Transmigrated as a Peasant Girl with Prophetic Dreams: Using My Space to Become the Richest Person - Chapter 46

Chapter 46: Two Hundred and Fifty

Over at the old Yang residence, a gloomy cloud hung over the household. Wang Dani was gone—no sign of her alive, no corpse found—and Zhao Zhaodi was rotting in jail.

Seeing that even Yang Xue had gained the Magistrate’s favor, Yang Laoda couldn’t help but start grumbling. “If I’d known, I never would’ve agreed to the family split. If we were still one household, whatever reward that girl gets would belong to us.”

“Dad, seriously, why did you have to split the family?” Yang Laoda’s son complained. “Now the house is a mess, and it’s all on me and the second brother. We’re exhausted.”

“It would be so much better if the third brother were here. He’d have these repairs done in no time. And the cleaning—the third sister-in-law would have kept everything spotless.”

Old Man Yang was already in a foul mood; hearing his eldest son’s complaints only made it worse.

“So what if we split? He’s still my flesh and blood! Even if we live apart, he still owes me filial piety. When he gets that reward, he better hand it over to me, or I’ll disown him as my son!”

“And what if the third brother doesn’t want to recognize you anymore?” Yang Lao’er interjected, poking right where it hurt.

Old Man Yang’s leg had recovered enough for him to move; hearing this, he practically jumped up to smack Yang Lao’er, who scrambled away.

“Dad! Dad! Calm down! I’ve got a big mouth, okay? I’m sorry!”

Old Man Yang was fuming. “I’m his father! If he dares to ignore me, he can wait for a bolt of lightning to strike him dead!”

…

Yang Xue had no idea her yet-to-be-received reward was already being plotted over. At home, she was discussing purchasing land and seeds with her family.

“Dad, with our current money plus the Magistrate’s reward, I think besides buying land, we should go and pick out two strong farmhands to help us.”

Yang Laosan and Qian Yue’e both felt it was unnecessary. They believed that as long as they were diligent, they could manage the work themselves. There was no need to waste money hiring people.

“Xue’er, your mother and I can handle it. We shouldn’t spend money on workers.”

Yang Shuang added, “I’ll help too. Let’s save the money for building a house later.”

Yang Laosan and Qian Yue’e agreed. People in their position had a deep-seated obsession with owning a proper home.

Even the younger siblings, Yang Yu and Yang Tian, piped up: “Yeah, Second Sister, we can work the fields too.” In their minds, they were farmers; hiring others to do farm work felt like a waste of money—the act of a fool.

“Actually, farming is secondary,” Yang Xue explained. “I want to buy two strong laborers who can help with the chores but also guard the house.”

“Dad, Mom, let’s be blunt: I think Grandpa is going to look for trouble, and I know neither of you will be able to stand up to him. If we have people guarding us, I can rest easy. Otherwise, if the things we worked so hard for are destroyed or stolen by Grandpa’s side, isn’t it all for nothing?”

“Think about it: is it better to spend money on two workers, or let Grandpa and the others rob us blind?”

Hearing this, Yang Yu and Yang Tian immediately switched sides. “Dad, Mom, Second Sister is right!”

Yang Shuang, thinking of the crowd at the old house, also stood by Yang Xue. “Dad, Mom, Xue’er is right. We can’t let Grandpa take our things.”

Yang Laosan and Qian Yue’e hesitated. They knew deep down that if the old Yang family came to snatch their belongings, they probably couldn’t hold them back. But buying people… that would cost a lot.

Yang Xue didn’t rush them; she let them think it over. Finally, Qian Yue’e looked at her husband. “Dear, how about we just hire two people to protect us for a bit? What do you think?”

Yang Laosan felt that hiring was a fair compromise. Buying someone meant a permanent bill of sale, which usually cost several taels of silver. He couldn’t bear the thought of spending that much.

“Fine. We’ll hire two people to help watch the fields for now.”

But Yang Xue shook her head. “No, we should buy them. If we buy them, we hold their contracts; they aren’t likely to betray us. Hired help are free agents—they’re too easy to bribe.”

Yang Laosan and his wife exchanged a look. “But… buying two people… that’s at least several tales each. We’re looking at over ten tales total.”

“Don’t worry,” Yang Xue said. “Let’s decide on this for now. If it turns out we really don’t have enough money later, we’ll reconsider.”

She was determined to buy help. She couldn’t stay in the village forever. If she had to leave for a day and the old Yang family—or some other ill-intentioned villager—caused trouble, she couldn’t rely on her parents to handle it. She needed eyes and ears she could trust.

“Alright then,” Yang Laosan and Qian Yue’e nodded.

…

Two days later, the Magistrate returned to the village. This time he brought a large group of people, presumably to begin the mining operations. Upon arrival, he asked the Village Chief to fetch Yang Xue.

When Yang Xue heard the Magistrate was calling for her, she knew exactly why. He was here to deliver the money.

She was right. The Magistrate intended to present her with a reward, and he wanted to do it in front of the whole village. However, Yang Xue quickly stopped him and gestured for them to go to the Village Chief’s house instead.

The Magistrate was confused. Wasn’t this girl eager for her reward? Why the sudden lack of urgency now that the money is here?

Once inside the courtyard, Yang Xue explained, “Sir, I would prefer if the others didn’t know exactly how much I received. Please understand.”

The Magistrate paused, realizing he hadn’t considered the potential trouble a large sum of money could bring a young girl. She’s incredibly sharp, he thought with appreciation. “Give her the reward.”

“Yes, sir!” The legal secretary stepped forward and handed a tray to Yang Xue.

Yang Xue took it and lifted the red cloth. Five silver ingots sat there, sparkling. Her eyes lit up. She had expected maybe several dozen tales, or a hundred at most. But this…

Yang Xue blinked. Five ingots? Each was fifty tales. That meant… Two hundred and fifty tales?

Wait a minute. In Chinese slang, “250” (èr bǎi wǔ) is an insult meaning “idiot” or “half-wit.”

“Sir,” Yang Xue said flatly, “Are you using this opportunity to call me an idiot?”

The Magistrate didn’t catch on at first. He looked at her, then followed her gaze to the silver. Suddenly, it clicked. He burst into a loud laugh. “Hahaha! How could I? You really are a funny girl!”

Yang Xue immediately seized the moment. “Then give me one more tale. Otherwise, you’re definitely insulting me.”

The Magistrate was in high spirits. Since she asked for just one more tale, he actually reached into his pocket and gave it to her.

Having secured an extra tael, Yang Xue beamed. She could forgive the “250” now that it was 251.

“Thank you for the reward, Magistrate! If there’s nothing else, I’ll head home now!”

She couldn’t wait to get back and share the news with her family.