Wen Tingbai had originally thought that he and Song Wanning were husband and wife, one and the same. He had said that the loan was just an excuse. If word got out that the whole family was borrowing money, people would probably laugh their heads off. Song Wanning would never do such a thing.
Kwun Timber was wrong.
Song Wanning didn't get angry after hearing what Wen Tingbai said. She just looked at Cai Que beside her and said, "Bring me some paper and pen. Since Mr. Bai wants to borrow money, we must make a written agreement, otherwise he will take the money and then turn against us."
Seeing Song Wanning's behavior, Wen Tingbai's face became even uglier. He just said, "Wanning, are we really going to go this far?"
"Didn't Second Master say he wanted to borrow money? Now you're changing your mind?" Song Wanning assumed Wen Tingbo didn't want to lend her money again, so she waved at Cai Que and said, "Since Second Master said he doesn't want to lend her money, I'll just send him back to the courtyard to rest."
Wen Tingbai looked at the indifferent Song Wanning and squeezed out the words from between his teeth, "I'll borrow it."
Song Wanning took a pen and paper and said calmly, "How much do you want to borrow, Second Master?"
Wen Tingbai thought about the two thousand taels he owed Zhong Gong, and the one thousand taels that Cui Xiaoxiao's rouge shop was still short of. He really didn't have any extra money, so he had to bite the bullet and said, "Three thousand taels."
Song Wanning had a solid reason and continued to ask, "When does the Second Master plan to return it?"
Wen Tingbai sighed and said reluctantly, "The money I earn every month as an official, as well as the silver that my family should have distributed to me, will all be sent to your courtyard."
"Second Master's monthly salary as an official is 20 taels of silver. In Lan Courtyard, Second Master's monthly allowance is 30 taels of silver, so the total is 50 taels of silver." Song Wanning wrote down the amounts on the paper and added, "Second Master pays me 50 taels of silver a month. It will take Second Master five years to pay me back."
Before Wen Tingbai could say anything, Song Wanning continued, "However, since you're asking for money, I can't lend it to Second Master for free. I sent someone to ask the merchants who specialize in lending money at interest, and they found that the annual interest on one thousand taels of silver is three hundred taels. Since Second Master and I are husband and wife, I should give him a discount and charge him one hundred taels for every thousand taels of silver each year."
Song Wanning wrote down the details of the loan according to the merchant's regulations, then looked up at Wen Tingbai and said, "If you agree, just sign your name here."
Song Wanning looked at Song Wanning, who was doing things in a businesslike manner, and said to her, “Wanning, aren’t you really trying to piss me off by doing this?”
Song Wanning looked calm as she looked at Wen Tingbai and said, "Second Master, don't overthink it. If you want to help your aunt pay off her debt, just sign the document."
Seeing Song Wanning like this, Wen Tingbai angrily wrote his name on the list and said to Song Wanning, "Are you satisfied with this? If so, just give me the money."
"Is this your attitude towards your creditors?" Song Wanning looked at Wen Tingbai and said, "If Second Master is dissatisfied with me and regrets it now, as long as you walk out of this door, I will pretend that Second Master has never been here, and this order will be invalidated."
Seeing that Song Wanning was unmoved by his soft words and persuasion, Wen Tingbai had no choice but to bite the bullet and coax her, "Wanning, that's not what I meant."
"If I were your wife, you should consult with me before you speak. If I were your creditor, you should treat me with more respect. If you can't do that, then forget about borrowing money. I don't have to lend you the money." Song Wanning said, glancing at Caique beside her, and slowly said, "Find the banknote for Second Master."
Wen Tingbai now needed help from others, so he could only endure Song Wanning's words and dared not say a word.
Cai Que handed the banknote to Wen Tingbai, and Wen Tingbai turned around and left the South Courtyard in anger.
Zhuque looked at Wen Tingbai who was leaving quickly, and sighed at Song Wanning, "Grandma, you and the Second Master are husband and wife after all. Now that the quarrel has become so ugly, I'm afraid it won't end well."
"I never thought about living with him forever."
Ever since Wen Tingbai owed Song Wanning money, he had to hand over all his income every month to Song Wanning and had no money left for himself.
In the past, when he was well-off, he would occasionally prepare small gifts for Cui Xiaoxiao. He would satisfy every piece of clothing and jewelry that Cui Xiaoxiao wanted.
Things are different now. All the little gadgets from before are gone. Cui Xiaoxiao didn't dare to get angry at first, but when she saw that Wen Tingbo no longer bought her anything, she became angry.
Now, Wen Tingbai not only refused to buy her clothes and jewelry, but he even had to eat in her courtyard. The concubine's allowance was not much to begin with, and the two of them would have spent all their money by the middle of the month.
Cui Xiaoxiao looked at Wen Tingbo, who was dressed in splendid clothes, and was furious. "Tingbo, how long can we live like this for five years? This is not a big deal."
"It's not that I want to live like this, but we really don't have any money right now." Wen Tingbai sighed, "It may take five years to pay off all the debts. I'm afraid these hard times will last a long time."
As the saying goes, it's easy to go from simple to extravagant, but difficult to go from extravagant to frugal. Cui Xiaoxiao had been accustomed to a life of luxury, but now she had to carry this debt for five years. The thought of this made her feel uncomfortable. She cried, "Second Master, you are the Second Master of the Marquisate. Everyone respects you wherever you go. How come you are being manipulated by that heartless and ungrateful woman? Second Master, why don't you think of a solution?"
"Xiao Xiao, it's not that I don't want to find a solution." Wen Tingbai was also angry. If it weren't for Cui Xiaoxiao's troubles outside, he would now be a rich and noble young man. Now Cui Xiaoxiao didn't understand her, and she even resented him.
"You were wrong about what happened outside. I've ended up like this because of you, and you're actually blaming me?" Wen Tingbai stood up and said angrily, "If that's the case, I might as well be shameless and go to the South Courtyard to make a living. At least she won't give me a hard time."
"You..." Cui Xiaoxiao began to cry, "Have you regretted being with me a long time ago?"
Wen Tingbai didn't say anything and left the west courtyard where Cui Xiaoxiao was without looking back.
Wen Tingbai hadn't been gone for a while when Wen Xu arrived. He brought some pastries from the kitchen to see Cui Xiaoxiao. Seeing her crying, he consoled her, "Don't cry, Auntie. Xu'er brought you some snacks."
Cui Xiaoxiao only raised her eyes once and didn't look at Wen Xu.
She had been trying to please Wen Xu a few days ago because she thought it would be helpful to have a good relationship with him. He was Song Wanning's stepson and could help her by pleading for mercy.
Who would have thought that Song Wanning didn't take this stepson seriously at all, and his words were of no use at all.
Wen Xu looked at Cui Xiaoxiao and said in a childish voice, "When can I get the toy that Auntie told me about a few days ago? The one that runs on the ground."
"There are no toys." Cui Xiaoxiao was no longer as friendly as before. She looked at Wen Xu and yelled, "Get out!"
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