After being imprisoned for ten days, Yue Weimin compromised with the Dong family and admitted that the account books he had given to the Dong family over the years were false and that he had embezzled nearly half of the silver from Donglai Ju.
During this period, he had thought about forcing his way out, but no matter whether it was day or night, there were several people guarding outside, and these people were servants of the Dong family. He thought that he was the master of the Dong family over the years, and these servants listened to him. He never expected that after this incident, the servants ignored him completely, and even when he asked the servants to deliver a letter to Xi Ge'er, they disagreed.
It was Xi Ge'er who came to see him himself and asked him if he had a concubine and a child outside.
He told Xi Ge'er about his difficulties and said that after he married into Dong Lai's family, no one respected him. Now even these servants dared to ignore him and lock him up, which showed that they looked down on him from the bottom of their hearts. He also told Xi Ge'er about the grievances he had suffered in the Dong family over the years, saying that his mother had been in charge of the accounts in the family all these years, and he had to ask her even for spending money.
After hearing this, Xi Ge'er hesitated for a moment and asked, "But doesn't mother respect you very much? Outside, she never contradicts you, and at home, she's always caring and concerned about you. She even sews your clothes herself, and ours are made by an embroiderer. Even though mother manages the accounts, she never interferes with your expenses."
In fact, even though Dong was in charge of the accounts, every time Yue Weimin wanted to spend money, he would go to the accounting office, press his fingerprint and take the money himself. Sometimes he could take hundreds or even thousands of taels of silver a month. He said he bought expensive spices and ingredients, and Dong just let him do it and never restricted his spending.
Everyone in the family receives a monthly allowance. For example, Dong and Yue Weimin receive twenty taels of silver per month, and they, as children, receive ten taels. All the food, clothing, and other expenses of the family are paid from the public account. The twenty taels and ten taels are for their daily private expenses. Even Xi Ge'er eats and drinks in restaurants every month, and his clothes and other daily necessities are all prepared by his mother. He cannot spend all the ten taels of silver, unless he buys some small gifts for his fiancée. In that case, ten taels of silver is not enough, and he will take some more from the public account, and his mother will not interfere.
He got engaged two years ago, but the girl's father passed away suddenly, and the girl had to observe a three-year mourning period for her father, which delayed the marriage. She plans to get married next year after the mourning period is over.
He has a good relationship with the girl. Although they haven't gotten married yet, they occasionally meet up for meals or something, and he often gives his fiancée small gifts and jewelry.
So my family never worried about money, and my father was the same.
Even Xi Ge'er had no doubt about this. His mother was very kind to everyone in the family and never looked down on his father just because he married into the family.
Yue Weimin was speechless, but a little angry and said, "Xi'er, don't worry about it. Go and persuade your mother to let me out."
Xi Ge'er nodded. "Then wait, Dad. I'll go and persuade Mom. She must have been angry for a moment. Dad, as long as you're willing to sever ties with that side, give some money to send that mistress and the child away, and let them go somewhere else, I believe Mom will forgive you and won't divorce you again."
Xi Ge'er went to find Dong.
Dong just asked him, "Xi'er, do you think your father would be willing to give up his concubine and child? Or do you think your father likes you more? Would he give up his concubine and child for you? Xi'er, if I don't make a bet with you, don't plead for your father these days. See if he is willing to compromise, is he willing to sever his ties with the other side, or would he rather give us the money he has taken from Donglaiju over the years, divorce me, and then go back to live with his concubine."
Xi Ge'er didn't believe it at all, but he still hesitated and agreed to the bet with his mother.
In the next few days, Xi Ge'er did not go to see Yue Weimin again.
Yue Weimin also thought that Dong Shi wouldn't let Xi Ge'er come over. He was also worried that Dong Shi would bring people to embarrass Liu Niang and Ji Ge'er. Liu Niang was still pregnant and about to give birth, so he was really worried. So he completely compromised and had the servants call Dong Shi over. He told her, "Over the years, I've taken about 50,000 taels of silver from Donglaiju. I'm willing to return it all to you, but you can't embarrass Liu Niang and Ji Ge'er. How about I give you the silver and we get a divorce?"
Dong said, "Of course, as long as you return the money, the divorce agreement can be signed immediately. However, after the divorce, you will no longer be a member of the Dong family, and you can no longer use the Dong family recipes to open a restaurant to make a living. Otherwise, I will go to the government to sue you. Even if you go to the capital, I will not let you go."
Upon hearing this, Yue Weimin glared at Dong Shi fiercely, "If you don't want to use it, then don't use it. Dong Yonglan, you are truly heartless. If it weren't for me supporting Dong Lai Ju all these years, do you really think Dong Lai Ju could have been open for so many years? Many of Dong Lai Ju's recipes were created by me, and they can no longer be used by Dong Lai Ju."
Dong nodded, "Of course." She was not interested in the new dishes he created.
Yue Weimin added, "I have all those banknotes in the bank. If you let me go, I will go to the bank to get them."
He didn't even leave the banknotes with Liu Niang, which shows that he didn't really trust Liu Niang wholeheartedly.
This kind of person is selfish and only loves himself.
Dong finally saw through him completely.
After releasing Yue Weimin, he went to the money shop to get the silver bills.
Naturally, Dong personally accompanied him on this trip, and other servants followed. Yue Weimin really couldn't resist, so he took the sign and went to the bank to withdraw the silver note, which was exactly 50,000 taels of silver. He gave the silver to Dong.
Many people gathered outside the bank, talking excitedly.
After receiving the banknote, Dong went back and wrote a divorce letter to Yue Weimin.
The two divorced completely.
After Yue Xi knew about it, he came to the main courtyard. At that time, Yue Weimin had already packed up and prepared to leave. Apart from silver and money, he didn't want to take anything away from the Dong family, so he packed two sets of clothes and just walked out of the hanging flower gate, he saw Xi Ge'er.
Xi Ge'er's eyes were red, "Dad, you and Mom are divorcing? Are you really leaving?"
Yue Weimin sneered, "It was you, the Dong family, who were unkind and unjust first. I've been in the Dong family for so many years, and even if I haven't made any contributions, I've worked hard. Your mother forced me to hand over all the banknotes I had. Your mother is so heartless, and you still expect me to continue living with her and continue to be your slave?"
"What about me?" Xi Ge'er asked in a trembling voice, "Dad, if you're gone, what will I do? I have your last name too. Am I less important to you than your mistress and your child?"
Yue Weimin said: "You are also your mother's child, you can change your surname back."
Now that he has Ji Ge'er, he feels that Ji Ge'er is his real child. Besides, Liu Niang is pregnant with another child. If he really wants to take Xi Ge'er with him, he is afraid that Liu Niang will be angry.
Yue Xi suddenly stopped talking and his face turned pale.
There was nothing he didn't understand at this moment. It turned out that what his mother said was right. His father had never loved them, including him. His father felt that any child born from his mother's belly would be a humiliation to him and would remind him that he was a son-in-law of the Dong family.
Seeing that Xi Ge'er stopped talking, Yue Weimin walked past him with a bag in his hand, not caring at all about Xi Ge'er's frighteningly pale appearance.
Dong's face was extremely cold. She had thought that Yue Weimin still had some fatherly affection for Xi Ge'er, but it seemed that he had no feelings for Xi Ge'er at all. Since that was the case, she decided to do things even more drastically.
Without saying a word, Dong asked her family to prepare a carriage and go to Raozhou City to find Liu Niang. The money that Yue Weimin used to support Liu Niang and the child was also Dong's family's money, and she wanted to take it all back.
Taking her servants with her, Dong set out for Raozhou City.
Yue Weimin rode his horse, a step ahead of Dong Shi, and arrived at Shijing Alley in Raozhou City. He went over and knocked on the door. Liu Niang happily opened the door, but when she saw it was him, she was stunned. "Master, why are you here? How did you get here?"
Yue Weimin didn't notice the strangeness in Liu Niang's words and asked, "Who else could it be if not me?"
Liu Niang said hurriedly, "No, no, it's just that the master usually comes here during festivals and on the fifteenth of every month. The fifteenth isn't even here yet, so why is he here?"
Yue Weimin said, "I've divorced that bitch, Liu Niang. Now I can take you and the children to the capital. That bitch was truly vicious. I've worked like a slave for the Dong family for years, and yet she imprisoned me and forced me to take out all the profits from Donglai Jumei. Luckily, I still have some money saved with you, Liu Niang. This money is enough for us to live in the capital and open a restaurant."
Liu Niang was stunned. "Master, are you in such a hurry? Why are you getting a divorce so suddenly? Didn't you say you were still waiting to get some recipe from Xu's Restaurant? Also, Master, isn't the capital too far away? Why don't we stay in Raozhou City and open a restaurant there? Isn't it the same?"
"How can that be!" Yue Weimin frowned. "Yuanbao Town already knows about me. It will spread to Raozhou City in less than half a month. Are you willing to become the laughing stock of the neighbors in Raozhou City?" He didn't want to. When he thought about how these people would laugh at him, he wanted to leave Raozhou City immediately and go to the capital.
But without a pass, he couldn't leave, so he needed to go to the government office to get a pass.
It would take two or three days to get a travel permit, which was just enough time to pack up. Liu Niang was pregnant, so it would be better and faster for her to travel by water. Once he arrived in the capital, he could buy a house and settle Liu Niang down for her to give birth. Then he would look for a shop to open a restaurant. He had learned cooking for so many years, so even without the Dong family recipes, he could make a name for himself with his own cuisine.
Liu Niang looked a little panicked.
She thought it would take Yue Weimin two or three years to divorce.
Moreover, she didn't really want to leave Raozhou City and go to the capital. It was such a far place, leaving her hometown was one thing, and the other reason was even more difficult to talk about.
Yue Weimin didn't notice Liu Niang's abnormality. "Liu Niang, please ask the maids and servants to pack up. I'm really exhausted after these ten days. I'm going to go inside and rest for a while."
In order to take care of Liu Niang, he originally planned to buy two maids and servants, but Liu Niang said that she wanted to choose the ones she liked, so the two maids and servants were also chosen by Liu Niang herself.
He felt that there was nothing to pack at Dong's house, but at this house he wanted to take even the furniture with him.
When Yue Weimin went in to rest, Liu Niang sat in the main room in a daze.
The old woman came over and asked in a low voice, "Madam, do you want to pack your things?"
Liu Niang sighed, "Let's clean it up first."
Ji Ge'er is still in school. Let's wait until Ji Ge comes back in the evening and let him persuade the master.
After cleaning up for a while, there was a sudden knock on the door outside the yard. Liu Niang was absent-minded and asked the maid to open the door. As soon as the maid went out, Liu Niang heard her panicked voice in the house, "Who are you? Why did you break into my house? Ah, what are you doing? You are so bold, you dare to break in! Be careful, I will report you to the police."
Upon hearing the voice, Liu Niang hurried out with her belly bulging, and saw several old women with thick waists and broad shoulders coming into the yard, as well as a woman wearing silk clothes and with a simple and fair face.
The woman looked a bit old, but her skin was fair and wrinkle-free. She had a simple gold hairpin in her bun and a jade bracelet on her wrist. She had a gentle and polite demeanor.
When the woman saw Liu Niang coming out, she waved to the servants and said, "Don't frighten the pregnant woman."
After that, the woman said to Liu Niang calmly, "My name is Dong Yonglan."
As soon as these words were spoken, Liu Niang's face turned pale.
Of course she knew who Dong Yonglan was. She was the master's wife, but now they were divorced. She stammered, "You, what are you doing here? The master has divorced you. You two have no relationship. Are you here to harm me?"
Dong shook her head. "We are indeed divorced, but we are still related. Everything you eat, wear, and use, including this house, was purchased with the money Xi Weimin gave you. All his money was taken away from the Dong family. He is just a son-in-law of the Dong family. All these things and money were purchased with the Dong family's money, so I came to retrieve them."
Liu Niang was stunned.
She didn't expect that the words from the seemingly gentle woman in front of her would chill her to the bone.
After saying this, Dong waved to the servants and said, "Go in and search. Even if they report it to the police, it doesn't matter. This is just a family matter."
Just because Yue Weimin is the son-in-law of the Dong family, the government has no way to do anything about it.
Liu Niang panicked. "How dare you? This is my home. I built this all myself. Everything is mine."
Dong said, "Since you say so, you can report it to the authorities. Then you can provide evidence to prove that all of this was purchased with your own money. I remember that Yue Weimin bought you, right? Your aunt wanted to sell you to Xiangmanlou, and Yue Weimin bought you when he passed by. You haven't worked outside in all these years, so where did you get the money to build your own business?"
During the ten days when Yue Weimin was imprisoned, she checked on Liu Niang and learned some of her past.
Liu Niang was speechless and looked at Dong with tears in her eyes, hoping that she would soften her heart.
She didn't dare to step forward to stop it, for fear of hurting the baby in her belly.
Dong asked the maids to go in and search.
She knew that Yue Weimin must have embezzled more than just the 50,000 taels of silver. He must have taken a lot of money from public accounts over the years, and Liu Niang must have also left a lot of banknotes.
Yue Weimin was also awakened. When he saw Dong, he knew she was going to kill him. He looked at her with red eyes and gritted his teeth, saying, "Dong Yonglan, you're really going to kill me, aren't you? I've worked like a slave for Donglaiju for all these years, and you won't even let me take this little bit of money?"
There was a commotion here, and the neighbors all heard the noise and ran out to see what was going on. They couldn't see anything for a while, and they were all curious about why there were suddenly so many people in the house of this reclusive woman.
The neighbors knew that this woman was about 30 years old and had a son named Liu Niang. They heard her say that her master was a merchant and was away doing business all year round so he was not at home.
Although there are people who gossip about her occasionally, most of the neighbors are very nice. They think it is not easy for a woman like her to take care of a child, so they will help her.
Now that so many people suddenly appeared in Liu Niang's house, they were naturally very curious, and some people recognized Yue Weimin.
"I recognize this master. Isn't he the chef of Donglaiju in Yuanbao Town? He's also the owner of Donglaiju. You all know Donglaiju, right? It's a century-old brand. The owner's surname is Dong. This Master Yue married into the Dong family, so Master Dong taught him the Dong family recipes..."
"I know Donglaiju. It's been here for many years, but why is the owner of Donglaiju here? And I've never seen this woman in simple clothes before. Who is she?"
"Yuanbao Town? I also know there's a Xuji Restaurant in Yuanbao Town. I heard the food there is delicious."
"I know this, it's true. The food at Xuji Restaurant is really delicious. I have a relative living in Yuanbao Town. When I visited him, he went to Donglaiju to buy food. His family is a bit poor, but Xuji also sells cheap food. The fish balls and stewed fish I bought there are really delicious..."
People around were chatting, and when they saw the simply dressed woman letting the maid go in to search the house, the neighbors finally knew what was going on.
"So this woman is Dong, the owner of Donglaiju? How could this Master Yue, as the Dong family's son-in-law, have a mistress and even have a child with her?"
"Oh my god, I see. This Liu Niang also said that her master is out doing business. It seems that she knows that she is a concubine and that her master can't come often, so she told others that her master is out doing business."
"How shameless."
"The Dong family is also miserable."
"But they're both divorced, so why not forgive them? And now you're trying to turn this place upside down? Isn't that a bit too much?"
"What's too much? It was originally this man's fault. He married into someone else's family and used the family's money to buy property for other concubines. If it were you, could you swallow this?"
The neighbors around were excited and chatting excitedly.
Liu Niang blushed redly.
Dong had asked her maid to search the house and find a locked money box.
Seeing the money box being turned out, Yue Weimin blushed and wanted to go up and grab it, "Dong Yonglan, this is my own money. Why did you steal my money? Give it back to me." He only had these 50,000 taels of silver notes left.
Dong didn't say much to him. She waved her hand and asked the maid to find an axe and chop open the lock on the money box. Dong went over to open it, revealing a thick stack of silver bills inside.
"So many banknotes? Oh my goodness, no wonder the Dong family came looking for them. I'm afraid there must be 20,000 or 30,000 taels of banknotes here?"
Dong asked someone to count the silver notes, and found a total of more than 20,000 taels, less than 30,000 taels. She looked up and asked Yue Weimin, "Is this just over 20,000 taels of silver notes? Nothing else?" She actually knew that Yue Weimin must have some silver notes left here, and she guessed correctly.
"Over 20,000?" Yue Weimin was stunned for a moment and looked at Liu Niang. "Didn't I deposit 50,000 taels of silver notes with you? How come there are only over 20,000 taels left?"
Liu Niang stammered and was speechless. Finally, she said, "Yes, I spent some of it myself."
Yue Weimin said in disbelief: "Why did you spend more than 20,000 taels? Your monthly expenses and the silks, satins and jewelry you wear were all bought by me. You have no place to spend this money. How did you spend it?" He didn't expect it, because in addition to these whole silver notes, he also paid for the monthly expenses, and he also gave Liu Niang dozens of taels of silver as a monthly allowance. Why did she spend more than 20,000 taels of silver notes?
Liu Niang's eyes were evasive, she couldn't speak, and she was extremely panicked.
The people around were still talking, "There are actually 50,000 taels? No wonder the boss is chasing us."
"Oh my goodness! Fifty thousand taels!"
For ordinary people, fifty thousand taels of silver is indeed something they would never see in their lifetime.
"Is this woman so extravagant? Did she secretly acquire other assets?"
A neighbor suddenly asked in confusion, "Why do I remember Liu Niang's man wasn't Master Yue? I remember running into him once before. I was out drinking that day and came back late. I ran into Liu Niang's door, which was open. Liu Niang opened the door, and a tall man walked in. He looked completely different from Master Yue in height, and the man even looked back. He wasn't Master Yue at all. He had thick eyebrows, single eyelids, and a hooked nose. Liu Niang was very happy to see him, and walked in intimately with the man on her arm. But that was two years ago."
Everyone was stunned. What did this mean? Could it be that Liu Niang had other men?
Everyone couldn't help but think of Liu Niang's eldest son, Ji Ge'er.
Ji Ge'er looks neither like Liu Niang nor like Master Yue.
Moreover, both Liu Niang and Yue Laoye have wrinkles on their eyelids, and neither of them has a hooked nose.
On the other hand, Ji Ge'er has only one layer of eyelids and a less obvious nose, but you can still tell it's a hooked nose...
Liu Niang's face changed drastically.
Yue Weimin also listened to this, breathing heavily. He stared at Liu Niang, "Whose child is Ji Ge'er? And what about the 20,000 taels of silver? Where did you spend it?"
Liu Niang cried, "Master, what are you talking about? Ji Ge'er is of course your child. Don't believe these people's nonsense. They are just talking nonsense."
The man shouted, "I'm not talking nonsense. By the way, I think that man looks a little familiar. Let me think about it..."
The man thought carefully and suddenly said, "I remember! I said that man looked familiar. It was Chen Daqun, the escort from the Santong Escort Agency. Isn't Chen Daqun a businessman? Didn't you say your man was a businessman?"
"I remember Chen Daqun lived in the alley ahead, right? He seems to have been home these past few days, so what's going on? Whose child is Ji Ge'er?"
Yue Weimin stared at Liu Niang, "Tell me, whose child is Ji Ge'er?"
Dong was stunned. She didn't expect that these things would happen.
She didn't want to know whether Ji Ge'er was Yue Weimin's child or not. These things had nothing to do with her. As for this house and the silks, satins, and jewelry on Liu Niang's body, she was too lazy to pursue it. It was enough for her to get the silver back.
"Let's go." Dong took the money box and called the servants to leave.
Yue Weimin watched Dong leave and began to panic. If Liu Niang was really unfaithful and had an affair with other men, Ji Ge'er would not be his child.
Even if Ji Ge'er was his child, it was probably true that Liu Niang was having an affair with someone else. So what was the point of all this? He abandoned his wife and child, and in the end, the woman he treated as a treasure was cuckolded by him.
It was impossible for him to even turn back. Everyone knew about these things. How could he still have the face to stay in Yuanbao Town and Raozhou City?
He has nothing left.
After Mrs. Dong left, the neighbors watched her walk out of the house step by step, and then turned back to continue watching the show inside with great interest.
…
Ten days later.
At Xu's restaurant, Xu Qinyu served Mrs. Dong a bowl of hot white fungus, lotus seeds, and red dates soup. "Madam Dong, try this. This white fungus, lotus seeds, and red dates soup was just cooked at noon. There's no sugar in it. After it's cooked, I added some wild honey. It's nourishing and beautifying, and it can also help with sleep and stomach health."
She noticed that Dong didn't look well, with dark circles under her eyes, and it was obvious that she hadn't had a good rest for some time.
Of course she knew why Dong looked so unwell.
Not only did the people in Yuanbao Town know about the Dong family's affairs, but even the people in Raozhou City knew about it. It became the gossip and jokes of every town and city during this period. Yue Weimin was so ashamed that he left Raozhou City overnight after the matter was resolved. No one knew where he went.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
