Mu Anxiao glanced down at the paper with the handprint on it and said, "I don't mind, but the people above me might not agree."
Hearing Mu Anxiao's reply, the youngest daughter's face visibly stiffened. "Then..." She timidly glanced at the other family members and said, "Nineteen taels."
"That's barely any reduction."
"One tael can do..."
"Let's not talk about that for now. Ten taels. To put it bluntly, if you ask for more, I won't be able to face the people above me," Mu Anxiao interrupted intentionally.
The youngest daughter was stunned.
Then, the man who had spoken earlier said, "Ten taels of silver, you... you're too stingy."
Hearing this, Mu Anxiao looked at the ungrateful man and said, "I am just someone doing the work. My monthly silver is only five taels. It's good enough if I can get ten taels for you. Besides," she looked around, "in this small place of yours, ten taels of silver can let you eat and drink your fill for over a year."
"..." They were all speechless.
Mu Anxiao looked at their speechless faces one by one and said lightly, "I've done my best to help you get to this point. If you're still not satisfied," she shook her head slightly, "then I can only say that you might end up with nothing in the end."
However, as soon as Mu Anxiao finished speaking, one of the women suddenly said, "Aren't you that beggar kid?"
"...." Mu Anxiao's body stiffened, and she continued to pretend to be serious, "I came from here, so I was sent back."
The woman: "You've... you've made something of yourself."
Mu Anxiao liked the woman's words, then freed up one hand and deliberately adjusted her collar. "Yes, I've made something of myself. I didn't want to say it at first because I thought it would seem too ostentatious. Since you've recognized me, then I can only say, that's right," she smiled, "I am the most successful person in our village."
"If you're so successful, then help us increase the money too."
"Those fake medicines, you bought them yourselves. Did the officials force you?" Mu Anxiao suddenly retorted.
Immediately, everyone was silenced again.
Mu Anxiao scanned them and said, "Everyone understands the logic. The fact that you have this money is simply because the officials took pity on you. It's not good for you to be so greedy."
Pay up!
This was just a plan Mu Anxiao had. She thought if she really met all their demands, wouldn't she be the one to suffer in the end?
Therefore, she decided... she wouldn't indulge them anymore.
"...." They were all speechless again.
Then, Mu Anxiao tilted her head to look at the sky and said, "Alright, it's getting late. Everyone go back and rest. It's ten taels of silver, and someone will deliver it to your homes in a while."
"Okay." They all replied listlessly, turned, and left.
Next, Mu Anxiao glanced at the woman closing the shop door and sighed, "Adding you, plus the elderly man and them, there are four left."
The old man was speechless. He looked at the people walking away, and at the night watchman passing by them. He said, "If I hadn't died, I would be the night watchman now."
"You're already so old, why would you be a night watchman? Let's go." Mu Anxiao knew the old man had been confused before his death. Without discouraging him, she could only speak like this.
The old man: "Okay, the next four are my neighbors."
"You know them?" Mu Anxiao was surprised.
"Yes, they're the ones who told us about this medicine."
Mu Anxiao smiled: "Oh, that makes things easier."
The old man smiled along with Mu Anxiao, then turned to look at the night watchman walking away.
A few minutes later.
Mu Anxiao and the old man were walking when Feng Qishi and the elderly man gradually appeared in their sight.
Seeing this, Mu Anxiao frowned and stopped with the old man.
On the opposite side.
Feng Qishi stopped in front of Mu Anxiao and asked, "Was it smooth?"
"Still four left. How about you?"
Feng Qishi gave a wry smile. "Finished."
"Finished?" Mu Anxiao repeated, looking calmly at the expression on Feng Qishi's face, and asked with a cold smile, "Why are you still smiling like that?"
Feng Qishi touched the back of his head. "Well, you might have to spend some money."
"Spend money." Mu Anxiao repeated, suddenly having a bad premonition. "Tell me, how much silver did you promise them?"
"How did you know?" Feng Qishi was surprised.
Mu Anxiao's eyes darted away, and she stammered, "Whatever you say, I'll ask. Why ask so many questions?"
"...." Feng Qishi knew that Mu Anxiao was someone who blindly cared about face, so he didn't ask further and looked at the old man. "Old man, what's the situation?"
The old man glanced unnaturally at Mu Anxiao and said, "She promised them ten taels of silver each."
Hearing this, Mu Anxiao turned to look at the old man and said uncomfortably, "Why did you say that?"
The old man: "...." He turned his face away, not replying.
Mu Anxiao's lips twisted. She turned back to look at Feng Qishi, who was looking at her mockingly, and asked, "What are you laughing at? How much did you promise?"
"The same as you."
"The same as me," Mu Anxiao hadn't expected her and Feng Qishi to be so taciturn. She swallowed and said, "You're not lying to me, are you?"
"If I lied to you with this, it wouldn't be interesting," Feng Qishi raised an eyebrow. "We really have a tacit understanding. " After speaking, he reached out and pushed Mu Anxiao's shoulder.
At the same time, Mu Anxiao couldn't help but frown, looking at Feng Qishi's hand with disdain. "Thirty people, excluding those two, we have to give two hundred and eighty taels. Do you have that much?"
"You do."
"I..."
"Don't think I don't know. The silver you earned from your previous missions was several times, even tens of times, this amount. What's wrong with spending a little for this mission?" Feng Qishi interrupted.
Mu Anxiao was stunned: "Shen Fengzi, you win."
Feng Qishi smiled slightly. "How many family members do you have left to find? Tell me, and we'll split the work."
"Four."
"Okay, I'll take two, you take two," Feng Qishi said, taking out a ledger. "I'll look for pages twenty-five and twenty-six, you look for twenty-seven and twenty-eight."
"Okay." Mu Anxiao nodded.
Then, without another word, Feng Qishi turned and walked forward with the elderly man.
Mu Anxiao watched Feng Qishi's receding figure, pursed her lips, and looked at the old man. "After these last few are done, I'll go see your wife at your house."
"Okay." The old man nodded.
A moment later, Feng Qishi and the others completed their task by delivering money and gathered outside the old man's residence.
Mu Anxiao stood beside Feng Qishi, took out the ledger, and by the candlelight outside the residence, looked at the slowly appearing characters "You Lian" in the ledger, frowning.
Feng Qishi looked down at Mu Anxiao's unusually serious expression and asked, "What's wrong?"
The old man: "Is the situation bad?" he asked, not forgetting to glance at the residence door.
Mu Anxiao: "The situation probably isn't that bad yet."