From his conversations with his parents, he learned that after the An family fell into decline, his elder sister-in-law, unable to bear the family's poverty, abandoned her child and returned to her maiden home to remarry.
This was not the most devastating blow. The crucial issue was that the Wang and Zhang families had joined forces to deal with the An family. Whenever they found slightly easier work that paid a bit more, they would be fired after only a few days.
At first, they were unaware, but as time passed, they suspected someone was deliberately targeting them. If not for those two families, who else could it be?
An's mother could only take on laundry work, while the men in the family either farmed or did manual labor, barely making ends meet.
Everyone knew the An family had offended someone, which was why his second brother was still unmarried in his thirties.
Upon learning this truth, An Yu Chen couldn't help but clench his fists. Despite his extensive experience, he couldn't help but lament how malicious people could be. They were the ones who had initially wanted to marry into the An family, yet they were also the ones who had dragged the An family into the dust.
"Starting tomorrow, everyone will stop working outside. You've all been implicated, and it's time for compensation. Actually, before I went to prison, I saved a master. That master promised to help me no matter what happened. I just didn't have a chance to ask for his help before I was incarcerated." An Yu Chen felt that his primary task upon returning was to borrow some money from the Wang family, but it was inconvenient to explain the source of the funds, so he casually fabricated an excuse.
"The one from the Zhang family has become a second-rank general and holds a high office in the capital. Who would dare to offend him?" An's eldest brother immediately lost hope, his sharp edges having long been worn down over the years.
"Don't worry about it. He can't help us openly, but he can still lend me some money to spend," An Yu Chen said confidently.
Seeing his demeanor, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Regardless, receiving some money to alleviate their immediate predicament was good.
When it was time for lunch, An Yu Chen felt miserable again. There was nothing on the table except a bowl of extremely thin congee, made from coarse grains.
No wonder the children looked so malnourished. If this continued, their bodies would eventually give out.
He had observed that everyone's health was not particularly poor. They likely had the An family's old assets to support them previously, but it was only recently that they had reached a point of utter destitution. All that remained was this house, which they were unwilling to sell.
As night fell, and it was pitch black, An Yu Chen sneaked into the Wang family's residence. Following his memory, he found the main courtyard. Hearing the thunderous snores from inside, he knew the Wang couple had fallen asleep. He took out the small dagger he had prepared and, bit by bit, unfastened the door bolt. He tiptoed inside. Su Dan Novel Network.
After searching for a long time, he found a black box on the roof beam. Upon opening it, he saw a stack of silver notes. He examined them but found no special markings. Then, in a desk drawer, he found some loose silver. Only then did he reluctantly leave.
The next morning, before dawn, he took the silver and went to the street to buy a few pounds of meat. It wasn't that he was unwilling to spend more, but he feared attracting too much attention.
He then went to a rice shop and bought some fine grains to bring home, as the coarse grains had been irritating his throat.
When he returned home, An's mother was already up and cooking. Seeing the items in her son's hands, she was astonished. "Where did this come from?"
"Didn't I tell you yesterday? I saved a master, and I went to find him in the afternoon. He gave me some silver notes. I woke up early this morning to buy some things to improve everyone's meals," An Yu Chen replied casually. He discovered he had a talent for lying, speaking whatever came to mind.
An's mother hesitated for only a moment before taking the items from her son and going to cook. The truth was, the family hadn't had a proper meal in a long time. It didn't matter for the adults, but the children were still growing, and she feared they would suffer from hunger.
"Just cook whatever you want. I still have a lot of money. Don't worry, I won't let you live like this again after I've returned." An Yu Chen saw An's mother cut only a small piece of meat and quickly hide the rest. He knew she had been frugal for years and quickly revealed a little of his secret.
"You don't have to spend money like this. Just a hint of meat aroma is enough," An's mother felt her son was not practical and would squander his wealth. It would eventually run out, so it was better to be thrifty.
An Yu Chen shook his head helplessly. It seemed he needed to put making money on his agenda. Of course, before making money, he had to drag the Wang and Zhang families down.
Regardless, this meal finally had some substance. Watching the children gobble down the food, An Yu Chen's heart ached a little. When the original owner was their age, he had already been studying in a private school for several years. But with the An family's downfall, they had no money to send them to school, and they were reluctant to let them do manual labor, so they had to let it drag on like this.
Little did he know that while they were happily eating breakfast, chaos had erupted in the Wang family.
Master Wang had just gotten involved with a courtesan the day before. After breakfast, he intended to use money to buy a golden hairpin as a gift for her. To his surprise, the money was missing. He suspected his wife had hidden it.
"Madam, I'm meeting some friends for dinner today. Where did you hide my money? Give it to me quickly, I need to go out." He casually made up an excuse to get the money back.
"When did I take your money?" Madam Wang looked at her husband in confusion.
"You really didn't take it?" Seeing his wife nod with certainty, Master Wang's heart sank. He had a bad premonition. After all, he had been married to his wife for so many years, and he understood her temper. If she said she hadn't taken it, it truly meant she hadn't.
"Did a thief break into the house?" Madam Wang looked at her husband uncertainly. Their gazes met as they both looked up at the roof beam, and their expressions immediately changed.
Master Wang quickly brought a stool, stepped on a chair, and retrieved the black box from the roof. Upon opening it, he found it empty. His face turned ashen. This box contained half of the Wang family's fortune.
Madam Wang's hands began to tremble. This was clearly a case of a home invasion.
As they analyzed the situation, they quickly summoned the servants, but all of them shook their heads firmly, stating they knew nothing.
They initially deduced that a thief must have broken in last night, as the door was not bolted when they woke up. Upon closer inspection, they discovered knife marks on the door bolt. What else could they understand?
They were going to report it to the authorities, but after sending people to inquire for so long, they hadn't encountered any thieves. The thief's methods were quite skillful, as they hadn't heard a sound even while sleeping in their room. They also had a concern: they were afraid of provoking the thief. What if, one night, while they were sound asleep, the thief crept into their room and stabbed them?