Early in the morning, street vendors were calling out to customers as the air steamed.
The county government officials immediately attracted the attention of those around them.
Wen Nan looked at the elderly county magistrate in front of him.
Li Chuyi, who was standing next to her, insisted on coming over to watch the excitement.
Magistrate Chen is quite old, but he is honest, fair, and law-abiding.
The group headed straight for the Wen residence.
The guards at the entrance of the Wen residence immediately went in to inform the old lady when they saw that something was wrong.
As expected, the old lady came out with her cane, her sharp gaze landing on Wen Nan, who was walking ahead.
She snorted coldly.
Magistrate Chen then stepped forward and said, "Old Madam Wen, this little girl came to me yesterday saying that the Wen family owes her four years' worth of dividends. It's all in black and white... Why is the Wen family delaying payment?"
Magistrate Chen reached out and touched his slightly graying beard. His face was marked by the passage of time, but his eyes were still very sharp.
Magistrate Chen embodies these four words: impartiality and integrity.
Li Chuyi echoed her sentiments.
“Yes, Grandfather, you can’t ignore something this big. The Wen family is the largest merchant family in Jiangnan. Now… they can do something like this?” Li Chuyi was quick-witted and glanced at the county magistrate.
Magistrate Chen reached out and tapped Li Chuyi on the head.
“When did my maternal grandfather ever say he wouldn’t care? Isn’t this why we’re here?” Magistrate Chen snorted and told Li Chuyi to go away.
Wen Zhongxin also rushed over. He saw more and more onlookers outside, pointing and commenting from time to time.
"What's wrong with the Wen family?"
"Yes, how did this attract the attention of the government officials?"
"Tsk tsk tsk, what's going on here?"
More and more people gathered around to watch the spectacle.
Wen Zhongxin invited the person inside to talk directly.
Magistrate Chen did not refuse.
He is right to be fair and impartial, but the Wen family only owes them four years' worth of dividends, so does that count as a punishment?
Once it's returned to them, the matter is over.
If they don't pay it back, then that's another story...
But with such a large money exchange as the Wen family's, it's impossible for them not to provide even this small amount of money.
Wen Nan stood next to Li Chuyi.
"This is my contract. In the past four years, I haven't received a single dividend. I already spoke to the current head of the Wen family a while ago, but to this day... they still haven't given me any."
"Is the Wen family trying to renege on their debt?" Wen Nan picked up the contract in front of him and handed it to Magistrate Chen, who was standing next to him.
It was written clearly in black and white.
The contract details everything clearly: the year it was purchased, who owns it, how it was purchased, and how much it cost.
Wen Zhongxin's expression was not very good.
"Why do you need to go to Magistrate Chen about this? You silly girl, this is all a family matter... We can just discuss it amongst ourselves." Old Mrs. Wen stepped forward and grabbed Wen Nan's hand.
With a kind and amiable face, she seemed just like Wen Nan's grandmother.
"It's a great pity that Magistrate Chen has taken the time out of his busy schedule to make this trip. This girl, she can just talk to us about anything... we're all family." Old Mrs. Wen said.
Wen Nan pulled his hand back.
"Now you realize we're family? When you kicked me out before... did Old Madam Wen ever think we were family?" Everyone knows that Wen Nan was kicked out of the Wen family back then.
Now, Old Mrs. Wen is willing to say anything to avoid giving the money to Wen Nan.
If Wen Nan is kicked out, he should go to Magistrate Chen, who will naturally take care of it.
But if Grandma Wen insists that the family is having a conflict.
It has been known since ancient times that even an upright official finds it difficult to settle family disputes.
It's best to resolve family matters within the family.
Family matters... so Magistrate Chen shouldn't interfere.
Wen Zhongxin's expression softened slightly.
“Magistrate Chen, this girl has some resentment towards us… It’s all settled now. It’s just a family matter, why are you bothering Magistrate Chen?” Wen Zhongxin said with a laugh.
They attempted to persuade Magistrate Chen to return.
"What family? When my mother was still alive in the Wen family, you all depended on her. That was when we were family."
"Now that my mother has passed away, you are trying every means to drive me out of the mansion. Now, in the whole of Jiangnan, who doesn't know that I am not a member of your Wen family?" Wen Nan's voice was cold, but what she said was true.
The news of Wen Nan being driven out spread widely among merchant families in Jiangnan.
"Tsk tsk tsk, how shameless! Before, you said you'd kick someone out, and you just did it. Now you say you're family, and you're family?" Li Chuyi covered her mouth and suddenly laughed.
Wen Zhongxin's expression was also not very good, but Li Chuyi was Magistrate Chen's granddaughter.
Wen Zhongxin didn't dare to say anything either.
“I notified Wen Zhongxin a few days ago… but Wen Zhongxin avoided me, saying he would give me an explanation, but there has been no follow-up.” Wen Nan stopped arguing with them.
He told Magistrate Chen the whole story.
Grandma Wen's face was pale.
She hadn't expected it either. She had thought that Wen Zhongxin hadn't gone over, and that Wen Nan was hesitant, unwilling to offend the Wen family, which was why he hadn't come looking for them yet.
I finally felt relieved last night.
Today, Wen Nan arrived with government officials.
This girl is definitely their nemesis!
She should have thrown Wen Nan out long ago and let him starve to death outside.
To avoid keeping them around to cause trouble!
Despite their reluctance, Wen Zhongxin and his wife still had someone count the silver notes and gave them all to Wen Nan, not a single copper coin missing.
Once Wen Nan had counted enough silver notes, Magistrate Chen, seeing that his goal had been achieved, left with his men.
Wen Nan stuffed the banknotes into his pocket. It was a thick wad of them; for an ordinary family, that would be enough to feed them for several generations.
Grandma Wen gritted her teeth.
"You're just like your mother, both of you are damned scourges!" Old Mrs. Wen was furious. Her face was as black as the bottom of a pot. She slammed her cane on the ground.
Wen Nan sneered.
"Have you forgotten how the Wen family got their wealth?" She didn't even lift her eyelids.
“If we’re talking about ungrateful people, you, Old Madam Wen, are the prime example,” Li Chuyi said, waiting for Wen Nan to speak up.
Grandma Wen's face darkened even more.
"What's yours will be yours, and what's not yours will be returned sooner or later." Wen Nan left with these last words.
It has a hidden meaning.
Originally, all of the Tong family's wealth was acquired by Shen Qing. After Shen Qing passed away, Old Madam Wen took over it all.
Hearing Wen Nan's words reminded Grandma Wen of the past few days.
Wen Nan burned down the ancestral hall. She said she would make the Wen family change their surname to Shen!
"You unfilial descendant, at least you still bear the surname Wen..."
Wen Nan and Li Chuyi had already left.
Grandma Wen's voice was hoarse from shouting, then she rolled her eyes, overwhelmed with anger, and immediately fainted.
There was a flurry of activity in the courtyard.
Fortunately, the Wen family was wealthy and generous, and they cut another piece of thousand-year-old ginseng and placed it under Old Madam Wen's tongue.
In just a few days, Grandma Wen has already taken ginseng slices twice.
They were all angry.
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