Chapter 2, The Mischievous Liu Jing

Liu Jing looked at her mother's noticeably brightened eyes and understood in her heart that her mother had regained her confidence

Yes, my dear!

Yes

Looking at her younger sister's fair and tender appearance, Liu Jing forced a smile and said in a low voice: "Xuan'er, elder brother has something to attend to, so you can play by yourself."

Liu Wenjing, no, Liu Jingying's mother, whose hair at the temples had turned almost completely white overnight, said in a hoarse voice: "Mother, rest assured. In three months, I will surely find a way!"

Reflecting on the past and considering the current situation of the Liu family, Liu Mu could not help but think: A Jing's intelligence far surpasses that of her half-brother; perhaps she truly has a way to resolve this predicament of the Liu family

Though the voice is soft, it is resolute and unwavering

He is speaking the truth

Liu Jing looked at her mother with a pale face and said firmly through gritted teeth: "Mother, I am not suffering!"

As soon as Liu Mu and Liu Wenjing entered the room, they tightly closed the door. Then, she swiftly turned her head to look at Liu Wenjing. Under her gaze, Liu Wenjing fell to his knees with a thud.

Uncle Wang said anxiously: "Second Aunt, how can this be? This concerns your entire life; it cannot be treated so hastily"

Upon leaving the Liu residence, he exhaled a breath of foul air and thought to himself with satisfaction: The young man from the Liu family is not that impressive; I asked for 1,000 taels of gold, and he didn't even utter a word!

As the crowd of young people swarmed into the Liu residence looking for a place to rest, Liu Jing lowered her head, lost in thought in the garden of the Liu residence

Before she could finish speaking, Uncle Wang smiled wryly and said, "Second sister-in-law, if the Gu family could offer assistance, the master would not have to approach the likes of Zhao Xuan and other powerful figures."

Liu Mu took two steps back, slowly collapsing onto the couch, and choked out: "Jing'er, how wonderful it would be if your elder brother really returned"

He sighed deeply, nodded, and then tucked the document into his bosom, saying, "Do not worry, my dear niece." Liu Jing, seeing his agreement, happily nodded in response, and then instructed, "There are ears on the other side of the wall, call me, my husband!"

Liu Mu slowly raised her head

After all the creditors had left completely, the hoarse voice of Liu's mother came through, "Wenjing, come in with your mother"

Liu Jing said with a bitter smile: "Uncle, the urgent matter at hand is to gather the money to repay the debt and then rescue my father... If we can raise five hundred gold from the Gu family, it may alleviate our immediate difficulties"

Liu Mu glared at Liu Jing with her red, furious eyes

It was only after that incident that Liu's mother and father resolutely decided to discipline their daughter. Over the past few years, Liu Jing's character has gradually become gentle and proper, and her demeanor has shown a resemblance to Ban Zhao, which has finally reassured the adults.

Uncle Wang was momentarily at a loss for words

Meeting his gaze, the burly man could not help but think: these educated individuals truly possess a brightness in their eyes that is disconcerting. With this thought, he glanced again at the two rows of people in green behind Liu Wenjing and called out in a coarse voice: "You are quite straightforward! Fine, within three months, if you can produce one thousand taels of gold to settle this matter, your Liu residence will still be the esteemed guest of my family Zhao Jun; otherwise!" He let out a heavy snort, flicked his sleeve, and left with the group of ruffians. He had no choice but to leave; the male members of the Liu family had returned and had straightforwardly accepted the debt. At this moment, if he were to entangle himself further, it would be unreasonable no matter how one looked at it. It should be noted that they were merely ruffians putting on a show in Yanghe County, not even a proper wandering hero. Moreover, judging by Liu Wenjing's demeanor, he seemed to be no ordinary person.

Having said that, she ignored her mother's expression, which was both pained and relieved, and slowly withdrew.

Once she said this, Uncle Wang understood the implied meaning behind her words. Given that the situation had reached this point, it was fortunate to be able to gather the money; there was no longer room for so many concerns

Having said that, she paid no attention to the sulking little girl with a pouting mouth and turned to walk towards Uncle Wang, who was not far away

At that moment, a sound of footsteps approached, followed by the cautious voice of the little sister Liu Xuan from behind, "Elder brother, are you my elder brother?" When Liu Jing turned to look at her, the little girl pouted and, with her sparkling big eyes, said in a crisp voice, "But elder brother, you seem to resemble my second sister."

Just by mentioning this, Liu Mu has already recalled the mischief of her daughter from years ago. She remembers the year when her daughter offended the ninth son of the Deng family, which led them to flee their hometown overnight. On the way, they encountered Gu Gong, an old friend of her husband. As a county magistrate, Gu Gong had strict family teachings and a reputable family background. Moreover, Gu Gong had a son whose talents and appearance were well-matched with Liu Jing.

However, they did not anticipate that while several adults were discussing the betrothal of the two young children, on the other side, Liu Jing was playfully teasing Gu Jia Er Lang, who admired her and always followed her. She first lured Gu Jia Er Lang into a bandit den, and then she went to rescue the hero... The situation was indeed both amusing and exasperating; those bandits truly fell for Liu Jing's strategy of drawing the tiger away from its den, and she successfully brought Gu Jia Er Lang back. At that time, the Gu family was unaware that this was all the work of Liu family's little aunt, and Gu Gong even praised Liu Jing's quick wit. Days later, Liu Jing dug another pit and tricked Gu Jia Er Lang into falling into it, leaving him hungry for a day. Then she pretended to have searched hard for him and even jumped into the pit to keep him company for a night until the adults arrived to rescue them... As a result, this process was witnessed by passersby and was exposed... If it weren't for Liu Jing's mischievousness back then, how could she have reached the age of sixteen without the Gu family coming to propose marriage?

At this moment, Liu Wenjing turned to the burly man, his gaze clear and focused as he earnestly asked, "What are your thoughts, sir?"

Liu Jing lowered her gaze and said softly, "I know they will not agree... After they take a few days to find words to delay, you can present this marriage certificate and say that if the Gu family can offer five hundred gold, the Liu family is willing to dissolve the engagement. Uncle, remember, at the very least, the Gu residence must also provide three hundred gold before you return this document to them." After saying this, she took out the Gu family's token of affection and handed it to Uncle Wang.

As soon as she stepped out of the door, Liu's mother heard her daughter say in a subdued voice: "Everyone, please rest well for the night, and we shall set off in the morning"

Liu Jing nodded, took out a document from her bosom, and handed it to Uncle Wang. After carefully glancing around, she turned to Uncle Wang and said earnestly: "This is the marriage certificate between me and the Gu family’s young master. You should hurry to Poyang County and report the events that occurred at the Liu residence to the Gu family. Then, borrow one thousand five hundred gold from the Gu family..."

Seeing her daughter so gentle and docile, Mother Liu sighed and murmured: "The events of the past are long gone. In any case, you will never go to the capital in your lifetime, and you will not meet the Ninth Young Master of the Deng family, so there is no need to worry about it."

She walked in front of her mother, slowly knelt down, placed her hands on her mother's knees, and looked up at her mother, who had aged more than ten years in just two or three days. She softly said, "Mother, you must believe in Jing'er." Seeing her mother still crying incessantly, Liu Jing gently whispered, "Mother, do you not believe in your child's abilities? Have you forgotten that when I was eleven, I played chess against the ninth son of the Deng family and defeated him ten times in a row? Then I competed with him in poetry and literature, leaving him utterly defeated..."

After a moment, he hesitantly said: "Then, madam, are you aware of this matter?"

Liu Jing looked up at him and said bitterly, "Uncle... I am nearly seventeen, and it has been almost a year since I came of age. The Gu family has never mentioned marriage. What is the point of keeping such matters?"

Through her tear-filled eyes, she looked at her daughter, who had applied something to her face, making her skin noticeably darker and coarser, with altered features. She then glanced at her daughter's boots, which were filled with dirt and had been elevated by one or two inches with some kind of padding inside. Unable to contain herself, she began to cry uncontrollably, "My child, you have suffered..."

Striding up to Uncle Wang, who was tidying up the messy yard, Liu Jing called out: "Uncle Wang"

At that moment, she stood up, deeply bowed to Liu's mother, and said softly: "Mother, A-Jing is unfilial. A-Jing has taken the ancestral jade from you and exchanged it for fifty taels of gold. Among them, ten taels were used by me to hire these twenty rascals from outside in Wu County... Mother, rest assured, once I repay the debt, I will definitely redeem that jade!"

The grandeur of Liu Wenjing is striking, exuding an air of luxury. At this moment, upon meeting, he readily and decisively agrees to repay his debts. In an era where Confucian values are predominant and promises and integrity are still revered, the moment this man speaks, the creditors almost simultaneously breathe a sigh of relief.

It is better for Liu Jing not to mention this matter; however, once it is brought up, Liu's mother still harbors anger to this day. At that moment, she wiped away her tears and scolded in a choked voice: "You scoundrel, how dare you even mention the Ninth Son of the Deng family! You relied on a bit of cleverness to defeat him, and that would have been enough, but you still dare to boast and shamelessly insult the legitimate son of the Deng family from Nanyang. If it weren't for your father discovering the identity of that Ninth Son of Deng, we would have lost our family business, and our whole family would have fled on a boat overnight, you..."

Uncle Wang was aware of her identity and quickly called out in a low voice: "Second sister-in-law, are you calling me?"

Yes. The young gentleman is a straightforward person; he will follow your arrangements.

Seeing this, Liu Jing quickly lowered her head in shame