“Uh… how could this be? I… I just can’t sort out these account books in such a short time.” Madam Zhang shrank her neck, looking as if she had suffered some great grievance.
“Enough. Give your sister-in-law two days to handle the accounts,” the old madam said impatiently, as if Madam Xu were the unreasonable one, wanting to dismiss her like that.
How could Madam Xu not see through the old madam’s intentions? She let out a cold laugh.
“No need for two days. I already know,” she said. “Yoyo, read out the losses and profits for the old madam and your second aunt.”
“Yes, Mother,” Lin Yoyo replied.
Under Madam Zhang and the old madam’s terrified gazes, she calmly began reading:
“Guibin Restaurant owes employees six months of wages, totaling 300 taels. The Xu Rouge Shop owes…”
With each item of debt Lin Yoyo read out, the old madam’s eyes widened further and further, staring in disbelief at the guilty-looking Madam Zhang.
At this point, there was nothing left to misunderstand—Madam Zhang had actually managed to turn all of Madam Xu’s profitable businesses into loss-making ones.
One must know that before Madam Xu left eight years ago, each shop could earn several hundred taels. In a single month, these shops together brought in nearly eight thousand taels.
If these estates had not been so profitable, why would the old madam have gone to such lengths to take them over?
But since she herself had no time to manage them, she had handed them to her second son’s wife. And in just eight years, they had been ruined to this state. That second daughter-in-law deserved to die.
But Lin Yoyo seemed determined not to let the shock end there. Her sweet voice, at this moment, sounded like a curse.
“In total, a loss of ten thousand taels. Second Aunt, how do you plan to repay it?”
Madam Zhang’s neck, which had been tucked in tightly, suddenly jolted up. At the mention of repaying ten thousand taels, she burst into loud sobs.
“Waa… sister-in-law, I really didn’t expect business to get harder and harder, year after year worse than the last. But I truly managed it carefully! I even used my own dowry to cover the losses. I… I really don’t have any money left now… sob…”
The old madam’s face darkened like the bottom of a pot. Ten thousand taels lost—she had no idea at all.
She collapsed back into her chair, face pale, muttering in disbelief, “How could this be… how could it be losing money?”
Madam Xu showed no softness at their reactions and instead sneered.
“What? Do you think I only checked the account books?”
Madam Zhang stiffened.
The old madam turned sharply. “What do you mean by that, eldest daughter-in-law?”
Madam Xu gave a cold laugh, her gaze like ice fixed on Madam Zhang.
“My clothing shop has never lost money in eight years. In that time, it has earned a total of 327,800 taels. Just two days ago, the manager even delivered 500 taels to the manor. I’d like to ask you, second sister-in-law—where did all that money go?”
“What?! So much?” the old madam exclaimed.
The total silver Madam Zhang had been handing over every month added up to less than 200 taels. Yet just this one shop alone had earned so much in eight years—and the old madam had only seen a total of 20,000 taels.
Realizing this, the old madam’s gaze turned sharp as blades toward Madam Zhang.
“Where is the money? Where did the 300,000-plus taels go?”
Even Madam Zhang’s daughter looked at her mother in shock. She knew her mother had been secretly keeping money aside, but she had never imagined it was this much.
Madam Zhang knew there was no escaping this today. She dropped to her knees with a thud and kowtowed hard once before crying bitterly.
“Mother… I, I had no choice! The household expenses were simply too great. The monthly allowances of the men weren’t even enough to cover everything.
We had servants, repairs, food, daily expenses, New Year gifts, social obligations—everywhere needed silver. I had no choice but to use that money to cover public accounts, otherwise our household would have long collapsed…”
Her words trailed off, but everyone understood her meaning.
The old madam’s expression softened slightly—but Lin Yoyo would not be so easily fooled.
She let out a soft laugh.
The old madam’s face darkened immediately as she looked at her. She disliked Madam Xu, and even more disliked this chronically ill granddaughter, whom she considered unlucky and unpromising.
“How improper,” she scolded coldly. “A junior laughing while elders speak—where is your upbringing?”
Madam Xu’s face turned cold, about to defend her daughter, but Lin Yoyo stepped forward first and curtsied.
“I was laughing,” she said calmly, “at how Second Aunt dares to deceive Grandmother. Does she think you are easy to fool because of your age?”
The old madam’s face turned green with anger.
Lin Yoyo continued without pause.
“Grandmother, our household doesn’t only rely on the masters’ allowances. There are also the shops. Even conservatively, they should bring in at least 500 taels a month. That alone is enough for our expenses. So why would there be a shortfall?
Second Aunt, are you trying to deceive Grandmother?”
She straightened, smiling slightly, though her eyes were ice-cold.
“And as for those 300,000 taels—no matter how they are spent, it is impossible to exhaust them entirely in eight years on household expenses alone. Do you take everyone here for fools?”
Only then did the old madam suddenly realize she had forgotten about the shops. Her sharp gaze once again fixed on Madam Zhang.
“Do you have anything to say?”
Madam Zhang clenched her teeth, hatred burning inside—toward Madam Xu and Lin Yoyo. If they had not returned, none of this would have happened.
Outwardly, she still cried pitifully.
“Mother, how could we keep any savings? The public accounts constantly needed funds, and my husband’s affairs required money to manage. The silver flowed out like water—it had to be spent. I worry about it every day and can’t even sleep… sob…”
Hearing that it involved her own son, the old madam’s expression softened again, as if she were about to be persuaded.
“Heh…”
Madam Xu suddenly laughed coldly, as if hearing the most ridiculous joke.
“Mother, have you ever checked how much is actually left in the public accounts?”