Chapter 505 A Refined Young Lady from the Republican Era Gets the Male and Female Protagonists Killed (7)

As for Zhang Jiqing, the mother and daughter were practically identical, both covered in dust and dirt.

Zhang Jiqing was holding a makeup box in her hand, but her expression was very strange.

"Where are my things... I've lost them..."

She kept muttering to herself that she had lost something, but when the police asked her what she had lost, she stammered and couldn't say a word.

Clearly, neither the mother nor the daughter found what they were looking for.

Jin Shu composed herself, then walked forward with a shocked expression, looking at the scene before her, and asked with great emotion.

"What happened? Mom, why is there a fire?"

Zhang's mother looked up at her, her eyes cold and filled with reproach.

"You still have the nerve to ask? Didn't you hear the commotion yesterday?! Everyone was helping out, and what were you doing?! You were just sleeping?!"

Jin Shu was naturally woken up for a while, but she was a good sleeper and fell asleep again after turning her head.

"I was far away, and the doors and windows were tightly closed, so I didn't hear anything. How is it? Were any valuables burned?"

Mentioning this made Zhang's mother's face even more unpleasant.

The house was burned to ashes, but the silver dollars didn't even melt. How could they be gone?

"Mom, I'm asking you a question. Were any valuables destroyed in the house?"

"What do you think? With such a huge fire, I'm lucky I even survived!"

The house was burned down to its frame, not to mention the house deeds and Jin Shu's identity documents that she had hidden.

After all those things were burned, Jin Shu, who was originally a treasure in Zhang's mother's eyes, was now despised and even less than the roadside weeds because she no longer had those things to rely on!

"What about my things? Were they all burned?"

Upon hearing Jin Shu's words, Zhang's mother not only felt no remorse, but even became impatient and her face darkened.

"I almost burned to death last night, and all you cared about was your own little things! There really are no daughters-in-law in this world who truly care about their mothers-in-law!"

The thought of those precious land deeds and house deeds made Zhang's mother's face contort with heartache.

Looking at Jin Shu again, he felt even more uncomfortable.

At this moment, Zhang Jiqing jogged over and shouted at Jin Shu.

"You slept comfortably last night, as expected of someone who doesn't know how to cherish things when it's not their own home. Now look at us, where are we all going to live from now on?!"

Upon hearing this, Jin Shu couldn't help but smile.

"What does it matter to me where you live?"

"My brother's not here, so you have to take care of us!"

Before Zhang Jiqing could say anything more, his mother, panting heavily, scolded him.

"Is this the time to talk about this?! Our neighbors are demanding compensation! Nearly a thousand yuan! Where am I supposed to find that much money?"

Zhang Jiqing immediately picked up the conversation and said something that seemed perfectly natural.

"Isn't your sister-in-law rich? Let her use the money to pay off her debts first!"

The mother and daughter both turned to look at Jin Shu.

Zhang's mother said, "This is the only way now, otherwise it would be troublesome if the neighbors called the police."

Zhang Jiqing: "What are you standing there for? Go to your room and get the money. Do you want the police to put Mom in jail?"

Jin Shu nodded calmly.

"Okay, you guys pack your things first, I'll take care of this."

Seeing Jin Shu turn and leave, Zhang's mother breathed a sigh of relief.

"Luckily, she still had some money, otherwise it would have been troublesome."

This area is inhabited by the wealthy and powerful, none of whom the Zhang family can afford to offend.

Zhang's mother dared not owe these people money.

Zhang Jiqing had a bitter face.

"Mom, have you been in my room? My things are gone!"

"Why would I go into your room for no reason?!"

"Where did my things go? I can't find them anywhere!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang's mother suddenly became angry.

"How dare you say that? I'm asking you, did you steal my money again?!"

"I don't!!"

Zhang Jiqing instinctively opened her mouth to refute, but there was still a guilty conscience hidden in her eyes that was obvious to everyone.

Seeing this, Zhang's mother glared at her through gritted teeth.

"What did you do with all that money?! I knew it was you! Where did you spend it?!"

Zhang Jiqing, who had just been feeling a little guilty, immediately became aggrieved and shouted loudly upon hearing this.

"I only took a little! There's no way I've taken much!"

"A little bit? A little over a thousand yuan?! You brat, you'd better get your money back right now, or I'll beat you up!"

No matter how much Zhang's mother cherished this daughter, that was over a thousand yuan! She hadn't seen her for only a few months, and all the money she had saved up for so long was gone!

Without a doubt, it was Zhang Jiqing who stole it.

She had a habit of stealing money since she was a child.

In the past, Zhang's mother would turn a blind eye to things, and would only scold her occasionally.

But this time, she couldn't tolerate Zhang Jiqing anymore.

"No one but you can come into my room! If you don't tell me where all the money went today, you can forget about going to school!"

Zhang Jiqing felt wronged and angry.

"I didn't take that much! Mom! Why don't you believe me?! I didn't take that much!!"

"You don't take that much at once, but you take it every day, every single time! No wonder I've noticed you always wearing the same clothes! You've emptied my savings!!"

Zhang Jiqing was speechless and unable to explain himself.

Because she had indeed been secretly taking money from Zhang's mother's cabinet, but each time she would only take three or five silver dollars, ensuring that even if she was discovered, she would not be scolded too much by Zhang's mother.

But Zhang's mother insisted that she had lost more than a thousand yuan, which she would never admit.

Even if they don't admit it, they can't explain it clearly in a short time.

So all she could do was cover her face and cry angrily and resentfully, shouting as she cried.

"Why do you say I stole it! Why can't someone else have stolen it?!"

"Who else but you could possibly get into my house?! And you still dare to talk back! Let me tell you, if you don't get all your money back, don't even think about asking me for a single penny again!"

The mother and daughter were arguing fiercely over here.

Meanwhile, Jin Shu actually went to her neighbor's place and resolved the compensation issue.

However, she didn't resolve the issue with money. Instead, she sincerely and reluctantly signed an agreement with her neighbor, agreeing to repay the money within a month.

Furthermore, it also jeopardized Zhang Jisheng's dignity and reputation as a junior general.

When the neighbors heard of Liu Dashuai's name, they all gave him some face. So Jin Shu signed the IOU in Zhang Jisheng's name and promised to repay double the amount a month later.

Of course, the neighbors wouldn't refuse such a good thing.

And just like that, Jin Shu easily resolved the compensation issue.

Next up is where we'll stay.

The front half of the old house was burned down, leaving only a small section in the backyard where Jin Shu lived.

But one room like this is definitely not enough for the whole family.

Left with no other option, Zhang's mother contacted Zhang Jisheng.

Zhang Jisheng arrived by car that noon.