Zhang Laosan pointed at Zhang Zhaodi’s nose and cursed, "Ungrateful daughter, you’re such an ungrateful daughter. Raising you was like raising a dog for nothing."
Zhang Zhaodi idly picked her ear, letting Zhang Laosan rant without responding.
The Wei Family lunged at a pillar, and the people around surprisingly didn’t stop her. Unable to go through with it, she sat on the ground causing a scene: "Heaven, strike this ungrateful daughter with lightning!"
Zhang Pandi tugged at Su Yaoguang: "What should we do now? If they come to make trouble every day, how can we run our business?"
"Let them make trouble. It will give our guests some entertainment," Su Yaoguang said, "When they get tired of causing a scene, they’ll find it pointless."
Despite saying this, Su Yaoguang still sent Jia Chunni to the government office to report the incident. Soon, Chief Qian arrived with two government officers to keep watch.
Seeing the officers’ uniforms made Wei Family and Zhang Laosan apprehensive; spotting the fierce look and knives at the officers’ waists made them more fearful.
"This ungrateful daughter has grown wings. Continuing to make a fuss will get us nowhere. If we anger her, she might really send us to jail. Look how cold-hearted she is now, not caring a whit for us old folks. Her father, what should we do? She’s so wealthy, yet she won’t spare a little for her brother to live well."
Zhang Laosan walked up to Zhang Zhaodi: "Your mother and I gave birth to you. You’re supposed to be filial to us. You don’t want us coming over to cause trouble every day, do you? Give us a sum of money, and we won’t bother you anymore."
"No, daughters should be filial to their parents. I’ll be like any other dutiful daughter and give you fifty cents of filial money each month, on time, never short of a cent," Zhang Zhaodi said.
"Fifty cents?" Zhang Laosan glared at her, "Are you trying to dismiss a beggar?"
"Go and ask around, how many married daughters still have to be filial to their parents? Taking care of parents is a son’s duty, remember? You taught us this before."
"One hundred taels. Give me one hundred taels, and we won’t bother you anymore," Zhang Laosan said angrily.
"Old man, does your family not have a mirror? If not, there’s always urine, why don’t you take a look at yourself? One hundred taels of silver, you’re crazy for money. Ordinary families like ours wouldn’t earn that much in a lifetime."
"Is she an ordinary person? She’s got money!"
"She was living a hard life, and you didn’t help. Now that she’s overcome hardships, you want to leech off her. Have you no shame?"
"How much can you give then? Fifty cents is impossible, or I’ll come to trouble you daily."
"At fifty cents a month, that’s six hundred cents a year, which is six taels of silver in ten years. I reckon you might live twenty more years, so that’s twelve taels of silver. Okay, I won’t be a bad daughter, I’ll give you fifteen taels! With old two and three working for me, you’d go after them too. I’ll give their share together. They only earn two hundred cents a month, far short of fifty cents; together it makes fifty cents, so another twelve taels for you, which totals twenty-seven taels."
"I’ll give you twenty-seven taels in one go, and you sign a contract stating I’ve fulfilled my duty as a daughter. Whatever happens in the future, you won’t come to us again. Consider this sum as buying out our relation."
Zhang Pandi and Zhang Yingdi exchanged glances.
When Wei Family and Zhang Laosan showed up, they knew once big sister dealt with them, it’d be their turn. This couple despised daughters yet wouldn’t let go of their value. Now big sister handled it, they were finally free.
"Fifty taels," Zhang Laosan squinted his eyes, haggling.
"Thirty taels."
"Forty-eight taels."
"Twenty-nine taels."
"You..."
Zhang Zhaodi played with her fingers, noticing how her once rough hands had turned soft and her wrinkles smoothed by her precious daughter. Now she had the confidence to haggle.
The initiative was hers now; she was no longer the pleading person.
"Thirty taels then," Zhang Laosan had to concede.
Zhang Zhaodi had become too hard to control now. If he didn’t agree, even thirty taels might be lost.
Zhang Pandi, her daughter, and Zhang Yingdi showed signs of joy.
Once rid of these biased parents, their days would be peaceful.
Jiang Jing put away the needle in her hand.
Su Yaoguang watched her move and smiled: "What would happen if that needle went in?"
"Nothing much, just that he’d spend his life bedridden, never standing again," Jiang Jing said, "Such a troublesome person should enjoy some trouble themselves."
Under everyone’s witness, Zhang Laosan and Wei Family pressed their fingerprints, took away thirty taels of silver, and severed relations with their three daughters.
"Is Zhang Laosan stupid? Thirty taels seems much, but keeping a good relationship with daughters could earn him many thirty taels."
"He’s not stupid, he wants more, but Manager Zhang isn’t foolish either. Why would he fill their bottomless pit?"
"I’ve heard he never cared about his three daughters all these years. Each daughter lived less desirably than the other, yet they never showed concern. When marrying them off, they demanded high dowries, which went to marrying a wife for their son and building a house without regard for daughters’ wellbeing."
"Serves him right."
Zhang Pandi looked at the contract in her hands and said to Zhang Zhaodi, "Big sister, was it this easy?"
"Without the government backing us, they could have kept up this crying and lying for over a year with no resolution. But people can’t fight officials; once they see government officers, they back down," Zhang Zhaodi said, "If they come for you again, show some grit and don’t let them extort you."
"We definitely won’t. If they think we’re easy to pinch, we’ll say all our silver is saved with big sister, and they can ask her for it."
"Oh, getting clever, pushing all troubles on me?" Zhang Zhaodi pinched Zhang Pandi’s cheek.
Zhang Zhaodi handed two taels of broken silver to Chief Qian, asking him to treat his brothers to tea.
Though Chief Qian had just been a placeholder momentarily, he felt a bit embarrassed to take the silver. But since the other party insisted, he didn’t refuse further. He’d look after Taoyao Square more in the future.
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