Just when she was on the verge of collapse, Gu Chengyan returned.
Seeing that she looked unwell, he gently took her hand and asked, "What's wrong?"
Xiangxing, Biyou, and Granny Wei quickly slipped away. Before leaving, Granny Wei gave Xie Xiangxiang a wink.
Xie Xiangxiang was already so aggrieved that tears were streaming down her face.
"My lord, I have taken over the management of the household, and in just three days I have lost more than a thousand taels of silver. How can my dowry possibly withstand such losses?"
She cried and said, "My mother entrusted the management of the household to me, and I thought it was because she cared about me, but I never expected it to be such a mess..."
Upon hearing this, Gu Chengyan immediately asked, "Where are the ledgers?"
Xie Xiangxiang gestured towards the ledger with her lips.
Without saying a word, Gu Chengyan picked up the ledger, keys, and token, and said to her, "Come with me."
Xie Xiangxiang asked nervously, "Husband, what are you going to do?"
"Of course, we should return it to Mother! If she has plenty of money, she can manage it, but if she has no money at all and is even losing money, we should just throw it back at her and let whoever wants to manage it take care of it!"
He took Xie Xiangxiang to the Tu family's courtyard and placed the account book, key, and token on the Tu family's table.
“Mother, Xiangxiang has only been married into the family for three days. She is not very familiar with everything in the mansion. It is too early to hand over the management of the household to her. Please take it back, Mother.”
Tu was immediately furious: "Didn't she want to take it? It's not like I forced it on her."
Gu Chengyan was also somewhat annoyed and said angrily, "Mother, if you don't give it to her, will she take it? She is your daughter-in-law, aren't you going to protect her? In the past few days, various families in the public treasury have asked her for nearly 1,300 taels of silver. Even if that 1,300 taels of silver is offered to you as a sign of filial piety, it's better than letting those people take it, isn't it?"
When Madam Tu heard that Xie Xiangxiang had actually lost 1,300 taels of silver, she was heartbroken and said to Xie Xiangxiang, "You child, you are too honest. Why didn't you tell me when you lost money?"
Xie Xiangxiang said with tears in her eyes, "I'm afraid of putting my mother in a difficult position."
“What’s so difficult about it? We are the eldest son’s family, but we are not the children of the wronged.” Madam Tu said angrily, “I’ll go to the shop later and use the money collected next season to pay you back the 1,300 taels of silver you advanced.”
Xie Xiangxiang was overjoyed and repeatedly thanked her mother-in-law.
She could return the money she had advanced after the autumn harvest, and she was deeply grateful to Gu Chengyan for his support.
The man she had longed for in both her lifetimes had indeed not disappointed her.
"Don't even think about the power of managing the household affairs anymore. It's not enough to worry about. Just leave the money-making to me. Go have more fun with your friends. Just be the same girl you were before."
Xie Xiangxiang's love for him was at its peak, and she asked with stars in her eyes, "Is my husband very knowledgeable about business?"
"It's not a matter of understanding or not understanding, it's just that having some connections makes it relatively easier to earn money."
Xie Xiangxiang asked curiously, "What kind of business do you do?"
"The Grand Canal was originally dug to the Beijing area, but now they are going to dig an extension. It's a huge project, and I'm involved in it, so there are some opportunities to make money."
Upon hearing that it was the Grand Canal, Xie Xiangxiang immediately became extremely excited, knowing that in her previous life, Gu Chengyan had made a fortune from the Grand Canal project.
He was both a merchant and an official; he was the Crown Prince's moneybag, and he himself was the richest man in the world.
"Has the Grand Canal project started? Do we need to invest money?" Xie Xiangxiang asked. "Investing money shouldn't be a loss, right?"
Gu Chengyan held her hand and said with a smile, "You may not understand this very well, so let me put it simply. The Crown Prince gave this project to many of us, with each person responsible for a section. Some are responsible for finding laborers, some for purchasing grain, and some for transportation... Regardless of the role, we are all doing this for the money of the imperial court."
In other words, as long as the imperial court remains in power, the money invested will not be wasted.
Xie Xiangxiang cleverly replied, "You decide the cost? You can quote whatever you want?"
Gu Chengyan looked at her with admiration and kissed her hand: "Although you are a young lady from a secluded family, you are incredibly intelligent and quick to understand."
"So what are you in charge of now?" Xie Xiangxiang looked at him hopefully.
Gu Chengyan frankly said, "I don't have much money on hand, so I can't take on projects. I can only subcontract projects and manage them."
Ultimately, he simply didn't have the money to take on any projects and could only work as a staff member.
Although this job involves being flattered, you only get a small bribe at most, just a pittance.
Xie Xiangxiang asked if she would still have a chance to take on a certain project if she provided the funds.
Gu Chengyan shook his head and said, "Your dowry is your security, don't touch it. Let's just play it safe and make sure we have enough to eat and use."
Xie Xiangxiang took his affection as a sign of deep affection, hugged him, and said emotionally, "Gu Lang, I am willing to give you my dowry so that you can hold your head high like everyone else."
Gu Chengyan held her tightly, his affection deep and tender. She thought he would kiss her, so she blushed and closed her eyes.
Suddenly, she felt her feet sink into the ground. When she opened her eyes, she saw Gu Chengyan treating her like a memorial tablet, placing her on a high table, standing in front of her, and bowing deeply.
"Having the Second Miss in this life, I have no regrets."
He spoke with deep affection, but Xie Xiangxiang felt a profound sense of loss.
"My husband." Her eyes were filled with tears; she wanted it!
Gu Chengyan lifted her off the table, pressed her head against his chest, and said helplessly above her head, "Xiangxiang, I'm sorry..."
Xie Xiangxiang, restless and panting, said, "Let's... try it, okay? I know how to do all sorts of things..."
There are many ways to be happy.
Before her eyes, images of Zhou Lingyin from her past life surfaced, showing his various schemes and even how, when they were arguing, he would deliberately tumble around with his concubine, Langdie, right in front of her.
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