A matter of six taels of silver

  "Go back."

  After Chun Mei left, Bai Qi spoke up and after finishing his sentence, he himself took big strides towards the road home. The Bai family members exchanged a glance with each other and also followed closely behind. The villagers who were watching, seeing that there was no more excitement to be seen, also dispersed one after another.

  Anwen walked at the very back, her head slightly lowered, still thinking about the ten taels of silver.

  In a month, she will have to return ten taels of silver to Miss Ruan. Judging from Miss Ruan's relentless personality, if the money cannot be paid back in a month, the consequences are unthinkable. At that time, they may really come to arrest her and throw her into prison.

  She lowered her eyelashes slightly, and the long eyelashes cast a faint shadow under her eyes, making them look misty. She knew in her heart that after the White family's turmoil, the remaining silver would not exceed two taels. Moreover, the White family's silver could no longer be taken out, otherwise, the whole family would probably have to drink northwest wind for a month. This was indeed a bit worrying, she had just arrived and hadn't adapted yet, but already had to face such a severe problem.

  All the way, thinking about various possibilities of making money, unfortunately, they were all denied by her one by one. This is ancient times, there are many restrictions on women. She needs to be careful and cautious, otherwise, it's not just a bad reputation, but also a loss of life.

  She had just walked to the Bai family's door when she heard low voices coming from inside. She involuntarily stopped in her tracks, curious about the Bai family's handling of the situation.

  At this time, the gate was slightly ajar, and she could see through some gaps that there were people standing in the yard. Except for her eldest sister who had been married off and her second brother Bai An who was studying in Hsinchu County, everyone else from the White family was present.

  "When we were at home, even if our family had exhausted all our resources, we could only scrape together one or two silver coins. And in these one or two silver coins, I have already included the money that Su San spent on buying wine in Hsinchu County today."

  This was Aunt Wang's voice, full of anxiety.

  Wang's words fell, and Bai Ping, who was more irritable by nature, said: "Father and mother, why don't I go to the county to find some work, and then ask the master to lend us some silver first..."

  Later on, Bai Ping's tone also weakened. At this time, it was not easy to find a job suddenly, and it was even more impossible to borrow some silver money first.

  Qī niáng qiān zhe sān suì de nǚ ér pàng yā, yě shì jiāo lǜ bù ān de zhàn zài yī biān. Xiǎo xiǎo de nǚ hái bù zhī dào dà rén zhī jiān fā shēng le shén me shì, zhǐ shì yǎng zhe nǎo zi, zhēng zhe yī duì dà dà de yǎn jing, hào qí de kàn zhe dà rén men shuō huà.

  "I think I'll go back to my parents' home tomorrow and borrow some money from them first."

  Sanbiao's sister-in-law, Xiuniang, held Qingge in her arms, biting her lip and whispering to one side.

  When he heard this, Wang seemed to have some intention, but Bai Qi immediately refused.

  "Don't bother your uncle anymore, he has already helped us a lot. This matter will have a solution eventually."

  Bai Qi finished speaking and fell silent, while everyone in the courtyard lowered their heads, thinking of a solution. But what could be done? The family was already struggling to make ends meet due to supporting Bai An's studies. After Tang Jinxiu and her mother arrived, all expenses were borne by the Bai family. Even the silver for Tang Jinxiu and Su San's wedding was provided by the Bai family. Moreover, Tang Jinxiu frequently caused trouble, which the Bai family had to deal with. As a result, the originally decent Bai household became increasingly impoverished.

  An Yan peeked through the door gap to look at the White family's decorations. Originally, her uncle had saved some money and wanted to renovate this house. However, after Tang Jinxiu and her mother arrived, there were more places that needed money, so they put this plan on hold. Now, An Yan's family was still worried about Tang Jinxiu, this spoiled and arrogant niece, and was emptying their pockets here.

  Her slender fingers, placed on the door, gently pried it open, her long fingernails digging into the wooden door. Her fingernails also cracked due to excessive force.

  Her calm and elegant eyes moved slightly, then she softly called out "Uncle, I'm back" while pushing open the large door and walking in.

  As she pushed open the gate, the people in the yard also looked over at the same time. The Bai family initially saw An Yan walking at the back and thought she wouldn't be coming back for a while. Because it was always like this, every time something happened, Tang Jin Xiu's person couldn't be seen.

  At this moment, she suddenly saw her return, and everyone's face was a bit unnatural.

  An Yan's expression remained unchanged, with a warm smile on his face, and he said in a soft voice: "This time, Jin Xiu is very sorry to have caused trouble for Uncle."

  It's not yet time to speak of this, she will resolve the matter of silver and money herself. Firstly, as a woman in ancient times, she is unfamiliar with the ways of making a living and doesn't know how to earn money. Therefore, although she feels guilty towards the White family, she still needs their help this time.

  When they heard the gentle words, the Bai family was stunned, and their faces did ease up a bit. If this matter could make Tang Jinxiu's temper better, then that would be a good thing too.

  Wang looked at An Yan, seeing her standing there with a warm expression, and felt extremely comfortable. She walked to An Yan's side, reached out to hold her hand, and smiled: "Don't be afraid, child, you still have your uncle and aunt. However, Jin Xiu, from now on, you really need to behave yourself. Otherwise, your uncle and aunt won't know how long they can protect you."

  At this point, Wang couldn't help but feel a little sentimental, and his expression turned somewhat desolate.

  An softly grasped the hand of Wang's mother and said seriously: "Thank you, Auntie, for your teachings. I will remember them in my heart. I know that I have made too many mistakes and do not deserve to be forgiven. But this time, I truly understand where I was wrong, and from now on, I will live a good life and never again do anything foolish or reckless."

  Wang heard this and couldn't help but stretch out her other hand, gently patting An Yan's hand. At this moment, she really wanted to believe that her niece was genuinely willing to change for the better, after all, she had walked through the gates of hell and back, and it was time for her to understand things.

  The Bai family members present looked at An Yan with eyes full of tolerance. An Yan suddenly felt a little guilty under such sincere gazes. Her eyes flickered, and when she raised her head again, her face had returned to normal. She said softly to Wang Shi, "Aunt, there are two or three pieces of clothing and jewelry on the side of Jin Xiu that can be taken away and pawned, they should be worth some silver."

  Although the mother and daughter were penniless and driven out of their home, they still managed to grab a few pieces of clothing in the chaos. At that time, both the mother and daughter also had some jewelry on them.

  Wang heard this, but was startled. Those accessories and clothes, her niece had been very careful with them, deeply afraid that these things would slip away in the end. Now, she actually said such words, it was truly unexpected. She couldn't help but take a few more glances at An Yan, only to find that it was indeed still her niece Tang Jinxiu's face.

  "Aunt, you know that Jinzhuang has three sets of clothes made from the finest materials. Although they may be a bit worn out, they are still extremely valuable. And those accessories, although their designs may seem outdated, excel in their exquisite craftsmanship and should be worth quite a sum of money."

  The good clothes and jewelry of my mother, Madame Bai, had been pawned long ago. Unfortunately, the silver obtained from pawning was not in the Bai family, but was secretly taken away by Tang Jinxiu as travel expenses to go to Qingcheng to see her lover.

  Wang looked at An's serious expression, which didn't seem fake, and the White family wouldn't be able to come up with ten taels of silver even if they sold their house. So he roughly estimated it in his heart and finally said in a low voice: "It can probably be exchanged for three taels of silver."

  Still a long way from ten taels...

  It doesn't matter, this is already a good start. An Yan raised his head and smiled at Wang Shi, saying: "Aunt, then please arrange the clothes and jewelry for me."

  "But those accessories were very important to you..."

  Although Mr. Wang also thought it was a good idea in his heart, he couldn't help but say in a low voice.

  Upon hearing this, An Yan's expression turned serious and solemn. "Aunt, this trouble was caused by Jin Xiu, so she should be the one to take full responsibility for it. However, Jin Xiu is currently unable to do so, which is why we need to bother Uncle and Aunt. Jin Xiu already feels very guilty about it; if Aunt still doesn't agree to this, then how can Jin Xiu have the face to live on?"

  Listening to An Yan's words that were both reasonable and emotional, Wang felt a sense of relief in her heart, secretly sighing that this niece had really changed and become more sensible.

  An Yan looked at Wang's relaxed expression and followed with a soft voice: "Right, Auntie, after the clothes are pawned, I hope you can find some of Rong Jiejie's clothes."

  Wang nodded and gently patted An Yan's hand, repeatedly agreeing.

  An Yan saw that the faces of the people in the courtyard had improved a lot, so he continued to speak warmly: "There is still a month's time before repaying the money, and we don't need to rush. As the saying goes, 'Heaven will not abandon man', when the boat reaches the bridgehead, it will naturally go straight, and a solution will be found. So, Uncle, Auntie, and cousins, don't worry too much about Jin Xiu. Jin Xiu actually has some ideas in her mind, maybe she can earn a few taels of silver."

  The words I said later were just nonsense, spoken to comfort some of the Bai family members.

  But the Bai family didn't take it seriously, and no one said anything. Although today's incident should have made them frown, but their spoiled and arrogant niece unexpectedly behaved sensibly, which also alleviated the gloomy mood that was supposed to be there.

  At this time, a sound of a wooden cart stopping came from outside the door. As soon as he heard this sound, Bai Ping smiled and went to open the door.

  "It must be my sister's husband who has returned, I'll go help carry things."

  Sister's husband? Isn't that her own husband? An Wen's mind quickly flashed a serious and stern face, with a flicker of expression in his eyes.