Chapter 84 Twenty Taels in Hand
Helpless, Tan Xinghua could only curse Chen Lizheng, Xie Wanniang, Jiang Yuan, and Wang Xiaozhi, who refused to lend them money, in her heart as she trudged home to retrieve her silver bracelet.
Her silver bracelet was plain, without any patterns. Its only advantage was that it was heavy enough to be used as collateral to offset the copper coins and counterfeit silver they had mixed in.
Xie Wanniang was unwilling to suffer a loss, but she also did not take advantage of this family. After weighing all the qualified silver, she converted the copper coins brought by this family into the corresponding amount of silver according to the current standard exchange rate between copper coins and silver.
Because of the extra twenty-odd copper coins from the addition of the bracelets, Xie Wanniang returned them all to the Wang family without missing a single one.
The Wang family and Chen Lizheng were not as quick at calculating as she was. She counted out the twenty-odd copper coins and put them aside. After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Chen Lizheng finally came to the same conclusion as her.
As for the Wang family, they racked their brains for a long time, but in the end, only Wang Erhu managed to figure out the accounts.
Picking up the dented silver piece, the twenty-odd copper coins Xie Wanniang had given them, and the substandard copper coins that Xie Wanniang refused to accept, the Wang family slunk away from Chen Lizheng's house.
After they left, Jiang Yuan took out the sturdy money bag that Xie Wanniang had prepared and quickly put the money into it.
Xie Wanniang couldn't get involved, so she simply stood there smiling and thanking Chen Lizheng.
Chen Lizheng had noticed something amiss in the interactions between the two, and was secretly happy for Jiang Yuan.
Jiang Yuan was someone he had watched grow up. He was so filial to his adoptive parents and always treated Wang Xiaozhi, his sister who was not related to him by blood, which made the villagers, especially the older generation with children, have a particularly good impression of Jiang Yuan.
Even though they are not related by blood, they hope that a good child like Jiang Yuan, who knows how to be grateful, will be able to live a comfortable life in the future.
After Jiang Yuan had collected all the money, Chen Li patted him on the shoulder and said, "You should be more careful of the Wang family in the future. They heard that you and Miss Xie are wealthy, so they're plotting against you again."
Jiang Yuan nodded, "I will, thank you, Uncle."
Previously, the Wang family did not know that he and Xie Wanniang were so good at making money. In addition, Xie Wanniang was almost always with him. Therefore, they were not motivated to scheme against him, and it was difficult for them to find an opportunity to make a move. So even though they were angry that he had snatched away the wife they could have gotten for free, they would choose to give up after weighing the pros and cons.
Now, almost everyone in the village is talking about how much money he and Xie Wanniang make, and how unassuming Hao Yu is. The combined wealth of the three of them is enough to tempt those with ill intentions to take risks.
Not to mention that Xie Wanniang is a beautiful and wealthy young lady. It would be strange if the Wang family, who are only interested in living off women, didn't have ulterior motives towards her.
Fortunately, Xie Wanniang was hardworking and persevering. After arriving in Mingfu Village, the girl, feeling insecure, devoted herself to rigorous training for more than half a year, improving her physical fitness and martial arts skills in all aspects.
Otherwise, she wouldn't have been able to escape danger so easily and even beat Wang Sanhu so badly that he cried out in pain.
The two bid farewell to Chen Lizheng's family and swaggered home carrying their money bags.
Along the way, some shameless villagers whom Xie Wanniang had never met before came up to chat with her. After exchanging a few words, they brought up the topic of borrowing money from Xie Wanniang.
Xie Wanniang: ...Does she look like some kind of unfortunate, tragic figure?
"No." The two crisp words angered the villager, who immediately frowned and instinctively wanted to say something unpleasant. But as soon as he opened his mouth, he saw Jiang Yuan's cold expression and Xie Wanniang waving her arm at him in a defiant manner.
Thinking of Wang Sanhu's miserable state, the man immediately shut his mouth and slunk away.
Xie Wanniang snorted coldly, "Who is that person? His skin is too thick!"
The first time I spoke to her, I brazenly asked her for money; there was clearly something wrong with my thought process.
Jiang Yuan glanced at her, "That old lady Wang's husband."
Xie Wanniang glared at her. "You mean, that old lady Wang from the west end of the village who always tries to take advantage of others?"
Jiang Yuan nodded, "Although her husband wouldn't take things from other people, he's actually quite opportunistic at heart."
It's just that his way of taking advantage is a little different from Granny Wang's.
Aunt Wang was a small-time borrower, taking whatever she wanted without ever returning it. He, on the other hand, only aimed for big gains and always repaid his debts, though the timing and amount of repayment depended on the creditor's skill.
Jiang Yuan recounted in detail what he had heard from his adoptive father about this person, leaving Xie Wanniang speechless.
After holding it in for a while, she finally said, "It really is true... birds of a feather flock together."
Jiang Yuan looked at her and smiled, "Yes. Birds of a feather flock together."
Xie Wanniang: ......
No, isn't something wrong with this child?
Where is the quiet, aloof, and dignified handsome young man we were promised?
He's out of character!
She inwardly screamed like a groundhog, but on the surface, Xie Wanniang remained as calm as an old dog, seemingly oblivious to the deeper meaning in Jiang Yuan's words.
The two carried the money bag back to the end of the village. Xie Wanniang thought that since Wang Sanhu had climbed over the wall into Hao Yu's house, he should get a share of the money. So she smiled and greeted Hao Yu, "Uncle Hao, can I give you half of this money?"
Hao Yu asked in surprise, "Why would you give me half? Isn't this compensation money that the Wang family bastard is giving you because he had ulterior motives towards you?"
As for that scoundrel who climbed over the wall into his house, isn't there still fifty lashes waiting for him?
He waved his hand forcefully, "I can't take this money. Keep it and buy yourself something to calm your nerves."
Seeing his resolute attitude, Xie Wanniang didn't insist on giving him money. "Then I'll keep it to buy vegetables and meat, and improve everyone's meals when we build the house."
Hao Yu thought for a moment and said, "That's fine. Just tell them upfront that you're a young girl and you don't have the strength to help others build houses, so just put more effort into the food as a way of thanking everyone for coming to help."
Xie Wanniang nodded, "Then let A Yuan keep the money for now, since he'll be the one buying things later anyway."
Jiang Yuan nodded. "Okay."
Hao Yu clicked his tongue inwardly. This girl was willing to give such a large sum of money directly to A Yuan. It seems that A Yuan wasn't just a one-sided enthusiast.
This realization left Hao Yu with mixed feelings. On the one hand, he hoped that everything would go smoothly for Jiang Yuan and that he would get what he wanted. On the other hand, he felt that Jiang Yuan was still too young and did not consider things thoroughly enough. The girl he chose could not help him in his future career advancement.
Of course, Hao Yu, who had already decided to respect Jiang Yuan's personal wishes, would never show her inner thoughts on her face.
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