At that time in her past life, Jiang Li had only just married into the Yin family and tried every possible way to show goodwill to them.
Furthermore, the Yin family members had disguised themselves exceptionally well before her at that time, so she failed to detect the slightest anomaly. It was only natural for her to feel that they would be a family in the future and that it was only right to be closer to them.
When her brother-in-law Yin Chengzhou was expelled from the academy, the reason he gave his family was that he had lent his tuition money to a destitute classmate, which was why he failed to pay his tuition.
The accounts room also claimed that there was no spare silver available to pay the tuition.
But in reality, no matter how much the Yin family had declined, it was fundamentally impossible for them to be unable to afford even the tuition for an academy.
It was Yin Chengzhou who had taken the money originally meant for his tuition and used it to gamble. He was discovered by the academy master, and because he desperately feared his family finding out, he fabricated a reason to conceal it.
The Yin family members intentionally claimed they had no money simply because they wanted Jiang Li to bring out her own funds. After all, even if there was money on the Yin family’s accounts, using their own money was completely different from using their daughter-in-law’s.
In her past life, after Jiang Li learned that her brother-in-law had gambled his money away, she did not make a scene out of the matter. She helped her brother-in-law hide it, paid off his debts, and spent immense mind and effort guiding Yin Chengzhou back onto the righteous path.
Yin Chengzhou’s coursework was terrible, and no academy was willing to accept him. It was also Jiang Li who begged people everywhere to get him back into an academy and hired famous masters to tutor him.
Even the money spent was entirely provided by Jiang Li.
Yet at that time, what did Yin Chengzhou say to her?
Yin Chengzhou claimed that she had ruined him, and said that if she hadn’t poked her nose into his business, he would have long turned his fortunes around through gambling and would never have had to suffer the hardships of studying.
He even cursed her as malicious, claiming she intentionally made him seek out hardships for nothing.
Her kind-hearted devotion had not received the respect it deserved. This time, Jiang Li would no longer interfere.
She wanted to see exactly what the Yin family would use to plug the hole in the future when Yin Chengzhou racked up an enormous gambling debt.
Before long, Jiang Li arrived at the front hall.
Yin Chengzhou was kneeling on the ground with his back straight. Seated at the head of the hall were Master Yin and Madam Fan, both of whose faces were as dark as the bottom of a pot.
Madam Fan was already suffering terribly from her headache, and hearing that her son had been expelled from the academy made her lose her temper even more.
Seeing Jiang Li come in, Master Yin’s expression softened slightly, his eyes carrying an affectionate warmth.
Master Yin did not beat around the bush; the moment he opened his mouth, he came straight to the point: “Girl Li, originally I did not want to trouble you with this matter. But isn’t it because there is no other way out? My official stipend hasn’t been issued yet, and this boy lent his tuition money to a classmate to help him through a tight spot, which is why he was expelled by the academy. If your hands are well-off, could you lend us some first? Rest assured, the Yin family is not the kind of family that would covet a daughter-in-law’s dowry. As soon as my stipend is issued, I will return it to you.”
Before Jiang Li could even speak, Madam Fan secretly rolled her eyes.
She had already looked over Jiang Li’s dowry list, and it was nothing more than ordinary. She feared that without the elders of the Jiang family, the Jiang family was merely an empty shell, and Jiang Li had no money in her hands.
If she had known the Master was going to call Jiang Li over, she would have told him in advance.
Now, however, it was just as well to let the Master see with his own eyes that Jiang Li could not bring out any money.
Jiang Li kept her head lowered, assuming a difficult expression. Her fingers tightly clasped together as she stammered, “I, I—”
Seeing that she seemed unwilling to give the money, Master Yin felt somewhat perplexed.
The Jiang family was so wealthy and had opened quite a few shops in the capital; it shouldn’t be that she couldn’t bring out even a little bit of money, right?
Fearing that he had not made himself clear enough, Master Yin hurriedly added, “I don’t need much; a mere two hundred taels of white silver will suffice.”
Jiang Li sneered in the depths of her heart. For the most expensive academy in the capital, a year’s tuition was no more than twenty taels.
The Yin family members opened their mouths and demanded two hundred taels; did they want to treat her like a fool and trick her?
Thinking of her past self, who had indeed believed Master Yin’s words and very generously brought out two hundred taels for the Yin family to use first, Jiang Li felt it was even more laughable.
She had lent it to them as a family, yet the Yin family members had never once thought about returning it.
In fact, today’s “borrowing money” was only a beginning. In the future, the Yin family members would use all kinds of reasons to extract money from her.
Jiang Li kept her head down, putting on a self-reproachful look: “I didn’t know beforehand that the family would need to use my dowry, so, so it was all invested into the shops.”
Madam Fan revealed an “as expected” expression. She knew this girl Jiang Li did not have much money in her hands.
Wait a moment, could it be that those shops were also unable to make ends meet?
If they were truly in the red, would they expect her family to help fill the hole in the future?
A wave of panic arose in Madam Fan’s heart. If there really was no money, then why did she go through so much trouble to let Jiang Li marry in?
She needed to have someone investigate those shops of the Jiang family as quickly as possible.
Master Yin showed a surprised expression. In his memory, the Jiang family was highly wealthy.
It wasn’t that the Jiang family itself was wealthy, but rather Jiang Li’s mother who was extremely wealthy.
Therefore, in Master Yin’s view, Jiang Li, who had become an orphaned girl, must surely possess a great deal of wealth in her hands.
Particularly those trading companies and medical clinics of the Jiang family in the capital—every time he passed by them, he felt hot with envy, thinking to himself how wonderful it would be if they became his Yin family’s shops.
Yet now she was telling him that she couldn’t even bring out two hundred taels?
Master Yin did not believe it.
He felt that it was because Jiang Li did not trust him that she was unwilling to part with the money.
Master Yin let out a deep sigh, feigning a difficult position as he said, “I also know you have only just married into the house, and I shouldn’t open my mouth to you about this. But if there were truly any other way, how could I say these things to you? Girl Li, since it is difficult for you, I will go think of another way. At worst, I will go borrow from my colleagues. The most that will happen is being looked down upon by them and having them make things difficult for me.”
Jiang Li remained completely indifferent to these words and did not pick up the conversation, instead keeping her head lowered the entire time.
To anyone else, Jiang Li’s appearance made her look timid, submissive, and full of self-reproach.
Only Jiang Li was clear that at this moment, her heart was entirely ice-cold.
She wanted to see how the Yin family members would treat her this time.
Master Yin waited for Jiang Li to speak up. He had already put the words in such a way that as long as Jiang Li had a modicum of sense, she ought to agree to lend the money.
A mere two hundred taels of white silver was not a large demand; it couldn’t be that Jiang Li truly didn’t have even this much money.
Yet reality left Master Yin disappointed. He waited and waited, but failed to wait for Jiang Li to open her mouth.
The hall became so quiet that a dropped needle could be heard, and even the servants held their breath, not daring to speak.
In the end, it was Madam Fan who could no longer endure her headache and did not want to waste any more time, opening her mouth to say, “Ah Li, since your hands aren’t well-off, then let it be. You may return first.”
Jiang Li bowed in salute, then turned around and left.
Master Yin looked at his wife in astonishment and asked, “Why did you let her go? Don’t you know that two hundred taels is nothing but pocket change to her?”
With no outsiders present, the husband and wife had nothing to be scrupulous about.
Madam Fan rubbed her temples, her brow tightly furrowing: “Perhaps it was to the previous Jiang family, but it might not be the case for the current Jiang Li.”
Master Yin caught a hint of something unusual and hurriedly asked, “What do you mean by that?”
“Exactly what I said literally. How old is Jiang Li anyway? Previously the Jiang family was wealthy, but that was with Old Master Jiang guarding it; those of the same clan naturally did not dare to act recklessly. After Old Master Jiang met with his accident, Jiang Li is just a little girl. Do you think the Jiang clan members would willingly let her marry out with all that family property?”