novelraw The 219th Chapter Family Farce
The 219th Chapter Family Farce
The 219th Chapter Family Farce
Grandma Cheng felt utterly exhausted. She waved to her son, "Go find your wife first, then go find your second and third sons and have them call their wives over as well."
Now that the household is facing difficulties, it is precisely the time when they are needed to lend a hand. I will call them all over and speak to them personally.
In addition, all the silver notes from each courtyard and room in the mansion should be collected and sent to me to see how much silver is left and whether it can help plug some of the gaps.
"Yes... I'll go and call for help right away."
Old Master Cheng turned to leave, but Old Lady Cheng called him back again: "Don't forget to go and see your man. His yard has also been robbed. Go and comfort him, let him stay in the yard in peace. He'll still have money to spend."
There's been a lot going on lately, so let him keep a low profile and not cause any more trouble at this critical juncture. Once we get through this, we can let him run wild again.
"My son understands."
After leaving Old Lady Cheng's courtyard, Cheng the eldest first went to find Cheng the second and third brothers and told them what the old lady had instructed him to do.
After that, without waiting for their reaction, he hurriedly went to find his wife.
Madam Cheng was not Cheng Laoda's first wife; she was his second wife. Cheng Laoda's son was not born to her either; he was born to Cheng Laoda's deceased first wife.
She had been married for just over ten years, and because she looked down on Master Cheng for being stupid and lustful, she rarely let him stay overnight in her courtyard.
Therefore, she has only given birth to one daughter over the years.
Now that the family's silver had been stolen, after checking that her belongings were found to be intact, Madam Cheng wisely kept out of the public eye and stayed in the courtyard, not wanting to attract attention.
But to my surprise, someone still had their eye on me.
She glared coldly at Cheng Laoda, who dared not meet her eyes, and sneered, "Your Cheng family is really good at scheming. You guard your money so carefully, as if you're afraid that we, your daughters-in-law, will take it."
Now that your family has been robbed and you're short of money, you've turned your attention to us daughters-in-law. Ha! The Cheng family gets all the good things in the world!
Enraged by these sarcastic remarks, Cheng the eldest retorted, "What do you mean, 'your family' or 'my family'? You're a daughter-in-law of the Cheng family! The Cheng family is your family! Now that the family is in trouble, you should lend a hand!"
"Easier said than done!" Madam Cheng slammed her hand on the table and stood up. "That thief only stole the cash! He didn't touch any of the other valuables or banknotes! If you really need money, just sell some of them!"
They cling to their own possessions, unwilling to part with anything, yet always eyeing others'! When it comes to scheming, no one can compare to the Cheng family!
"You!" Old Master Cheng raised his hand in anger.
Madam Cheng was not afraid of him: "Go ahead and hit me! If you dare to lay a finger on me today, I will risk my life to send a message to the Shen and Bai families!"
Boss Cheng's face turned pale, and he panicked instantly: "How do you know about the Shen family and the Bai family?"
"So many boxes, delivered without any concealment, and your Cheng family is the same, accepting them openly and without any concealment. I've never seen anyone as audacious as you!"
Because of this, Madam Cheng immediately sent a letter to her family, informing them that the Cheng family had accepted tributes from the Shen and Bai families and had been keeping their household property safe.
She also proposed a divorce, hoping that her family could send someone to preside over the divorce proceedings.
Judging by the time, a reply from home should arrive soon.
Regardless, Madam Chen's threat was very effective.
Boss Cheng lowered his raised hand, his face turning ashen.
He knew his wife's abilities and that her family was not simple. If he angered his wife, even the most domineering Cheng family would have to show her some respect.
"I've delivered the message. Whether you go or not is up to you!"
After saying this, Boss Cheng turned and stormed off in anger.
Madam Cheng was not intimidated by these words; she said she wouldn't go and that meant it.
She knew that Boss Cheng was in a fit of impotent rage, and at this point, all he could do was utter some harsh words.
Compared to Madam Cheng's strong character, Madam Cheng's Second and Third wives were not so assertive.
They had neither sons to rely on nor wealthy families to support them.
Therefore, when they heard that Old Lady Cheng was looking for them, they knew perfectly well what she meant.
This is to fill the hole; they've got their eyes on their dowries!
The two sisters-in-law were both angry and flustered, but they dared not refuse to go.
After dawdling for a long time, the two sisters-in-law, along with their maids and servants, arrived at Old Madam Cheng's room.
Grandma Cheng knew they had guessed why she had come to see them, and she also knew they wouldn't come quickly, so she thought it would take a while.
Unexpectedly, two people arrived not long after we started waiting.
Grandma Cheng glanced at them; the one who wasn't there was her eldest daughter-in-law.
"Didn't you invite your sister-in-law along when you came?"
The two sisters-in-law were taken aback. "Didn't our sister-in-law come over?"
Madam Cheng's courtyard was quite far from theirs, and since they had deliberately waited for so long, they assumed Madam Cheng should have arrived long ago.
"I guess she was busy and forgot about it." Old Madam Cheng's tone was indifferent, and she didn't seem angry. She called to the head maid who was waiting outside and asked her to go and invite Madam Cheng again.
The head maid outside responded and quickly went to find Madam Cheng.
"Please sit down." Grandma Cheng was unusually gentle with her daughters-in-law today.
The two sisters-in-law were not relieved; instead, their hearts were raised even higher.
The more gentle it is, the greater the things it may be asking for.
Sure enough, as soon as the two sisters-in-law sat down on the stools, Old Mrs. Cheng told them about the situation in her home, a mix of truth and falsehood.
"...The lost cash is nothing to our family; the majority of the banknotes and other valuables were not lost."
If we can recover that cash, great; if not, it doesn't matter. To our family, it's just a drop in the ocean.
With the end of the year fast approaching, once the managers of various shops and the stewards of the estate submit their profits for the second half of the year, the family will have plenty of cash again.
Hearing this, the two sisters-in-law breathed a sigh of relief and exchanged a glance. Judging from the tone, it didn't seem like they were after their dowry. Could they have misunderstood?
Just as the two were puzzled, Old Mrs. Cheng changed the subject and brought up something.
"If nothing else had happened, as I said, our family wouldn't have suffered because of the lost money."
Unfortunately, a few days ago, the Empress Dowager sent a message saying that the Third Prince was about to establish his own residence. Worried that the Third Prince might not have enough money, the Empress Dowager sent a message back, instructing the household to immediately prepare 200,000 taels of silver to be sent to the capital.
The two sisters-in-law were disheartened. They were unaware of the Cheng family's annual income, assuming they were similar to other wealthy and powerful families. Hearing the empress from the palace ask for 200,000 taels of silver in one go, they were immediately filled with resentment!
Do the empresses in the palace think the Cheng family is a money exchange?
Two hundred thousand taels of silver in one go! How could the Cheng family, who had just lost their money, possibly come up with that?
Old Madam Cheng ignored the changing expressions on her sisters-in-law's faces and said directly, "The Empress and the Third Prince are our family's greatest support. Only when the Empress's side is stable can our Cheng family be stable."
Since Her Majesty has spoken, we cannot refuse. I was thinking of borrowing some silver from you first, to send to Her Majesty, and then repaying you when the family's harvest is delivered at the end of the year."
After speaking slowly, Old Mrs. Cheng picked up the teacup on the table and took a sip.
Before the two sisters-in-law could speak, the head maid's voice came from outside the door: "Grandma, the First Madam said she's not feeling well and won't be coming. She said she'll come to pay her respects and speak with you when she's better..."
The two sisters-in-law in the room were stunned. Why was their sister-in-law being so tough today?
The old lady even sent her head maid to personally invite them, but they still couldn't get anyone to come.
I glanced furtively at the old woman and saw that her face was dark and her eyes were cold.
The two sisters-in-law shuddered, realizing something was wrong.
Old Mrs. Cheng was furious after being humiliated by her eldest daughter-in-law!
But now is not the time to be angry.
She shifted her gaze to her two sisters-in-law: "Since your eldest sister-in-law can't come, I'll go there myself later! What about you two? What did you say?"
How to say?
They also wanted to stay far away, just like their sister-in-law.
Unfortunately, they lacked the confidence.
But 200,000 taels is too much; even if the two of them took it all out, it wouldn't be enough.
Madam Cheng hesitated for a moment, then gritted her teeth and asked, "Since Her Highness is waiting for the money, the household should indeed contribute. However... I wonder how much the shortfall is?"
Mother, as you know, my third sister-in-law and I can't compare to my eldest sister-in-law. If it's ten or twenty thousand, we can afford it, but any more than that, we really can't..."
These words greatly displeased Old Mrs. Cheng!
What good are ten thousand or eight thousand?!
What she wants is for them to hand over all their dowry, whatever it is, and then she will find a way to sell it for money!
The matter of selling off the daughter-in-law's dowry was neither pleasant to talk about nor easy to hear. Old Master Cheng originally wanted to wait for them to be sensible and hand it over on their own.
It seems that we still need to let her say it outright.
“The household has just lost some silver, and the shortfall is quite large! I’m thinking that you all hand over your dowries and sell them to raise money to tide you over this urgent matter. Afterwards, the household will repay you double the amount, so you won’t suffer any losses.”
The two sisters-in-law's expressions changed instantly!
So the manor isn't after their money, but rather wants them to sell their dowries to fill the family's financial hole?!
The two sisters-in-law were so angry that their vision went black!
Madam Cheng the Third was about to give her a cold shoulder and say it was impossible, but Madam Cheng the Second secretly kicked her, signaling her to stop making a scene for now.
Madam Cheng paused, then swallowed back the words that were about to come out.
Madam Cheng took a deep breath: "Mother, this is a serious matter. Please allow us to go back and think about it..."
Grandma Cheng knew they would have a hard time accepting it right away, so she agreed to let them go back and think it over.
"Go ahead, think it over carefully. The household is facing some difficulties right now, but we'll get through this period. When that time comes, the household will definitely remember the kindness of you sisters-in-law."
That's more beautiful to say than to sing.
The two sisters-in-law forced a smile, their faces stiff, and bowed to Old Madam Cheng before leaving the house one after the other.
Only after leaving Old Lady Cheng's courtyard did the two sisters-in-law dare to show their displeasure, their faces turning ashen!
I've never seen such a shameless person!
If you want to sell things to raise money, just sell your Cheng family's belongings. No one will stop you. How can you force a daughter-in-law to sell her dowry?!
There's no logic to that!
"Second sister-in-law, what should we do?" Madam Cheng was both angry and flustered, and couldn't think of any solution for the moment.
After a moment of silence, Madam Cheng pulled her along another path: "Let's go find my sister-in-law and ask her for advice!"
Madam Cheng's eyes lit up. She remembered that her eldest sister-in-law hadn't even come. She dared to go against the old lady. She must have a way to resolve this situation!
"Let's go! We need to get there right away!"
Madam Cheng had anticipated that her two sisters-in-law would come, and she had been waiting for them in the warm pavilion.
After the maidservants greeted them as they entered, she told the maidservants to step outside and stand guard. Then she asked her two sisters-in-law a question.
"Is the old lady after your dowry?"
The two sisters-in-law were stunned; she had actually guessed correctly.
Madam Cheng sighed: "Just now the old lady said that the empress from the palace sent a letter asking for money. She said that the third prince is about to establish his own residence and is worried that there won't be enough money. She asked the residence to raise 200,000 taels of silver and send it to the capital."
"Two hundred thousand taels?!" Madam Cheng exclaimed in surprise. "Does the Empress in the palace think the Cheng family is a money exchange that only takes in and never gives out? We just sent one hundred thousand taels of silver to them in the first half of the year, and now they want two hundred thousand taels? Even a money exchange couldn't withstand such demands!"
"Let the Cheng family give them their money if they want; it's not like we daughters-in-law get to enjoy it anyway."
As she spoke, Madam Cheng's face darkened. "When my third sister-in-law and I went over, we thought the old lady wanted us to contribute some money to help out."
Unexpectedly... the old lady demanded that we hand over all our dowry, saying she wanted to find a way to sell it for money!
They said the shortfall of 200,000 taels was too great, and the silver we had was just a drop in the ocean; only by selling the dowry could we fill the gap!
"Pah!" Madam Cheng spat. "The old lady is probably just trying to fool you! The Cheng family's current financial shortfall is far more than just 200,000. We might have to sell off the entire family's assets to pay it off!"
These words startled Madam Cheng, who staggered two steps to her feet: "Sister-in-law, what makes you say this? Do you know something? If you know anything, please, sister-in-law, save us!"
As she spoke, she lifted her skirt and knelt down!
"Third sister-in-law!" Madam Cheng helped her up. "Why do you need to do this? The three of us sisters-in-law have always been harmonious. We didn't tell you before because we thought things might not escalate."
"I never expected the silver in the manor to be stolen. This is troublesome; this matter is bound to come to light sooner or later!"
"What exactly happened? Please tell us, sister-in-law, so we can be prepared." Madam Cheng was pale and clearly terrified.
Madam Cheng lowered her voice and told the two women about the Shen and Bai families. They could hear the two women slump into their round chairs.
"...Although we don't know exactly how much silver there was, dozens of boxes used to store the silver were moved into the warehouse one after another!"
So many boxes, I wonder if they contain silver or gold. If they're gold, how much silver would there be?
Now everything has been stolen by thieves, and my fool has sent out guards and hired constables to search the whole city for any unfamiliar faces.
Now the rumors are probably spreading outside, and I reckon they'll reach the ears of the Shen and Bai families sooner or later! When that happens, the Shen and Bai families will definitely come demanding money, and what will the manor provide?"