Chapter Sixteen: There Are Certainly Benefits to Having You Around

Liang Shanru’s two paternal uncles were brothers born of the same mother, and their family of nine crowded into a small, square courtyard.

Zhou Shen accompanied her but did not get out of the carriage. When Nongyun stepped forward and knocked on the gate, a young girl answered timidly. Upon seeing Liang Shanru behind her, she called softly, “Sister.”

Liang Shanru smiled. “Yue Niang, where is your father?”

She had barely finished speaking when two men emerged from the house together. Seeing her, they hurried to the gate.

The elder brother wore a complicated expression. “Didn’t you say you would come tomorrow?” He hesitated, then told Liang Shanru, “Uncle and the others have come four or five times. Judging by the way they were acting, they seemed to be waiting for you. Now that you’ve come, they will probably find out. Why don’t you go back for now? You insisted on bringing the money yourself, so tomorrow we can…”

“Uncle.” The smile in Liang Shanru’s eyes deepened. There was too much kindness in his words for her to pretend not to notice.

The banknotes had been carefully wrapped in two exquisite purses. Liang Shanru drew them from her sleeve and held them out to him, palm upward. “I’ll deliver the money and leave. I have other matters to attend to later, and I won’t stay for tea today.

“Uncle, when life improves in the future, don’t let them dictate terms to you anymore.”

He sighed and murmured his agreement, accepting the purses from her hand. He did not even invite her inside for a drink of water. Instead, he urged her to leave as quickly as possible.

But it was already too late.

Just as Liang Shanru turned to go, the Old Master Liang who had caused trouble that morning appeared with three or four others, practically surrounding them.

Fortunately, Zhou Shen had been watching the situation. He noticed them at once and got out of the carriage with his men, moving to protect Liang Shanru.

Even the two brothers in the courtyard could no longer remain inside. After telling Liang Yue Niang to return to the house, they opened the gate and strode out, taking their place in front of Liang Shanru.

“Uncle, some things should be left at that. Stop making things difficult for the child.”

Liang Shanru lowered her eyes.

By seniority, he was the Old Master, a clansman and cousin of the Old Marquis. Yet he was shameless in his old age, making him the most hateful of them all.

Old Master Liang shot him a glare. “Who is making things difficult for her?” Then he turned to Liang Shanru. His expression was clearly much gentler than it had been that morning. “Shanru, it isn’t that we want to make things difficult for you. It’s simply that families like ours have relied on the marquis’s household for assistance all these years. Besides, it is a fact that the two of them raised you. You are a good child, but surely you cannot hold a grudge against us.”

What shameless people, Zhou Shen thought, almost laughing from sheer anger.

He was just about to mock them when Liang Shanru gave a soft “Oh.” “You are my elders. I would never dare.”

The more she spoke in that neither-warm-nor-cold tone, the more unbearable Old Master Liang found her words. He called out to her again, awkwardly.

“Since you say that removing your name from the clan register was your father’s dying wish, I don’t see why it cannot be done. I will speak to your father’s elder brother, the Marquis of Changle, on your behalf. As for the accounts you wish to settle, perhaps we should sit down and discuss them slowly?

“How can family accounts ever be calculated clearly?

“Besides, it would not reflect well on you if word got out. Surely the Liang family did not raise you all these years merely so that you could settle accounts with the couple who brought you up?

“Wouldn’t people outside say that you were ungrateful, a heartless wretch?

“You are sixteen and still have not been betrothed. When you begin looking for a husband, most families will reject you if they hear such things about your reputation.

“Still, you are only a child, and the couple do not intend to drive you into ruin. If you truly leave them, then for the sake of preserving your past relationship and each other’s dignity, they could give you some property. That is something we can discuss.”

He was practically scrambling to curry favor, as though she had any need of him.

And according to his proposal, who would be the ones to benefit? Not only the Marquis and his wife, but the Liang clan themselves. There was not the slightest advantage for her.

Feigning surprise, Liang Shanru looked at Old Master Liang in utter confusion. “I don’t understand. Those things were mine by right to begin with. Why would people curse me as a heartless wretch if I reclaimed them?

“Old Master, that isn’t what you said this morning at the marquis’s residence.”

The smile on Old Master Liang’s face finally collapsed. “You child, why are you so impervious to reason?”

His eldest son hurriedly tried to mediate. “Shanru, the matter must be resolved, but in the end, all the clansmen must agree. You see how the marquis refuses to yield. We can mediate between you. Only then will there be room for discussion. Otherwise, if we blindly take the marquis’s side, these accounts will remain muddled. Even if you say you have ledgers, he can simply claim that you forged them. Even if the matter reaches the authorities, it may never be settled clearly.”

He glanced at the two purses and began to complain. “To tell you the truth, what happened between you and the marquis has little to do with us. But we have no choice. Life has been hard these years. Each year, the marquis’s household gives us a hundred or so ounces of silver. Without that money, we would not know how to survive.

“Have some pity on us too, Shanru.”

If Liang Shanru had not warned him beforehand, Zhou Shen would have punched every one of these bastards into the street.

What kind of human speech was this? Before, when the girl had not produced two thousand ounces of silver, they had sided entirely with the Marquis of Changle. Now that they saw they could gain even more from Shanru than they received from the marquis’s household, they had turned around and begun spouting this nonsense.

It would have been one thing if they had truly chosen to support the child. But they also wanted to persuade Shanru to let bygones be bygones. In the end, they meant to offend neither side: take benefits from Shanru, then continue demanding silver from the Marquis of Changle in the future.

Such conduct was enough to disgust anyone who looked at them for even a moment.

Fearing that Zhou Shen might lose control, Liang Shanru tugged lightly at his sleeve before stepping forward.

“I understand what you mean. Mediation is not impossible. Every bit of my mother’s dowry must be returned to me. As for what my father received, I can negotiate with the Marquis of Changle. If no more than half is returned, I will accept it, and I certainly will not forget the favor you have done me.”

Old Master Liang’s face lit up. His son was even more delighted, nodding repeatedly.

“I knew Shanru was the most sensible child. Good, good!”

He was even impatient to act. “Are you going to the marquis’s residence now? We will go with you. Let us settle the matter today! I can see that you do not wish to remain there any longer, so why don’t we simply…”

“I have other matters to attend to today. We can wait a few days.” Liang Shanru rejected him coldly. “The marquis’s wife has fallen ill. Nothing can be negotiated at present. In a few days, I will send someone to invite you all. Once the matter is settled, we can discuss everything else.”

“Good, good, we will do as you say!” He immediately stepped aside and cleared the way. “Since you have business to attend to, we will not delay you and Lord Zhou. Go on, go on!”

“Shanru, you…”

Once Liang Shanru made her position clear, even her two paternal uncles could no longer bear to watch. They called after her, wanting to stop her.

She turned back with a smile and gave the slightest shake of her head. “I truly do have business to attend to today. Uncles, there is no need to see me out. Go back. I know what I am doing.”

The two brothers exchanged a glance. Though they understood only part of the situation, they still nodded at her and held their tongues.