Union

Chapter 116 Qiu Ning's Request

With Lei Ting's intervention, the rumors circulating in the county government's backyard quickly vanished.

Of course, it's impossible to completely eliminate it.

But after Lei Ting's reprimand, at least on the surface no one dared to speak ill of their master anymore.

The backyard of the county government office was quiet now, and Yunying could finally lie in bed and recuperate.

Just as the Second Master said, her coccyx was not seriously injured, but it was badly hurt and she needed to rest.

After three or four days, Yunying was able to get out of bed and move around freely. The bruises and swelling around her tailbone gradually subsided, and the affected area was no longer so uncomfortable.

But Yunying was still menstruating.

In the sweltering summer heat, you can imagine how uncomfortable it would be to carry a cloth bag filled with wood ash.

Because she would sweat profusely with any movement, she would not only have to change her clothes but also her menstrual belt, so Yunying became too lazy to move.

Even though her wounds had healed considerably, she still stayed in the house.

On this day, Yunying was lying on the chaise longue reading a storybook when Sui'er led Qiu Ning in.

Seeing how carefree Yunying was, Qiu Ning was incredibly envious.

She wiped the sweat from her brow and said to Yunying, "Of all the places in this county government office, you're the most comfortable."

Yunying put away her storybook, sat up, and handed Qiuning a cup of cold tea. "I didn't wrong you. You can be as comfortable as you want."

"Can I just stay cooped up in the house forever? I'm perfectly healthy. If I'm made to stay cooped up in the house all the time, I'll get sick sooner or later."

Yunying: "Then come out for a walk. Just don't come out when it's hot. You can take a walk in the early morning or late evening, and when it gets hot, you can stay indoors like me. Isn't that comfortable?"

"It's comfortable, but being confined to the yard every day is quite boring."

Yunying paused in her act of pouring tea for herself. She casually placed the teapot aside and quietly watched Qiu Ning, waiting for her to explain her purpose.

When Qiu Ning saw Yun Ying's action, she couldn't help but sigh. No wonder the Second Master liked Yun Ying so much. If she were the Second Master, she would like Yun Ying too.

Yunying is so wonderful.

Thoughtful, considerate, understanding, capable, intelligent, dignified, and composed.

Her only disadvantage was her background; otherwise, she could have been the second master's legal wife.

Qiu Ning said, "Yun Ying, I want to leave the county government."

She untied her purse from her waist and poured out a small pile of loose silver coins.

“This is all my savings. Part of it is from pawning the jewelry I got on the estate. The other part is my monthly allowance that I saved after I came to Yun Gui County. It’s not much in total, only thirty taels. Yun Ying, this is all my possessions. I don’t know if it’s enough to redeem myself.”

Yunying stared at the pile of loose silver on the table for a while.

Thirty taels is neither a lot nor a little.

But this was Qiu Ning's life savings.

Yunying looked away from the broken silver and turned to Qiu Ning.

In fact, she could guess why Qiu Ning wanted to leave the county government.

It's nothing more than the feeling that they'd never see the Second Master again, and that staying in the county office as a useless person was too boring. Rather than living a half-dead life in the backyard, they might as well take a gamble, leave this comfortable nest, and find a way out for themselves.

However, “Qiu Ning, our indenture is not in the Second Master’s hands, but in the Second Madam’s. Even if the Second Master wants to set you free, without the indenture, you are still not free.”

Qiu Ning nodded slightly. "I know that."

"Then you still..."

"It's alright. I'm not planning to leave Yungui County anyway. I just want to leave the county government office and find something to do. I have no intention of leaving your side. I understand the principle of 'it's good to have a big tree to lean on' better than you do. I won't go too far away from you until I have the ability to make a living. What I mean is, I'll take out the money to redeem myself first and ask Second Master to let me go. As for the indenture, I'll be released whenever Second Master gets it back for me."

"Is that what you're planning?"

“Yes.” Qiu Ning nodded. “After thinking it over, I think this is the most comprehensive way. Anyway, I’ll leave the county government office first and find something to do. As for leaving the county government office, it’s not a bad thing to wait. This way, I can use my position as a shield. If anyone dares to bully me in the future, I can just use the fact that I’m from the county government office as a cover, and that will scare those who want to take advantage of me to death.”

"I've made all my plans and decisions. Yunying, please tell the Second Master that I can leave the manor. As for the money to redeem me, that's all I have. I really don't have any more."

Yunying said, "I can go and speak to the Second Master to let you leave. But what do you plan to do after you leave the manor? Also, you said you used all your money to redeem yourself, so what will you eat, use, and live in the future? Qiu Ning, you have to make all the plans before I can plead for you. Otherwise, letting you leave the county office rashly would be harming you."

Qiu Ning said, "I still have ten taels of silver left. Don't say I'm being stingy, Yun Ying. I need to make sure I can support myself for the next two months."

"I don't blame you, please continue."

"Here's what I'm planning to do. The county is currently building roads, so I'm going to find a small courtyard to stay in after I leave the county, and then make some pastries to sell to the officials who are overseeing the construction."

Yunying thought she had misheard. "You... sell pastries?"

"So what? I make a living selling pastries with my own skills, there's nothing shameful about it. It's just that I'm so beautiful, I'm afraid I'll attract attention when I go out, and some people might try to take advantage of me. But they better not have any bad intentions, otherwise, I'm not one to be trifled with."

Yunying covered her forehead. "But Qiuning, your pastries are good, but I don't think they'll sell very well."

"Why? Are the people here too poor? But I'm targeting officials. Don't they have the means to buy these things?"

Yunying: "...Even if they can afford it, they probably can't buy that many in total, right? I feel like you could make more money selling steamed buns and mantou than selling pastries. It's unrealistic to expect you to support yourself by selling pastries."

Qiu Ning wanted to ask, "Why is it unrealistic?"
She's very skilled, and her pastries are excellent. Plus, she's beautiful, so she expected her pastries to be very popular.

However, since Yunying said her idea was unrealistic, there must be a reason for it.

After all, Yunying had been accompanying Second Master around all the time recently, witnessing firsthand the everyday life and customs of the people. She knew far better than anyone else what Yun Gui County was really like and what the people's spending power was like.

She said no, then it must be this kind of business, there's really no profit in it.

Qiu Ning was frustrated. "What can I do? This is the only skill I have. If I can't sell pastries, what other skills do I have to make a living?"

Yunying was also worried about Qiuning, and she couldn't think of any good ideas for a while.

Yunying could only say, "You should go back first. I'll talk to Second Master about your leaving the manor and see if he can find you a good place to go."

"Shall I have Second Master arrange it for me?"

"I'll go ask, but don't get your hopes up too high."

"That's wonderful, Yunying. Here, take all this money. If Second Master thinks the money he gave me to redeem me was too little, please put in a good word for me. I can always make it up to you when I earn more money in the future."

Yunying ignored Qiu Ning's words. She took Qiu Ning's purse and put the pile of loose silver on the table into it. "Hey, Yunying, what are you doing? This silver is for the Second Master, not for you."

"Do you really think of Second Master as such a petty person? You should keep this little bit of money as your private stash. Second Master has plenty of money and doesn't need your meager savings."

"But, but..."

"There's no 'but' about it. Take it back first, and if you need it, I can just cover the cost for you."

"Yun Ying, you're so kind."

Qiu Ning excitedly hugged Yun Ying, wishing she could snuggle up in her arms and act coquettishly.

Yunying felt somewhat apologetic towards Qiuning, but she was genuinely happy that Qiuning was able to leave.

She patted Qiu Ning lightly twice, "It's not certain whether this will work out or not. Let me talk to Second Master first."

"Then go now, Yunying, hurry and go find Second Master."

Yunying had no plans to go looking for the Second Master today, because the series of foolish things she had done before still made her feel suffocated just thinking about them.

That day, she even dared to push the Second Master outside the door and then slammed the door shut right in front of him.

The Second Master didn't hold a grudge against her, but thinking back to her awkward and arrogant self at that time, Yunying still felt uncomfortable.

But Yunying's strength was no match for Qiu Ning.

Qiu Ning used only a fraction of her strength to push Yun Ying out the door.

Yunying was speechless. "At least let me change my clothes."

"No need to change, you look great in what you're wearing. Besides, no matter what you look like, you're beautiful in Second Master's eyes. You should go now, otherwise it'll get even hotter and you'll suffer more. Oh, and the cloak..."

Yunying turned and walked out, saying, "Don't go too far, Qiuning. I already told you it was a misunderstanding."

After Yunying walked away, Qiu Ning's loud laughter came from behind the door.

She knew, of course, that Yunying's miscarriage was just a misunderstanding, but if she didn't say that, Yunying would have been delayed indefinitely.

Now that's all, she only said something taboo, and Yunying immediately turned around and went to the front yard.

Leaving aside Qiu Ning's anxiety and anticipation for the future, let's just say that Yun Ying's pace slowed down as she got closer to the front yard.

Recalling the awkwardness of that day, Yunying really wanted to turn around and go back.

Just as she was about to give up, Second Master and Suiyun turned past a screen wall and came out of the courtyard.

Caught off guard, their eyes met, and they both froze on the spot.

A moment later, Yunying came to her senses and quickly bowed to the Second Master.

Second Master gave Suiyun a few instructions and told him to go ahead and get busy. He then walked up to Yunying and asked, "Why are you here at this hour? Is there something you need?"

Yunying said, "Second Master, may we go inside and talk?"

"can."

Second Master and Yunying walked inside together, and as they walked, Yunying explained the purpose of their visit.

As soon as she finished speaking, Yunying asked the Second Master, "Do you agree to let Qiu Ning leave?"

"Why would I disagree? She's just an idle person in the county government anyway. If she wants to leave, I'll let her go. But..."

"But what?" Yunying asked anxiously.

"However, you have always been close to her. If Qiu Ning leaves the manor, won't you lose someone to talk to? You'll be living alone in the backyard from now on, and you'll probably feel lonely."

Yunying turned her head away. "I'm not that lonely. There are plenty of maids and servants in the backyard. Besides, I'm very busy, okay? I'm either helping Second Master with the accounts or managing the terraced fields. I was originally planning to develop the tea plantation, but now that a gold mine has been discovered there, I can't manage it anymore. But I'll definitely acquire other businesses later, and I might be even busier than Second Master then. If Qiu Ning is left alone in the mansion then, she'll be the one who's truly pitiful."

Yunying then looked at the Second Master, "So, Second Master, please let her leave, okay?"

Second Master said in a hoarse voice, "Okay."

"That ransom money..."

Second Master laughed, glancing at Yunying with a mocking smile, "Who are you trying to embarrass?"

Upon hearing this, Yunying couldn't help but lower her head and chuckle softly, "Then I'll thank Second Master on behalf of Qiu Ning. There's one more thing..."

"what's up?"

"That's right. Qiu Ning is going out, but she doesn't know what she can do after she goes out. I wanted to ask Second Master if you know of any good places for her to go. We're not looking for long-term stability, just to let Qiu Ning have some time to relax. She wants to rent a small courtyard and sell pastries to make a living, but I don't think that idea is realistic."

Second Master really put his mind to it, and after a moment he said, "As for where to go, I actually have one here."

"What do you do? Where are you going to work, Second Master?"

When the Second Master saw Yunying approaching, she looked at him expectantly, her almond-shaped eyes bright and clear, reflecting only his image.

The second master coughed lightly. "I'm planning to collect some dried fish and shrimp and have them transported to the Northwest to sell. This matter was started by the county government, so the person in charge is naturally from the county government. I've already found the person in charge, but now I'm still missing a supervisor."

Yunying's eyes lit up. "Second Master, do you think Qiu Ning can do this?"

"She should be able to do it. Isn't she the most shrewish woman? I heard she even got into a fight for you and tore Mu Jin's clothes to shreds."

Yunying awkwardly touched her nose. This was from the night she fell. The Second Master even knew about this, which showed that there was nothing in the manor that could truly be hidden from his eyes and ears.

However, the job that Second Master mentioned is not bad.

Being a foreman doesn't involve doing rough or heavy work, so it's quite comfortable. However, it inevitably involves dealing with many people and keeping a close eye on whether anyone is embezzling or using inferior materials. In other words, it's a thankless job, but the feisty Qiu Ning is definitely capable of it.

"But are there any women in the place where dried goods are collected?"

"Yes. We will recruit both men and women and provide accommodation. As long as Qiu Ning doesn't mind the dirty work, she can be the supervisor."

It's dirty, isn't it? Places that collect dried goods always smell of fish, so it's bound to be a bit dirty.

But Qiu Ning has always loved beauty...

With this in mind, Yunying did not agree to the matter immediately. Instead, she said to the Second Master, "Then I will go back and ask Qiu Ning what she thinks. If she agrees, I will come back to reply to the Second Master."

(End of this chapter)