Chapter 201 She's a Sucker
After a moment of silence, Song Xinning asked hesitantly, "Uncle, what were you saying just now?"
Qi Yunwen said, "Just twenty-two taels of silver, Uncle won't take any more."
Song Xinning heard clearly this time, and looked at her uncle in astonishment, seeing that her uncle really didn't mean to joke.
She wondered to herself, when did her uncle become so poor?
Do I really need to borrow twenty-two taels of silver from her?
Could it be that my uncle angered my aunt, and she won't give him a single penny?
Song Xinning thought for a moment and felt that she should still side with her aunt. She silently covered the purse at her waist and forced a smile to politely decline: "Uncle, you know how much my mother gives me every month. I don't even get twenty-two taels of silver a month. If I lend it to you, I won't have a single penny left this month."
Hearing this, Qi Yunwen said, both amused and annoyed, "You silly girl, I really spoiled you for nothing. Your uncle needs this money urgently, so consider it a loan from you. I'll pay you back double tomorrow."
After hearing this, Song Xinning felt that it might be a good idea to side with her uncle this time, so she changed the subject: "Actually, since my uncle is in trouble, I should help him generously. It's just twenty-two taels of silver, isn't it?"
Qi Yunwen: "..."
This change of expression is faster than turning the pages of a book.
How come he never noticed before that his niece was such a money-grubbing glutton? His brother-in-law was a clean official among civil servants, a man who could not be bribed by any amount of money. How come his daughter liked these material things so much?
Song Xinning took out twenty-two taels of silver from her purse, handed it to Qi Yunwen, and gave him a sweet smile: "Uncle, here you go."
Qi Yunwen took the silver and handed it to Gu Jingxi, laughing, "Look, luckily I met my heartless niece, otherwise I really wouldn't have enough money."
Gu Jingxi took the silver and handed it to the shopkeeper: "A total of one thousand and fifty taels."
The shopkeeper smiled so hard his eyes almost closed into slits. He hurriedly took the silver and asked, "Thank you, sir. This gentleman is clearly very fond of his wife. It's rare for someone to buy twelve gold hairpins for her so readily. You and your wife must be very loving."
Song Xinning was a little confused and asked, "Uncle, what's going on?"
Qi Yunwen replied truthfully, "Your Uncle Gu wanted to buy a hairpin for his young wife, but he didn't have enough money with him, so he borrowed two hundred and fifty taels from me. He's still short twenty-two taels. Otherwise, would I be asking you, you ungrateful little devil?"
Upon hearing this, Song Xinning was both surprised and astonished: "Uncle Gu bought hairpins for A Yao? He bought twelve hairpins? Worth one thousand and fifty taels?"
Qi Yunwen nodded and said "Mm".
Song Xinning silently glanced at the man beside her. He had a detached expression, revealing no emotion. She then looked at the twelve gold hairpins on the tray. Many people say that gold is vulgar and not as elegant and grand as jade, but it also depends on the style. These gold hairpins were all excellent, very delicate and beautiful. Each flower was lifelike, and they were also decorated with pearls. Ayao would definitely look good wearing them. Combined with Ayao's bright and beautiful appearance, she would definitely look elegant and noble.
She suppressed her shock and said, "Uncle Gu is quite good to Ayao. The hairpin is very beautiful, Ayao will definitely like it."
Gu Jingxi was taken aback. It was just spending a little money to buy a hairpin, was that all?
Song Xinning turned to her uncle and said, "Uncle, this money was given to Ayao by your niece, so you don't need to return it."
She and her fiancé were in love. Now that she saw Lord Gu buying a hairpin for A Yao and being so generous, she knew that Lord Gu must have taken a liking to A Yao. Since that was the case, she would give twenty-two taels of silver as a quiet congratulation to A Yao.
Qi Yunwen was taken aback, not expecting his niece to be so fickle. She would have to return anything given to her uncle, but when she learned that it was for buying jewelry for a good friend, she generously said that it didn't need to be returned.
Gu Jingxi didn't stand on ceremony with her, saying that he would send her a generous gift in return when she got married at the end of the year. He then said, "Thank you for your generosity, Miss Song."
Hearing this, Qi Yunwen was both amused and annoyed. "I gave you two hundred and fifty taels, why didn't you thank me for my generosity? You thank her for just twenty-two taels?"
Gu Jingxi said calmly, "Getting something for free is a different matter from borrowing it."
Qi Yunwen: "...I don't need you to pay me back."
Gu Jingxi firmly refused: "This money must be returned. How can I let another man pay for things that my wife uses? What will happen to my wife's reputation if word gets out?"
Upon hearing this, Song Xinning nodded repeatedly in agreement, saying, "Uncle Gu is right. Uncle, Ayao and I are best friends. You and she are not related by blood, so you can't pay for this."
Qi Yunwen was taken aback. What he said made sense. He and his niece were different; his niece was a young woman.
After paying the bill, Gu Jingxi took the hairpin and parted ways with Qi Yunwen and Song Xinning, then headed straight home.
Qi Yunwen glanced at the jade hairpin he had previously set his sights on, intending to buy it as a gift for his wife. However, he was now penniless. He then looked at his niece, showing no embarrassment whatsoever at asking a junior for money as an elder. He asked directly, "A-Ning, do you still have any money? You supported your Uncle Gu by buying a hairpin for your wife. Now that your uncle wants to buy a hairpin for your aunt, will you support him a little too?"
Song Xinning was dumbfounded: "???"
Is it unlucky for her to go out today? Why does she always lose money as soon as she goes out?
Seeing that she didn't reply, Qi Yunwen asked again, "Niece, your uncle used to treat you well, didn't he? What did you want that I didn't buy for you? Now I'm asking you to contribute a little money to buy your uncle a hairpin for your aunt, and you're not willing? Your aunt was talking about wanting a new hairpin last night."
Song Xinning's lips twitched slightly, but she couldn't bear to be such an unfilial junior, so she reluctantly asked, "How much silver does Uncle still need?"
"I knew Aning was a filial and good child." Qi Yunwen smiled kindly and turned to ask the shopkeeper, "Shopkeeper, how much is this hairpin?"
The shopkeeper hurriedly replied, "Sir, this hairpin is made of the finest jade. The jade is translucent, and you can see that it has excellent clarity. I won't charge you much; I'll just make enough to cover the cost. I'll sell it to you for one hundred taels of silver."
Qi Yunwen said to his niece, "A-Ning, one hundred taels."
Song Xinning raised her voice: "What did you say?!"
Does this mean she has to pay the full amount?
This is really her own uncle! You can't cheat your niece like this. He dug such a big pit for her to fall into. She thought it was just a little bit of money short, but she didn't expect it was the full amount short.
Yes, she made a foolish mistake. Her uncle had already lent money to Lord Gu, so where would he have any money left? She was the only one who foolishly agreed, and now she's instantly become the sucker.
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