Back then, Jiang Li had just married into the Yin Family and tried everything she could to get on their good side.
Besides, the Yin Family had put on such a good act back then that she hadn’t noticed anything was wrong. Naturally, she thought of them as family and believed they should be close.
Her brother-in-law, Yin Chengzhou, was expelled from his academy. The reason he gave the family was that he had lent the tuition money to a poor classmate and was therefore unable to pay it himself.
The bookkeeper also said there was no extra silver to pay for the tuition.
But in reality, no matter how much the Yin Family had declined, it was impossible for them to be unable to afford a mere academy tuition.
The truth was, Yin Chengzhou had taken the tuition money and gambled it away. A teacher at the academy had found out, and terrified that his family would discover the truth, he made up an excuse to hide it.
The Yin Family deliberately claimed to have no money simply because they wanted Jiang Li to pay up. After all, even if they had money in their accounts, using their own was a completely different matter from using their daughter-in-law’s.
In her past life, after finding out her brother-in-law had been gambling, Jiang Li hadn’t exposed him. She helped him cover it up, paid off his debts, and went to great lengths to guide Yin Chengzhou back to the right path.
Yin Chengzhou’s academic performance was so poor that no academy would accept him. It was Jiang Li who went around pulling strings to get him back into an academy and even hired renowned tutors to teach him.
Even the money for all this came from Jiang Li.
But what did Yin Chengzhou say to her back then?
Yin Chengzhou claimed she had ruined him. He said that if she hadn’t meddled, he would have made his fortune gambling long ago and wouldn’t have had to endure the hardship of studying.
He even called her vicious, accusing her of deliberately making him suffer needlessly.
Her kindness had not been met with the respect it deserved. This time, Jiang Li would not get involved.
’She’d just wait and see what the Yin Family would do to plug the hole when Yin Chengzhou inevitably racked up massive gambling debts in the future.’
Before long, Jiang Li arrived at the front hall.
Yin Chengzhou was kneeling ramrod straight on the floor. In the seats of honor sat Mr. Yin and Mrs. Fan, their faces as dark as the bottom of a pot.
Mrs. Fan, who already had a terrible headache, was even more furious upon hearing that her son had been expelled from the academy.
When he saw Jiang Li approach, Mr. Yin’s expression softened, his eyes filled with fatherly affection.
Mr. Yin didn’t beat around the bush and got straight to the point. "Miss Li, I really didn’t want to trouble you with this, but my hands are tied. My stipend hasn’t arrived yet, and this boy lent his tuition money to a classmate in need, which is why he was expelled. If you have the means, could you lend us some for now? Rest assured, the Yin Family is not one to covet a daughter-in-law’s dowry. I will pay you back the moment my stipend arrives."
Before Jiang Li could even speak, Mrs. Fan secretly rolled her eyes.
’She had already seen Jiang Li’s dowry, and it was nothing special. She suspected that without the family elders, the Jiang family was just an empty shell, and Jiang Li herself had no money.’
’If she had known her husband was going to summon Jiang Li, she would have talked to him first.’
’Well, this was fine too. Let her husband see with his own eyes that Jiang Li couldn’t produce any money.’
Jiang Li lowered her head, putting on a troubled expression. Her fingers laced together tightly as she stammered, "I... I—"
Seeing her apparent reluctance, Mr. Yin grew puzzled.
’The Jiang family was so rich and owned numerous shops in the Capital City; surely she could produce a little money?’
Fearing he hadn’t been clear enough, Mr. Yin quickly added, "I’m not asking for much. Just two hundred taels of silver will do."
Jiang Li sneered inwardly. ’The most expensive academy in the Capital City only charged twenty taels for a year’s tuition.’
’The Yin Family was asking for two hundred taels right from the start. Did they take her for a fool?’
The memory of her past self—who had actually believed Mr. Yin and generously given the Yin Family two hundred taels to use—made Jiang Li find the situation even more ridiculous.
She had lent them the money as family, but the Yin Family never had any intention of repaying her.
In fact, this "borrowing" today was only the beginning. In the future, the Yin Family would use all kinds of excuses to take more money from her.
Jiang Li kept her head bowed, looking guilt-ridden. "I... I didn’t realize the family would need my dowry, so... so I’ve already invested it all in the shops."
Mrs. Fan’s expression screamed, "I knew it." She had known all along that this girl, Jiang Li, had no real money.
’Wait,’ she thought. ’Could it be that those shops are losing money, too?’
’If the shops really are in the red, will she expect our family to help cover the losses later on?’
Panic began to rise in Mrs. Fan. ’If Jiang Li really has no money, then why did I go to all the trouble of getting her to marry in?’
’I need to have someone investigate the Jiang family’s shops as soon as possible.’
Mr. Yin looked surprised. As he recalled, the Jiang family was very wealthy.
It wasn’t the Jiang family itself, but rather Jiang Li’s mother, who had been incredibly wealthy.
Therefore, in Mr. Yin’s eyes, Jiang Li, now an orphan, must have a considerable fortune in her hands.
He was especially envious of the Jiang family’s businesses and medical halls in the Capital City. Every time he passed by them, he couldn’t help but think how wonderful it would be if they belonged to the Yin Family.
And yet now she was telling him she couldn’t even come up with two hundred taels?
Mr. Yin didn’t believe it.
He figured it was because Jiang Li didn’t trust him, and that was why she was unwilling to give him the money.
Mr. Yin heaved a deep sigh and put on a troubled act. "I know you’ve only just married into the family and I shouldn’t be asking this of you, but why would I, if I had any other choice? Miss Li, since this puts you in a difficult position, I’ll just have to think of something else. I suppose I can borrow from my colleagues. The worst that can happen is they’ll look down on me and make my life difficult."
Jiang Li remained unmoved by his words. She didn’t respond, simply keeping her head bowed.
To any onlookers, she appeared meek and full of remorse.
Only Jiang Li herself knew that, in that moment, her heart was ice-cold.
’Let’s see how the Yin Family treats me this time.’
Mr. Yin waited for Jiang Li to speak. He had laid it on so thick; if she had any sense, she would have agreed to lend him the money.
’It was a mere two hundred taels of silver, not a large sum. Surely she couldn’t be so broke as to not even have that.’
But reality disappointed Mr. Yin. He waited and waited, but Jiang Li never said a word.
You could hear a pin drop in the hall. Even the servants held their breath, not daring to utter a sound.
In the end, it was Mrs. Fan, unable to bear her headache any longer and unwilling to waste more time, who broke the silence. "Ali, since you’re short on funds, let’s just forget it. You may go back for now."
Jiang Li bowed, then turned and left.
Mr. Yin looked at his wife in astonishment. "Why did you let her leave? Don’t you know that two hundred taels is pocket change for her?"
With no outsiders present, the couple felt no need to hold back.
Mrs. Fan rubbed her temples, her brows furrowed. "Perhaps for the Jiang family of the past, but not necessarily for the Jiang Li of today."
Mr. Yin sensed something was amiss. "What do you mean by that?" he asked quickly.
"I mean exactly what I said. How old is Jiang Li? The Jiang family used to be rich, yes, but that was with Mr. Jiang watching over everything. Their clansmen wouldn’t have dared to act out of line. But after what happened to Mr. Jiang, do you really think those same clansmen would let a young girl like her walk away with the entire family fortune in her dowry?"