in a moment of anger, please don’t take it seriously."

Pei Qin nodded, "Hmm. Even if you are angry, you can’t just break things in my house! This Jade Cabbage Sculpture cost more than a thousand taels of silver! By your one act of carelessness, not only was the jade broken, but you also ruined the financial fortune it represented."

Upon hearing that the broken Jade Cabbage Sculpture was valued at more than a thousand taels of silver, Feng Shouxing turned even paler, "Qinqin..." He struggled to speak, but then couldn’t help trying to shift the blame onto Hong Xia. She was a bonded maid, after all, belonging to their household; it would be fine however she was dealt with. They absolutely couldn’t afford to compensate with so much silver!

Fang Hui immediately claimed, "It’s her fault that thing broke! If not for her, it never would have fallen!"

Pei Qian bit her teeth in anger, "Taking advantage of the absence of my family, you secretly laid hands on our things. I told you to put it down, you dropped it. If you were holding a knife, and I told you to put it down, would you have stabbed someone to death!? And then blame the person who asked you to put it down!?"

"If it wasn’t for her, the thing wouldn’t have broken! It’s not my fault at all! You’re trying to push all the blame onto me and make me compensate you, right!?" Fang Hui’s face turned from green to pale, with dark rings forming under her eyes.

"According to your logic, it’s also Hong Xia’s fault the thing broke?" Pei Qin raised an eyebrow.

"She definitely had a part in it! It’s all because of her!" Fang Hui affirmed resolutely.

Pei Qin sneered, "In that case, considering the relative ties, let’s say Hong Xia also had a part. Each of you pays half, and I won’t ask for too much, five hundred taels will do!"

Hong Xia’s complexion turned deathly pale, and she fell to the ground. Five hundred taels of silver, she could never repay that in her lifetime!

Feng Shouxing also inhaled sharply, uttering with great difficulty, "... Our family now... doesn’t even have fifty taels of silver."

"Five hundred taels and you’re calling it extortion!? I’m still your aunt by marriage, your elder, and you dare to do this!?" Fang Hui exploded with rage.

"Five hundred taels of silver and you say it’s too much!? I’ve already asked for half less, putting the blame on an innocent person for half the cost. And you still want to deny it!? If you don’t want to compensate with silver, then we go to the Government Office!" Pei Qian shouted angrily.

Going to the Government Office would mean not only losing face, but possibly facing a beating, and indeed having to pay the money...