Dou Zhao finally picked up the purse.

After all, it's three thousand taels of silver, which can buy more than one thousand acres of land or a four-story house!

If someone picked it up, both the person and the money would disappear in the blink of an eye.

Rather than giving it to others, give it to her.

She opened her purse.

The bills inside are all in denominations of one hundred, two hundred or even dozens of taels, and they are redeemable on sight.

My father is quite thoughtful.

Dou Zhao put the banknote back into his purse, and heard a cry from the flower hall: "Brother, if you force me like this, you might as well give me a three-foot white silk and let me hang myself, so that I don't have to worry about you and live a life worse than death..."

Then give her three feet of white silk!

Dou Zhao complained inwardly.

How come she is still alive and well if her mother didn't give her a sweat towel as she wished?

How could Wang Xingyi give birth to such a shameless person?

It really disgraces his lifelong reputation.

Wang Zhibing's low voice came from the flower hall, but it was vague and unclear.

Dou Zhao was wondering whether he should eavesdrop again, but he saw the door of the flower hall move, and his father came out with Wang Zhibing.

She quickly hid behind a Taihu stone nearby.

His father advised Wang Zhibing: "... You don't have to worry. This happened so suddenly, she may not be able to accept it for a while. There is no conclusion to this discussion. Go back today and let her sisters-in-law come to see her and see what she thinks. We can sit down and discuss it then. As long as the Dou family can do it, we will do our best to satisfy her."

Wang Zhibing's face darkened, and veins popped out on his forehead when he heard this. He said in a deep voice, "What do you mean, Master Dou Qi? Do you think my sister wants to cheat you out of your money?"

"Don't get me wrong." The father said in a gentle voice, "I just thought that although you are her brother, there is a difference between men and women after all, and they have been separated for so many years. She may not be able to tell you what's on her mind. It's better to wait for a few days and wait for her to calm down before making plans." He added, "If she can't bear to leave Ming Jie'er, she can come to see her anytime. But Ming Jie'er is young, and I'm afraid that something will get to Ming Jie'er's ears and make the child uncomfortable. If she agrees, it's fine to let Ming Jie'er worship her as her godmother or godaunt. When Ming Jie'er is sensible, it won't be too late to tell Ming Jie'er what happened. However, I still need your family to help make a decision on what to say and whether it can be done. I will act according to everything."

The words were spoken so tactfully and sincerely that Wang Zhibing's face brightened up.

He looked at his father carefully and said, "I didn't expect you to be so steady and honest. I underestimated you."

My father was embarrassed and hesitated, "It's getting late, so I won't keep you here. Next time you come, I'll treat you to tea - I have some Da Hong Pao that my second cousin brought back from Fujian, which is worth a try."

Wang Zhibing left with satisfaction.

Wiping the sweat from his forehead, his father turned and shouted towards the Taihu stone where Dou Zhao was hiding: "Why don't you come out quickly? The sun is so strong, be careful!"

Dou Zhao came out with a smile on his face and said, "I was hiding well, how did Dad find me?"

Father smiled and pointed at the gold ring on Dou Zhao's head.

If I had known this would happen, I should have tied a rope around my neck.

Dou Zhao muttered to himself, thinking of the three thousand taels of silver, and showed the purse in his hand and said with a smile: "Dad, I picked up a purse..."

Not to mention that she was only five years old, even if she was fifteen, it would not be easy to hide three thousand silver coins without leaving any trace. The best way was to spread it out and take it for herself openly.

The father laughed and said, "So you picked it up." As he spoke, he reached out for the purse.

Dou Zhao waved his hand and hid the purse behind his body: "I picked it up, so it's mine."

My father was stunned and said with a smile, "But this purse is mine. The owner has come to me, do you still want to deny it?"

"Then you have to thank me." Dou Zhao said, "Give me half."

Her father couldn't help laughing and scratched her nose: "Who did you learn this from?" Then he opened his purse and took out a ten-liang banknote and gave it to her, "A thank you gift for you."

"No, no," Dou Zhao, who was hanging out with him, looked at the 100-200-liang notes and grabbed a handful in his hand, "These are all mine..."

As he was speaking, his grandfather came out.

My father stuffed all the banknotes into his pocket in a panic.

Grandfather frowned and said in a cold voice, "What is this for?"

"It's okay, it's okay." Father said quickly, "Shou Gu's purse is loose, I'll help her hang it up."

ah!

Dou Zhao couldn't help but grin.

This banknote is my father's private money.

So even my grandfather had to keep it a secret.

Grandfather said unhappily, "How can you, a grown man, get involved in what these maids and old women do?" Then he said, "Come with me. I have something to tell you."

My father agreed, called Tuo Niang over, pointed at Dou Zhao and whispered a few words to him, then went to Heshou Hall with my grandfather.

Dou Zhao walked towards the main room with a smile on his face.

Tuoniang stared at the purse on her waist all the way. Every time she crossed a bridge or passed through a passage, her face tightened and she kept muttering, "Fourth Miss, please be careful, please be careful," and she wished she could hold the purse in her hands.

Dou Zhao asked her, "Do you know what's in this?"

Tuoniang nodded continuously.

Dou Zhao took out a ten-liang silver note from his purse and said, "This is a reward for you!"

"I don't want it, I don't want it." Tuo Niang's face turned pale. "Miss, please put it away quickly. If someone sees it and grabs it, I can't afford it even if I die a hundred times!" She was so anxious that she was about to cry.

Dou Zhao sighed and handed the purse to Tuoniang: "Let me help you put it away!"

Tuoniang responded, carefully put the purse into her arms, and returned to the main room with her hand covering the place where the purse was placed.

In the evening, her father came back and asked her, "Where is your purse?"

Dou Zhao took out a box from the bedside partition: "Here."

My father laughed out loud.

Dou Zhao took the opportunity to put the box back.

My father called Madam Yu in and said, "There is an extra three thousand taels of silver in the Fourth Miss's room. Please register it."

Nanny Yu's face turned pale and she asked anxiously, "Is it okay to keep so much money in the Fourth Young Lady's room?"

My father was used to spending lavishly, so he said nonchalantly, "It's okay, it's just three thousand taels of silver."

Nanny Yu didn't know what to say, but Dou Zhao just smiled.

She still has a great use for this silver!

The next evening, Wang Yingxue's sisters-in-law came.

The three sisters-in-law locked themselves in the room and talked.

Gao was a serious woman, and she was not very polite when she spoke: "There are no outsiders here, just tell me what you are planning!"

Mrs. Pang sat on a black lacquered and gold-painted embroidered cushion, drinking tea leisurely, but her almond-shaped eyes scanned the furnishings in Wang Yingxue's house with extreme shrewdness.

A rose-red Xiang quilt, a cloisonné vase, a lilac-colored Zhangzhou velvet mattress, an official green silk curtain, and an official kiln famille rose teacup—it would probably be impossible to furnish these without at least 12,000 taels of silver!

No wonder she didn't want to leave.

Pang Yulou smiled and heard her aunt choking up and saying, "If I take Ming Jie'er back with me, will Dad agree?"

"If you think it's a good idea, I will agree to it on behalf of my father." Years of hard life have transformed Gao from a woman who only knows how to obey to a decisive person. She said in a deep voice, "If anyone asks, just say that you are a relative's child. Both your parents have passed away and there is no one to take care of you. I adopted you as my daughter. Your eldest brother will find a way to handle all the official documents, so you don't have to worry."

The most urgent task now is to bring Wang Yingxue back.

Wang Yingxue didn't expect things to turn out like this.

She couldn't help biting her lip and said, "But in this case, she is an adopted daughter after all..."

Gao was heartbroken when she heard this.

Where has the innocent, kind and noble Wang Yingxue gone?

Is living in poverty really that terrible?

She was also a rich lady. After marrying into the Wang family, she was responsible for the household expenses, serving her mother-in-law, looking after her sister-in-law, and raising her children. Thinking of her father's teachings before she got married, "A gentleman should be content with poverty and be content with his way of life, and be at ease in making progress," she was able to calm down and do her duty well.

But what about Wang Yingxue?

When did it start to change?

When the Lei family broke off the engagement? When she started to earn a living to support her family? Or when he took pity on her and covered up his conscience to help her?

Gao didn't know what to say.

However, Pang, who came from a merchant family, rolled his eyes.

She grew up listening to the sound of abacus beads, so how could she not understand the implication of Wang Yingxue's words? Moreover, she was most annoyed by this aunt who despised her background and always compared her with her eldest sister-in-law Gao. So she smiled and said, "What the aunt said makes sense. But our family is different now, and it is not possible for you to be a concubine. Otherwise, let Dad come forward and talk to the Dou family? Cancel the marriage with all the families and make you the wife..."

"Don't talk nonsense. Be careful not to let the people from the Dou family hear the joke." Gao couldn't help but shout, secretly regretting that she couldn't resist her mother-in-law's advice and brought Pang to the Dou family.

"Sister-in-law, I don't like what you said." Pang Yulou said lazily, "So you are the daughter-in-law of the Wang family, so I am not the daughter-in-law of the Wang family? You are from a high-class family, I can't compare. But I married into the Wang family when they were down and out. I can't change my poverty, but it doesn't mean I can't show up in public."

When Gao, who came from a prominent family, met Pang Yulou, who came from the common people, it was a bit like a scholar meeting a soldier. Therefore, unless it was a matter of principle, Gao would usually give in to Pang.

Wang Yingxue showed that she did not want to leave the Dou family, which was a big deal in principle.

Gao said patiently, "You are not someone who has never seen the world. Who would easily make a concubine their first wife?"

Pang Yulou knew, of course, but he didn't want Gao to outdo him, so he muttered, "Didn't Mr. Tao in our town make his concubine his wife?"

"That's because Mr. Tao's wife died of illness, and that concubine gave birth to his only son. Mr. Tao's brothers from his natal family wrote a letter of consent, recognizing that concubine as their sister," Gao said with a hint of displeasure in her eyes, "How can it be the same?"

"Isn't he just a son?" Pang Yulou blinked at Wang Yingxue.

Wang Yingxue's face suddenly turned red and white.

Pang Yulou looked at her and felt something was wrong. He whispered, "What's wrong? Ming Jie'er is already over one year old and is being taken care of by a wet nurse. Why is there still no movement on your body?"

"What nonsense are you talking about, sister-in-law?" Wang Yingxue said with a look of embarrassment, "Seventh Master said that he would wait for Zhao Guqiu for three years."

"Ah!" Pang Yulou opened his mouth wide and looked at Wang Yingxue with his lips twitching, but in the end he said nothing.

Gao sighed inwardly.

Such a good person, but it's not the right time to meet him.