The men started talking again. They were worried.
Do we have to worry about our children being sold off even in our own homes?
The Chief’s head started to hurt as he listened to their conversation.
He knew very well that Aunt Wang would definitely drag his brainless wife down with her if he really chased her family out.
However, letting them stay was also not a good idea.
An Jiuyue could be right. They might think of doing this again after enjoying the benefits of selling the first child.
“Chief, what do you think?” the Junior Officer asked in a deep voice when he saw that the Chief did not speak or express his opinion.
He had realized that things were more complicated as he recalled the conflict between An Jiuyue and Aunt Kang. And with the Chief’s silence, he figured out half of the story.
He also noticed Aunt Kang peeking out from behind a big tree. She looked guilty and seemed keen to find out what was happening here.
He sighed internally.
My wife is the best. The Chief’s wife causes too many troubles. I would probably be furious if I have to worry over my wife like that too!
The Chief took a deep breath. What could he say?
Everyone was rightfully uncomfortable with such a family living in their village. They would want to drive this family far away and never see them again.
However, it was not that simple. They could not be chased away just like that.
They could be removed from the genealogy at most. However, the house and land belonged to Old An. Would they be able to take back the land from Old An if they chased them away?
“Let’s talk about this later. Let’s discuss the issue with selling the children first.”
He did not want to care about this matter anymore, but he had no choice. Ministry Councilor He watched him closely and was prepared to snatch Old An’s grandson away.
“Ministry Councilor He, can we discuss this matter again? The old miser only has one grandson…”
“So what if he only has one grandson? His family accepted my money, so he must sell his grandson to me. I have the indenture to justify this!” Ministry Councilor He interrupted the Chief.
He was in An Jiuyue’s territory, and Qian Jiyun was eyeing him with hostility. He was afraid.
He would do anything as long as he could return home safely. Then, he would think about his future plans carefully. He could not let a young woman like An Jiuyue embarrass him here thoroughly.
But he could save his face in the future. It was more important to settle things here quickly and leave.
Most importantly, he could not stand Aunt Wang anymore. She sold other people’s children as if it was a natural thing to do. But now that her grandson was involved, she acted as if his parents were dead.
“The streets are filled with abandoned children now, but I’m still spending 50 taels of silver for one. Am I not making a loss? I have to take this child away today! Why don’t we go to the county and report this to the officials to see who’s right!”
“Uh…” The Chief staggered.
Old An was indeed in the wrong as his wife was the one who signed the indenture. To be honest, one could even say they deserved having their grandson seized.
However, when he thought of his wife, he felt he should say something.
“How about… We have him to return the money to you?” he probed.