The Eldest Daughter-in-Law [Reborn] - Chapter 37

Wang Shuqin was the ancestor of the third house, and Wang Shuyi was the ancestor of the second house. They were both brought up in pampered surroundings.

Xie Yunchu didn’t even raise her head as she said, “Let her be. I just don’t want her to be an eyesore in front of me.”

In her previous life, she was considerate of others in everything, and everyone took her efforts for granted. Why should she swallow her anger and be humble? 

After Xie Yunchu finished speaking, she saw the young child on the Luohan bed puffing up her cheeks and uttering two vague words, “An eyesore…” 

Xie Yunchu pinched her chubby cheeks and said, “Yeah, Sister Ke is also a little eyesore.” 

Sister Ke thought it was a nice name and smiled so hard that her teeth were showing. Xie Yunchu was amused by her, and the gloom in her heart was swept away.

Another day passed, and Wang Shuhuai did not return home. Xie Yunchu sent someone to bring Wang Shuhuai a lunch box as usual. After dinner, she took the child to the yard to digest the food. When the lights were about to fade, Xia An came along the corridor with a stack of banknotes in high spirits.

“Miss, your ivory ball has been sold. Duobao Pavilion just sent someone to deliver the silver note to Uncle Lin. The total amount sold is two thousand taels. The shopkeeper got five hundred taels and we got fifteen hundred taels. It was originally split 30-70, but the shopkeeper said the seller was straightforward, so he gave us one hundred taels more.”

Xie Yunchu was a little surprised. She handed the child to Chunqi and took the banknote herself. “So much?”

Xia An said proudly, “Don’t you know how well you carved it? I heard that the buyer praised it highly.”

Xie Yunchu was holding a stack of banknotes, looking slightly dazed.

After a whole year’s hard work and the love she had been longing for, she only got a bland “thoughtful” from Wang Shuhuai and ended up dying of old age. Fortunately, she stopped the loss in time and not only got 1,500 taels of silver but also regained her clarity of mind.

Xie Yunchu was not well off. When her mother passed away, she left all her dowry to her and her younger brother, divided equally. When she got married, the Xie family added another two thousand taels of silver. Together with Wang Shuhuai’s betrothal gift, all she had in dowry was only ten thousand taels of silver, most of which was in the form of items.

After her rebirth, Xie Yunchu had always wanted to start a small business but lacked capital. The “ivory ball” had become her first pot of gold.

Xie Yunchu took the banknote and slowly walked back to the main room, thinking about what kind of business she should pursue.

At Tongde Hall at the time, Dou Keling fiercely grabbed the ears of Third Young Master Wang Shukuang and burst into tears, losing all her usual dignity.

“What kind of shady soup did you eat to secretly withdraw so much money? Tell me the truth—what did you do?”

After three years of marriage, Dou Keling had tried her best to squeeze several hundred taels of silver from the public treasury, but it was all squandered by her husband.

Wang Shukuang, feeling guilty, quickly tried to comfort his wife. “Ling’er, don’t worry. Listen to me; this is what happened.”

“You talk; I’m listening,” Dou Keling yelled into his ear, making Wang Shukuang dizzy.

To relieve the pain, he hugged his wife around the waist with both hands. Dou Keling could not stand his teasing, and her body almost went limp, causing the strength in her hands to naturally weaken.

Wang Shukuang seized the opportunity to explain, “Father told us yesterday that my brother will be celebrating his twentieth birthday in a few days and asked us brothers and sisters to send him a birthday gift together. You know my second brother; he has a good eye, and ordinary things won’t please him. So my fourth brother and I went to the Duobao Pavilion in the capital to get such a uniquely crafted ball. You didn’t see it, but the workmanship is exquisite, and there are seven layers inside. I heard from the shopkeeper that it took a whole year to make it.”

Dou Keling didn’t have time to listen to his details. She sat on his lap and asked, “How much silver?”

Wang Shukuang touched his nose and replied awkwardly, “A total of two thousand taels—five hundred taels from mother, five hundred taels from father, and four hundred taels each from me and my fourth brother. Originally, it was said that my sister would not contribute, but later she asked mother to take her share, saying that if we brothers and sisters worked together, there would be hope for the second branch.”

“Twenty years old is considered adulthood. Second Brother is the backbone of our second branch. It’s not too much for us to pool money to celebrate his birthday, don’t you think?”

When Dou Keling heard that all her hard work had ended up in the pockets of Xie Yunchu and Wang Shuhuai, she felt like a piece of flesh had been cut out of her heart and began punching and kicking her husband. Her father-in-law was a scoundrel who even instigated his sons to do unreliable things.

The money had already been spent. She had to deal with her parents-in-law’s orders and her own brothers. Dou Keling had no way of saying anything. In the end, she simply kicked her husband off the bed and went to sleep.

Xu Shiwei was not as fierce as Dou Keling. She just pulled her husband’s sleeve and cried, which left Fourth Young Master Wang Shutong very confused. The Fourth Master was a straight man who didn’t know how to comfort his wife. In the end, he simply carried her to the bed and pressed on her. Xu Shiwei could only gasp for breath and didn’t care about the money at all.

The next day, Wang Shuhuai returned home in the middle of the night. Ming Gui personally presented the valuable birthday gift to him with great respect.

The tall man changed out of his loose official uniform and put on a moon-white robe. He glanced at the brocade box casually.

“What happened?”

Ming Gui opened the brocade box with a smile, facing Wang Shuhuai, and gestured, “Second Young Master, please look. This ivory ball is extremely exquisite and rare in the world. It is a birthday gift from the Master and his wife, the Third Young Master, the Fourth Young Master, and the young lady.”

Wang Shuhuai was slightly stunned. His narrow eyes lowered as he stared at the ivory ball for a moment. He was a person who rarely showed his emotions, so his reaction didn’t seem particularly enthusiastic. However, as he played with the ball in his hand and didn’t put it down, Ming Gui knew that he was satisfied.

It was no secret that Wang Shuhuai liked such things. When he was young and studying, he had carved a three-layer Hetian jade puzzle ball by himself. But the ivory ball before him had seven layers. It would take at least three months for a skilled craftsman to make it, and even longer if done in one’s spare time.

Wang Shuhuai had no choice but to accept the gift from his family, saying, “It’s too expensive.”

Ming Gui smiled, “This is your twentieth birthday, so it is only reasonable for the Master and his wife to be generous.”