What does 20,000 yuan mean?
A family of three might only spend a maximum of two or three hundred yuan a year to make ends meet. For an ordinary family, they probably wouldn't be able to save 20,000 yuan in their entire lives.
And 20,000 yuan could buy her entire life.
“There are some difficulties,” Mu Xing said after a moment’s thought.
Bai Yan nodded silently.
Even if Mu Xing were willing to redeem her, she didn't intend for him to bear the full amount of this huge sum. Over the years, although her mother had been exploiting and squeezing her money, she still had more than a thousand yuan in savings. Although it was a drop in the bucket, it was at least a testament to her determination.
As Bai Yan was thinking, Mu Xing said again, "Shu Wan, you might have to suffer for another two months."
Bai Yan was about to nod when she froze.
"Two... months?" she asked hesitantly.
She originally thought it would take at least several months or even a year? Back then, Cui Yuanbai asked her to wait several more months, and she didn't wait then, but if it were Mu Xing, she would be willing to wait no matter how long it took.
Just... two months?
The timeframe was so short that she couldn't believe it.
Mu Xing held up one hand and calculated, "My pharmacy is currently in the off-season, so the monthly profit is less than ten thousand. After deducting all expenses and gifts for my parents, I only have about five thousand left..."
As Bai Yan listened to her calculate item by item, she realized that to save 20,000 yuan in the next two months, Mu Xing would have to completely eliminate all of his own expenses and work hard at both the pharmacy and the clinic to make up the difference.
"Well... so if I cut back on expenses these two months, I'll be able to raise the money quickly." After calculating, Mu Xing said guiltily, "It's just that I feel guilty about having to keep you in that brothel for another two months..."
Biting her lip, Bai Yan whispered, "Compared to you, there's so little I can do. What's two more months of waiting in the brothel?"
She even felt ashamed.
Mu Xing reached out and took her hand at the opportune moment, saying, "There's no need to say such things."
…
After speaking, Mu Xing was exhausted. Bai Yan helped her to bed and then returned to the main house.
She originally planned to take her leave and go back to her study to handle some matters, but unexpectedly, Madam Mu and the others were not in the living room. Only the old lady was sitting in the living room. When she saw that she was about to leave, the old lady was very unwilling.
"Miss Bai, is it because we haven't treated you well? Otherwise, why would you leave after only half a day?" Grandma said, "It's all Ah Xuan's fault. There are guests here, and she still runs off on her own. When she comes back, Grandma will definitely give her a good scolding..."
Bai Yan quickly replied, "Of course not, I just want to go home and take care of some things..."
"Then why are you in such a hurry to leave? Stay a few more days, and this house will be more lively..." Before she could finish speaking, the old lady paused, and suddenly looked a little dejected.
She said slowly, "Yes, I was confused. Other children have important things to do... Yiqian is busy, Fuqian is busy, Yun'er has exams to take, and Axuan is often not at home these days... You are all busy, which is a good thing..."
With a sigh, Grandma waved her hand and said, "Go back now. Jingye, see Miss Bai out. Have the driver take her home safely."
Upon hearing this, a maidservant came over to lead the way. Bai Yan had already stood up, but after glancing at the old lady, she suddenly sat back down.
She smiled and said, "Actually, there's nothing urgent. I just don't want to bother you so much, Grandma. If you don't mind that I'm not good with words and I'm noisy, I'd be happy to stay a few more days."
Upon hearing this, the old lady became happy again and said "good" several times.
Bai Yan said she needed to go home and tell her family, so the old lady asked the maid to arrange a carriage, saying that Bai Yan must be brought back safely, and urged her to prepare another room for Bai Yan.
After exchanging a few more words, Bai Yan followed her maid out to get into the carriage.
The girl leading the way, named Jingye, seemed to be the old lady's personal attendant. After thinking for a moment, Bai Yan said cautiously, "It seems the old lady really enjoys lively gatherings."
Having heard from Fu Guang that Miss Bai and Mu Xing had a good relationship, Jing Ye didn't hide anything and said, "Yes, ever since Grandma passed away, the old lady has preferred the house to be more lively. However, the gentlemen and young masters are all busy with their careers, and Miss Xuan also has her own things to do. With so few people at home, the old lady is not very comfortable. Today, Miss, you were able to keep the old lady company, and she is very happy."
Nodding, Bai Yan continued, "Speaking of which, I've also heard Ah Xuan mention some things about Madam Fu Xue, which is truly a great pity."
She had only said it casually, but Jingye's expression changed, and she suddenly became somewhat uneasy. She forced a smile: "So that's how it is. But... I wonder what you and Miss Xuan talked about that led you to mention 'regrettable matters'?"
Her question was odd, and Bai Yan glanced at her, slowing her speech as she said, "It's nothing, just some of Ah Xuan's childhood memories. For example, Madam Fu Xue was a skilled carver, passionate about various arts, and could even sing opera..."
When the topic of opera came up, Bai Yan clearly noticed that Jing Ye's expression stiffened.
What's going on? Ah Xuan didn't say anything about Lady Fu Xue's opera performance that was worth hiding.
After thinking for a moment, Bai Yan said, "Oh right, Ah Xuan also mentioned a famous actress, I think her name was..." She paused for a moment.
She didn't know much about opera, so she couldn't recall the famous performer Mu Xing had mentioned. Seeing that she seemed to forget, Jingye immediately said, "A famous performer? Madam Fuxue seems to know a famous performer, but their relationship is just ordinary, and they're not that close. I didn't expect Miss Xuan to remember this."
Bai Yan couldn't recall the specifics of the famous actress, but Jing Ye's tone sounded rather strange.
Before she could ask any more questions, they had already reached the parking lot. Bai Yan had no choice but to calm herself down, get into the car, and head out of Mu Garden.
Today's driver was not the usual Uncle Song, so Bai Yan asked the driver to take her to the vicinity of Huai'an Road, and then took a rickshaw back to Yuhua Academy.
As soon as they entered, the madam rushed over, her expression mysterious, and pulled Bai Yan to the backyard, hurriedly asking, "What exactly is that Young Master Mu's identity? I didn't notice last night, but were those patrolmen here to arrest him? They even put up notices this morning! What were you doing last night? If that Mu guy has any problems, we'll inevitably be implicated!"
Upon hearing this, Bai Yan's heart sank. She forced herself to remain calm and asked, "What notice are you talking about?"
The madam, hands on her hips, read aloud: "It's posted right under the city wall, saying that the guy surnamed Mu is some kind of 'Communist bandit'! Didn't you see it when you came back? I'm asking you, is this true? If it is, it's no small crime. I'm telling you, you're not allowed to see him again. Who knows when he'll be dragged away and shot by those guys in tin shoes? Don't drag me down with you!"
Upon hearing this, Bai Yan's mind immediately went blank.
Communist bandits!
This must have been caused by the woman I saved that day!
She had read plenty of newspapers, so she naturally knew what the "Communist bandits" were, and even more so, how serious a crime it was to collude with them!
If, if…
Panicked, Bai Yan turned to leave, but the madam grabbed her arm: "Where are you going? Are you going to find those con artists? Let me tell you, that 'Iron Shoes' guy who came to question you said he's already gone to the British Concession to question you, and he's going to arrest you! If you dare to wander around like that, don't cause trouble and drag me down with you!"
Bai Yan couldn't listen to any more words. She pried the madam's hands away and forced herself to remain calm, saying, "Madam, you're confused. What are you saying? What is Young Master Mu's status? What does he have to do with us? In the past few months, he hasn't owed any money and has paid quite a bit for drinks. We're in business, isn't that enough? Why do you care what he does outside the brothel?"
"They want to arrest him now, how can we possibly clear ourselves of any wrongdoing? We haven't done anything wrong, so why should we be afraid of being arrested? If we're hiding and dodging, then we're the ones with something to hide! Let me out now, I'll go back to Mu Garden to check the situation, and if something's not right, I can come back and let you know, right?"
Although her words were incoherent, she put on a convincing act. The madam, upon hearing this, released her, saying, "Alright, then go quickly. If things don't go well, come back immediately, and we'll discuss how to distance ourselves from this."
Before she could finish speaking, Bai Yan had already run out.
Meanwhile, at Mu Garden, Uncle Mu and the others had already received the news and were discussing the matter in private, away from the old lady.
After gathering information all morning, Uncle Mu had a pretty good idea of what had happened. He briefly explained to Mrs. Mu and the others what Mu Xing had been doing outside under the guise of "Young Master Mu."
"Generally speaking, Ah Xuan and the group of people from the Tang family's second young master all contacted each other under male identities. As for other matters..." Uncle Mu's expression changed as if he remembered something, and he continued, "There's nothing else. As for the matter we've gotten into this time, the Public Security Bureau recognizes him as 'Third Young Master Mu'."
Madam Mu was too exhausted to be angry anymore, given the trouble her daughter had caused. She calmly said, "Brother, you mean...?"
Uncle Mu said, "Yes, as long as we deny the identity of 'Third Young Master Mu,' we can extricate Ah Xuan and the Mu family from the picture."
Even if we can't remove it, we must find a way to remove it. The label of "Communist bandits" is something even the Mu family absolutely cannot bear.
"Is this feasible? What if they deny it?" Aunt Mu asked worriedly. "You just said that Ah Xuan has a good relationship with that young master Tang. Do you believe that young master Tang was unaware of last night's search and pursuit?"
The implication is that this matter is intentionally aimed at the Mu family.
After a moment of silence, Uncle Mu suddenly said, "Mayor Tang had previously mentioned to me about funding the construction of the two railways outside Tianmen, but I did not agree."
Aunt Mu exclaimed in surprise, "Is he trying to embezzle that defense funding?"
Uncle Mu said in a deep voice, "It can only be said that Ah Xuan's act of saving people just gave him an opportunity to cause trouble."
"Greedy beyond measure! This is clearly an attempt to force the Mu family to take sides!" Madam Mu cursed, then turned to see her husband remained silent and angrily asked, "Why aren't you worried at all?"
Dr. Mu calmly took a sip of tea and said rationally, "I think there's no need to worry about this."
"The Mu family has no 'Third Young Master Mu' on the arrest warrant. If they want to investigate, let them come."
When Bai Yan rushed back to Mu Garden, she witnessed the Public Security Bureau's humiliating defeat at the Mu family's residence.
The deputy director in charge of the team apologized to Uncle Mu repeatedly, acting as if he had been forced to conduct the search by his superiors, as if he wished he could cut open his heart to prove his innocence.
However, Uncle Mu was unmoved by either soft or hard tactics, and dismissed the police officers with a few words, while also busy comforting the frightened old lady.
The old woman wept in the living room, "My poor Ah Xuan... such a terrible thing happened, and you still want to keep it from me. I'd rather die with my Fu Xue than live like this..."
Now it was Uncle Mu's turn to lay bare his heart and prove his innocence.
After finally calming the old lady down and sending her back to her room, Uncle Mu turned his head and saw Bai Yan waiting on the side, his gaze darkening.
Bai Yan felt uneasy under his gaze and a wave of anxiety washed over her. However, before she could make any guesses, Uncle Mu's expression softened, and he said to her, "Miss Bai, I have something to say to you and Ah Xuan. Please go and wait in Ah Xuan's ward for a while."
Chapter Sixty-Three
Bai Yan came to the ward first. Mu Xing was awake. When he saw her come in, he hurriedly asked, "When did you get back? Did you run into those people from the Public Security Bureau?"
She gestured as she spoke, "You didn't see it? Just now, those police officers from the Public Security Bureau rushed into my room, held up a sketch to my face, and, haha, they were completely terrified! They kept saying, 'This...this is clearly a prostitute!' Oh, I was so happy..."
Amused by the tone of the deputy director she had imitated, Bai Yan laughed for a while before saying, "I just arrived a little while ago. Your uncle just told me to come over, saying he had something to say to us. Tell me, what does your uncle want to say?"
Upon hearing this, Mu Xing immediately stopped smiling. She frowned and said, "Oh no, the way Uncle was talking to that deputy director just now, it was clear that he knew about what I was doing outside. Could it be..." She looked at Bai Yan, "Could it be that Uncle already knows about us?"
Bai Yan's heart sank.
She had already considered this possibility.
If Uncle Mu knew about this, it would be almost a no-brainer what he would do.
Seeing Bai Yan bowing her head and remaining silent, Mu Xing gritted his teeth and said, "If Uncle really finds out, then we might as well..."
"No!" Bai Yan suddenly interrupted her, saying, "No, we absolutely cannot admit it."
“Now that you’re in a hospital bed, you’re not free to do anything. If your parents make trouble and lock you up, won’t we be completely helpless? Besides, no matter how powerful your uncle is, he can only find out about what’s on the surface. He might not really know what’s really going on with us. It’s not impossible to deal with it.”
After hearing what she said, Mu Xing gradually understood. She thought for a moment and said, "If that's the case, then we can only use some pretexts to keep it a secret for now."
They went over all the possible excuses they could come up with, exchanged ideas, and then fell silent, each pondering their own words.
Seeing Mu Xing's worried expression, and thinking of the Mu family members outside the wall, Bai Yan sat in her chair and suddenly felt an immense pressure, layer upon layer, pressing down on her.
This is not a sudden situation like the one the day before yesterday. Even if it is urgent and rushed, it will eventually pass.
If the Mu family does not approve of her relationship with Mu Xing, this will be a protracted struggle—more likely, they will surrender without a fight, even before they can take up arms to defend themselves.
However, these were issues she had already considered, and issues that Mu Xing had already decided to face head-on. If she felt tired and wanted to back down now, how would Mu Xing cope?
Taking a deep breath, Bai Yan cheered herself up and said, "However, the situation may not be that bad. Perhaps Uncle Mu is too busy dealing with this matter to pay attention to the trivial matters between you and me?"
They all knew how slim the possibility was, but they also knew it was just a comforting remark. Mu Xing didn't refute it; she smiled and said, "It really is possible. After all, Uncle is so busy; he might not have even noticed..."
As they were talking, there was a sudden knock on the door. The two, who had been forcing smiles, immediately fell silent and stared at the door.
The door opened, and the first person to walk in was not her uncle, but the woman that Mu Xing and the others had rescued that day.