Compared to Su Ning's fulfilling day.
Here, Shang Wenyun was also in a very good mood. With this high-paying job, she no longer had to worry about making a living.
Bringing candied haws home, there was only her nine-year-old daughter at home.
"Mom, you're finally back." The little girl with slightly yellow hair and a pale face beamed with joy when she saw Shang Wenyun, running over to give her a big hug.
"Are you hungry? I left some dinner for you. You just need to heat it up."
Shang Wenyun stroked her daughter's hair with relief: "I already ate at the family I was teaching. Look, what's this?"
"Wow, candied haws!"
The little girl happily took it, carefully taking a small bite. A sweet taste filled her mouth. She counted six candied haws and said happily:
"I'll eat three, and brother will eat three."
"No need."
Shang Wenyun smiled and took out another candied haw: "Your brother has one too. Just eat yours, but don't finish it all in one day or you'll get a toothache."
Suddenly thinking of something, she frowned and looked inside the room. The small house could be seen at a glance, but she couldn't find her son. She said helplessly:
"Your brother was picked up by them again?"
"Them" referred to her in-laws. Even though they had cruelly kicked out the widow and orphan, they still seemed to value their grandson, occasionally taking him over.
But they never informed her.
"Yeah, someone came to pick up brother in the afternoon."
The little girl nodded timidly. She didn't say that she knew they treated them badly over there and wanted to stop her brother from going, but her brother pushed her away and mocked her for being a sickly little girl that grandpa and grandma didn't like.
"Let them take him."
Shang Wenyun sighed. Anyway, he would only stay for a day or two at most, and then they would send him back. She didn't know what all this fuss was about.
Seeing her daughter imitating her sighing.
She immediately smiled and handed over the other candied haw, "It's good that brother isn't home, both candied haws are yours."
The little girl cheered.
Seeing this, Shang Wenyun felt both pity and love. When they were abroad, her daughter lived the life of a young lady and was tired of eating sweets. She wouldn't have been this happy over a candied haw.
Fortunately, Miss Su was generous.
With a salary, their lives would definitely get better and better.
…………
According to the law of conservation of happiness.
Over at the Guan family, ever since Su Ning left, they had fallen into a state of panic and anger, shifting the blame onto each other, and the family argued until the sky turned dark.
Ultimately, the spearhead was pointed at one person—
Guan Jixing.
The other two branches of the Guan family tacitly united and began to condemn Guan Jixing:
"It's not that Second Uncle wants to criticize you, but you were too impulsive."
"That's right, those ridiculous words, let alone Miss Su, even we felt ashamed hearing them... Pregnant before marriage, and you still have the nerve to say you must hold the wedding at the old mansion."
"If this was over ten years ago, let alone a wedding, she would be drowned in a pig cage at the old mansion."
"Sigh, what should we do now that we've offended Miss Su? Everyone in Beiping City knows about her ruthless reputation."
"The Fang family is a warning from the past."
…………
Guan Jixing was about to explode from anger.
So everything is pushed onto me now?
Clearly, when he proposed the idea of raising the price, these people were praising him, saying it was a good idea.
Second Uncle even confidently said that Su Ning, a descendant of a eunuch, was naturally inferior to them, the orthodox Manchu nobles, and the extra money was just a rightful filial piety.
This was perfectly justified!
Just as he was about to burst out and curse back, Old Madam Guan forcefully pounded her walking stick. After all, she was the family's ancestor, and everyone shut their mouths.
"What's the use of arguing about who made the biggest mistake?"
Her voice was cold, stern, and exhausted:
"Jixing is at fault, greedy, ignorant, and easily swayed, listening to an outsider's words to come up with this idea, but you lot aren't innocent either."
"Second son, you brought up the Fang family first."
Old Madam Guan stared fixedly at her second son.
"Then let me ask you, given Su Ning's style of doing things, walking away in anger today, will she easily let our Guan family off?"
The atmosphere was so quiet that a pin dropping on the floor could be heard.
After a long time.
Second Son Guan shook his head silently.
No, she wouldn't. Although there were vague rumors that the Fang family had taken great advantage of the Su family, when Su Ning acted out previously, this matter hadn't even been brought up!
Just because her younger cousin suffered a little grievance.
She made a huge fuss.
She dealt with the Fang family so severely that they had no chance to turn things around, let alone the fact that they had genuinely angered her. Saying she would gather the family's debts to force them was considered light; at least there weren't more cruel methods.
"Mother, the family's debts are too many."
He said dejectedly:
"Apart from Eldest Brother's huge debt, I, and Third Brother, also owe quite a lot. If that person really collects the debts and uses this excuse to force us, what should we do?"
What to do?
Old Madam Guan's body swayed. As an old woman nearing seventy, apart from some private savings and old connections, what capital did she have to confront someone like Su Ning?
Ruthless and cunning.
Repaying debts is a universal principle. If she collected the Guan family's debts, she would have the right to make them pay. Anyone who wanted to stand up for the Guan family would have to pay the money first.
To put it bluntly, she was relying on her wealth to dare come up with such a method.
"Strike first to gain the upper hand."
"You all list out the money you owe, and pay back whatever you can... Don't play tricks with me, I know you still have money."
The people who were just about to complain shut their mouths awkwardly.
Even a rotten ship has three pounds of nails. They still had their private savings. The reason they didn't pay it back before was that they were waiting to share the silver dollars from selling the old mansion to pay it off.
Wouldn't it seem like they didn't feel the pinch otherwise?
Master Guan rubbed his hands, embarrassed:
"Mother, you know, I don't have any other debts, it's just that one huge sum. Even if you scrape me clean, I can't pay it back."
So what should be done?
Everyone present looked expectantly at Old Madam Guan.
Suddenly, Guan Jixing spoke up, "What are you afraid of? At the end of the day, Su Ning is just a mortal. With our family's years of foundation, can't we find a reliable person to deal with her?"
"As for the mansion, we'll find another buyer..."
"Shut up!"
Old Madam Guan shouted, and seeing he was still defiant, she struck down hard with her walking stick, hitting and scolding:
"Who taught you these underhanded methods? Connections? Without money and power, who would listen to you? Do you think it's like in the operas where everyone doesn't care for fame and fortune and only values loyalty?"
"Bah, more than half of the servants passed down for generations in the family have left because there's no monthly allowance to feed them."
