Redemption

Inside the low, dim laundry room, several basins were lined up. Four maids responsible for washing clothes were toiling away in them.

Wealthy families had many particularities about their clothing. The Liu family, though rich, lacked power and had no scholars, making them even more particular.

Not only were clothes changed daily, but sometimes if they went out or received guests, they would change again.

It was still within the first lunar month, and the well water, initially warm, would become bitingly cold within moments.

No matter how rich the Liu family was, they wouldn't let these laundry maids use hot water.

Many of the laundry maids' hands were already pale and wrinkled from the water; some even had frostbite, yet they continued washing without stopping.

They didn't dare to look up even when they heard someone enter the laundry room.

Although they were called laundry maids, they actually did all sorts of chores. The Liu family wouldn't raise them for nothing.

Among the maids, they were the lowest tier, even lower than the sweeping maids.

To move up, they could only slowly endure. After three to five years, if the masters trusted them slightly, they could then do other tasks.

"Zhao Yu." Chen Mo recognized his companion from their escape from famine years ago. She hadn't changed much; her frame was still skin and bones.

At most, she had gone from being on the verge of starving to merely not starving for the moment.

This showed what kind of life she was living in the Liu family, which was worse than when he was feeding horses himself.

Hearing her name called, her eyes were filled with numbness. She looked up, clearly not recognizing Chen Mo.

"It's me, your husband Chen Mo. I've come to buy your freedom," Chen Mo said, taking out a waterskin from his embrace. This was something Zhao Yu had left him back then.

"It's you?" She was stunned for a moment, then quickly reacted, her eyes filled with disbelief.

She had thought Chen Mo would come to redeem her. After all, it had only been half a year; she hadn't lost hope.

But she hadn't expected it to be so soon. In just half a year, Chen Mo had managed to gather the silver. This was truly beyond her expectations.

In fact, ever since she entered the Liu residence, she sometimes regretted why she had sold herself through a third party instead of directly.

When sold through a third party, it was hard for the master to trust her, and she could only do laundry here all day.

She had also fantasized that Chen Mo would come to redeem her, changing her from a servant to an ordinary citizen.

But the experiences of other servants sometimes shook this idea.

Some women were sold to the Liu family by their husbands or brothers, and they had also said they would definitely redeem them, but no one had come for three, five, or even ten years.

Some initially sent messages, but gradually, they disappeared without a trace.

Yet, she still refused to give up this thought. She believed that Chen Mo, having faced life and death with her back then, was definitely not a person who would break his promise.

This was the only hope she could cling to. She had to believe this, or she wouldn't have lasted until now.

It was just that she hadn't expected it to become a reality so soon, that Chen Mo would actually come to redeem her.

She pinched her thigh. The clear, sharp pain that shot through her mind was what finally made her dare to believe that everything before her was real.

The remaining laundry maids all looked at Zhao Yu with envious and slightly jealous eyes.

They were all servant girls. Why was she redeemed by her husband, while they still had to work here day after day?

"Hurry up and pack, then come with me," Chen Mo instructed.

"Okay," Zhao Yu replied, her heart filled with joy.

No matter what kind of life she had outside, it would be better than being a servant to others.

The two didn't exchange many pleasantries. Zhao Yu quickly left to pack her belongings.

They weren't actually very close. Although they had faced life and death together, they had spent less than two months together in total, and had never exchanged more than a hundred sentences.

However, in terms of mutual trust, at least now they both had sufficient trust in each other.

Zhao Yu had given almost all the money from selling herself to Chen Mo back then. It was with this money that Chen Mo was able to survive and join the army.

And Chen Mo, for a promise made back then, had tried every means to redeem her as soon as possible.

They weren't husband and wife, but their trust in each other might surpass that of many married couples.

Zhao Yu packed quickly. She didn't have many possessions, only two sets of clothes and some carefully saved money.

When they washed clothes, there were sometimes small coins. The maids who delivered the clothes would search them, but sometimes they would miss a few.

So, over this long period, not only did she not lose money, but she even gained more, accumulating nearly three taels of silver.

She had saved all of this carefully, just in case she could contact Chen Mo someday. With this money, she could ease his burden and make it easier for him to redeem her.

However, it seemed now that this money might not be needed.

Still, after packing everything, she found an opportunity to quietly hand all the money to Chen Mo.

Chen Mo's ability to redeem her within half a year was indeed beyond her expectations, but she understood even more that this was by no means easy.

By giving him her money, if there were still expenses needed later, he wouldn't have to hold back.

As for what she would do without money after leaving, she wasn't too worried about that.

Because she trusted Chen Mo. If he were truly a greedy person, he wouldn't have come to redeem her.

Chen Mo took the money without saying much, then waved his hand gently, signaling Zhao Yu to follow behind him.

Chen Mo and the others arrived at the front hall, where County Commandant Li was engaged in an animated conversation with Liu Wangshi.

"Keep this deed of sale safe. Later, you can take her to get her registration changed," Mo Dao said, handing another deed of sale to Chen Mo. He then glanced at the gaunt Zhao Yu, a slight frown creasing his brow.

"What about the redemption money?" Chen Mo inquired softly.

Mo Dao shook his head slightly. The Liu family was merely a local rich landowner, and their adoptive father wanted to redeem the person. Even if Liu Wangshi had eaten tiger's penis, he wouldn't dare demand redemption money from them.

"Uncle Li, since everything here is settled, we will return to the military camp and won't stay any longer," Mo Dao said, cupping his hands in a respectful bow as he took his leave.

"Why are you in such a hurry, my nephew? You must at least stay for a meal," County Commandant Li said, trying to persuade him to stay. However, the moment he saw Zhao Yu, he understood everything.

Zhao Yu was very thin, not just weakly thin as if a gust of wind could blow her over, but gaunt from years of hard labor. If Chen Mo hadn't arrived, Zhao Yu would likely have worked herself to death at the Liu family's place within another year or so.

This was not a major issue in itself; mistreating servants was common practice in almost every household, a trivial matter. However, it depended on who was being mistreated. If it were an ordinary person, it wouldn't matter, and no one would inquire if they died. But it so happened that Zhao Yu was the one being mistreated.

Although Zhao Yu was only barely alive due to the Liu family's circumstances, Chen Mo's own wife was being treated this way. Even if Chen Mo didn't blame the Liu family, it would be impossible for him to sit at the same table and chat happily with Liu Wangshi. Mo Dao had clearly realized this, which was why he was proactively taking his leave now.

"Then I'll see you off, my nephew!" County Commandant Li stood up and, as he left, cast a deep glance at Liu Wangshi.

"Liu Er, get your ass over here!" Liu Wangshi roared.

Steward Liu Er scurried over to the main hall with his head bowed.

"Didn't I always tell you to feed the servants better? But what did you do!" Liu Wangshi slammed the table and glared, seemingly venting his anger.

Liu Er remained silent, but inwardly he grumbled that the daily food expenses for the servants were personally set by Liu Wangshi. Even if he used all his ingenuity, he couldn't conjure more than one steamed bun from the money allocated for just one. While he cursed inwardly, he didn't dare say a word aloud, merely listening to the reprimand with his head bowed obediently.

"From now on, double the monthly food allowance for the servants. Also, prepare a carriage and hire a few skilled men from the Hengyuan Escort Agency. Prepare plenty of bank notes and gold. And bring me the land deed for our three hundred mu of fertile paddy fields outside the city." Liu Wangshi's eyes hardened as he gritted his teeth and gave his orders.

He was unsure if General Sun would find out about today's events or blame him for it. However, he was certain that their Liu family was now a piece of fat meat that everyone wanted a bite of. To avoid being completely devoured, they had to offer up a portion of the meat first.

The garrison commander of Xingyuan Prefecture was an absolutely high-ranking official. He had never had the opportunity to establish a connection with such a person before, but now the chance had arrived. With these gifts, he would claim he was visiting to apologize and seek forgiveness. As long as he could forge this connection, he wouldn't have to curry favor with the county magistrate anymore, and his business might even double. As for whether approaching them with gifts to force a connection was shameless, if he had any sense of shame, he wouldn't be able to conduct such a large business.