In an instant, Zhiruo's face turned bright red, and tears began to well up in her eyes.
"Big sister, I've lent out the banknotes. Wait for me a moment, I'll go get them now."
"You lent it out? Who did you lend it to?"
"I……"
Zhiruo didn't know how to explain for a moment, so she simply shouldered her bundle and hurriedly ran outside, saying:
"Big sister, I will definitely get this banknote back, I will definitely get it back, please wait for me a moment."
Seeing her run out, Zhiwan followed her out.
“Zhiruo…”
Luo Tianhe called out, but she didn't answer and ran straight out of the yard.
Luo Tianhe stepped forward, puzzled, and asked:
'Zhiwan, what's wrong with Zhiruo?'
What's wrong? She didn't know what was wrong with her either. Zhiruo was always reliable in her work, so why was she so rash this time?
She said she had lent out the banknotes.
Over the years, the silver notes she entrusted to her for safekeeping amounted to at least five thousand taels of silver. So much silver? Who did she lend it to? She didn't have many friends in the city, did she?
A few days ago, she often made excuses to go out. From her words, I could roughly guess that she seemed to know a man and that she and that man were having an affair.
Could it be that she lent those banknotes to that man?
Thinking of this, Zhiwan's heart tightened. If that was really the case, then this man she had only known for a short time borrowing money from her could only mean that he was unreliable.
Now she could only pray in her heart that Zhiruo would not be deceived, otherwise, what would happen to her family?
Old Mrs. Luo stood in the center of the courtyard, leaning on her cane, glaring angrily at Luo Tianhe, and began to curse.
"You unfilial son! You want to take your wife and children out to have a good time, leaving your old mother here all alone. When you die, how will you face the ancestors of the Luo family? How will you explain to your father? You unfilial son..."
Luo Tianhe's face grew increasingly grim. He panted heavily as he looked at Old Madam Luo and replied, word by word:
“If my father knew that you sold the Luo family clinic behind my back to indulge in pleasure, he would not only not say that I was unfilial, but he would also say that I did the right thing. Now the entire Luo family is yours, and the money from the sale of the clinic is also yours. I, Luo Tianhe, don’t want a single penny. If I do this, who will dare to say that I, Luo Tianhe, am unfilial? I dare to burn down their house.”
After saying this, he looked at Jiawang's mother.
"Let's go."
Jiawang's mother tugged at his sleeve and muttered something under her breath.
“Dad, it’s not right to leave her here by herself. The neighbors will laugh at us.”
Luo Tianhe turned around and glared at her fiercely.
"Then you stay and keep her company."
He lifted his foot to leave, and Jiawang's mother covered her mouth, glanced at Old Lady Luo, and quickly followed in his footsteps.
Just as Jiawang was about to walk towards the door, he was stopped by Grandma Luo.
“Jiawang, you stay here. Grandma has some silver here, enough for us to live comfortably for the rest of our lives. You stay and keep Grandma company.”
Jiawang glanced at her, shook his head, and said as he walked towards the door:
"Grandmother, you should save the money to hire someone to take care of you! I want to stay with my parents."
Old Mrs. Luo turned deathly pale with anger.
Zhiwan was still thinking about Zhiruo's matter. Seeing her father and mother leave, she quickly followed them.
Grandma Luo's voice rang in her ears again.
"You little bitch, if it weren't for you, would the Luo family be in this state? All of you, get out, get out! Once you're gone, don't bear the Luo surname anymore, and never come back..."
The neighbors who came to see what was going on had already surrounded the Luo family's door. When Luo Tianhe came out of the house, he glanced at the neighbors and then left.
Jiawang's mother sighed heavily and quickly followed in his footsteps.
When Zhiwan came out of the courtyard, the neighbors began to gossip among themselves.
"What a jinx! He's turned our family into a complete mess."
"Exactly, what if an old woman gets sick if we leave her behind?"
"Old Lady Luo has money. She sold the pharmacy and the house for more than three thousand taels of silver. She could live comfortably for the rest of her life just by sitting and eating."
"Alas! Even so, without children to keep me company, life is still quite desolate!"
"..."
Zhiwan heard all of these people's words, but she acted as if she hadn't heard them. She just frowned slightly and walked quickly toward the street corner.
After hearing such gossip so many times, she stopped caring about it.
No matter what others say, I'm going to lose something anyway.
Besides, after all these years of hard work and struggle, she has come to realize a truth: the more someone enjoys gossiping behind others' backs, the more it shows that their life is very boring. They can only find a little fulfillment in their hearts by constantly talking badly about others.
Such people are both pitiful and hateful.
Therefore, she never thought about telling others to shut up. Anyway, she believed in the saying: "A curse brings ten years of prosperity." The more others didn't want her to be well, the better she lived. This way, she could directly slap those people in the face.
As they were thinking about these things, the family arrived at the entrance of Willow Grove Lane, where Yiming hurriedly came to greet them.
"Mother, the plaque has been loaded onto the carriage. Where are we going now?"
Zhiwan glanced at the street, frowned, and said:
"No rush, wait for your aunt."
Actually, she hadn't decided where they were going next. As long as they weren't in this house, they could go anywhere.
At this moment, Luo Tianhe stepped forward and asked:
Where did Zhiruo run off to in such a hurry?
Mother also came forward to ask.
"This child, knowing we're leaving, still runs outside. He's such a worry."
With Zhi Ruo not returning for so long, Zhi Wan's heart began to pound, and she felt a vague sense of unease.
After the family waited at the street corner for about an hour, the coachman impatiently stepped forward to urge them on.
"Are you guys coming or not? You've been waiting for so long and you still haven't moved. Don't hold me up while I'm working!"
Zhiwan rushed forward to comfort her.
"Let's go, wait a little longer, we're still short one person."
"Then you have to give me more money. I'm a poor man, and I've been waiting for so long..."
"OK."
The neighbors at the alley entrance were still waiting in groups of three or five to watch the excitement. If they unloaded the things from the cart and let the coachman leave, these people would surely laugh at the Luo family again.
The whole family was so anxious they were stamping their feet, and Jiawang muttered to himself:
"Big sister, where did second sister go? Why isn't she back yet?"
"Yes, this child is becoming more and more insensible. Doesn't she know that everyone is waiting for her?"
"Sigh! We just got back from the capital and this mess happened. I've almost lost all face. I was hoping to leave here as soon as possible to save some dignity, but I never expected that she would never come back. Now I have to stay here and continue to embarrass myself."
Seeing her family members were anxious, Zhiwan was even more anxious, like an ant on a hot pan.
Father and Mother are unaware that Zhiruo lent out the banknotes. If they find out, they will not only be anxious but also angry.
Suddenly, Yiming shouted,
"Mom, Auntie is back."
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