"My sister also knows the house back home turned to ashes, I need to save some silver to rebuild the old house. Father and mother are not used to living in the city and want to return to the countryside," Jiang Yongnian quickly brought up their parents, afraid the topic would continue.
"I'll go find mother. He is the grandson of Father and Mother. They wouldn't ignore his life or death," Jiang Feng acted immediately and rushed towards the rooms of the elder Jiangs.
"Hey, I say, how can you disturb father and mother's rest?" Jiang Yongnian quickly stopped her, but she paid no attention.
When Old Mrs. Jiang and Old Mr. Jiang heard their grandson was about to have a hand chopped off, they were horrified. He was the only male heir of the second branch. They absolutely could not let anything happen to him, so they hurried to find the eldest son.
Looking at his parents who were questioning him, Jiang Yongnian felt a headache. "What if he commits another offense? Won't our money be wasted?"
"Regardless of whether he offends or not, let's save him first. Later, you, as the elder uncle, will discipline him well." Old Mrs. Jiang felt this was not a big deal. Their grandson was still young, and with a good lecture, he would remember, especially after today's incident.
Even though Jiang Yongnian was reluctant to part with the silver, under the watchful eyes of the two elders, he had no choice but to take it out.
The incident this time scared him. Liu Wenjie behaved himself for a while. He quickly went out to find work and, unexpectedly, completed a full month, earning five taels of silver.
As he thought about his future life being like this, he felt a moment of dejection. So, while working, he developed a new hobby: drinking.
Madam Li now found the mother and son pair annoying. They were always causing trouble. Recently, Liu Wenjie came back drunk every night. The smell of alcohol was overpowering, and it made her heartache thinking about their hundred taels of silver.
The result of her heartache was that the meals got worse day by day. There was no hint of meat, and they ate only vegetables and radishes every day.
The two elders of the Jiang family were fine. They came from a poor background and felt it was good enough to have food. But Jiang Feng and her son couldn't stand it.
"Sister, have we really fallen to this extent? Are they even letting people eat?" Seeing that the dish served was stir-fried vegetables with vegetables, and stir-fried radishes with radishes, Jiang Feng instantly lost her appetite. She couldn't remember how many consecutive meals had been like this. She slammed her chopsticks on the table with a loud bang and asked angrily.
"Sister, you don't manage the household, so you don't know the cost of firewood and rice. Your brother is the only one earning money to support so many of us. How can we have money? I think cabbage and radishes are quite good. They are cheap and filling. If Sister has the money and is willing to improve our meals, we won't object," Madam Li said while spooning vegetables and radishes into the bowls of the children and eating herself.
"Don't think I don't know you secretly eat behind our backs and only bully us, the widow and orphans." Jiang Feng got angry when she mentioned this. Every time after dinner, a scent of meat would waft from their room, and even the elders had some, but they didn't.
"My husband earns the money, why can't we eat? Moreover, when will you return the hundred taels of silver you just took from our family? I remember Wenjie has worked for a full month and should have received his monthly wages, but you haven't even mentioned it. Are you planning to default on it?" Madam Li taunted unceremoniously. Thinking of a hundred taels of silver gone to waste without even a word of thanks, as if it were your due, made her feel suffocated.
"I only took a hundred taels of silver from your family, and you're like this. How many hundreds of taels did I bring back in the past? Why don't you count?" If she could, Jiang Feng really wanted to ask for those silver back.
Madam Li felt a little guilty. Honestly, she had taken a lot of silver from her over the years, but times had changed. She didn't want to say more. "Are you still bringing up old matters from years ago? Sister, eat if you want, or don't. If you don't eat, I'll save some."
Jiang Feng suddenly stood up, kicked the stool back forcefully, and left in a huff, tears streaming down her face uncontrollably as she walked.
The Jiang family's days were still bearable, not because Master Ye was kind-hearted and had forgotten them.
It was because a divine figure, like an immortal, had arrived in the county town, whom even the county magistrate courted. He inquired and found out that it was the young master of the prefect's family.
Initially, Master Ye didn't pay much attention, only hearing others gossip about how beautiful he was and how many young ladies fell for him. He dismissed it with a smile. He had no intention of marrying off his daughter to gain influence and wasn't concerned.
However, the subsequent actions of the other party forced him to be extremely vigilant. Master Ye clearly felt that he was targeting him. He was a shrewd businessman. A similar shop would open near or opposite his own, with more ingenious methods and appropriate prices, attracting countless customers.
Ye's business declined. Not only did revenue decrease, but some shops even started to incur losses.
This situation was unsustainable. But the other party's status was too noble, so he had to personally visit him for a discussion, to see where he had offended him.
Guan Tianyi looked at Master Ye, who was sitting opposite him nervously, and calmly sipped his tea. Sudenovel.com
This was Master Ye's first face-to-face meeting with him. Looking at him up close, every move was captivating. Even he, a man, couldn't help but be moved, let alone the young ladies in their boudoirs.
He knew that if he showed any infatuated expression, he would face utter ruin. He quickly composed himself and politely asked, "Is this your first time in Ning'an County, Young Master Guan? How are you enjoying your visit? Would you like me to recommend some interesting places?"
"It is indeed my first time, but I haven't had much time to explore. I'm mainly focused on expanding my business territory. Once things stabilize here, I will return to the prefectural city," Guan Tianyi said truthfully.
"It would be a pity not to enjoy yourself. Business can be done slowly; life must also be enjoyed. Frankly speaking, before Young Master Guan arrived, among the businessmen in this city, I, Ye, would say I'm second to none. But you are indeed formidable. Since your arrival, my business has been significantly impacted." Master Ye felt he was being as polite as possible. If it were someone else, they wouldn't even get a chance to meet him.
"Business is about individual ability. This Ning'an County cannot have only one businessman. Even if it weren't me today, it would be someone else tomorrow. Who can guarantee they will always be number one?" Since they hadn't fallen out completely, he was polite, and Guan Tianyi was also polite.
"That is true. I came today mainly to clarify one thing. If my memory serves me correctly, this should be our first meeting, yet there are too many coincidences that make me suspect I have offended you unknowingly?" Master Ye stared at him intently, his eyes unblinking.