Chapter 5: 5 Gifts

Success?

It might not be a big deal to you, but it’s a huge deal to me! Liu Di thought to himself but didn't dare say it, fearing he might offend his master—he knew his ugly elder sister was likely not even worth ten silver ingots, but since the Master was so wealthy, how could he be satisfied without getting a little something out of it?

Why are you winking and acting cute at me? Liu Baiyu was feeling puzzled when he suddenly remembered he hadn't given his cheap little brother-in-law any private benefits yet. Thus, with a smiling face, he gave his cheap little brother-in-law ten silver ingots, stuffing them into Liu Di's hands

"This is your running fee. If the marriage engagement is finalized, there will be more benefits!"

"Thank you for the Master's reward! Just you wait and see!" Having received a massive windfall, Liu Di no longer felt his body was frail. He gave a quick thanks and pushed the small wheelbarrow of goods home in one breath without even breaking a sweat!

Will the silver bullet offensive work!? Liu Baiyu comforted himself, hoping Liu Ziqiong was a gold-digger; after all, he had plenty of money. But if she played the "soulmate" card—Big Brother, do you really think a boy from the 21st century and a girl from the late Ming Dynasty would have anything in common? This isn't a fantasy novel; is that even possible?

While Liu Ziqiong's parents were weeping, Liu Di pushed the small wheelbarrow of goods in, drenched in sweat. Seeing his parents' tear-streaked faces, he felt a flicker of displeasure and spoke up

"What's all this for? A great joyous event, a great joyous event has arrived!" As he spoke, he began taking the items out of the small wheelbarrow one by one.

"Was this bestowed by the Master?" Liu Shan was dazzled by the sight, taking a long time to regain his senses before asking. Liu Ziqiong was still a few days away from her fifteenth birthday and still had the mindset of a young girl, so she also leaned forward, though she too was momentarily blinded by the sight.

Two bags of white substances were contained in transparent bags, with the words "Sugar" and "Salt" written on them. Liu Ziqiong mustered her courage and dipped her finger to taste a few grains, finding that they had no hint of bitterness, but were purely sweet and salty.

When Liu Shan's family hadn't fallen from grace, they were merely middle-tier farmers. In this era, even a prominent gentry member like Master Zhang would eat yellow salt; ordinary people could only eat black salt. By the time Liu Ziqiong was old enough to remember things, the whole family had already fallen into servitude; where had she ever seen snow-white salt? Moreover, setting aside the appearance, the lack of any off-flavor combined with the rich taste made Liu Ziqiong's "half-loli" heart melt. She closed her eyes to savor it for a long while, wanting to reach out and taste a few more grains, only to be pushed away by her father's hand

"Is this something we are allowed to eat? Stop touching it, or we'll have to send it back to the Master!" Liu Shan knew the value of white sugar; in this era, white sugar was an unadulterated luxury. Furthermore, due to the level of technology, so-called white sugar was often somewhat yellowish. This kind of flawless, white-jade-like sugar was likely something only the princes and nobles in the capital could eat. If an ordinary person ate it, they might shorten their lifespan!

"Dad, don't make such a fuss, it's no big deal. Brother-in-law said that as long as Sister marries in, our family will eat this sugar and salt every day, eat rice and white flour as much as we want, and wear silk and satin—oh, and there's also the twenty silver ingots of bride price from Brother-in-law!"

Liu Di desperately promoted his master's benefits; naturally, he omitted the ten silver ingots of tip from Liu Baiyu.

"You troublemaker! Don't you know that trouble comes from the mouth and sickness enters through it? Is 'Brother-in-law' a title you're allowed to use?" Liu Shan gave his son Liu Di a sharp slap, making Liu Di see stars...

"Brother-in-law made me say it!"

"You still say it! You still say it! Even if your sister is taken in by the Master, she'll just be a chambermaid, a half-servant who isn't even as good as a concubine. Do you think you can just call him 'Brother-in-law'? This is called insubordination, do you understand?"

"But that's what the Master said..." Liu Di was a bit indignant. Why couldn't he say what the Master said? However, he still changed "Brother-in-law" to "Master," not daring to call him "Brother-in-law" again.

"The Master can talk nonsense, but a servant cannot!" Having been a servant for so many years, Liu Shan relied on the principle of being cautious. He most despised his son's reckless manner, which was a recipe for trouble sooner or later!

Liu Shan's wife, however, was feeling the twenty silver ingots sent by Liu Baiyu, refusing to let go. She muttered about how much it cost to marry off a daughter and how much it cost to build a new house, completely forgetting about their daughter Liu Ziqiong in her words.

"Sigh, put the things down and send them back to the Master!" Liu Shan scolded his wife's greed, exerting his authority as the head of the household.

"Dad, sending things back is what truly invites disaster! You said it yourself, the biggest taboo for a servant is to refuse the face given by the master. If the master had just called Sister to his room to take her, would we, as servants, dare to grumble? Sending so many things is a way of giving our family face!"

Liu Di felt his father was being ungrateful. With his sister looking as tall as a wild man, it was already good enough to exchange her for twenty silver ingots; to get all these things as well...

Liu Shan's wife also didn't want to let go and began arguing with her husband

"The son is right! Refusing the face given by the master is the greatest taboo for a servant! Besides, this twenty silver ingots is enough to marry off the child and ensure the continuation of the lineage, and it might even leave us some money for crossing the river. Even if the Master only uses our daughter for a while and sends her back in a few years, it's enough for us to support her for a lifetime..."

Liu Shan's wife's meaning was vaguely about trading their daughter for money. How could Liu Shan not know? Among the three unfilial acts, the greatest is having no descendants; he understood this principle. Yet, the bride price for his son's marriage was still unaccounted for. At this thought, the words "selling a daughter" felt like a demonic temptation, leaving him silent.

Liu Ziqiong naturally understood what was happening. Her eyes filled with tears as she remained silent. She knew the family's hardships and knew she was not good-looking; being able to exchange herself for twenty silver ingots was, in a way, doing right by her parents.

"That's not how it is, Sister! Being with the Master is letting you enjoy a life of luxury! It's not like your brother is sending you into a fire pit!" Liu Di was focused on the "heavy rewards" Liu Baiyu had mentioned. But seeing his father making a scene and his sister crying, he felt anxious that the whole thing was about to fall apart.

"Sister, the Master gave you so many things too. It's so dignified, things only a Madam would have!" Liu Di spoke nonsense. As a male servant, how would he know what was in a Madam's room? He was just speaking based on his imagination.

"Look, this whole set of quilts is made of silk. It's so soft and light, it must be so warm!" Liu Di hurriedly presented a silk-cotton quilt sent by Liu Baiyu as if showing off a treasure, forcing it upon his sister.

Touching it over and over, it really was soft and light, and indeed very warm. Liu Ziqiong tested it and found that her brother wasn't bragging this time. Being a child at heart, she couldn't help but break into a smile through her tears.

Liu Shan and his wife gasped. The quilts were made of high-quality silk, which was incredibly valuable. One must know that even the top-grade raw silk exported to Japan by Zheng Zhilong these days would have a yellowish tint. The value of such high-quality silk was absolutely not something a country gentry woman like Madam Zhang could possess.

Seeing that his sister seemed coaxed, Liu Di hurriedly continued to present his treasures, saying with a flattering smile

"Sister, the Master is so good to you. As soon as he heard you liked looking in mirrors, he immediately gave you a copper mirror. This copper mirror is top-grade..."

Top-grade my ass, Liu Di was momentarily choked up. The mirror inside was about the size of a palm and seemed to be silver-plated, reflecting a person's face with perfect clarity. As for the material of the mirror, it seemed to be the "glass" rumored to come from the West, which immediately captivated the mirror-loving young girl, Liu Ziqiong.