Madam Li!

From the sound of it, Chunlan should be standing outside the shop's main door, knocking and shouting.

Xie An then hurried into the shop through the back door and went to open it.

The street outside the door was still piled with snow. Chunlan, wearing a brand-new padded jacket, stood in the snow. Her small face was red from the cold. She kept rubbing her hands together and holding them to her mouth to breathe on them for warmth.

"Miss Chunlan, why are you here? Come in quickly."

Chunlan didn't go in. Instead, she said anxiously, "There's no time, I won't come in."

A bad premonition arose in Xie An's heart.

Could there be a change in the matter of buying out his freedom?

Before Xie An could ponder further, he heard Chunlan lean in and say, "Master Xie, it's about the money for your freedom. Madam Li and the master had a fight. They argued fiercely. Madam Li is coming to see you soon, so be careful what you say. Don't mess things up. I have to rush back, it would be bad if the madam found out."

Xie An understood.

Chunlan had braved the icy weather alone to run over and bring him the news.

Looking at Chunlan stamping her feet in the snow and breathing on her hands for warmth, and her face flushed red from the cold, Xie An was deeply moved.

Even though he was just a servant, someone still cared about him.

One had to know that in these chaotic times, being a servant and being cared for was truly rare.

Xie An understood this deeply.

"Thank you, Miss Chunlan. By the way, do you know what Madam and Master were specifically arguing about?"

Chunlan looked around as she spoke.

It turned out that Madam Li insisted on only accepting twenty taels for Xie An's freedom, but Li Shaoyun had privately told Li Ru to demand two hundred taels. The reason was that Li Shaoyun's martial arts practice was consuming a lot of resources, and he had also given a generous gift to Zhang Biao of the Tiger Wolf Gate during the New Year. Li Ru agreed wholeheartedly and refused to budge. Moreover, he had also attributed the two hundred taels deficit caused by Zhang Bing to Xie An.

This was how the two hundred taels came about.

Later, Madam Li refused, and the two sides had a dispute. In the end, Li Ru was only willing to waive twenty taels, insisting on one hundred and eighty taels and refusing to back down.

Li Shaoyun...

"Thank you for telling me, Miss Chunlan."

"Be careful what you say later, Madam Li is in a very bad mood." Chunlan repeatedly cautioned him before turning and leaving.

Xie An stood at the pawnshop's entrance. After watching Chunlan walk away, the smile on his face slowly froze.

According to the market price for buying out the slave status in town, twenty to thirty taels was the going rate.

Li Ru was asking for two hundred taels!

He really was asking for the moon.

Knowing Li Ru was stingy and petty, Xie An hadn't expected him to go this far.

However, what surprised Xie An was Madam Li.

She had actually argued with Li Ru over his freedom money.

In Xie An's memory, Madam Li was a maid from a prominent family in the county town. She had read and written since childhood and was kind and benevolent. But there wasn't any particular friendship between her and Xie An.

It was just that when Li Ru got married, Xie An, who was still a young man then, had gone to welcome the bride, carried her sedan chair, and burned the fire basin for Madam Li.

But it shouldn't have been enough for Madam Li to act like this?

Just as Xie An was lost in thought, he heard footsteps approaching outside the door.

"Old Xie."

Xie An looked up and saw Madam Li standing in the snow, wearing a brown sable robe. She was over forty, with streaks of white at her temples, but she carried herself with great elegance, possessing the dignified grace of a lady of the house.

Xie An quickly cupped his hands in greeting Madam Li into the shop.

"In this freezing weather, how could I let Madam Li make this trip."

"I felt bored staying in the manor, so I thought I'd come out for a walk." Madam Li walked into the pawnshop and sat on the chair used for entertaining guests. She also placed an exquisitely packaged box on the counter.

"I thought that since it's the New Year, I didn't have much to give. So I bought some pastries from Wufangzhai. Old Xie, please try some."

Wufangzhai's pastries were renowned throughout Wuqiao Town and were very expensive.

They were something Xie An had never even dared to dream of before.

Facing Madam Li's sudden kindness, Xie An felt uneasy and didn't reach for the box. Instead, he said, "How can I, an old man, let Madam spend so much?"

The atmosphere in the Great Qian Dynasty was still quite patriarchal. Daughters from ordinary wealthy families were kept secluded in their chambers, rarely stepping out of the house. Even the lady of the household rarely showed herself in public.

It was already rare for Madam Li to personally visit the pawnshop.

Madam Li, however, had Chunlan unwrap the exquisite packaging, then unwrap the mulberry paper inside, revealing the sweet osmanthus cakes.

Seeing these osmanthus cakes, Xie An seemed to recall something.

Madam Li said, "When I first married into the Li Manor, I especially loved osmanthus cakes. Unfortunately, Wufangzhai in town hadn't opened yet. I remember it was you, Old Xie, who went to the county town and bought them for me. That day, it was also snowing heavily like this. Time flies, and it's already been over twenty years."

Xie An's thoughts raced, and his heart was filled with emotion.

"Yes, it's been over twenty years in the blink of an eye."

Madam Li picked up a piece of osmanthus cake, put it in her mouth, and slowly chewed. "But the taste is still the same."

Xie An no longer refused, picked up a sweet osmanthus cake, and began to eat. "Thank you, Madam."

Madam Li could say it was still the same taste.

But Xie An couldn't say that.

Because back then, he was only responsible for running errands to buy it, and never got to taste it.

Now, he finally had the chance.

Perhaps it was because both of them had eaten the sweet osmanthus cake, the sense of unfamiliarity between them lessened.

Madam Li seemed to recall the past and sighed softly, "I was once a maid, but I was very fortunate. I met a good mistress. She taught me to read and write, and even allowed me to buy my freedom. Only then did I have the opportunity to become Madam Li. On the day of my wedding, my mistress told me that from now on, as the lady of the house, I should treat others kindly and accumulate virtue for blessings.

When I got married, Old Xie carried my sedan chair and helped me step over the brazier. He even traveled dozens of miles through the mountains to buy sweet osmanthus cakes. I remember it all. For the past thirty years, Old Xie has managed the shops for the Li Manor with diligence and without any oversight. I have seen it all.

My husband was born into a wealthy family and grew up with a golden spoon in his mouth. Naturally, he cannot understand the hardships of servants. But in this chaotic world, servants' lives are cheap. But servants are also human, who wouldn't want a better life?

Old Xie has worked his entire life for our Li Manor. As his madam, if I cannot ensure Old Xie has a peaceful end, my heart will not be at ease."

After speaking, Madam Li took out a cloth bag and slowly handed it to Xie An.

"My husband insisted on charging you one hundred and eighty taels for your freedom. I couldn't argue with him, and I know my husband's temperament. This is my private savings, Old Xie, please take it. Come to the Li Manor later to pay the redemption fee."