Mrs. Qiu was speechless and said, "Mother, how could mother be without money? She always speaks in a concise manner... Mother also said that she wanted to give another 50,000 taels of silver to uncle and his family..."
Cheng Wei always felt a little uneasy.
He was not as honorable as his elder brother, nor as meritorious as his younger brother, but he got a house and 100,000 taels of silver for nothing... He felt as if a hurdle had been placed in his heart, and he felt he couldn't get over it.
Seeing his wife so surprised, he couldn't help but hesitate.
Should he hide it from his wife, or should he tell her the truth
But the matter involves Qixingtang. The more people know about it, the harder it will be to keep the secret, and the more dangerous the Cheng family will be.
Now that we are talking about dividing the family property, why not persuade mother and my younger brother to disband Qixingtang
Qixingtang is a sharp sword. Those who can hold it will conquer all directions and be invincible, but those who cannot hold it will be like a child dancing with a sword, and will only hurt themselves. Moreover, the money of Qixingtang comes too easily. Since ancient times, evil has always been defeated by good. My family has received a lot of benefits from Qixingtang. I can't let the descendants give up the broad road of imperial examinations and take this crooked shortcut just because of greed!
For the sake of future generations, the Seven Star Hall cannot be preserved.
And he dispersed it while I was still able to control the Seven Stars Hall.
He thought about it for a while and finally decided to keep it a secret from his wife.
Anyway, he had made up his mind, and he would persuade his mother and younger brother to disband Qixingtang. If his mother and younger brother disagreed, he would no longer care about the family affairs, just live his own life behind closed doors, and would not tell his descendants about Qixingtang. He would neither take the money from Qixingtang nor let his descendants take over Qixingtang. Why should he let his wife know about this and worry about it
Seeing her husband frowning and thinking for a long time without saying anything, and his expression becoming more and more serious, Mrs. Qiu couldn't help but ask her husband softly: "What's wrong? Did I say something inappropriate? I just said that..."
Cheng Wei shook his head, no longer hesitating, and said thoughtfully: "You also know that mother has a strong temper. When it comes to dividing the family property, she is even more unwilling to wrong any of her sons. Otherwise, look at Silang's house!"
Qiu was stunned and said, "What's wrong with uncle's house? I think it's fine!"
Cheng Wei said, "We bought Silang's house before we separated from Jiuru Lane, right? We bought three houses at once and renovated all the houses and furniture. What a big deal. But look at it now. Big brother got 70,000 taels of silver, we got 100,000 taels, plus the 20,000 taels we agreed to give to Rang, a total of 190,000 taels... And we can't spend more than 10,000 taels to buy a house, right? I'm afraid these are all prepared for Silang's marriage before the separation..."
Since ancient times, giving money to a son's wedding is a responsibility, and giving money to a grandson's wedding is a favor.
When they got married, their parents-in-law never treated them badly.
Qiu's heart skipped a beat and she blurted out, "Are we using all my uncle's money now?"
"It's probably like this." Cheng Wei said, and stood up in distress, walking back and forth in the room twice with his hands behind his back.
Seeing her husband in such a dilemma, Mrs. Qiu couldn't help but hesitate and said, "How about we not take the silver and let mother buy us a house, a small one with two entrances... But I still want to pay for my brother's marriage... First, it was given by my grandmother, so he should know the difference between good and bad. Second, my dowry is small, and we really have no money after we separate. We can make ends meet, but we can't let my brother have to live with us... If it really doesn't work, tell my brother about this. It's up to him to decide whether to take the 20,000 taels of silver... It's better not to tell my brother, because even if he wants it in his heart, he won't say it, and it will still make things difficult for him..."
Cheng Wei listened, stepped forward, put his arm around his wife's shoulders, and whispered, "With a wife like this, what else could a husband ask for? The children are so obedient, it's all thanks to you!"
For a woman living in the inner chamber, this is all she wants in life!
Qiu's eyes suddenly filled with tears, and she said hurriedly: "My husband, you are too kind. Since I got married, both my mother and my uncles have been very kind to me, especially my mother, who treats me like her own daughter. If my family encounters difficulties, how can I only care about myself..."
Cheng Wei nodded and decided to call his son over to ask him what he thought: "Since we are splitting up, we can't let our son resent us in the future."
Mrs. Qiu couldn't stop her husband, but she secretly regretted saying such words.
Cheng Rang didn't know whether it was because he was too young to know the hardships of life or because he was full of longing and expectation for life, so he said sincerely: "I don't want grandma's money. If grandma wants to leave some memories for me, can she pass on some paintings and calligraphy to me? I can pass them down as family heirlooms in the future."
Cheng Wei was very pleased. He patted his son's head and said, "A good man has great ambitions. Our Cheng family was also very poor, and it took a lot of effort to get to where we are today. You have a father who is a Jinshi in the imperial examinations, an uncle who is a cabinet minister, and an uncle who knows about water affairs. You are already better than many people. I believe you can revive the family business."
A look of excitement appeared on Cheng Rang's shy face.
Cheng Wei smiled slightly, patted his son's shoulder as if he were a good friend of the same generation, and said, "Okay, tomorrow when I get off work, we'll go to Chaoyang Gate to pay our respects to mother!"
Qiu and Cheng Rang smiled and nodded.
※
Zhou Shaojin and Cheng Chi were packing up.
They will set off for Baoding Prefecture early tomorrow morning. In addition to the gifts for Zhou Zhen, Li and Youjin, Zhou Zhen's colleagues and old friends of the Cheng family also have to prepare some local rituals to avoid being accused of being disrespectful.
Cheng Chi felt sorry for Zhou Shaojin's poor health, so he let her go to bed early. "Fan Liu will help to pack these things, and there is also Fan Qi to assist. Don't worry about it. If there is anything left out, we can buy some tea leaves or something to make up for it."
It just costs a little more money.
But he couldn't say this in front of Zhou Shaojin.
The little girl had just made up her mind to be a good head of the household. If he said that, she would definitely think that he thought she was incompetent.
Not to mention, Zhou Shaojin really didn't look very energetic.
Although she couldn't serve Cheng Chi these two days, Cheng Chi was always restless, pinching her here and touching her there, which made her unable to sleep well. It was more tiring than serving him...
She couldn't help but yawned, blushed and pulled Cheng Chi's sleeve, whispering: "Then don't make trouble today, let me have a good sleep, okay?"
Cheng Chi was surprised and asked, "Are you not sleeping well? I see you don't even toss and turn every day..."
That's exhausting, okay
Zhou Shaojin glared at Cheng Chi.
Cheng Chi laughed and said, "I know, I know."
Zhou Shaojin felt relieved.
Who knew that he stripped her down to her underwear after getting on the bed, sucking her fullness, causing the heat waves in her body to rise one after another, and finally she begged for mercy in a low voice before he let her go... But his hands were always on her chest, caressing and playing with that place... She really didn't have the strength to fight him, and she didn't know how she fell asleep in the end. She only knew that when she woke up the next morning, her eyes were shining, her red lips were dripping, and she looked like a peony receiving favors. She was so ashamed that she secretly criticized Cheng Chi in her heart, and then she got up and left the inner room, and went to say goodbye to Mrs. Guo with Cheng Chi.
Old Madam Guo gave them many detailed instructions, asking them to say hello to Zhou Zhen on her behalf and to invite Li to visit the capital when she has time... It was not until Qin Ziji came to report that the time had come that Cheng Chi helped Zhou Shaojin get on the carriage and drove to Baoding Prefecture under the gaze of Old Madam Guo.
When the carriage had gone far away, Madam Lu stepped forward to support Old Madam Guo and said with a smile, "The Fourth Master and the Fourth Madam will have a safe journey. You have been very busy these past few days. Go back to your room and rest!"
Mrs. Guo readily followed the advice and returned to the house with Nanny Lu. She chatted with the female relatives who stayed behind to attend the wedding of Cheng and Xu, ate and listened to opera, and soon the sun set.
Cheng Wei and his family came over.
Madam Guo arranged for them to have dinner, and she called Madam Lu over and asked, "Has the news been delivered to Xinglin Hutong?"
Madam Lu smiled and said, "Don't worry, old lady. I sent someone to pass the message yesterday. But yesterday, Madam Yuan entertained Miss Min's aunt and uncle's family - it is said that Miss Min's uncle was released as the Shanxi Provincial Surveillance Commissioner, and her uncle was promoted to the Ministry of Rites. I'm afraid she didn't have time to listen to what her personal maid said."
If you didn’t know yesterday, you will definitely know today.
Madam Guo asked: "Did the master go to the yamen on time or in advance?"
Nanny Lu knew that Old Madam Guo would ask this question, and had already sent someone to inquire about it, so she smiled and said, "It's half an hour earlier than usual."
Madam Guo sneered.
※
Yuan was furious and said to Cheng Jing, "What does mother mean? Not to mention my sister-in-law, she even called Zhou Shaojin over to discuss it, but she kept me in the dark! I am the eldest daughter-in-law, the head of the family! How can I put my face down when mother does this? Mother has gone too far this time!"
Cheng Jing's face was full of fatigue. He said, "You are just listening to the gossips of the maids and old women. Why are you so angry? Mother is not the kind of person who likes to grumble in private. If she really wants to divide the family, she will definitely call us over to discuss it. Don't always believe what you hear. Good things will become bad things when they come to you. If you have the free time, you might as well go to Chaoyang Gate more often and show your filial piety to mother. It's better than being suspicious of her across several streets like this."
Yuan's face turned blue and white.
She couldn't say that she had placed someone in Chaoyang Gate, and the information was very reliable.
Cheng Jing thought that his tone was too harsh, and hurriedly said, "I'm not blaming you, I just want you to stop caring about these things in the future. Even if we divide the family, what we get is mother's private property. She can do whatever she wants, and we can't control it. If you want her to give you more, you have to please her more often... You should understand this principle even if I don't say it."
Of course Yuan understood.
But why is it that every time Mrs. Guo looks at her, her eyes are so cold
She really couldn't accept it!
※
Dear friends, please make up for tomorrow’s update!
O(∩_∩)O~
PS: Today’s update will be posted around 10pm.
※(To be continued)