My whole family sucked my blood; after being reborn, the little cook went on a killing spree.

"You're smart to know what's good for you!"

Feng Shi waved his hand, and immediately someone brought over a whip.

Lin Mao's face was covered in tears and snot as he struggled desperately, but he was no match for the burly man executing him and was eventually tied up. "Wan Ning, please save my uncle! I... I'll pay more compensation, I have money, please don't hit me!"

Yuwei wrote in her letter that this girl had a full three hundred taels in her bundle, and another two hundred taels close to her body! All this silver belonged to him!

"Uncle, this is the punishment you deserve. How can I save you?"

Su Wanning looked troubled.

"what!"

With one lash, Lin Mao winced in pain, not daring to curse Feng Shi, but venting his anger on Su Wan Ning, yelling, "You ungrateful wretch! If it weren't for me, you'd be dead already! Now you're watching me get whipped... Ah!"

After a few lashes, Lin Mao was unable to curse anymore.

These few words were enough to make everyone feel sorry for Su Wan Ning. "Good girl, this is not your fault, don't cry."

Su Wan Ning seemed to be trying her best to hold back her tears, her eyes were red, and she stared at Lin Mao without blinking.

"Madam Su, don't worry, the Li family knows what they're doing and won't really kill him."

Cui Niu felt that Lin Mao was ungrateful and that he was the one who was ungrateful.

"Um."

Su Wanning nodded, feeling a mix of emotions she couldn't quite describe.

Lin Mao was covered in blood from being whipped, which dripped onto the ground. The executioner was indeed skilled, whipping him until he was dizzy and then waking up, only to be dizzy again, while he kept groaning in pain.

A gust of wind blew by, and the pink and white crabapple blossoms swirled and fell on Lin Mao.

Su Wanning thought the scene was exceptionally beautiful.

When I was beaten to death in my past life, were these people also looking down on me and admiring me?

The hatred in my heart was not relieved much; on the contrary, it was as if a hole had been suddenly torn open, and it was surging out even more fiercely.

She watched the entire performance quietly.

Just after the twenty lashes were finished, Li and Lin Jiabao arrived.

Seeing Lin Mao's miserable state, Li glared at Su Wan Ning, "Didn't I tell you to save your uncle? What's wrong with you?!"

"I don't have that kind of ability."

Su Wanning lowered her head, clutching the hem of her clothes.

Lin Mao, barely holding on, urged Li, "Hurry up and take the money."

"I……"

Li was being watched by everyone, and cold sweat poured down her face.

She found Lin Jiabao, and the two of them didn't even think about raising money. They figured they could just delay for a few days, find Zhao the镖头 (bodyguard), get Su Wan Ning's bundle, and then they would have the money to redeem her.

She quickly pleaded with Steward Feng, crying, "Please, grant me a few more days..."

"What do you take me for? You're always trying to give me less, and you're always picking and choosing not to go to the mine. I made it very clear just now, if you're short even an ounce, I'll whip you."

Feng Shi was impatient to hear her pleas. "Hurry up and give me how much money you have."

Cui Niu hurriedly told Li Shi what had just happened. He then asked her if she could bring seventy taels even if she didn't have enough for one hundred and fifty taels.

But to everyone's surprise, Li was dumbfounded, "Seventy taels? I... I don't have that much either."

Lin Mao was also dumbfounded. How could there be none? Did Chief Escort Zhao dare to embezzle the silver in the bundle?

Not even an ounce?

Feng Shi was so angry he laughed. He looked at Su Wan Ning and said, "You don't want to compensate me a single penny?"

Su Wan Ning asked curiously, "Aunt, I send all my monthly allowance to you, and it should amount to seventy or eighty taels by now. What happened to the rest of the money?"

Like Lin Yuwei, she received the same monthly allowance. Lin Yuwei's allowance was used to cover expenses in the palace, while hers was all sent back to the Lin family.

After hearing those discussions today, I realized that everyone thought it was Lin Yuwei who sent the money! She didn't benefit from Lin Yuwei's connections at all while in the palace; instead, she wasted her hard-earned money and let Lin Yuwei take the blame for being filial.

She needs to make this clear.

Before Li could answer, she suddenly spoke up, "You used my money to build a new house and buy clothes and jewelry? That's alright, it's all my own money to support you anyway. But if I'm short even a tael today, I'll get a lash; if I'm short even a tael tomorrow, I'll get two lashes! You'd better hurry up and save the money."

"..."

There's no need to do that.

However, Feng Shi didn't want to lose face, "Yes! That's it! Men, beat them up!"

He then directed someone to fetch paper and pen to write an IOU.

Li and Lin Jiabao dared not delay any longer, nor did they dare to plead for mercy. They took out all the silver they had, and only managed to scrape together seventeen taels. Feng Shi didn't want to really kill anyone, and after beating Lin Mao half to death, he locked him up. The rest of the silver had to be delivered before dark the next day.

As soon as the three left the manor, Lin Jiabao questioned Su Wanning, "Did you do this on purpose?"

"What does my cousin mean by that?"

Su Wanning was puzzled.

"You'd be better off sending my dad to the mines than having him whipped! We can just bribe them with some silver to ransom him!"

Lin Jiabao felt that Su Wanning's trip to the Li family was completely useless and even caused his father to get beaten.

"It was your father who did wrong, and it was Steward Feng who ordered the whipping. What does that have to do with me? Besides, you can't even afford seventy taels, yet you expect to have money to ransom someone from the mine? Where are you going to find the silver?"

The price difference between selling someone to a mine and redeeming them from a mine can be tenfold.

Su Wanning stared at him.

Lin Jiabao's lips trembled twice, and he couldn't answer a single question.

Wiping away her tears, Li finally couldn't hold back and asked, "Where's Chief Escort Zhao? Shouldn't he be taking you back to the village?"

"Does your aunt really want to see him?"

A married man wanting to see another man—that's a really hurtful thing to say.

Li waved her hands repeatedly, "I'm just asking, what exactly happened on your journey? Why didn't you two come back together?"

"I'm tired, Auntie, you should hurry back and raise the money."

Su Wan Ning ignored them and walked quickly.

She was really hungry. She had wanted Li to make her wontons, but now that was the case, she couldn't have any. She might as well go find Aunt Wang instead.

When they arrived at the Lin family's door, Little Luobo, clutching her things, squatted down at the entrance, almost crying as she waited. "Sister, I thought you didn't want these anymore."

"Come on, let's eat at your place."

Su Wanning took the basket of elm seeds and headed straight for Wang Chunxiu's house.

Hearing that she hadn't eaten yet, Wang Chunxiu exclaimed how terrible it was. She didn't have to provide the ingredients herself; it was just a little effort. She then hurriedly started kneading dough, washing vegetables, and making wontons.

Li and Lin Jiabao didn't care where Su Wan Ning had gone. As soon as they got home, they hurriedly gathered money to pay the bill and bring her back for treatment. With such severe injuries, she might die if they were delayed even a day.

They also wanted to know where Zhao the镖头 (bodyguard) had gone!

Lin Mao, who was locked up, was also confused and angry. One moment he thought that Zhao Biaotou had run away with the money, and the next he thought that Li Shi didn't want him to go back and was holding onto the money and refusing to hand it over. But he couldn't figure it out and was completely confused.

After calming down, Feng Shi broke out in a cold sweat.

He considered himself not an impulsive person, but today he felt like he was being led by the nose.

After much deliberation, he secretly sent a message that he needed to meet with his master as soon as possible.