She has lived for decades and has been respected by everyone around her. She has never been so humble in front of a junior.
But Ling Qingwan kept pushing her limits, and the old lady couldn't do anything about her.
"What if I don't write an IOU and you refuse to pay me back?" Ling Qingwan frowned slightly, a look of slight grievance flashing across her pretty face.
The old lady was very angry.
Ling Qingwan's words were clearly a mockery of her for not paying back her debt.
"I see you owe a lot of money, and it would be difficult for you to pick a time to pay it off all at once. I have an idea. I will tell the accountant that starting from next month, all your monthly salary will be transferred to Lanyuan. If you can't pay it off all at once, you can pay it back in installments. How do you think?"
At first glance, Ling Qingwan's idea seemed very friendly to the old lady. But the old lady was used to a life of luxury, and she couldn't stand not having any surplus money.
For a moment, the old lady's face turned red and black, and she was very embarrassed.
"In that case, Fuluxuan will be left with no money. How will I spend my daily food and clothing?" asked the old lady.
"Even if you have nothing left every month and give me all your monthly allowance, it will still take you more than ten years to pay off your debt."
Until now, the old lady was still worrying about whether she was living a good life. Ling Qingwan silently gave her a blow.
The old lady couldn't bear to have her live like a poor person for more than ten years.
"There is another way." Ling Qingwan suddenly spoke again.
The old lady's eyes lit up.
"I can help you pay half of the debt you owe outside now. That means if you owe one hundred taels, I can pay back fifty for you, and you only owe me fifty. And I don't want you to pay interest." Ling Qingwan curled the corners of her mouth slightly.
"Is there such a good thing?" The old lady looked up and down at Ling Qingwan suspiciously.
She didn't believe that Ling Qingwan was really so kind.
"There is a prerequisite." Ling Qingwan added, "From now on, all affairs in the mansion will only be managed by the eldest wife, and you can no longer participate in any of them."
"Then what's the point of me being this old lady?" The old lady's face turned black.
Ling Qingwan's implication was to deprive her of all power. As an old lady, she was like a useless person. How could such a thing be justified in the world
"You are now at an age where you can enjoy your retirement, so you should stay in the mansion and live a leisurely life. You don't need to take care of the affairs of the mansion, and someone will take care of your food and drink every day. Think carefully about whether you will suffer any loss in this matter."
Ling Qingwan had already said this, and if the old lady still wanted to compete with her, Ling Qingwan would have no choice.
Although her attitude was a bit tough, in the end, it was all for the old lady's good.
"Is what you just said true? Is Fuluxuan's food, clothing and other expenses still the same as usual?" The old lady confirmed again and again.
After being advised by Ling Qingwan, the old lady felt that she had gained more and more. She just lost the power to manage things, but the Ling Mansion was in such a state of decline that she couldn't manage it even if she wanted to, so she might as well let it go and let Ling Qingwan do it.
Not only that, the amount of money to be repaid was also reduced by half, which was a huge blessing for the old lady.
"As long as you agree." Ling Qingwan still had a smile on her face.
"Okay! That's settled!" The old lady immediately agreed with Ling Qingwan's idea. "You can't go back on your word."
Thinking back to how the old lady had just taken advantage of her and tried her best to get her to take over the mess she had made, she changed her attitude when she saw Ling Qingwan giving in, fearing that she would not get the upper hand. Ling Qingwan just found it funny.
When it comes to cleverness, who can compare to the old lady
"It's written in black and white, and there are elders to testify. So, you should believe me, right?" Ling Qingwan looked indifferent and met the old lady's gaze.
After saying this, the elder came out of the room.
"Second uncle, third uncle, fifth uncle, why are you here too?" The old lady's face changed.
Since they had been staying in the inner room, it proved that the elders had been listening to the conversation between the old lady and Ling Qingwan just now.
The old lady suddenly felt humiliated and extremely embarrassed.
"Of course I'm here to testify for you two." Uncle San spoke openly and said in a cold voice.
The servant next to him has already started writing.
"Let me make it clear first. Since you have already agreed to Wanwan's request, you must strictly abide by it. Don't do the same as last time. In order to regain the power, you called us here, and then turned around and gave it back. Not only did you make us run for nothing, but you also lost your dignity."
When the Third Uncle talked about this, he was furious, but out of consideration for the relationship, he did not vent his anger in front of the old lady.
"I understand." The old lady agreed reluctantly.
The truth was not on her side, and she now needed Ling Qingwan's help. No matter how strong-willed the old lady was, she had no choice but to bow to Ling Qingwan.
After a while, the contract was written and witnessed by three elders. Ling Qingwan and the old lady signed their names and put their fingerprints on it.
When everything was done, the old lady took her share and left Orchid Garden in shame.
Ling Qingwan immediately allocated some silver and asked his men to distribute it to the debt collectors outside. Not only was there a lot of money, but each person was given five taels extra, which he used as money to buy tea.
The debt collectors got their money back and left happily. Many of them praised Ling Qingwan and criticized the old lady before leaving.
When the old lady heard about this at Fuluxuan, she was furious. But what could she do? The document had been signed, and Ling Qingwan had paid the money back. She could only treat it as a loss and endure it.
Seeing that the matter had been resolved, the three elders prepared to return home.
"It's getting late now. Why don't you three have a simple meal here, stay overnight, and go back tomorrow." Ling Qingwan followed the others to the gate of Lanyuan.
As soon as he finished speaking, Nanny Park came in hurriedly.
"When did Mammy get so anxious?" asked the fifth uncle.
Nanny Park has been staying by Ling Shen's side ever since she entered the Marquis' Mansion. Several elders have met Nanny Park several times and are considered to know her.
"When the servants in the mansion learned that the young lady had added more food, they became extremely excited and clamored to come and thank the young lady. No matter how we tried to persuade them, they wouldn't listen." Nanny Park was helpless.
Ling Qingwan likes quietness, and she doesn't know if the servants' behavior will cause her any trouble.
Only then did the three elders realize what kind of life the servants in the mansion had been leading during the past few months when the old lady was in charge.
In comparison, Ling Qingwan appears to be much more capable.
The three elders finally listened to Ling Qingwan and stayed in Ling's house for one night. They left the next day.
Ling Qingwan got up early and only felt relieved after sending the three of them to the carriage.
"Wan Wan."
Before leaving, Third Uncle chatted with Ling Qingwan for a while.
"It's your father's blessing to have you in this Ling Mansion."
After saying that, Third Uncle turned around and got on the carriage.
Ling Qingwan watched the carriage go away until it disappeared, then she withdrew her gaze and returned to her mansion.
On the first day Ling Qingwan took over the power, she issued an order to reduce the number of servants in the mansion by half and send the rest back home.
"We signed a one-year contract, but they kicked us out before the end of the contract. Where should we go next?"