Chapter 171: Money

Chapter 171: Money

Old Lady Lu originally wanted to berate her eldest son, but remembering that he had already distanced himself from her and no longer wished to return home, she realized that scolding him now would only push him further away.

Moreover, the purpose of her visit was to ask for money, so it was best to pacify her son first.

Thus, she could only suppress her discomfort and respond, "Since you've made your decision, Mother won't say anything more. I'll attend your wedding with Yun'er tomorrow."

Upon hearing this, Songer let out a slight sigh of relief, his gaze towards his mother becoming even gentler.

As soon as Old Lady Lu finished speaking, she immediately continued, "But, Songer, since you're getting married, can you lend Mother and Cheng'er some silver? We need to buy new clothes and jewelry to attend your wedding tomorrow..."

Seeing his mother ask for money under such pretenses, Songer felt a pang of sadness. He instinctively thought that his mother must have suffered during these days.

No matter how angry he was, he shouldn't have neglected her like this. Although she favored Cheng'er, she hadn't completely disregarded his well-being over the years.

"Get one hundred taels of silver," Songer casually instructed the attendant standing nearby.

His business wasn't doing well at the moment, and he wasn't flush with cash. This one hundred taels wasn't given lightly; it was an amount he estimated based on his guilt, and he added considerably more than what was necessary.

However, when Old Lady Lu heard that he was only giving one hundred taels, her eyes widened in surprise.

"How is one hundred taels enough?"

One hundred taels wouldn't be enough to deal with those menacing people!

They were demanding eleven hundred taels!

Hearing his mother's response, Songer furrowed his brows but still asked, "Mother, how much do you want?"

Old Lady Lu blurted out, "Songer, if you have enough, Mother wants another thousand taels..."

As she spoke, she herself realized how outrageous it sounded. After all, buying clothes and jewelry didn't require such a large sum. Even for the former Lu family, it would be a significant expense.

Sure enough, as soon as she said this, she saw Lu Cheng's expression change.

Before Lu Cheng could speak, Yun'er entered from outside, her voice sharp, "A thousand taels?"

"Aunt, why do you need so much silver!" Yun'er was both angry and anxious, her good mood about finally marrying her cousin the next day completely evaporating.

In the past, when Songer still lived with Old Lady Lu and she controlled the wedding arrangements, Yun'er would never have dared to speak to her like this.

But now, believing she had control over a dozen shops and was a wealthy merchant's wife, with a son who was a prodigy destined to become an official, she felt much more confident.

Songer was too surprised by this turn of events to reprimand Yun'er for her disrespect.

He still remembered Yun'er and Lu Wen's efforts on his behalf last time, so naturally, he also recalled how his mother and younger brother had tried to take advantage of them then!

Old Lady Lu didn't expect Yun'er to dare speak to her in such a tone. She was momentarily taken aback but quickly regained her composure. "Yun'er, now that you have a man supporting you, you think you can challenge your aunt, don't you!"

But Yun'er paid no heed to her words. She still harbored resentment over Old Lady Lu's theft of money last time. Instantly, she retorted coldly, "Aunt, whether I challenge anyone or not, it should always be based on reason!"

"Don't you see, from the one hundred plus taels you took last month until now, Songer and I haven't spent nearly that much this month. What do you need a thousand taels for?"

"It couldn't be that Songer gambled again, right? How much did he lose this time? A thousand taels?"

Yun'er's words came rapidly, like a string of firecrackers directed at Old Lady Lu.

But she didn't expect that her sarcastic remarks would hit the mark, causing Old Lady Lu's face to stiffen and her heart to fill with guilt.

Songer, who had been watching her reaction, suddenly felt a foreboding sense of unease. "Mother! Did Lu Cheng gamble again?"

Old Lady Lu replied sheepishly, "He knows he was wrong. He really won't do it again after this time..."

Realizing that the truth was indeed as she said, Songer understood why his mother had come today and why she needed so much money.

He exploded in anger. "Spoiling a child is akin to killing him. You knew Lu Cheng had a gambling problem, yet you didn't watch him more closely!"

Seeing her son's fury, Old Lady Lu panicked, feeling more helpless than ever before. "Songer, Mother knows I was truly wrong this time, but we can't do without the eleven hundred taels. Those people said if we don't pay up tomorrow, they'll cut off Cheng'er's...you know what! Can you bear to see your little brother become infertile?"

Songer couldn't possibly accept this. His intention wasn't to watch Lu Cheng truly suffer from debt collectors.

But Yun'er didn't share this sentiment. In her mind, someone like Lu Cheng deserved to be infertile. What was the point of continuing the bloodline of someone like him?

Who knew, maybe he'd just produce more little gamblers to leech off her cousin!

Furthermore, Yun'er had no intention of parting with over a thousand taels. She knew better than anyone else about the state of their business.

Out of a dozen shops, it would be fortunate if two or three were barely profitable.

She had been contemplating over the past few days that if worst came to worst, she would sell the shops and use the proceeds to pay off the interest on the loan...

That way, she would have an extra fifteen hundred taels or so, which would be enough to cover their expenses for the time being. Then she could look for other ways to earn money later.

The eleven hundred taels Old Lady Lu was asking for was almost half of the reserve funds Yun'er had prepared. There was no way she would willingly give it!

And she still hadn't dared to tell her cousin about borrowing the money with interest...

"Cousin, we can't give her the money!"

If they gave it, they would be left with only four or five hundred taels. They wouldn't even be able to afford a tutor for Songer for long. How would their family survive?

Seeing that her son hadn't spoken yet and Yun'er had directly refused, Old Lady Lu erupted in a tirade. "You little wench, when did it become your place to speak while Songer and I are discussing matters!"

Yun'er was equally unwilling to back down. "I'm about to become Cousin's wife through proper channels. Why can't I speak?"

"You're not our Lu family's daughter-in-law until you marry Songer!"

At this moment, there was no trace of the former intimacy between them. Each found the other's face more hateful than the last.

As the quarrel escalated, Lu Songer finally spoke up, "Enough!"

The two women fell silent in unison, turning their gazes to him, awaiting his final decision.

Lu Songer made his verdict, "Mother, I'll take these eleven hundred taels back with me and settle Lu Cheng's gambling debts first."

The Old Lady of the Lu household was delighted, but Yun's expression darkened instantly.

"Songer, I knew you still have our Lu family in your heart."

Seeing her joy, however, Lu Songer dampened her spirits, "These eleven hundred taels are for Mother, but from now on, our family will be divided. I won't give another coin to Lu Cheng."

The Old Lady's expression changed abruptly, "Songer, while I'm still well and your brother isn't married yet, how can we possibly split the family?"

Lu Songer replied coldly, "If Mother doesn't agree, then I won't pay out the eleven hundred taels either."