Yang accepted the silver, her face showing both joy and a touch of guilt for her past words and actions.
She held Jiang Huaiyu's hand tightly and said sincerely, "Sister-in-law, I was indeed narrow-minded before and spoke to you too harshly. Please don't take it to heart. From now on, in this family, I will take the initiative to wash and dry your clothes and my second brother's clothes!"
"What should I do? I'm worried this will be a burden to you."
“How can washing clothes be considered a burden? It’s just a small matter, nothing important.” Yang’s words revealed firmness and sincerity, as if she was making up for her past mistakes with practical actions.
Jiang Huaiyu did not continue to refuse, and said sincerely, "Then I will leave it to you, sister-in-law. If I make a lot of money in the future, I will definitely help you out from time to time."
"What are you saying, sister-in-law? You're so naive!"
Yang was polite in words, but inwardly she was overjoyed. Earning money by washing a few pieces of clothing was indeed a good deal.
...
the next day.
When Jiang Huaiyu returned home from school, she found that the atmosphere at home was a bit strange.
Bai Qishi had a cold expression, Xie Wenyin next to her also looked serious, while Yang Shi was anxiously banging on her door.
"Jinxiao, come out quickly! What happened?"
"The weather outside is unbearably hot, why do you stay indoors and not come out for some fresh air?"
"Bai Jinxiao, why don't you say something!"
No matter how loudly Yang shouted, Bai Jinxiao inside ignored her.
Jiang Huaiyu asked, puzzled, "But has my older brother returned? Why has he locked himself in his room?"
The surroundings remained silent, and no one answered her question.
Madam Bai slammed her hand on the table, her anger blazing, and stormed out of the room. Her steps were hurried, her face contorted with rage as she arrived at Bai Jinxiao's door, shouting in a stern voice, "You unfilial son, what do you intend to do to drive this old woman to such distress?"
Her face was a mixture of anxiety and anger.
"You fled back from the county town with a bruised and swollen face, and the moment you stepped into your home you locked yourself in your tiny room. What exactly happened to you? Tell me!"
The room remained silent. Bai Qishi, unable to bear it any longer, was about to kick the door when it slowly opened.
Bai Jinxiao walked out of the room looking dejected. His face was covered in bruises, and his eyes were swollen and bulging, clearly indicating that he had suffered a severe blow.
Bai Qi was heartbroken and asked in a trembling voice, "What exactly happened to you to make you like this?"
"Mother, your son has committed a terrible crime..."
Bai Qi looked him up and down carefully, her tone filled with worry and anger, "What wrong have you done to deserve such treatment?"
"It's the boss..."
"The restaurant owner?"
Bai Qi was speechless for a moment. "You work as an accountant in the restaurant. Why would he do such a terrible thing to you?"
Bai Jinxiao sighed deeply and said with a worried look, "I did something wrong and angered the boss, so he ordered a few strong men to beat me up."
Bai Qi was furious, her face turning ashen. "Outrageous! Beating an innocent person is an outrage against all reason!"
Bai Qi frowned, a hint of disappointment and reproach flashing in her eyes. Her tone carried a sense of helplessness and exasperation: "You really are a headache. Someone hit you, are you just supposed to endure it? Isn't Yujing also in the county town? Why don't you go and ask him for help? Aren't all the people around him powerful? Can't you find a place to reason with him?"
Bai Jinxiao's face showed a worried expression.
"I was indeed wrong about this. I dare not go to Yujing. What if I cause him trouble and damage his reputation?"
Madam Bai sighed and softened her tone, "Then tell me, what exactly did you do wrong?"
Bai Jinxiao raised his head and saw that everyone's eyes were on him. The words that were on the tip of his tongue were difficult to utter because of his shame.
He covered his head with his hands and said painfully, "Mother, my head hurts terribly. Could you please go to town and fetch a doctor?"
Bai Qi glared at him, her tone reproachful, "You know it hurts, yet you're hiding it and won't come out?"
She quickly instructed Yang to fetch a doctor.
After Bai Jinxiao applied the medicine and ate, his family sat around him in the main room. He had nowhere to escape, so he had no choice but to bite the bullet and speak.
"A sum of money disappeared from the accounts, and I couldn't figure it out. The boss was furious and threatened me, saying that I either had to make up the money myself or he would report me to the authorities..."
Madam Yang asked with concern, "How much silver is missing?"
"One hundred taels." Bai Jinxiao's voice was trembling, and he dared not look directly into the eyes of the crowd.
"Ah? One hundred taels?" Madam Yang exclaimed, her voice revealing undisguised surprise.
Bai Qi's brows furrowed so deeply they seemed capable of trapping a mosquito. "As the accountant, how could you have overlooked such a huge sum of money? How could this have escaped your discerning eyes?"
Bai Jinxiao was also full of confusion, and said with a wry smile, "I've flipped through the account books, almost every page is worn out, but the expenses recorded in the accounts still don't match the actual amount spent. The boss has already said that if I can't fill this gap, he will send me to the authorities for investigation and accuse me of embezzling public funds!"
Upon hearing this, Madam Yang gasped, her voice trembling as she said, "One hundred taels of silver is no small sum. If this really goes to court, even if I'm lucky enough to survive, I'll be badly injured and severely weakened..."
Her heart was filled with worry, and she pleaded urgently with Bai Qishi.
"Mother, you must find a way to save Jinxiao no matter what!"
Bai Qi's face was also filled with anxiety. "He is my own flesh and blood, how can I not save him? But the amount of money is too large, how can our family raise it all at once?"
Since marrying Jiang Huaiyu, the Bai family has lost all its wealth and is now destitute.
Only in these two short months, thanks to Jiang Huaiyu's skillful embroidery and the fees she received, did Bai Qishi gradually accumulate some silver. However, even so, she only managed to save a mere few dozen taels, far short of the amount she needed.
Her gaze involuntarily turned to Jiang Huaiyu.
“Yujing’s wife, you still have some silver saved up. Seeing Jinxiao facing this calamity, we are family after all. You should lend a helping hand and at least share some of the burden, right?”
Jiang Huaiyu nodded slightly, his expression resolute, and said, "How can I stand idly by when my brother has suffered such misfortune? However, even if I were to give up all my savings, it would be difficult to fill this huge deficit. So, where should we raise the remaining funds?"
This is indeed a tricky problem.
Suddenly, Yang had a bright idea and suggested, "Sister-in-law, don't you also have a collection of many rare books?"
“I know those books are priceless, and you will surely be reluctant to part with them. But how can we stand idly by while our husband suffers this misfortune? If he is convicted, it may also implicate our younger brother. I beg you, could you temporarily sell those books to alleviate our immediate crisis?”
Her face showed a pleading look, and she almost knelt down before Jiang Huaiyu.
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