“Miss, look at what you’re saying,” Zhou Sanniang quickly replied with a smile. “Fifth Miss’s silver must have all been spent on herself. Our place here isn’t like the main Jiang family residence in the city. Food, clothing, daily expenses, and Fifth Miss’s illness all cost money. Some things I even paid for out of my own pocket. Concubine Zhao can vouch for that.”
Gu Ning remained silent, casting a faint glance at Zhao Qinghe, who pursed her lips without speaking.
“Hmph, easier said than done. Everyone knows the money ends up in your pocket in the end.”
Instead, Old Man Wu tapped his cane on the ground.
“Hey, Old Man Wu, did I ever offend you before?” Zhou Sanniang flared up, hands on her hips. “You never give me a good look, always finding fault with everything I do, and you’re always siding with that madwoman. What, at your age, you still have eyes for a young girl of seventeen or eighteen? Ha! She’s a young lady from a wealthy family. Even if she’s mad, she’s still out of your league, you old fool!”
“Shameless thing! Exposed for your dirty deeds, and now you’re ruining a young lady’s reputation,” Old Man Wu spat fiercely on the ground. “I just can’t stand the way you bully people, especially when you’re bullying someone from our Taoling Pass!”
“Taoling Pass?” Before Zhou Sanniang could retort, Gu Ning asked, “You said you’re from Taoling Pass?”
“Yes,” Old Man Wu sighed. “That was over ten years ago now…”
According to Old Man Wu, fifteen years ago, Qingzhou fell, and the casualties around Taoling Pass were especially severe. To avenge their families and to survive, nearly all the able-bodied men from the area voluntarily joined the army. Old Man Wu’s arm was also severed in that war.
“As for the women and children of Taoling Pass, those who could escape mostly fled.”
Those who didn’t escape had long turned to dust.
“But the way people there spoke, their habits—it still feels like it’s right before my eyes,” Old Man Wu chuckled. “So when this Concubine Zhao first arrived at the estate, I recognized at once that she must have fled from Taoling Pass back then.”
Upon hearing this, Zhao Qinghe lowered her head and wiped away tears. Everyone else sighed in sympathy.
“You said it yourself, it’s all old news from fifteen years ago. She might not even recognize you, yet you’re so eager to…” Zhou Sanniang muttered under her breath. “A dog catching mice—meddling in others’ business.”
“Since you say Old Man Wu is meddling in others’ business, then my involvement shouldn’t be considered meddling, should it?” Gu Ning glanced at her, then smiled at Old Man Wu. “Old Man Wu, since you usually pay attention to these matters, could you tell me which doctor Fifth Miss usually sees and what medicine she takes?”
“Medicine?” Old Man Wu scoffed before Gu Ning could finish. “A bowl of water with burnt talisman paper can be called medicine? But it’s even more precious than medicine—a bowl sells for three qian of silver!”
“Three qian of silver?” The onlookers gasped. “Th-this is practically robbery!”
“Whose granny did they hire? So heartless! Back when my Shuan’er had a high fever, a talisman only cost ten wen…”
“Wh-what’s wrong with that?” Zhou Sanniang flushed with embarrassment, arguing stubbornly. “If something works, it’s worth it! When this madwoman first arrived, she dressed in rags. Look at her now—isn’t she much better?”
All eyes fell upon Jiang Yingyue. She was wearing a faded blue narrow-sleeved cotton jacket, paired with two panels of dark blue cloth skirt. It wasn’t luxurious, but it was neat and clean.
It seemed… her words were not false.
“What nonsense about wearing the wrong clothes? That’s because you took her good clothes,” Old Wu snorted. “Just because you’ve never seen the style, you call it wearing the wrong clothes. I saw those two pieces of clothing on your daughter-in-law and granddaughter.”
The neighbors erupted in an uproar.
“What? Not only stealing money but also clothes?”
“This Zhou Sanniang is too black-hearted!”
“Old Wu, you need evidence to speak!” Zhou Sanniang said angrily. “If you keep talking nonsense, I’ll go to the magistrate and sue you!”
“Go ahead! I’m not afraid of you! Once the magistrate searches your place, let’s see how you deny it!”
“Then let’s go, right now!”
Zhou Sanniang secretly smiled smugly. She wasn’t afraid, after all, she had quietly pawned those two pieces of clothing yesterday.
Her son had found a job in town. As the saying goes, a poor family but a rich road; when traveling far from home, how could one not bring more money?
Moreover, such fine clothes would be wasted on two little girls.
“Wait.”
Gu Ning suddenly spoke up. She smiled and said, “I’ll go with you. I’ve seen most of the Fifth Young Lady’s clothes, so even if they ‘accidentally’ ended up in a pawnshop or somewhere else, I’d recognize them at a glance.”
Zhou Sanniang’s smile froze on her face. After thinking it over, she glared fiercely at Zhao Qinghe. Zhao Qinghe caught the look but lowered her head, twisting her handkerchief, still not saying a word.
“Hey, I saw that! You just glared at Concubine Zhao!” Shen Jinyan suddenly jumped out. “You must have a guilty conscience, otherwise why glare at her for no reason?”
“I…”
“According to the laws of Great Yue, false accusers are to be punished with thirty strokes of the cane. Those who steal property worth over ten taels but less than fifty taels are to be punished with ten strokes and must return the stolen goods at their original value,” Gu Ning said calmly.
“Alright, fine, I admit it, I took them,” Zhou Sanniang said in a small voice, giving up and admitting it, but under the neighbors’ disdain, she still stubbornly tried to justify herself. “But you tell me, they eat and live on the estate, shouldn’t they pay a little? I’m already exhausted running around all day, why should I take care of them for free? Is there such a thing in the world?”
The crowd chattered and murmured.
Zhou Sanniang’s son, hearing there was trouble at home, hurried back. Hearing this, he loudly agreed from the crowd, “That’s right, there’s no such thing! Living on the estate, they should pay rent!”
He spoke with such conviction that many were swayed and nodded along.
Zhou Sanniang smiled contentedly and went with the flow, “In that case, your clothes and silver from before can be considered as rent paid to our estate.”
Before Jiang Yingyue and Gu Ning could speak, Zhao Qinghe couldn’t bear the pressure and softly agreed, “Forget it, let’s just forget it all…”
Jiang Yingyue instinctively tightened her grip on the rolling pin in her hand. Gu Ning stepped forward, pressed her hand, and gently shook her head.
“Living on the estate, it is indeed proper to pay rent,” Gu Ning said with a smile. “However, everything follows rules. Rent has a fixed price, and lease terms have their duration. Any excess should be refunded. Later, I will have someone draft a formal complaint and submit it to the county magistrate.” Her gaze fell on Zhou Sanniang. “Even among brothers, accounts should be settled clearly. Only when everything is transparent and unambiguous can neighborly harmony be preserved. Zhou Sanniang, don’t you agree?”
Not only did she fail to get her hands on the bulging purse, but she also had to swallow her pride and return the previous payment. Zhou Sanniang’s face flushed red one moment and turned pale the next, forcing out a single word through gritted teeth: “Yes.”
Gu Ning smiled gently, gave Shen Jinyan a few instructions, then turned and helped Jiang Yingyue into the house.
As soon as they entered, before Gu Ning could speak, Jiang Yingyue gently tugged at her sleeve and said earnestly, “Doctor Gu, I have considered the transaction you mentioned earlier. I hope you can do me a favor.”