Chapter 338: Happiness and Fortune

Translator: CokeZero Editor: Rainystars

Liu Laidi’s crying became louder, “Thank you, Lady Lu. Thank you for saving our lives.”

Lu Jiao gestured for Feng Zhi to take her out first and find her some clean clothes and tidy herself up.

Feng Zhi agreed and led her out, while Lu Jiao and Xie Yunjin spoke behind them, “Seeing her made me realize how difficult it is for a woman to survive outside.”

Xie Yunjin’s eyes brightened and he turned to Lu Jiao. He considered asking her if she would consider not going through with the divorce now that she knew how difficult the outside world was.

However, Lu Jiao added another sentence at the last second, “But I don’t think anything can be too difficult for me.”

Xie Yunjin’s eyes dimmed immediately, and it seemed like he had to keep trying.

The next day, Lu Jiao asked Lu Gui to bring money to Luo Xinwu’s house to get

Luo Xiaoya out. No matter how much money the Luo family demanded, they had to get her out and get the signatures of Luo’s parents as proof of agreement.

In the afternoon, Lu Gui took Luo Xiaoya out of the Luo family, but the Luo family demanded thirty taels of silver at once. Lu Gui had been trained well and was proficient in bargaining, so he managed to buy Luo Xiaoya for twenty taels of silver and obtained the signatures of Luo Xiaoya’s grandparents.

Luo Xiaoya was only seven years old, but she looked even younger due to lack of food and from doing chores all year round.

Seeing her daughter like this, Liu Laidi cried even harder. Actually, she had wanted to take her daughter out of the Luo family before, but the elders of the Luo family refused to let her, given that Luo Xiaoya was old enough to do chores.

“Xiaoya, it’s all mother’s fault. Mother should have taken you away earlier.”

Luo Xiaoya was delighted to see her mother and hugged her tightly, “Mom, don’t leave me. I’ll work harder and eat less. I’ll listen to you in the future.

Please don’t leave me.”

Liu Laidi cried even harder, and in the main hall, Feng Zhi’s eyes turned red as well. Lu Jiao didn’t stop the mother and daughter from crying. After all, it was good to let out all the frustration in their hearts.

After a while, Liu Laidi and Luo Xiaoya finally stopped crying. Liu Laidi held Luo Xiaoya’s hand and announced in a serious manner, “Xiaoya, you were able to leave the Luo family because Lady Lu saved you. We have to repay her kindness and serve her with all our hearts in the future, do you understand?”

Luo Xiaoya was already seven years old and was sensible. She immediately nodded obediently, “I understand, mom.”

Liu Laidi held Luo Xiaoya’s hand and knelt down to thank Lu Jiao, “Thank you.”

It cost twenty taels of silver to get Luo Xiaoya out of the Luo family. In fact, no ordinary family would agree to buy a servant girl who was so young and small, let alone for twenty taels of silver. Liu Laidi was even more grateful to Lu Jiao and secretly vowed to serve her with all her heart in the future.

Liu Jiao gestured for her and her daughter to stand up and said, “I’ll give you new names. From now onwards, there will be no more Liu Laidi or Luo Xiaoya.” Liu Laidi and Luo Xiaoya were eager to leave their past behind and immediately nodded in agreement. “Please give us new names, madam.”

After thinking for a moment, Liu Jiao said, “Liu Laidi will be called Liu An, may you have peace and happiness for the rest of your life. Luo Xiaoya will be called Liu Fu, may you have good fortune for the rest of your life.”

Liu Laidi, no, Liu An, was delighted and immediately kneeled down, “Thank you for giving us new names, Lady Lu.”

After she finished, she had her daughter Liu Fu kowtow to Liu Jiao.

Liu Fu happily kowtowed to Liu Jiao. She didn’t have a name before, but now she had a beautiful name that meant good fortune for the rest of her life. This was wonderful news.

Liu Jiao looked at the mother and daughter and said, “Liu An, come and leave your fingerprint here. Later, I will have Lu Gui go to the county government to change your registration.”

Liu Jiao continued seriously, “Liu An, it’s not that I want you to become a servant. But if you don’t become one, you can’t live in our family. I can’t let someone who’s not a member of my family live in my house. Even though you would be a servant by title, I consider you my family once you enter my house. It’s just that being a servant doesn’t sound good. You can think about it a bit more.

If you don’t want to become a servant, I can arrange something else for you.”

As soon as Liu Jiao finished speaking, Liu An became uneasy. She darted her gaze toward Liu Jiao and said quickly, “Lady Lu, I’ll leave my fingerprint. Please don’t cast us out.”

Liu Fu also became uneasy and looked at Liu Jiao cautiously. Liu Jiao couldn’t say anything else. She quickly took out the contract and had Liu An and Liu Fu leave their fingerprints. She then said to the mother and daughter, “From now on, you will work with Aunt Qiu and Feng Zhi in the back courtyard and do whatever work needs to be done.”

“Yes, we understand.”

The mother and daughter left happily. Liu Jiao put away the contract and indicated to Feng Zhi to take the daughter and mother and make arrangements.

She took the contract to the front courtyard and told Lu Gui to go to the government office to change their registration and to register the mother and daughter under their family name.

Lu Gui quickly responded, “Actually, they are quite well off staying with us. Sister, you don’t know how despicable the Luo family can be. Lady Liu wouldn’t have had a good life if she had gone back. She might have been tortured to death by them.”

Lu Jiao glanced at Lu Gui and reminded him, “I changed their names. From now on, Liu Laidi will be called Liu An, and her daughter will be called Liu Fu.”

“Oh, I see.”

Lu Gui took the contract and left to take care of the matter.

Lu Jiao turned around and glanced at the little ones studying in the adjacent room. Lady Liu was attending a music lesson, and she briefly played a tune on the piano to let the little ones experience music.

That evening, Lu Jiao instructed aunt Hua to prepare two more dishes to celebrate the addition of two new members to the family.

The servants of the Xie family soon learned about it. Two new members, Liu An and Liu Fu, had joined the household.

The mother and daughter enjoyed the atmosphere of the Xie family’s front courtyard for the first time while having dinner with the servants. Everyone was friendly and took good care of them.

Aunt Qiu and Uncle Wen advised them that everyone would encounter setbacks in life and that they should not dwell on them. They should live happily.

Liu An and Liu Fu finally felt at ease in the Xie household.

The front courtyard was lively, and so was the back courtyard, mainly because the four little ones were curious. They used to call Liu An “Aunt Liu,” but now, all of a sudden, she had become their servant. Another little girl named Liu Fu had also joined the household.

“Mommy, why do they have to stay in our house as servants?”

The First Born looked confused. Aren’t servants considered a poor title? Why did Aunt Liu have to bring her daughter and stay in the Xie household as a servant?

Lushao explained to the four little ones in a serious tone, “Because Aunt Liu’s husband has died, and she, a woman with a daughter, would be bullied if she went out to make a living. So she had to sell herself to our family as a servant. Please be friendly to them in the future.”

The four little ones immediately nodded and said, “Don’t worry, mommy. We won’t bully them.”

As soon as they finished speaking, Lu Gui hurriedly walked in and reported, “Sister, something bad has happened. Brother-in-law is injured..”