Chapter 63 Calculation
"Father and Mother."
Her voice was as low as a whisper, almost inaudible in the room, but every word was clear and carried a chilling chill.
"I will take back everything they owed me..."
The candlelight suddenly jumped, swallowing up the last bit of warmth in Jiang Qingning's eyes, leaving only ice-cold hatred and calculation.
"This time, I want them to bring it to me personally."
"Please accept it."
Jiang Mansion.
"Really? She wants them all?"
Jiang Baizhou, the second master of the Jiang family, suddenly jumped up from the armchair, his skinny face full of incredible ecstasy, his loose skin trembling, and greedy light bursting out of his turbid eyes.
"You still want to hand it over to me in person?"
"It is absolutely true, sir!"
Butler Wang Fu was running out of breath, but his face was filled with a flattering smile that was almost overflowing.
"The Hengtong Pawnshop's contact, Manager Liu, personally relayed this information, word for word. I heard it clearly. He said it was the famous owner's personal instructions!"
"Good! Good! Good!"
Jiang Baizhou excitedly said three "good" words in a row, and clapped his hands on the table.
"Heaven won't destroy my Jiang family, and Heaven won't destroy me, Third Brother, Third Brother, do you hear me?"
Jiang Songyan, the third master who was sitting at the bottom, could not hide his excitement on his face.
He was a little calmer than Jiang Baizhou, but his hands were also trembling slightly: "Second brother, I heard it, I heard it all!"
He licked his cracked lips, his eyes sparkling.
"With this money, I can pay off my debts and secure a good future for the men in my family. It truly is God's will that our Jiang family will not perish."
"Why do you want to trade with us in person? Do you know where it is?"
Jiang Ruyi stood aside, pride evident on her face.
"Dad, I did this, you must reward me well!"
Jiang Baizhou praised repeatedly: "You are worthy of being my good daughter, Jiang Baizhou. You have the demeanor of your father back then! Whatever you want this time, your father can satisfy you!"
Jiang Ruyi said excitedly, "Father, that bitch Jiang Qingning has already divorced the Earl of Anping, and my daughter is now of marriageable age. Why don't you marry her off to him?"
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone present paused and looked at Jiang Ruyi inquiringly.
Jiang Baizhou frowned slightly, "This matter still needs to be discussed. After your father and your mother have a thorough discussion, I will inform you of the final outcome."
The status of Earl of Anping was naturally out of reach for the declining Jiang family.
However, Jiang Qingning's insistence on divorce has made them too embarrassed to appear in front of the Earl of Anping. They can only temporarily ease the situation for a while and wait for future discussions.
Jiang Ruyi bowed obediently, thinking that Jiang Baizhou agreed. She happily said thank you to her father, turned around and ran away excitedly.
Jiang Songyan sighed, "Qingning is naive, and she longs for Ruyi to marry into the Anping Marquis's mansion as his second wife. Unfortunately, my daughters are either dull, illegitimate, or haven't reached the age of marriage yet. Otherwise, they could also contribute to the Jiang family."
"But regarding Shangguan Dongjia's words, Second Brother, should we reconsider it? What if what she said is..."
"Who cares where it is!"
Jiang Baizhou waved his hand impatiently, interrupting his hesitation, with a ruthless look on his face.
"As long as I can get rid of this hot potato and exchange it for cash, I will go to her territory, even if it means going through mountains of swords and seas of fire!"
At this moment, his mind was filled with the huge sum of money that was about to come, which was enough to fill the hole he owed from gambling and also the capital to turn his life around. How could he have time to think about anything else?
"Quick! Wang Fu! Go find all the land deeds and house deeds for me! Don't leave any behind! And hurry up and get ready for the third house too!"
"Yes, sir!"
Wang Fu responded loudly and turned to run.
Jiang Songyan was rebuked by him and suppressed the uneasiness in his heart.
Yes, creditors are blocking my door every day.
If they can't get the money, the second and third wives will be kicked out of the house and won't even be able to keep the only decent ancestral home left.
He gritted his teeth, and only the desire for silver remained in his eyes.
"I'll go back and check the deeds right away! As long as all the debts are paid off this time, I will definitely find a way out for my descendants!"
Jiang Baizhou nodded: "Third brother, what you said is very much to my liking!"
The two brothers looked at each other and saw in each other's eyes the enthusiasm of risking everything on one gamble and the relief of surviving the disaster. The study was filled with a morbid atmosphere of excitement.
The atmosphere in the west wing where the third house lived was completely different.
Jiang Yuerou sat alone by the small window in her boudoir, with the window frame half open.
It was completely dark outside, with a few sparse stars hanging coldly on the dark blue sky.
There was only a small oil lamp lit in the room, and the dim light cast her slender figure vaguely on the wall.
She unconsciously twisted a white silk handkerchief in her hand, and her knuckles turned slightly white from the force.
Just now, when her father Jiang Songyan came in hurriedly and told her with a flushed face that she would be attending a family dinner at the Anping Marquis's Mansion in seven days, she just lowered her head and said "hmm" softly.
The father was so absorbed in his ecstasy that he did not notice his daughter's unusual silence and paleness.
"Nishang Pavilion..."
Jiang Yuerou's lips moved silently and she uttered these three words.
The copy of the final list that Wang Fu delivered in the afternoon was now lying quietly on her dressing table.
Her eyes involuntarily drifted over and landed on the last row. This was the shop her mother gave her as a dowry, but it was also "borrowed" by her father.
An icy chill instantly gripped her.
She shivered violently, and the handkerchief in her hand was almost torn to pieces.
"Does the Jiang family still have a future?"
Jiang Yuerou's face was pale and tears silently rolled down her eyes.
The night outside the window is so dark that it cannot be dissolved.
There seemed to be a few vague sounds of night watches in the distance, adding a bit of desolation.
Jiang Yuerou looked at the endless darkness and felt a huge, ominous chill quietly surrounding her from all directions. It was so cold and sticky that she could hardly breathe.
She hugged her arms tightly, shivering with cold in this midsummer night.
…
In the brightly lit elegant room, Jiang Qingning was still sitting in the large armchair.
On the candlestick, several red candles as thick as children's arms were burning, and the dancing flames made her beautiful yet cold profile half bright and half dark.
The room was eerily quiet, with only the occasional crackling sound of the candlelight.
That long list filled with the property sold by the second and third branches of the Jiang family.
At this moment, it was like the dirtiest garbage, casually swept onto the carpet, and no one even looked at it.
Jiang Qingning's entire mind was focused on his fingertips.
In her hand, she held the old silver hairpin left by her mother. The hairpin was cold, but the small piece of white jade embedded in the top was emitting a warm and restrained luster under the candlelight.
Her fingertips stroked the white jade over and over again, extremely carefully, as if touching past memories.
The candlelight danced in her bottomless eyes, reflecting no warmth at all.
Two days later, early morning.
The carriage slowly stopped outside Ning Pavilion. Nanny Zhang lifted the door curtain and raised her hand to help Jiang Qingning out.
"Miss, you haven't slept all night. You should go back and have a good rest after you finish your work." Nanny Zhang looked at Jiang Qingning with heartache, feeling both excited and worried.
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