During this process, Liu Wenjie was unusually quiet. It wasn't that he didn't want to resist, but rather that he had no standing.
In the depths of midnight, he had countless times fantasized about how wonderful it would be if he were a child of the Liu family, but alas, he was not.
Knowing that the matter was exposed, he felt a sense of finality; what was bound to come had finally arrived.
He was only a bit lost looking at his mother's heartbroken expression, wondering where they should go from here.
He had heard his mother mention that the Jiang family's house in the countryside had caught fire not long ago, leaving it flattened.
Despite her sorrow, Jiang Feng had not lost her mind. Although she seemed to be walking aimlessly on the street, the end of the road was her elder brother's small courtyard.
When Li saw her sister-in-law and nephew standing at the door with their luggage, she had a bad premonition.
Sometimes, what one fears most comes to pass. Listening to the conversation between her sister-in-law and husband, she realized that the "swapping the dragon for the phoenix" scheme had been discovered, and the two were being kicked out.
Li was immediately displeased. If the Liu family were still as wealthy as before, taking them in would have been as simple as adding an extra pair of chopsticks. But now that the Liu family had fallen into decline, if they came to live with her, when would they leave?
It was already a bit crowded with her in-laws living there, but there was no choice. Her husband was their only surviving son. He was willing to take in his parents, but that didn't mean he was willing to take in his sister-in-law.
Not only did Li not want to bother her own sister, but Jiang Yongnian also didn't want to. "My small courtyard isn't big, and there are no spare rooms. Why don't we find an agent to rent a place?"
"That's not impossible, but Big Brother must first give me some silver. And you have to pay the rent. We were kicked out with nothing. If Big Brother doesn't help, we can only wait for death." Jiang Feng and Liu Wenjie had brought some silver with them, which was their entire fortune. The expenses were still ahead, and they were reluctant to part with it.
"You jest, sister. Our family is not wealthy either, where would we get money to rent a place for you? Why don't we try to make room for another house? You and Mother can squeeze in together, and Wenjie can squeeze in with Father." As soon as Jiang Yongnian heard that he had to spend his own money, he absolutely refused. In his opinion, once you start paying, there will be a second and a third time; this precedent must not be set.
Jiang Feng was somewhat disappointed. To be honest, she really didn't want to share a roof with them. Having been Madam Liu for so many years, she had grown accustomed to a luxurious life. What was it like to squeeze into a room with others, even if it was her own mother?
And so, amidst mutual reluctance, they settled into the Jiang family's home.
But then another problem arose. Jiang Feng had not done any work for so many years; she found everything dirty and was unwilling to do it, expecting others to serve her.
Sometimes she would order Jiang Ning and Jiang Yu to do things. Although Jiang Ning and Jiang Yu were not easily bullied, Li felt uncomfortable. Eating their food, living in their house, and still ordering her daughters around – they weren't her maids.
Old Madam Jiang was a person who favored men over women. In the past, it was because her daughter had money and lived well, which could help the Jiang family, that she treated her cordially. Now, not only could she not help the Jiang family, but she was also dragging them down, which made her quite annoyed.
"Do you still think you're Madam Liu? Look at the neighbors your age; which one isn't out looking for work? And Wenjie, he's such a grown young man, why isn't he earning money? Are you expecting your elder brother to earn money to support so many of you?" the old madam said unceremoniously.
"Now that I'm down on my luck, you all look at me unfavorably. When I helped the Jiang family before, why didn't anyone say anything? The reason I worked so hard was precisely because I thought that if something happened in the future, I would still have my maternal family. It turns out my maternal family is also unreliable. I regret it deeply." Jiang Feng was angry. When her elder brother was studying, she had contributed a lot of money, including more than half of the money to buy this small courtyard.
Now that she was in a fallen state, no one mentioned the past favors; they only blamed her for dragging them down. They didn't consider that it was only natural for them to live in this small courtyard. With her elder brother's income at the time, it would have taken another ten years or so to afford it.
"You ungrateful girl, now you're blaming us. I gave birth to you and raised you. Including your becoming the young madam of the Liu mansion, it was your elder brother who helped. You yourself are incompetent, unable to hold onto your husband's heart. Otherwise, if you had more children, there wouldn't have been all this later!"
Jiang Feng felt extremely wronged, not knowing who to confide in. She couldn't argue loudly with her mother, or everyone would call her unfilial.
Asking her to go out and work was also impossible. She didn't want to live off others indefinitely, so she could only urge Liu Wenjie to find work. After all, he had attended school before and could work as an accountant.
Liu Wenjie had long been tired of living under someone else's roof. He had no objections to finding work. Previously, Master Liu had high hopes for him. Seeing that he wasn't cut out for studying, he personally taught him business. Regardless of how well the business was done, his abacus skills were truly sharp. [SUDAN NOVEL NET]
Finding a job was quite easy. However, after only a few days, he found it boring. He had to go to work every day, and if he didn't do well, he had to endure criticism. The money he received in a month was so little; it wasn't even enough for one of his previous meals.
Especially his old friends; when they heard he was working as an accountant, they all came to mock him.
Furthermore, unable to resist the urge, he gambled a couple of times. He lost some money and was late for work. He was reprimanded by the shopkeeper and, in a fit of anger, packed his belongings and quit.
When Jiang Feng heard the news, it was like a bolt from the blue. She had been thinking that if her son earned a few taels of silver a month, although it wasn't like the luxurious life before, they could manage with those few taels.
Now that she had nothing, she once again harbored hatred towards Jiang Hanyue.
Thinking that she lived in the village, she had to go back and cause some trouble for her, otherwise, the anger in her heart would be unbearable.
However, to her surprise, after knocking for a long time, there was no response. Upon inquiring with the neighbors, she learned that she hadn't returned for a long time.
A woman, alone outside for an extended period without returning home, her first thought was that she was promiscuous and was fooling around with someone outside. Her heart was filled with disdain, and she had no choice but to return empty-handed.
Meanwhile, Wu Caiwei, who was doing business in the city, was diligently conducting her business while also inquiring about Master Ye's deeds. She heard that Master Ye was born into poverty in his youth and only began to prosper after marrying the current Madam Ye.
Wu Caiwei did not believe that with Master Ye's character, there wouldn't be any shady dealings in his rise to prominence. She just couldn't find any immediate evidence and could only wait for an opportunity.
Xu Jia, residing in the Ye mansion, felt some despair. The previous escape had alerted them, and since then, the mansion had imposed strict surveillance on her.
The young master Ye died the day after the wedding. The red silk in the mansion was all replaced with white silk. Every day, she was forced to keep vigil in the mourning hall. Watching the guests come and go, she wished she could shout out to them what Master Ye had done, but she dared not gamble on the outcome of failure.