The villagers, unaware of the Shen family's reactions at the back of the crowd, lowered their heads in fear upon hearing that spreading rumors would be punished.
When they had heard that Li Yue Shu was taken to the county yamen, they had all participated in discussing such matters.
Li Yue Shu observed their reactions, a hint of sarcasm in her eyes.
She believed that if she had insisted, Steward Li would have genuinely gone to the county yamen to summon people.
However, she saw no need to waste her energy on such trivial matters.
She smiled faintly, "These are just trivial matters of loose tongues, no need to trouble the county magistrate."
Upon hearing this, all the villagers breathed a sigh of relief. Some kind-hearted ones even felt a pang of guilt.
The lady was so magnanimous and benevolent; it was truly wrong of them to have harbored such malicious thoughts about her before.
Steward Li, who had been watching everything with a smile, naturally noticed the reactions of others.
He looked at Li Yue Shu, whose expression had remained unchanged from beginning to end, and a deep contemplation formed in his heart.
This woman could never be a simple village woman.
With such insight and composure, even the young ladies of the Li mansion did not possess it.
His eyes narrowed further as he smiled, "Madam Shen is indeed benevolent and kind-hearted."
Li Yue Shu smiled faintly and did not beat around the bush, "Earlier, inside, I seemed to hear that Steward Li was here to deliver a deed of sale today?"
Steward Li instantly understood her meaning. He fumbled in his embrace and produced a neatly folded paper. He handed it over with both hands, "This is the deed of sale, Madam Shen, please take a look."
Li Yue Shu had handled quite a few deeds of sale and could naturally discern the genuine from the fake.
After confirming its authenticity, she pretended to adjust her sleeves, but instead, she tossed it into her spatial dimension.
"Thank you for making the trip, Steward Li. The weather is cold recently, and the journey is long. It gets dark quickly, so I won't keep you."
With that, Li Yue Shu gazed at him with a faint smile, her intent to see him off being very clear.
Steward Li remained all smiles, showing no signs of anger.
"Then I shall not disturb Madam Shen further." He clasped his hands in a salute and smiled, "I wish Madam Shen a peaceful New Year and all the best in advance."
Li Yue Shu also clasped her hands, "Thank you."
Her attitude was somewhat distant, but Steward Li showed no offense. He turned to leave with a cheerful smile.
Watching the carriage gradually disappear at the end of the main road, the smile on Li Yue Shu's face slowly faded.
For a mere deed of sale, the steward of the Li mansion had personally made a trip, and even tolerated her proud and distant demeanor with a smile. Could it all be because of Old Master Xu's letter?
If there were no other hidden reasons, then the division of social status in this world was perhaps more severe than she had imagined.
Li Yue Shu sighed and, ignoring the hesitant gazes of the villagers, turned and reopened the large gate.
Shen Wei, hearing her sigh, turned to look at the receding carriage. A flash of darkness crossed his eyes.
As Li Yue Shu pushed the door open, she saw everyone emerging from the house, anxiously surrounding the entrance.
Mother Mo stepped forward nervously, "Madam, did they trouble you?"
Li Yue Shu smiled gently and shook her head, "Don't worry, they truly came to deliver the deed of sale."
As she spoke, she turned to look at Shen Can and said, "Second Sister, I'd like to have a private chat with you."
Shen Can suddenly became nervous, her fingers twisting restlessly. She followed Li Yue Shu into the house.
Closing the door, Li Yue Shu directly sat on a stool nearby. As she looked up, she saw Shen Can standing ramrod straight.
She paused slightly, guessing the reason for Shen Can's sudden stiffness.
"Sit down and let's talk," she said, gesturing to the stool beside her.
Shen Can did not refuse, but after sitting down, she remained very tense.
Li Yue Shu felt helpless but said nothing, "You must have heard what the Li mansion's people said when they knocked earlier, right?"
Shen Can gritted her teeth and nodded.
She had heard the Li mansion's people say they were there to deliver a deed of sale.
But she was afraid she had misheard, and it would all turn out to be an empty joy.
Li Yue Shu could sense her current emotions and continued, "Steward Li of the Li mansion personally brought your deed of sale. It's with me now."
Upon hearing this, visible joy flickered across Shen Can's face, mixed with disbelief, "Really... really?"
Li Yue Shu smiled and nodded, directly retrieving the deed of sale from her spatial dimension.
Shen Can's hands trembled as she took the deed of sale from her. Upon reading its contents, she couldn't help but shed tears.
In the years she spent in the Li mansion's back courtyard, she had tried to survive while secretly learning to read, all for this one piece of paper.
Now that she finally had it, she read its contents almost word by word, as if trying to see through it.
Li Yue Shu said nothing. Only when Shen Can's emotions had somewhat subsided did she speak, "You are Shen Wei's elder sister, so I should call you Second Sister. On account of this relationship, I have two paths for you to choose."
Shen Can finally came back to her senses and looked at her in confusion.
Li Yue Shu stated directly, "The first path: the deed of sale is yours. Consider it your reward for your hard work at the restaurant. Tomorrow, you can return to the Shen family and completely escape your status as a servant.
"The second path: I will keep the deed of sale, and you will work under me to manage the Liu Xian Restaurant. As for your relationship with the Shen family, as long as it doesn't harm the restaurant's interests, you can handle it however you wish. If you do well in the future, I will return the deed of sale to you."
She had said this last part to Shen Tan and the others as well.
It was merely a promise; whether to believe it was their own choice.
Although they had passed the test under the current circumstances, no one could predict the future. The deed of sale was essentially a safeguard.
As long as they did not betray her, she would naturally not mistreat anyone.
If the opportunity arose, she would also return the deed of sale to them.
After all, no one wanted to be a slave their entire lives.
Shen Can stared blankly at the deed of sale before her, her hands trembling slightly.
Since being sold by Madam Shen, she had been constantly thinking of escaping her servitude.
Now that the opportunity was right before her, she felt a sense of unreality, as if she were dreaming.
With just one choice, she could completely escape her servitude and regain her freedom. Such a temptation was hard for anyone to resist!
But looking at Li Yue Shu, the thing she had always yearned for no longer seemed so urgent.
After a long silence, Shen Can suddenly stood up.
Holding the deed of sale with both hands, she presented it to Li Yue Shu again, "Madam, please keep the deed of sale. From now on, I will dedicate myself to the Liu Xian Restaurant."
Li Yue Shu noticed the change in her address and a trace of relief appeared in her eyes.
She knew that this one word, "Madam," proved that Shen Can had already placed herself in the position of being under her.
Without further ado, she took the deed of sale, "From now on, we are family."
...
While Li Yue Shu was preparing a delicious meal to celebrate Shen Can officially becoming a member of the household, the steward Li, who had rushed back to the Li mansion, hurried to the study without even brushing off the frost from his journey.