Su Fu’s birth mother had come from a famous and wealthy merchant family in Jiangnan. She had once imagined that the dowry her mother brought with her when she married must have been substantial. However, when Qiu Shuang handed her the detailed dowry inventory, the quantities listed still left her stunned.
There were estates, shops…
The dazzling array of assets far exceeded Su Fu’s expectations.
She clearly remembered that several of the estates and shops recorded on the list had, in her previous life, become Su Qing’s dowry. Her fingers lightly brushed over the entries on the document, and a cold gleam flashed through her eyes.
In this lifetime, you will not take a single thing from me again.
Qiu Xue fumed at the side. “Miss should have reclaimed the dowry long ago. Last time I saw it with my own eyes—the jade hairpin inlaid with rubies that Second Miss was wearing belonged to the late Madam. It should have been yours! All these years, everything Miss has worn or used—wasn’t it only after Second Miss had picked through it first before it was sent to our Lanxiang Pavilion?”
The more Qiu Xue thought about it, the angrier she became. “Clearly, our Miss is the true eldest daughter of the Su household!”
Even the usually quiet Qiu Shuang spoke up. “People outside say the current Madam treats Miss well, but that’s not true. She’s only good to you on the surface. I’ve been by your side all these years—I see things clearly. Now that Miss has reached her coming-of-age ceremony, I’m afraid the Old Madam and Madam will casually find someone and marry you off.”
In the past, Qiu Shuang would never have said such words. Even if she had, Su Fu would not have believed her.
But seeing the changes in Su Fu these past few days, she sensed that her mistress was no longer the same.
Su Fu could not help but sigh inwardly. These two maids saw things more clearly than she herself had in her previous life.
“My mother’s dowry—I will definitely take it back! They want to marry me off at will and swallow my dowry whole? Dream on!”
In this lifetime, she would only marry Xiao Junhe.
At the thought of him, Su Fu’s indifferent expression softened slightly.
Xiao Junhe was still in Mobei. Calculating the time, it would be another three months before he returned.
Su Fu already found herself anticipating their first meeting…
At dusk, when Su Zhe had just returned from the Ministry of Revenue, he was stopped in the outer courtyard by Nanny An, who had been waiting for some time.
“Master, the Old Madam asks you to come see her.”
Seeing that Nanny An appeared to have waited a while, Su Zhe asked, puzzled, “Is there some urgent matter Mother needs?”
“This old servant does not know. Master will understand once he goes.”
When Su Zhe arrived, the Old Madam was seated on a couch while a young maid massaged her shoulders. Seeing him, she instructed the maid, “Go to the kitchen and bring the soup I had prepared for Master.”
After sitting down and taking a sip of tea, Su Zhe asked, “Mother, why did you suddenly summon me?”
The Old Madam straightened her expression. “Today, Su Fu came to pay her respects.”
“She has recovered from illness. It’s only proper that she came to greet you. Is there something wrong with that?” Su Zhe asked in confusion.
“There is nothing wrong with that,” the Old Madam replied, her eyes sharpening. “But do you know what else she said?”
As she spoke, her somewhat wrinkled, sallow hand slowly turned the Buddhist prayer beads on her wrist.
“She said she wants to reclaim the dowry left by her birth mother. You know the amount involved. Although you are a fourth-rank Assistant Minister in the Ministry of Revenue, your monthly salary is far from enough to support the current expenses of the entire Su household. Moreover, you need silver to grease palms in officialdom—that alone is no small expense. Therefore, her dowry absolutely cannot be returned to her.”
Su Zhe paused slightly in the motion of lifting his teacup. “What? She wants to take back the dowry?”
“But Mother, the dowry is under her name. Now that she has come of age, if she truly insists on reclaiming it, I’m afraid it would be difficult to refuse…”
“That is precisely why I called you here today.”
A ruthless glint flashed in the Old Madam’s eyes. “She has come of age and is ready for marriage. Recently, you should pay attention and see if there are any suitable candidates. When she marries, we can simply provide her with a modest dowry and send her off. Outsiders will have nothing to gossip about. She’s merely a young girl—are we really afraid we can’t control her?”
Su Zhe found the plan excellent; his furrowed brows relaxed. “Mother’s idea is indeed good. Your son will keep an eye out for suitable matches.”
What a greedy and shameless pair of mother and son.
Both wore equally ugly expressions—one coveting the abundant dowry, wishing to claim it entirely for themselves; the other pretending to uphold virtue and reputation, putting on a facade of righteousness. Hypocritical to the extreme.
Such behavior—wanting the benefits while still erecting a monument to virtue—was utterly revolting.
On Madam Zhou’s side, Su Qing was also discussing the dowry.
She clung to Madam Zhou’s arm and acted coquettishly. “Mother! We absolutely can’t let Su Fu take back her dowry. Her dowry is mine. I’m going to be Crown Princess in the future—my dowry can’t possibly be meager!”
“You may say such things to Mother here, but never outside. Be careful not to ruin your father’s greater plans,” Madam Zhou warned.
Gently patting Su Qing’s hand, her eyes shrewd, she added meaningfully, “Rest assured. Your grandmother is more anxious than we are. Your father was summoned to her place the moment he returned. So we only need to wait and watch.”
Now that Madam Zhou managed the household finances, she knew immediately when Su Zhe went to the Old Madam’s residence.
Meanwhile, the very owner of the dowry they were plotting over—Su Fu—was sitting leisurely in her courtyard, enjoying the evening breeze while watching Qiu Xue catch fireflies.
It was already summer. Though night had fallen, the air remained stifling.
At that moment, a maid delivered ice to Lanxiang Pavilion. “Eldest Miss, this is the portion of ice just distributed. Madam instructed this servant to deliver it to you.”
Su Fu’s gaze turned cold as she glanced at the pitifully small amount of ice placed on the ground. The corners of her lips curved upward with faint mockery.
“Has our household fallen to such poverty? Is this tiny bit all that can be spared?”
The maid’s heart tightened. Though feeling guilty, she forced herself to answer, “Replying to Eldest Miss—this was indeed what Madam allocated. Every courtyard received the same portion.”
Su Fu raised her hand as if admiring the fresh red stain on her fingernails and said casually, “Oh? Is that so? Then I shall go and ask Mother myself, to see whether it is truly as you say.”
Without waiting for a reply, she stepped out first.
Madam Zhou was seated in a grand armchair reading when a maid announced, “Madam, the Eldest Miss has arrived.”
Before Madam Zhou could respond, Su Fu entered.
“Mother.”
Madam Zhou greeted her with a smile. “Fu’er, it’s so late. Why have you come?”
Su Fu’s gaze swept across the room—several basins of ice were arranged inside, even more than in other noble households. Truly extravagant.
In this era, ice was extremely expensive. Ordinary families could not afford it. With Su Zhe’s current salary, Madam Zhou could not possibly afford so many basins at once.
She was enjoying it with money from Su Fu’s dowry.
Su Fu calculated silently—she had to retrieve her dowry as soon as possible. She would not let these heartless people squander it any longer.