Chapter 272: Deeply Envious

Chapter 272: Deeply Envious

Su Youyue always carried silver notes with her for emergencies and rarely took them out, but the amount was considerable—over a thousand taels.

Seeing her about to hand over the stack of silver notes to the abbot of Qing Yuan Temple, Lu Shuangshuang became anxious and red-eyed. "Cousin, if you really want to make an offering, a hundred taels would be enough. Why give them so much? You're being foolish!"

Ever since she learned that her mother intended to adopt her brother into the Su family, Lu Shuangshuang's view of the Su family had changed. If Xiaobao were to become the young master of the Su family, he would eventually be its master, and thus all the Su family's money would be his.

As his older sister, wouldn't he naturally share it with her?

So every time she saw the Su family spend a single coin, Lu Shuangshuang felt like they were spending her own money.

Seeing the thousand-plus taels of silver notes being handed over, Lu Shuangshuang felt as if she were being cut to pieces.

Her sudden angry shout made Su Youyue frown impatiently. She turned to look at her, her gaze cold, devoid of any previous patience.

"If we can't use it up in a year, then we'll use it for ten years. I'm making a longevity tablet for my future husband; why should Cousin interfere?"

Previously, Lu Shuangshuang had only seen Su Youyue as gentle and polite. She had never seen such a cold expression from her, which startled her momentarily, instilling some fear.

"That's right. My elder sister has plenty of money. Even if it were ten thousand taels, if she wants to offer it for her future brother-in-law, she will," Su Rong said, annoyed by Lu Shuangshuang for a long time.

Not only that, she had just learned that her future brother-in-law had already been offering prayers for her elder sister for over six years, which moved her deeply.

Wah, why couldn't someone treat her like that? She would surely be moved to tears.

When Lu Shuangshuang was rebuffed by Su Youyue, she felt some fear, but when she heard Su Rong's subtle jibe about her poverty, she seethed with anger.

Su Youyue's money was still the Su family's money. What did Su Rong, a mere bastard, have to be proud of?

She would wait; one day, she would publicly strip away her pretense and see how smug she could be without the Su family's backing.

"Cousin, I just think it's a bit wasteful... If you want to spend it, I have no objections, after all, it's your money," Lu Shuangshuang said uncomfortably, trying to save face.

Su Youyue didn't look at her again, her gaze cold. "Spending money on Xie Yuan is never wasteful."

Jin'er had also been annoyed with this cousin for a while and muttered, "That's true. Previously, Lord Xie was prepared to pay ten thousand taels of gold for a divine doctor to treat our miss. A thousand taels is nothing compared to that."

She could tell that this cousin seemed very attached to money, so Jin'er deliberately mentioned these things to provoke her.

Upon hearing this, Lu Shuangshuang indeed looked stunned.

Ten thousand taels of gold?

The amount was so vast that she couldn't grasp it, but she knew it was an enormous sum, one that few people in the entire Great Shen could afford.

Yet Lord Xie had offered it to treat Su Youyue's leg...

Lu Shuangshuang felt a deep pang of envy.

How much must he love Su Youyue?

And not just love, but actually having that much money... Why couldn't she find such a man?

With this comparison, Lu Shuangshuang suddenly felt that a thousand taels wasn't that much.

Watching the longevity tablets being made, her vanity was suddenly pricked, wishing she had thousands of taels to throw at the novice monk.

She shouldn't have come today. Not only did she fail to improve her relationship with Su Youyue, but she also ended up feeling furious.

After the offerings, the girls returned to the Su family.

On the way back, Su Rong, Xiao Xing, and Jin'er chattered nonstop, each trying to please Su Youyue, making the carriage lively.

Chun Ya also occasionally spoke with Su Youyue.

They were familiar with each other, so conversation flowed naturally. But Lu Shuangshuang was different. With Su Youyue's attention elsewhere, she couldn't join in the conversation.

By the time they returned to the Su family, she was filled with rage and barely spoke to anyone, heading straight to the small courtyard where the Lu family's second branch was temporarily staying.

As soon as she entered the room, she slammed the door shut and picked up a teacup to throw.

"Oh, my dear, what are you doing? If the Su family hears this, how can we stay here?" Xiao Wangshi, who had just entered, snatched the teacup from her daughter and patted it tenderly. "This is a high-quality ice-patterned flower-and-bird cup, worth several taels. You're such a wasteful child."

Hearing that even a single teacup was worth several taels, Lu Shuangshuang instantly regretted it. But seeing her mother care more about the teacup than her, she felt resentful. "Mother only cares about teacups, not why I'm so upset today."

Xiao Wangshi, concerned for her daughter, quickly hugged her. "What happened? Did Su Youyue give you a hard time?"

Lu Shuangshuang nodded, recounting everything that had happened at Qing Yuan Temple.

Unexpectedly, upon hearing about the ten thousand taels of gold, Xiao Wangshi's eyes nearly popped out. "Ten thousand taels of gold? Is Lord Xie truly that wealthy?"

Lu Shuangshuang shook her head. "I don't know. Maybe that little wench was just bragging. They knew I was poor and deliberately mocked me."

Xiao Wangshi couldn't determine whether it was true or false but pondered, "Lord Xie's father, Xie Changlou, was a notorious corrupt official. Although their family was later expropriated, he held great power and might have amassed immense wealth, hiding it away."

Otherwise, she couldn't explain how Lord Xie could casually offer ten thousand taels of gold.

"Mother, is the Xie family richer than the Su family?" Lu Shuangshuang asked, her eyes filled with greed.

Xiao Wangshi nodded. "It's possible. The Xie Mansion certainly isn't poor. It's a pity for Su Youyue. When she marries in, there won't be in-laws to manage, no scheming sisters-in-law, and no troublesome younger sisters-in-law. How carefree."

Lu Shuangshuang gritted her teeth. "And Lord Xie seems to care so much for her. She gets all the benefits."

Comparing herself to others drove her mad. Before today, she hadn't felt much disparity, but now, after just one day, she was consumed with jealousy, wishing she were Su Youyue herself.