A Tale of Golden Heiress: Lady Wanjin - Chapter 30

Speaking of the wedding, Wen Wan glared at her father. “Dad, you just left Zhao Heng alone at the banquet table like that?”

Thrown to the wolves of all the aunts and uncles?

Old Man Wen, however, was completely nonchalant. “What’s there to be afraid of? He’s not some delicate young lady. He can handle a little situation like that.”

No sooner had he finished speaking than a maid led an elderly man with a pale complexion and white beard through the inner gate. “Master, Young Mistress, this is Manager Ding from the exchange. He says he has urgent business.”

After speaking, the maid respectfully withdrew.

“Well, Manager Ding, what brings you here?” Old Man Wen stood up to greet the guest. Manager Ding entered, first offered a “Congratulations” to Wen Wan, and then slowly drew a thin piece of paper from his sleeve.

Wen Wan’s heart sank.

“I heard that today, Manager Wen is hosting a banquet to repay debts, boldly proclaiming that no matter who holds a loan, as long as they have genuine proof, the Wen family will acknowledge and pay it.”

Old Man Wen’s face changed slightly, and he swallowed nervously.

An exchange.

The sums involved definitely wouldn’t be small.

Please don’t let this be a mess left by Shi Jinquan.

“The Xunlong Exchange also has an outstanding loan from the Wen Family Winery. Although according to the contract, it’s not due for repayment for another three months, considering the borrower was Shi Jinquan, who absconded with the account books, I felt it is my duty to remind you, Brother Wen.”

Manager Ding shook the IOU from the Xunlong Exchange. Wen Wan glanced at it, her brow furrowing tightly.

But Aunt Liu had already cried out, “One thousand taels?!”

Wen Weiming’s face turned ashen!
His gaze fell on the seal impression and handwritten signature of “Wen Weiming” on the IOU. Hazily remembering something, his expression shifted, and his lips began to tremble.

He staggered backward. Wen Wan, quick-eyed and swift-handed, dragged a chair under him just in time, preventing Wen Weiming from collapsing to the floor.

Old Man Wen’s breath hitched, his eyes reddening with fury. “I’ll kill that dog, Shi Jinquan!”

Wen Wan’s heart sank to the pit of her stomach.

“Even this two-percent interest rate was offered out of respect for you, Manager Wen. Shi Jinquan said that recently, you were seriously ill, and all matters of the Wen family were entrusted to him. Shi Jinquan had been with the Wen family for over a decade. Everyone in Ping County knows of his loyalty to you. He had your seal and the deed to this residence. I had no reason not to lend.”

But Wen Wan interrupted Manager Ding. “Doesn’t the Xunlong Exchange require the borrower’s personal signature and fingerprint for a loan?”

She had only studied inheritance law and hadn’t looked into civil lending yet. She could only apply modern legal principles, trying to find a loophole in the other party’s argument.

But she expected the effect to be minimal.

Sure enough.

“That is normally the case. However, the situation was complicated at that time. Shi Jinquan had Manager Wen’s seal and the deed of the residence. For such a large sum, we did come to inquire about Manager Wen’s intentions—”

Wen Weiming suddenly stood up again, looking at Manager Ding as if he were an enemy. “But you didn’t say at the time that Shi Jinquan was borrowing one thousand taels! If I had known it was that amount, how could I have agreed?!”

Wen Weiming looked pleadingly at Wen Wan, trying to justify himself, “I was delirious with illness at the time. Shi Jinquan said the winery was short of funds and needed to borrow a little silver from the exchange.”

Who would have thought that “a little”… would turn out to be one thousand taels!

Manager Ding’s face instantly darkened. The kindly old man from a moment ago transformed in the blink of an eye into a ghostly bailiff demanding a life. “Wen Weiming, are you trying to renege on the debt?”

His beard quivered, his aura intimidating. “No one in Ping County dares to default on a debt to my Xunlong Exchange! Three months. If Manager Wen cannot repay on time, don’t blame me for sending someone to evict you from this residence!”

After listening for a while, Wen Wan roughly understood the situation.

Earlier, when Old Man Wen was ill, Shi Jinquan had taken the opportunity to trick him out of the seal and went to the Xunlong Exchange to borrow this thousand taels. The exchange had come to consult Old Man Wen for his approval but deliberately concealed the amount, ensuring the procedure was technically correct and above reproach.

This way, even if the matter went to court, no fault could be found with the Xunlong Exchange.

Furthermore, those who could operate an exchange usually had powerful backers.
This lawsuit… couldn’t be won.

In other words, the landmine planted by Shi Jinquan had to be dealt with by the Wen family themselves.

Fortunately, the seal was now in her possession.

Wen Wan couldn’t bear to look at her father’s expression. To think that after he had only been ill for half a year, the Wen family had fallen into such a disastrous state, to the point where they might even have to vacate this very residence. It was tantamount to drinking her father’s blood and eating his flesh.

Wen Wan patted her father’s shoulder.
The young woman’s gaze was steady, a smile in her eyes. “Don’t be afraid, Father. Your daughter will handle everything.”

She then turned to Manager Ding, tapping the table firmly with her right hand. “This debt… I acknowledge it.”

Aunt Liu and Hongmei looked over at her.

Old Man Wen’s face was ashen.

Everyone knew that this debt had been firmly planted on the Wen family by Shi Jinquan. Today, the Wen family had to acknowledge it, whether they wanted to or not.

Manager Ding’s smile returned, warm as a spring breeze, his narrow eyes squinting. “One thousand taels is no small sum. Can Young Manager Wen… truly make decisions for this household?”

Wen Wan smiled. “My word is my bond. Since I said we would pay any debt with genuine proof, we will certainly keep our promise. There are still three months, Manager Ding, no need to be anxious. I intend to live in this residence for a long, long time to come.”

“Excellent!” Manager Ding clapped his hands. “Young Manager Wen is most magnanimous.”

“However—” the woman’s tone shifted, “I acknowledge the debt, but Manager Ding must also give me two honest answers.”

“Please, go ahead.”

“Who was it… who leaked today’s news to you?”

Wen Weiming looked up abruptly.

It took at least half an hour to travel from the Xunlong Exchange to the Wen residence. For Manager Ding to arrive at such a perfectly timed moment, someone must have tipped him off.

“This…” Manager Ding clearly realized he had been used as a pawn, but he still hesitated.

For a businessperson, revealing a source of information was indeed not considered proper conduct.

Wen Wan tapped her finger lightly. “Manager Ding, rest assured. Our conversation… will not leave this room.”

After a moment’s hesitation, Manager Ding uttered a name.

Old Man Wen’s face changed.

————————————————————————————

After Manager Ding left, the room was engulfed in a deathly silence.

A quarter of an hour ago, Wen Wan had been comforting herself, thinking that at least they had the three hundred taels from Aunt Liu’s side.

A quarter of an hour later, the Wen family’s assets stood at negative seven hundred.

It had to be said, life was just one fall after another…

Old Man Wen looked terrified, even afraid to meet Wen Wan’s eyes. He feared seeing disappointment in his daughter’s gaze. Today’s disaster was entirely his fault. Not only had he ruined Wen Wan’s wedding day, but he had also burdened the entire family with such a heavy debt.

Whenever a giant shows even the slightest sign of faltering, those below scatter like startled birds.

Even bigger troubles lay ahead.

Now, their pockets were cleaner than their faces. What would they use to restart the winery operations in the second half of the year? Wouldn’t the workers cause an uproar? Wouldn’t those who held grudges against the Wen family’s business take advantage of their misfortune? Wouldn’t the relatives make sarcastic remarks?

If only his health hadn’t failed him, if only he hadn’t trusted a villain so easily, how could the Wen family have fallen to this state? To become so foolish and confused in his old age!

It was all his fault!

It was all his fault!

What was the use of him, a burden, living on? He might as well die and stop dragging his family down!
Wen Weiming closed his eyes in agony, too ashamed to lift his head, wishing he could offer his life to the Xunlong Exchange as payment.

No, before settling with his life, he must make Shi Jinquan pay with his.

That damned scoundrel—

“Dad.” Wen Wan called to him.