Chapter 418 A Family
The two had worked together before. Ziyuan is unfathomable, but she is quite capable.
Think about the people around you, whether they are simple or complex, everyone is in a relationship of mutual exploitation.
"Tell your sister she might be disappointed."
Ziyuan opened the cup lid, her voice carrying a hint of laziness and nonchalance.
Lin Yuesha felt a tickle in her heart. She stole a glance at Ziyuan's hands. Her fingers were slender and her nails were clean and unpainted, yet they were as beautiful as pearls and jade.
Being too close to a beautiful woman can be oppressive; no wonder men are willing to spend lavishly just to catch her smile.
"disappointment?"
Ziyuan's words brought Lin Yuesha back to her senses. She touched her burning cheeks, cursed herself inwardly for being filthy, and then turned her attention back to the present.
The best way to stay alert when sitting next to a beautiful woman is to not look at her.
Lin Yuesha stared at her toes and asked, "Sister Ziyuan, are these two still alive? Why is Sister Baozhu disappointed?"
If Jiang Huai were gone, Jiang Baozhu would truly have no ties left in the North. But the loss of her family and loved ones was an ending far too cruel for her.
Lin Yuesha's heart was in her throat, afraid of hearing bad news.
As for Zhang Jing, he should still be alive; at least he was the one who sent the letter to Jiang Baozhu.
"They are all alive."
Zhang Jing was already married, but this was probably within Jiang Baozhu's expectations. What was truly surprising was Jiang Huai.
"Does that mean Uncle Jiang won't be coming back?"
The city gates of Sishui City and the border city of Daqi were closed. Although the city gates were tightly closed, it was not impossible to enter the city if you paid some money.
There used to be several villages outside the border city of Daqi. Later, the city gate was built, blocking the villages from entering. However, those people considered themselves citizens of Daqi and also traded and intermarried with the barbarians. After learning the barbarian language, they did business on both sides.
"Jiang Huai has a family in the village, Jiang Baozhu probably doesn't know that, right?"
This matter is not hard to find out. Those who traded goods with Jiang Huai back then know the truth. However, this is how all businessmen are. They travel all over the country, and some merchants buy houses in various places and live there for a period of time every year or two.
What does "having a family and mouth to feed" mean?
Lin Yuesha's voice trembled, hoping it wasn't what she thought.
“Little girl, do you still remember Magpie, the Flower Girl? Magpie blamed her bastard child on Jiang Huai. If Jiang Huai were innocent, he wouldn’t have been fooled, but he still took the bait.”
After the farce at the Jiang residence, Ziyuan had already figured out everything about Jiang Huai. He had escaped after being captured by the barbarians and fled to his home outside the city.
"Sister Ziyuan, are you saying that Uncle Jiang has a mistress and children outside the city?"
Lin Yuesha took a deep breath, shocked by the news, and it took her a long time to find her voice.
"Let me correct you, it's not a mistress."
Ziyuan held up a finger and shook it. The woman was Jiang Huai's lawfully wedded wife, and they had been married for more than ten years. However, Jiang Huai was destined to have no sons, and besides Jiang Baozhu, he also had three maids.
The eldest of the three maids was only two years younger than Jiang Baozhu.
Lin Yuesha calculated the timeline and realized that Jiang Huai had been scheming ever since he started selling goods, and that he had never given up on the idea of having a son to inherit the family business all these years.
Ironically, Xu Shi died without ever knowing that her husband was such a person. Jiang Baozhu was also kept in the dark; although the arrival of the magpie and the flower maiden disrupted the father-daughter relationship, in Jiang Baozhu's heart, her father was extremely important.
Did the woman know that Jiang Huai had a wife and daughter?
Lin Yuesha first felt angry, and then felt a strange sadness.
Jiang Baozhu has suffered one setback after another, with only a sliver of hope left. If the truth is revealed, even that last bit of hope will be gone. How can she possibly go on living?
But how long can this be kept secret? Jiang Baozhu is stubborn.
As her best friend, Lin Yuesha felt the same way.
She remembered that when Jiang Huai took Lin Yuesha to visit Jiang Baozhu, she was moved by the deep bond between father and daughter. Jiang Huai had no son, but he was deeply devoted to his wife who had shared joys and sorrows with him, and he also doted on his daughter. He was no less than a modern father, and she envied him greatly.
In retrospect, it was all a false illusion.
"They probably don't know."
Ziyuan thought for a moment and replied to Lin Yuesha that Jiang Huai was probably lying to both sides, so the woman had no idea that he had a wife and daughter.
Jiang Huai's business is mostly in Sishui City, with only a small portion in the border town. The employees on both sides are not the same group at all.
Although the barbarian tribe and the border town are adjacent, the people of the two places do not interact. In addition, the woman is virtuous and only focuses on embroidering at home. She does not concern herself with Jiang Huai's business, so she should be unaware of it.
Lin Yuesha didn't know how she got back to the carriage. Her head was spinning, and she didn't wake up until dawn the next day.
After a night of rain, the sky finally cleared up.
The group continued on their journey. Bai Youran and Lin Yuesha had a falling out, and she didn't want to see Doctor Yan. However, she didn't have a carriage, so she had to stay in her cousin Doctor Yan's carriage. She made up her mind to buy a good carriage when they reached town and then separate from the rest of the group.
After washing up, Lin Yuesha found a moment to go find Ziyuan again, wondering if she had been dreaming last night.
"Little girl, I know you don't want to think the worst of people, but the truth is, there aren't many good people around you; they all have ulterior motives."
Ziyuan's words had a hidden meaning; he was among those with ulterior motives.
"Sister Ziyuan, please don't think I'm being long-winded, is all of this true?"
Lin Yuesha repeatedly confirmed the answer, hoping that if she asked a few more times, the answer might change.
"When the barbarians robbed the Jiang family, where did the servants who disappeared go?"
Ziyuan couldn't help but pinch Lin Yuesha's cheek, and seeing that she was in a daze, she repeated the topic.
The entire steward family of the Jiang household had followed Jiang Huai, so there had been no news of them since.
At that time, someone died in the Jiang family, but the people who had disappeared without a trace were all taken away by Jiang Huai and brought to that house.
"No wonder we haven't heard from them for so long."
After sorting things out, Lin Yuesha agreed with this explanation, but she was troubled again.
No one is more hypocritical than Jiang Huai. If he were a sexist, Lin Yuesha wouldn't have much of a problem with him. After all, that's how times are, and men are the pillars of every family, supporting the household.
But Jiang Huai, who clearly wanted a son, pretended to be one, deceiving Jiang Baozhu and Xu Shi for many years. He had three daughters with another man. If he had a son, Jiang Baozhu would have no share in the family business.
Perhaps Jiang Huai dotes on his daughter, but that doting affection is rather limited.
No wonder they say businessmen are greedy and cunning. Lin Yuesha reflected on herself and realized that if she went to do business in the capital with her personality, she would lose everything if she encountered a swindler.
Jiang Baozhu gave her so much silver, she had to open a shop and do business as soon as possible to make money, so that she could afford to treat her father's illness and buy expensive medicine.
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