Chapter 457: Chapter 457

In the dim and narrow room, the half-grown little girl was still chattering incessantly. But in the very next second, the newly hung cloth curtain was suddenly pushed aside.

"Go on, get out of here, Fourth Ya, you little brat, what nonsense are you spouting! Your sister is going to enjoy good fortune in the future!"

From not far away came a woman's somewhat shrill voice.

The person who entered was a woman wearing a dark red ruqun skirt. At this moment, she was slightly hunched over, her hands holding a dark bluestone-colored rice bowl piled high with food.

Through the faint daylight at the doorway, An Ning could barely make out the appearance of the person before her.

The newcomer looked to be around thirty years old. Her facial features still held traces of past prettiness, but her skin was dark and rough. Her face, and even the hands holding the rice bowl, were covered with the marks of years of hard labor.

This clashed sharply with the fine silk clothes she was currently wearing.

This was undoubtedly Lin Sanniang, the birth mother of this body.

Seeing the newcomer, Fourth Ya on the side seemed even angrier. She immediately planted her hands on her hips and snorted, not too lightly, not too heavily.

She allowed the other to eagerly thrust the rice bowl before her.

Meeting her eldest daughter's gaze, Lin Sanniang instinctively shrank the hand wearing the bracelet back into her sleeve. Then, as if remembering something, she uncomfortably rubbed the hem of her clothes with her hand before speaking:

"Second girl... no, no, it's A-Ning!"

Remembering that her eldest daughter never liked being called Second Ya, Madam Lin hurriedly corrected herself:

"Fourth Ya is just a silly little girl, don't listen to her. That's a noble lady from the imperial city, a proper Marquis's Household! According to the village chief, it's much grander than even the county magistrate here!"

"Even if it's a concubine position, how can a noble's concubine be the same as ordinary ones!"

"Never mind all the food, clothing, and precious jewelry—things we could hardly hope to see in a lifetime in our family."

"Besides, A-Ning, don't you love reading and painting the most? Once you're over at their place, how could they lack those expensive brushes and inks? You also won't have to trouble Lady Yang everywhere..."

"I heard that in wealthy households, even a meal of vegetables needs several chickens and ducks to accompany it! Mother is doing this for your own good!"

Isn't it better than staying here in this poor backwater?

As she spoke, she carefully stroked the fine silk clothes on her body, as if afraid her rough hands might damage them, her movements exceptionally cautious.

Seeing her , Xiao Siya on the side couldn't help but snort coldly and immediately retorted:

"What do you mean 'for Fourth Sister's good'? Didn't that person say they'd arrange for Eldest Brother and Third Brother to get positions in the yamen?"

"Second Aunt, haven't you considered that those noble people definitely aren't fools. Would they make a losing deal?"

"The fact that they're willing to offer such a high price can only mean that Second Sister's calligraphy and paintings are worth far more than these things!"

"It's only you all who are still smugly thinking you can take advantage of the noble's generosity!"

The ten-year-old girl wasn't very tall, her round face making her appear even more childish. Yet, at this moment, her words were orderly and logical.

An Ning glanced almost imperceptibly at the other before quickly lowering her gaze.

As the words fell, Madam Lin's expression indeed changed. She heavily placed the rice bowl she had just picked up back down on the side. Lin Sanniang's face also showed a trace of anger:

"Fourth Ya, you wretched girl, how dare you speak like that! Yes, your sister's paintings are beautiful, they are valuable, but so what?"

"Did our family's life get any better before because of it?" They still had to toil in the fields day after day, and even if they had money, they didn't dare show a hint of it.

"Haven't you considered that such precious things aren't something families like ours can use to exchange for money?"

Just like Father-in-law said, even if they managed to sell them by luck and got money, people like them couldn't protect it. Worse, it might even bring disaster upon the family.

Never mind anything else, just last time, as soon as Eldest Young Master and the others went out to sell the paintings, they came back and were beaten half to death by Father-in-law.

Not only that, but they were also strictly ordered never to reveal it.

The more she thought about it, the more confidence Lin Sanniang felt growing in her heart. She even dared to look up at her silent daughter:

"Although... although what your Eldest Cousin and the others did last time wasn't right, at least the outcome wasn't that bad, was it?"

"That's a noble person even the County Magistrate has to bow and serve! Clearly, they could just throw down a few taels of silver and take you away, and no one could say anything."

"But now, they're willingly offering so many real, tangible things to welcome you into their home. This shows they are honest and truly value you."

"Ning Ning, just listen to your mother, don't be stubborn. This marriage proposal is probably something you couldn't find even if you searched all ten villages and eight townships around here."

"Rather than marrying some poor farmer and toiling away every day in the future, it's better to go directly into the noble's nest."

"I've heard that in a Marquis's Household, even a concubine lives a noble and precious life, with more jewelry to wear every day than she could ever use."

"And the children born later will be even more remarkable—they'll be proper young masters and misses of the Marquis's Household."

Lin Sanniang said this, and she truly believed it in her heart. Although she had thoughts of letting Third Son and the others benefit as well, she also genuinely felt she was considering her daughter's welfare.

It's the same old saying: no matter how precious those paintings are, they can't be exchanged for silver here!

No matter how golden a phoenix Second Ya is, she can't fly out of this mud nest here!

At the very least, the noble person truly has good intentions. Even if she really loses her looks with age, by then she'd already have children. Just with her painting skills alone, she wouldn't be unable to survive in the noble's household in the future.

Isn't that better than becoming a farmer's wife or a small landlord's wife in the future?

After another round of persuasion, seeing her daughter's face still unchanged, Madam Lin wasn't surprised.

If there's one thing about her eldest daughter, she's been since she was little—completely different from the other village girls. After she went to the Yang family to learn things, she became even less like someone from this village.

It's like besides painting, there's nothing else in her eyes!

As Mother said, she's what you call an obsessed girl!

Sighing once more, reminding her to eat the food while it was hot, Lin Sanniang finally turned and left.

Even so, An Ning noticed that outside the room, several pairs of eyes would glance over in this direction from time to time.

Probably Fourth Ya's mention of running away earlier had put the family on alert.

"Second Sister, don't believe what Second Aunt just said. I've heard that once you become a concubine, your life and death are in someone else's hands."

"I've heard that in those deep mansion courtyards, many people disappear every year! Remember Little Flower Sister from the next village? A few years ago, wasn't she said to have become a concubine mother for that rich landlord's family over there? Not long after, she was gone, and it was two lives lost—mother and child!"

"If even a landlord's family is like that, wouldn't a Marquis's Household be even worse!"

As she spoke, a trace of cold fear unconsciously appeared on Fourth Ya's face. She scooted her bottom closer to An Ning's side:

"And Second Sister, think about it. Giving these gold and silver items, mere external possessions, is one thing. But specifically arranging for Eldest Brother and Third Brother to work in the yamen... once they enter the yamen, never mind their future prospects, wouldn't their very life and death be even more under the other party's control?"

This little girl is truly sharp!

Indeed, when does the sky ever rain free meat pies?

For commoner families, once they become implicated in a crime, the entire family is basically either dead or crippled.

Just like in the original host's previous lifetime, a band of previously purged bandits coming down the mountain for revenge was enough to cause over a dozen members of a large family to all meet their end.

What a pity. Does no one in the family truly understand this reasoning?

Glancing at Fourth Ya, who was still chattering away beside her, An Ning quickly closed her eyes.