Traveling to ancient times, with space

Chapter 4 Deception

"Second Uncle, think about it carefully. My father is gone, and even my mother has run away."

Once I get married, who else in this village can I be close to besides my second uncle's family?

"Are you suggesting I go find my uncle's family, who are similar to the son-in-law who moved in with his wife's family?" Su Yue asked calmly.

When Uncle Su heard what Su Yue said, it seemed to make sense, but it also seemed not to. He opened his mouth as if to say something.

Su Yue wouldn't give him a chance to speak and interrupted him directly.

"Second Uncle, I thought to myself, if I marry into this family, I'll live a good life. Why would I disagree? So many people outside would kill for such a good thing. How could I not agree?"

"But how could you not take this opportunity to build a good relationship with my second aunt these next few days, so I'd have a reason to help you out later!"

Aunt Su was in so much pain that she couldn't hear anything clearly, except that the brat agreed to be sold.

"You brat, are you serious? You agree?"

Upon hearing this, Su Yue noticed that her second aunt was calling her "that brat" repeatedly.

He picked up the carrying pole that she had thrown on the ground and slapped Aunt Su twice.

Aunt Su clutched the spot where she had been hit, wincing and crying out, "Ouch, ouch, Xiaoyue, Auntie was wrong, Auntie misspoke, I'll never scold you again."

Su Yue sat back down on the stool and snorted coldly, then continued, "Second Aunt, you'd better watch your mouth, or it won't be as simple as getting a beating later."

And you guys, before I get married, you all have to share the chores in this house. You can't always rely on me, a girl who's about to get married!

Besides, I'm going to marry into a wealthy family in town. If they see how thin and small I am, how will they look up to me? How will I be able to help you then?

If I feed and care for her well these next few days, she'll look better after the wedding. This will make my second uncle and aunt proud.

If I get better, I might be able to conceive a child before that old man dies. You are my maternal family, so the child will all belong to you.

Second Uncle, Second Aunt, think about it, is this right or wrong?

The Su family, having been beaten by Su Yue, were completely bewildered. Naturally, they followed Su Yue's lead and began to imagine things, and surprisingly, they actually believed it to be true.

Su Dabao was educated; how could he be fooled by Su Yue's few words?

"Mother, you mustn't be fooled by Su Yue. How could she possibly help us?"

"Oh dear! Big brother, you're wrong about that. We're all family. If I get bullied outside, I'll need you guys to stand up for me."

When I get married, I'll find a way to let my older cousin continue his studies. Does he not want to study anymore?

"I'm doing this all for your own good!" Su Yue pinched her brow and rolled her eyes at Su Dabao.

He then stood up, patted his tattered coat, and said to Aunt Su lying on the ground, "Aunt Su, look how tattered my clothes are. They're worse than those of a beggar in town. You're getting married in a few days. What will people think of you and Uncle Su, the orphans who abused your siblings?"

With such a reputation, how will my eldest cousin ever pass the civil service exam? He'll just become a laughingstock. Second Uncle, don't you agree?

Aunt Su was too weak to argue after being beaten, but when she heard that it would affect her eldest son's reputation, she didn't care about anything else and just nodded: "Yes, yes, Xiaoyue is right."

Scholars value their reputation most, and Su Yue knew that her second uncle's family wouldn't dare to gamble.

"Then Second Aunt, please take out some silver so I can go to town to have a couple of decent clothes and jewelry made. On my wedding day, I won't be looked down upon, and I can help out my family in the future." Su Yue twirled the carrying pole in her hand.

When Aunt Su heard that she was going to give money to this wretched girl, she wanted nothing more than to snatch the carrying pole and beat Su Yue to death.

But she had long been beaten by Su Yue and had no strength to fight back, so she could only endure the pain and stand up, kicking Su Ershu who was lying on the ground, signaling him to follow.

Fearing that this action would anger Su Yue, he turned around and grinned at his swollen face, saying, "Your second uncle has kept all that money. I'll go with him to get it for you."

Su Yue didn't care about her aunt's little scheme.

The two men who went in to get the money began whispering to each other as soon as they entered the house and closed the door.

"Honey, this wretched girl seems to be possessed by a ghost today, and she's even stronger than before. Don't tell me she really is possessed by a ghost."

"What should I do? I'm in sore all over from her beating, should I still take the money?" Aunt Su said softly, rubbing her aching back.

Uncle Su was still a little scared as he thought about his wife's words and wondered if Su Yue, that brat, was really possessed by a ghost.

"It really does seem like she's possessed by a ghost. Give her some money to appease her, and I'll make an excuse to go out and ask the shaman from the next village to come and catch her."

Aunt Su counted out fifty copper coins from the money jar, saying, "Boss, if we give the money to that brat, will she run away? If she does, our promised ten taels of silver will be wasted."

Uncle Su gave Aunt Su a reassuring look and said, "Don't worry, that brat won't run away. Don't forget that her household registration is here. Without it, where would she run off to?"

Even if she runs away, it doesn't matter. Since she doesn't have a registered residence, the authorities will investigate, and she'll eventually be sent back.

Aunt Su was relieved to hear this. She took fifty copper coins and went out, put them on the dining table, and quickly moved far away from Su Yue, afraid that Su Yue, who was possessed by a ghost, might take a dislike to her and beat her up.

Su Yue glanced at the copper coins on the table, tapped the table with her carrying pole, and said coldly, "Second Aunt, it seems I wasn't clear enough just now. These few copper coins are for beggars!"

It seems my second aunt still wants to experience the feeling of carrying things on a shoulder pole again.

Aunt Su was apprehensive when she saw Su Yue holding the flat board, but she was unwilling to give the girl any more money!

Before, she was the one who beat this brat, but now it's the other way around. She's been beaten so badly that her whole body aches, and even her most precious eldest son has been beaten.

“Moon! As you know, your eldest cousin needs a lot of money for his studies, and our family doesn’t have much money.”

"Look, use these for now. Your second uncle will give you more when he gets paid for his work for someone else." Aunt Su's voice trembled as she spoke.

Thinking to myself, if I can manage to get away with it, I'll save some money.

"Really? Second Aunt, I heard everything you and Second Uncle said yesterday. They gave a tael of silver as a deposit. You think I went easy on you with these few copper coins?" Su Yuecai wasn't going to tolerate her Second Aunt's behavior and bluntly stated it.

Aunt Su was really afraid that the possessed girl would beat her to death, so she went back into the house, took out half a string of copper coins from the jar, and placed them in front of Su Yue in a flattering manner.

Su Yue knew that if she pressed further, her second aunt wouldn't be able to come up with much more.

He took the half-finished copper coins from Aunt Su's hand, put them in his pocket, and then swept all the copper coins off the table.

She dropped the carrying pole in her hand and walked out of the courtyard, intending to go to town to meet the wealthy family who wanted to buy her.

Just as she was about to leave the courtyard, Su Yue turned back and said to the group of people who had just helped each other up, "Second Uncle, Second Aunt, we can buy these clothes. I don't want to stay there again when I come back later!"

Su Yue pointed to the dilapidated shed, then to the best house in the Su family home.