Chapter 600: The Wang Family? It's a Pit of Fire
Gu Qingchen's "miserable" life officially began.
In her study, those storybooks and miscellaneous notes were no longer seen. Instead, there were piles of account books that were taller than her.
"Mother, I know the words on it, but when they are put together, I don't understand."
Gu Qingchen grabbed his hair, his face wrinkled, and he felt overwhelmed looking at a thick expense account book.
Chu Ruohan sat aside, holding a cup of tea in her hand, supervising with a calm expression, and ignoring her daughter's complaints.
"Last March, we purchased 320 pieces of Shu brocade, each piece costing 12 taels of silver, for a total of 3,840 taels."
"But in May, the price of the same Shu brocade became fifteen taels per piece. Why is that?" Chu Ruohan asked casually, pointing to a place in the account book.
Gu Qingchen's little head turned rapidly, and he muttered, "The price has increased."
"Why is the price increasing?" Chu Ruohan asked.
"I...how would I know?" Gu Qingchen was a little discouraged.
Chu Ruohan put down the teacup, her tone still calm: "Because of the heavy rains in Shu in April, many mulberry fields were flooded, raw silk was in short supply, and the price of brocade naturally rose."
"A housekeeper should not only be able to calculate accounts, but also be able to understand the current situation and prices, so as not to be cheated."
Gu Qingchen nodded as if he understood, but even though he still felt annoyed, he still patiently continued reading.
She herself hadn't noticed that when she calmed down, those boring numbers gradually became vivid in her eyes.
At night, Qian Zhenyun once again climbed in through the window with a familiar look, holding a bag of hot osmanthus cake in his arms.
"Sister, eat quickly! I brought this especially for you!"
When Gu Qingchen saw the food, his eyes lit up. He quickly pulled him behind the screen and stuffed cakes into his mouth while asking vaguely, "What's new outside?"
"I heard that Lin Jiayou was taken back to Prince Yong's Mansion by his uncle, the young prince, and he hasn't come to the private school for several days." Qian Zhenyun lowered his voice, like a competent little spy.
Gu Qingchen swallowed the sweet-scented osmanthus cake in his mouth and nodded: "It's good to go back to the palace. With his uncle protecting him, Wang Hao's family won't dare to do anything weird again."
Although she was trapped in the mansion, she was still thinking about her friends outside.
Unlike the "strict" atmosphere in the main courtyard of the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion, the atmosphere in the courtyard of the third house was so oppressive that it made people breathless.
Lu Ge'er sat at the desk with a book spread out in front of him, but his mind was not on it at all.
His mind was filled with his sister Lan Jie'er's red and swollen eyes from crying.
In the inner room, Madam Gu San was holding a gift list and happily counting it out to the nanny beside her: "The Wang family is really generous. The betrothal gift alone is 300 taels, and there are also these four-colored gifts and six kinds of gold utensils..."
She spoke softly, but every word she said was heard by Lan Jie'er, who was hiding in the corner and crying silently.
In her grandmother's eyes, she seemed not to be a living person, but a commodity with a clearly marked price that could be exchanged for benefits.
"Madam, this marriage must be arranged quickly," the nanny agreed flatteringly, "lest we have to wait and see."
"Of course." Madam Gu San smiled complacently. "I've already agreed with Madam Wang that we'll exchange engagement letters next month."
When Lan Jie'er heard this, her body trembled and her tears flowed even harder.
Main courtyard, study.
Haitang walked in quickly, her face looking extremely ugly, and placed a stack of documents in front of Chu Ruohan.
"Ma'am, everything has been checked out."
Chu Ruohan stopped flipping through the account book and looked up at her: "Speak."
"The Wang family in the south of the city may look prosperous, but it's actually just an empty shell. The several shops in the family have long been unable to make ends meet, and they rely on secretly lending money at high interest rates to barely maintain the appearance of wealth." There was a hint of anger in Haitang's voice.
Chu Ruohan's expression didn't change at all, as if she had expected this.
Haitang took a deep breath and continued, "More importantly, that Second Young Master Wang is over ten years older than Miss Lan... and his behavior is extremely immoral."
"He's addicted to gambling and is deeply in debt at every major casino in the capital. And... he's also incredibly violent. Not long ago, he broke the leg of a handsome servant in his courtyard because he didn't serve him to his liking. In the end, the Wang family forced him to stay with them for a sum of money."
Hearing the word "tyrannical", Chu Ruohan's hand holding the teacup paused slightly.
Haitang hesitated for a moment, then finally gritted her teeth and said, "Madam, there are rumors out there that the Second Young Master Wang... is having an affair."
With a light "pop" sound, the lid of the celadon teacup in Chu Ruohan's hand slid onto the tray.
The air in the study seemed to freeze at that moment.
Chu Ruohan slowly raised her eyes, and her eyes, which were always calm and gentle, now seemed to be frozen and chilled to the bone.
She finally understood.
Mrs. Gu San is not stupid, she is bad.
She didn't care at all whether Lan Jie'er would live or die after marrying him. She just urgently needed a dowry to fill her own deficit and her son's future.
Pushing a young girl into the fire pit of a spendthrift, violent, and eccentric person, how is this any different from murder?
"I understand." Chu Ruohan's voice was very soft, but it carried a chilling feeling of impending storm. "You go down first."
Haitang bowed and retreated, not daring to say anything more.
Chu Ruohan sat there quietly, her fingers unconsciously stroking the edge of the cold teacup.
The night was dark, and even the chirping of insects seemed oppressive.
Lu Ge'er sat in front of the window, unable to read a single word of the book in front of him.
An old servant who was delivering midnight snacks quietly approached Lu Ge'er while no one was paying attention and put the food box down.
"Master Lu, everyone is saying that the second son of the Wang family is nothing but a piece of shit!"
Lu Ge'er clenched his fists tightly, his knuckles turning white. "Uncle Chen, you...what do you know?"
The old servant glanced towards the inner room, his eyes filled with sympathy and pity. "My nephew works at the casino in the south of the city. He said that the Second Young Master Wang is in debt and has a violent temper."
"One of the two maids in the front room was beaten and sold, and the other was thrown into the well! This is pushing Miss Lan into the fire pit!"
After the old servant finished speaking, he did not dare to stay any longer. He quickly bowed and left.
With a "clang", the inkstone in front of Lu Ge'er was accidentally knocked to the ground, and the ink splashed all over the floor, like a pool of thick black blood that could not be dissolved.
He couldn't sit still any longer.
Asking for help from your grandmother? That's like asking for the skin of a tiger.
Grandfather...his value in grandfather's heart is not that important!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
