Chapter 503 A Refined Young Lady from the Republican Era Gets the Male and Female Protagonists Killed (5)
Jin Shu, a young lady raised in luxury, was simple-minded and deeply believed in the traditional Chinese ideal of obeying one's husband after marriage. When she thought of Zhang Jisheng's mother as her own mother, she unhesitatingly entrusted her most valuable possessions to Zhang's mother for safekeeping.
A few days ago, on the day Zhang Jisheng returned victorious, when he brought up divorce with Jin Shu, Jin Shu had already considered leaving.
Although she was gentle, she had a strong will and would never allow herself to be so humiliated by a faithless man.
So she went to Zhang's mother, and after seeing that Zhang's mother was willing to protect her son, she did not hesitate to ask for her identity documents and the belongings left by her parents, intending to leave the Zhang family immediately after the divorce.
However, Zhang's mother, who was initially hesitant and didn't care much about her, immediately changed her attitude completely when she heard Jin Shu asking for these things. She quickly coaxed and comforted her, and assured her that she would always be Zhang's daughter-in-law.
Looking back now, it's clear that Zhang's mother couldn't bear to part with Jin Shu, this precious gem. This is evident from the belongings. Jin Shu's parents left her more than just cash; they also gave her over a dozen shops along the river in Suzhou and the old Jin family house, which covered more than ten acres.
These are the things that are truly valuable.
Jin's parents, worried that their daughter wouldn't be able to protect the family property, had already obtained a certificate from the city's property office stating that only Jin Shu herself could handle these properties, and no one else, not even her husband, could.
Over the years, Zhang's mother had mentioned these shops to Jin Shu many times, but Jin Shu always just shook her head.
"These shops were left by my parents, and I can't touch them no matter what."
Zhang's mother urged her to sell the shop, but Jin Shu never agreed.
Fortunately, I remembered my parents' advice: no matter what, we must never touch the property left by my grandfather.
Otherwise, if Jin Shu had agreed to sell the shop back then, she would truly be desperate and have nowhere to turn now.
Take all these things with you first. Besides, there's some money that Zhang's mother has saved up.
There were a total of over four hundred silver dollars, in addition to over a thousand copper dollars.
In today's world, one silver dollar can roughly rent a small house in the suburbs of BH City. Take rickshaw pullers as an example; they can earn about three silver dollars a month by working hard.
Even with the silver dollar so valuable, Zhang Jiqing's monthly tuition and living expenses amounted to twelve silver dollars.
As for the medicine that Zhang's mother had to take every day, it was ridiculously expensive, costing two or three silver dollars a day. If it weren't for the shop rent that Jin Shu received every month from Suzhou, her dowry alone would not have been enough to cover the extravagance of the past five years.
Jin Shu didn't have time to wallow in her sorrow and anger. Instead, she quickly gathered up the cloth bag, taking her belongings and the little money Zhang's mother had saved with her.
Now that we've made up our minds to get a divorce, we certainly can't let the Zhang family get away with it.
There was nothing left to take from Zhang's mother's room, so Jin Shu went to Zhang Jiqing's room again.
Her sister-in-law regularly received living expenses from her on time. She attended the best girls' school in BH City, where the tuition was seven dollars a month and the living expenses were five dollars. She was always taken by rickshaw pullers, and she changed her school uniform three times a year.
Push open the door, and you'll find yourself in the currently trending old-money American style decor.
Although the Zhang family didn't have the money to renovate the old house, they did have the money to renovate Zhang Jiqing's room separately.
Moreover, Zhang's mother doted on her youngest daughter, so when Jin Shu first stepped into the room, she was not surprised at all.
The shoe cabinet by the door is filled with all kinds of leather boots, long and short, black and white, pointed and round toes, you name it, they have it.
The room wasn't big, but it had everything you needed. It was covered with a yellow and white striped wool carpet, and there was a Western-style round dining table next to the bed, covered with a pink tablecloth. Zhang Jiqing hadn't finished his steak and fried eggs for dinner, so he just left them on the table for the nanny to clean up.
To the left of the entrance is a bathroom with separate wet and dry areas. Many of the things there are things Jin Shu has never seen before, and they look novel and unfamiliar, but some of them she has seen once or twice.
This automatic water-filling device is called a toilet.
This is called a bathtub. You fill it with water and then lie in it to soak. It's more convenient and comfortable than a bath tub.
This is called a makeup mirror. The mirror hides a storage cabinet. When you open the cabinet, it's filled with all sorts of cosmetics, a dazzling array.
Jin Shu, who rarely goes out and knows very little about the outside world, couldn't help but brighten up when she saw so many pretty little leather boots.
No wonder her monthly allowance isn't enough to cover her expenses; she has so many pairs of shoes, more than a centipede could have on her feet.
After closing the shoe cabinet, Jin Shu looked curiously at the intricately designed and beautiful lamp above her head. When lit, the hanging crystals reflected a strange and dazzling light.
In addition, there was a pure white wardrobe in front of them, engraved with rose petal shapes. Zhang Jiqing had just opened the wardrobe, and it was full of clothes, with more types and styles than shoes.
Unlike Jin Shu's wardrobe, which was filled with uniform cheongsams and long dresses, Zhang Jiqing's clothes were all American-style: long dresses that showed off her arms, short skirts that showed off her thighs, as well as blouses, wool sweaters, and so on...
Despite her conservative mindset, Jin Shu didn't feel exposed at all when she saw these clothes; on the contrary, she could stand there and admire them properly.
However, she wasn't interested in other people's clothes. After glancing at them twice, Jin Shu sat down in front of Zhang Jiqing's dressing table.
The cabinet was locked. Jin Shu glanced at it and then remembered a book she had read before, which said that ancient extraordinary people could pick locks with wire.
There happened to be a simple hair clip on Zhang Jiqing's table. He straightened it, poked it at the keyhole, and then turned it twice. The next second, a "click" was heard.
The lock is open.
"It's open..."
Jin Shu looked at the small lock that had fallen down in front of her, and she could hardly believe it herself.
She just wanted to give it a try, but she never expected it to actually work.
Is unlocking a lock really that easy?
Never mind, let's open it and see if there's anything I want first.
Jin Shu opened the drawer and, without even having to search, found what she was looking for.
Inside a rectangular box made of pear wood, a huge pearl necklace was revealed when it was opened.
Each pearl is full, round, porcelain white, and uniform in size without any flaws. The entire necklace contains a total of forty-eight deep-sea Australian white pearls, which are stored in this unassuming wooden box.
Sure enough, it was with her.
Jin Shu reached out and gently stroked the pearl necklace in front of her.
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