No one dared to approach when Brother Ting held the letter. It was only when it passed into Ruhuahua’s hands that others grew bold enough to crowd around and take a look.
The style remained simple and direct, devoid of any unnecessary chatter. The core message was an ultimatum: pay the ransom or lose the hostages. Two hundred taels of gold per person, for a total of one thousand taels—every copper coin short would cost a life.
Seeing the total of one thousand taels, Ruhuahua felt a slight sense of relief. If that was the math, it meant they had only captured five people. In any case, as long as one life was safe, it was good news. While a thousand taels was not a negligible sum, it was hardly an astronomical price compared to the one hundred thousand taels Brother Ting had personally scraped together for grain. Why, then, had he tucked the letter away so quickly just a moment ago?
Chapter 175