Yang Chuxia glanced at the people they had bought and thought their family was still unaware of it. Hastily taking them back to the village could lead to problems, so it was necessary to inform her granduncle first. After all, a few strangers suddenly appearing in the village would require an explanation to the villagers.
But not taking them back also posed problems. The newly tidied shop was not ready to accommodate people yet, as there were no beds, covers, or other necessities. Moreover, it would take time to fully furnish the place, and she would be too busy to do so.
After some thought, she said, "You raised a valid concern. Our house in the countryside is not ready, so I wonder if you could keep them here for one day. I will pick them up tomorrow after having arranged their accommodation, and of course, I will pay you extra for their food and lodging."
"Sure, that’s no problem," Broker Liu thought, seeing an opportunity to make more money. He waved his hand and added, "There’s no need to pay extra. It’s just a matter of providing meals. We’ll handle it as we did before."
Yang Chuxia nodded in gratitude. "Thank you so much. I’ll take this girl back with me first, since she’s a young lady. We’ll come back tomorrow to pick up the others."
"Alright, no problem," Broker Liu agreed.
After finalizing the arrangement with Broker Liu, Yang Chuxia turned to Yang Jinxiu and said, "Why are you still standing there? Hurry up and come with us."
Having experienced so much recently, Yang Jinxiu could hardly believe her ears when she was told she could leave. She knew exactly what it meant to go with Yang Chuxia. She would finally return home and see her parents again, her eyes brimming with tears.
"Stop crying! I didn’t buy you to work yourself to death. Hurry up and !" Yang Chuxia scolded gently.
"Alright, let’s go," Yang Jinxiu replied.
They left the brokerage and headed back to their shop, where Yang Dachuan had already returned with some purchases. He looked puzzled upon seeing Yang Jinxiu.
"Xiaxia, what’s going on here?" he asked.
"Father, it’s a long story. I’ll explain later." Yang Chuxia then turned to Yang Jinxiu and said, "You don’t need to be scared. This shop belongs to our family. You can wait here while Brother An and I go out. We’ll take you back to the village with us later this evening."
"Alright!" Yang Jinxiu gratefully nodded.
After leaving Yang Jinxiu at the shop, Yang Chuxia and Ye Zi’an went to visit Constable Hong’s house. Constable Hong’s wife was at home, sewing clothes. She was delighted to see them and eagerly invited them in. They chatted for a while before Yang Chuxia excused herself, reminding them to lock their door at night and go to the Gathered Joy Tower if anything happened.
When they returned to the shop, Yang Chuxia and the others took Yang Jinxiu back to the village.
The oxcart didn’t stop at the entrance of the village but went straight to Yang Chuxia’s house. Yang Jinxiu knew her place, knowing that Yang Chuxia had bought her back, so she didn’t insist on going home immediately.
Once the oxcart stopped, Yang Chuxia said to Yang Dachuan, "Father, I’m going to find Granduncle and Clan Elder Grandpa. Brother An, come with me to the village to find Jinxiu’s parents."
Yang Chuxia figured that even though she had bought Yang Jinxiu, she couldn’t just make her a servant in her own house, as it would not look good in front of others.
However, she had paid the silver for Yang Jinxiu’s freedom, and while the sum was not significant, she couldn’t just ignore it. It was important to follow the precedent to avoid unnecessary troubles in the future.
So she needed to find Land Officer Yang and the other Clan Elders to clear up the situation.
Ye Zi’an, who had grown to understand her increasingly well, knew what she was planning and agreed without hesitation.