Madam Meng was also counting the time in her heart, deliberately making Jiang Gu’an outside wait a while longer, so she intentionally sat for a bit longer.
Feeling that she had left him waiting long enough, Madam Meng asked Songyin, “Since there is this verbal engagement, shouldn’t you… go out and meet this Second Young Master Jiang?”
“Of course.” Songyin had been waiting for this moment as well and agreed without hesitation.
Madam Meng’s heart skipped a beat.
Wasn’t it said that love was a poison that rotted the intestines?! This eagerness clearly showed lingering affection. She suspected that the little girl’s earlier words were just meant to deceive her!
Since Songyin wanted to meet him, Madam Meng couldn’t very well stop her. She could only force a smile and accompany her out the door.
Outside, Jiang Gu’an had grown extremely impatient from waiting, but he still maintained his composure. At regular intervals, he would loudly denounce the Xie family for bullying the common people, drawing a large crowd of onlookers.
“Although I am not from a noble family, I have earned my scholarly title through my own efforts. Even if your Xie family holds a marquis title, you cannot abuse your power to detain my fiancée in private! If you do not release her today, I will shed blood three feet deep to show the world how the Marquis of Xuansu oppresses the common people!” Jiang Gu’an declared with conviction.
His anger had dissipated somewhat as the crowd gathered, replaced by calmness and composure.
Unyielding and righteous, dressed in white robes.
He stood there straight and tall, his integrity seemingly able to withstand any trial.
When Songyin appeared, this was the Jiang Gu’an she saw—young, spirited, and unyielding.
Having not yet experienced much of the world, Jiang Gu’an lacked the smoothness he would later acquire. His pride was a shield he forced himself to wear, not yet the innate confidence he would possess in a few years.
Madam Meng’s expression was extremely unpleasant. If the other party weren’t a scholar, she would have ordered her men to beat him severely!
“Enough! How dare a mere scholar like you speak so arrogantly in front of the Xie residence? This is outrageous!” Madam Meng immediately scolded.
With a single glance, Jiang Gu’an looked past Madam Meng and saw Songyin standing beside her.
His feet immediately moved forward, ignoring the surprised gazes of the crowd as he strode over. It was as if he had broken through countless obstacles and finally reunited with his beloved—filled with heartache and joy, he quickly grasped Songyin’s arm. “What have they forced you to do? Don’t be afraid. Today, even if it costs me my life, I will take you away!”
Madam Meng turned her head aside, feeling a headache coming on.
This was it—Jiang Gu’an truly knew how to put on an act. With such a deeply affectionate attitude, how many young women could harden their hearts against him?!
“Huh? You came to take me away?” Songyin pulled her arm back, feigning surprise as she looked at him, then showing a hint of disappointment. “I heard you were here and thought you had come to repay the money.”
Jiang Gu’an was taken aback, his brows furrowing. “What money?”
“Naturally, the money your Jiang family owes me? I had only known your sister for less than two months when I invested three hundred taels of silver for your family to open a shop, which ended up making a huge profit. Later, your family’s shop also used the recipes I provided. We agreed that I would receive a twenty percent share—surely you haven’t forgotten?”
“Didn’t you and your sister say that you would remember this kindness and return all the silver to me when I needed it? I thought that now, knowing I’ve returned to the Xie family and have no money for gifts for my younger siblings, you had come specifically to repay the debt…”
Songyin sighed softly, her gaze fixed on Jiang Gu’an filled with anguish and disappointment. “Madam said your family is just using me, trying to seize my money and my medical skills. I argued with her, determined to prove you weren’t that kind of person. Now… what am I supposed to do?”
“???” Madam Meng was momentarily stunned.
Then, she quickly sneered, “Don’t say I, as your stepmother, don’t care about you. I’m doing this for your own good. You’ve known him for so long, yet you’ve gained nothing from it. Instead, you’ve thrown your entire family’s fortune into the mix. What kind of good man could he possibly be?! See, what I said has come true, hasn’t it?”
“Not to mention all the silver from the past, I’d say now that this man knows you’re a daughter of our family, he’ll probably try to squeeze even more benefits out of you! You’d better wise up!”
Madam Meng’s voice was sharp, and she clearly wasn’t someone to be trifled with.
Jiang Gu’an felt increasingly irritated.
“Don’t listen to her nonsense… And, A-Yin, Tan’er said you’re not actually a daughter of the Xie family…” Jiang Gu’an quickly interjected.
“I am. I’ve never had a family before, and now that I’ve finally found one, how could you say such things to me?” Songyin frowned. “Madam just said you’d try to drive a wedge between me and the Xie family to avoid paying… It turns out she was right. You’ve been deceiving me all along…”
She was the righteous female supporting character—naive, simple, and kind-hearted.
So, was it wrong for her to feign confusion and sorrow?
The Jiang family understood her weaknesses and temperament better than anyone. In their minds, she was easy to deceive because they had gained her trust precisely by deceiving her!
“What I said is true!” Jiang Gu’an grew anxious. Songyin was perfect in every way, except for one thing—her innocence!
“But what is silver compared to affection? Back then, I gave you silver for the sake of our bond. Now, you won’t return the silver for the sake of that same bond. How can you prove to me that your past kindness wasn’t just exploitation?”
Jiang Gu’an felt trapped in a dilemma.
Deny the existence of the silver? Then Songyin would drift further away from him.
Admit that his family owed Songyin silver? Then they would have to repay it. If they didn’t, it would damage his reputation, and Songyin would still leave him.
He hadn’t expected that after not seeing Songyin for several days, their reunion would revolve around silver.
“The three hundred taels and the one thousand taels in shares, I will give them to you. A man of honor keeps his word, A-Yin. Trust me,” Jiang Gu’an said.
Songyin glanced sideways at the accountant.
The accountant immediately stepped forward, clutching his abacus. “Based on Madam and the young miss’s accounts, your Jiang family’s businesses in the county are doing well—you run a restaurant and a clothing store. The young miss is entitled to twenty percent of the restaurant’s profits, and the clothing store has attracted many customers using the sachets she formulated, so a mere ten percent share is sufficient. For over a year’s worth of profits, along with the future free use of her formulas, you should pay the young miss no less than three thousand taels of silver to make it even remotely fair.”
“Of course, you needn’t think it’s too much, as this also includes the consultation fees for treating your father and elder brother,” the accountant added, his eyes gleaming.
The young miss had made him memorize his lines well.
In truth, he felt three thousand taels was a bit too little.
But the eldest miss said, the amount is too large, and the Jiang family would have even more reason not to give the silver.
“Three thousand taels?! A-Yin, how could our Jiang family come up with so much silver all at once? You know, we just bought a shop…” Jiang Gu’an was somewhat anxious.
Although the restaurant in the county town was profitable, making money takes time!
Right now, the total amount of silver the entire family could mobilize was roughly around three thousand taels! And this was only because the pastry shop was sold to them at a low price by the Seventh Prince; otherwise, the Jiang family would be nothing but an empty shell!
A mocking smile curled at the corner of Songyin’s lips: “I naturally know how much silver you can come up with. Three thousand taels—after repaying the debt, isn’t that just right?”
“Either repay the silver, or our so-called verbal engagement is annulled. Choose one,” Songyin added.
In her past life, Jiang Erlang had acted utterly helpless in front of her, as if he had no choice but to accept County Princess Zhaokang.
But in reality, she knew clearly that so-called affection was nothing more than weighing pros and cons. Right now, she simply found it amusing, wanting to see how this hypocritical face would agonize over the choice.