Married to a Villainous Minister - Chapter 80

The group got on the donkey cart, and Zhang Laosan drove them back to Qingyu Village.

Earlier, they had left Qi’er at the Yu household when they went to town. Now, the child was in Yu Qizhe’s room, learning to read. Zhang Laosan and his wife were overjoyed. They said that Qi’er hadn’t been sent to school earlier because of his illness, but now that he was cured, they definitely planned to start his education.

After picking up Qi’er, the Zhang family of three left.

Yu Ruhai couldn’t wait to ask Yu Jiao, “How much did the Zhangs pay for the consultation?”

Yu Jiao took out five taels of silver and placed them on the table. “Ten taels.”

Yu Ruhai snatched up the five taels from the table, overjoyed. He bit them hard with his teeth, rubbed them on his clothes, his aged eyes gleaming with delight. His smile nearly reached his ears. At this rate, the Yu family couldn’t help but prosper.

Madam Zhao and her husband looked at the silver, feeling extremely sour inside. By now, Meng Yujiao had over ten taels of silver to herself, and it was all her own private money. If only that money belonged to their third branch instead, what a difference it would make.

The eldest daughter-in-law, Madam Zhang, however, looked pleased. A quick calculation told her that the family had enough money now to send Zhizhou to the county school as well.

She immediately spoke up. “It’s really thanks to Meng girl’s blessing that we’ve earned so much silver. Father, now that we have some extra money, Zhizhou should be able to go to the county school with Jinshu, right?”

The silver wasn’t even warm in his hand yet, and the thought of also sending Zhizhou to school, emptying out the family’s coffer, made Yu Ruhai’s heartache. He dodged, saying, “We’ve only just started saving. You two shouldn’t be so hasty. Let’s wait until next year to send Zhizhou to the county school.”

But Madam Zhang wasn’t having it. Thankfully, her eldest daughter-in-law had advised her beforehand, so she didn’t make a scene. Instead, she pleaded, “If we miss this year, Zhizhou will have to wait another three years. How can he land a good marriage by then? Father, please have a heart for Zhizhou. If he passes the county-level exam, it’ll bring honor and glory to our family.”

Old Madam Yu frowned slightly at Madam Zhang’s persistence. They had just had a big argument earlier, and she didn’t want to speak up again so soon, lest the eldest branch resent her even more.

Noticing Yu Jiao sipping tea calmly to the side, Old Madam Yu suddenly had an idea. She softened her tone and said, “Eldest daughter-in-law, it’s not that your father doesn’t care about Zhizhou, but the household’s silver is limited. If we use it all up, what will we do if an emergency comes up later?”

Madam Zhang gritted her teeth in frustration. But before she could lash out, Old Madam Yu continued, “You’re right though, waiting three more years would be a waste of Zhizhou’s good youth. Your father and I truly can’t bear to see that.”

She turned to Yu Jiao with a smile, her voice gentle. “How about this, Meng girl? You’ve saved up quite a bit of money. Sending Zhizhou to the county school is urgent, why not use your money for it, just for now?”

Yu Jiao paused as she raised her teacup, then slowly set it down. Her luminous almond eyes glinted with mockery. So the old woman had set her sights on her money again. And the way she said “just use it for now” without even calling it a loan. Clearly, once it was gone, it was gone for good.

A classic bait-and-switch. No doubt Madam Zhang was more than willing to be used as a pawn.

“This…” Madam Zhang looked to Yu Jiao, clearly tempted. For the sake of sending Zhizhou to the county school, she swallowed her pride and said, “Meng girl, why don’t you lend your money to Zhizhou for now? Don’t worry, if Zhizhou makes something of himself one day, our eldest branch will never forget your great kindness.”

Madam Song, standing nearby, looked worriedly at Yu Jiao. She wanted to speak up for her but didn’t know how.

Yu Jiao smiled lightly and looked at Madam Zhang. “If Aunt wants to use the silver, that’s fine.”

Madam Zhang’s face lit up. She praised, “I knew you were a kind-hearted girl. Our branch will remember this favor forever.”

But Yu Jiao’s tone shifted. “However, it must be a loan. And a loan, naturally, means it must be paid back.”

Madam Zhang’s smile froze. She stared at Yu Jiao for a moment and realized she wasn’t joking. Her brows furrowed. Ten-plus taels of silver, how could they possibly pay that back? Even if they saved for three to five years, they might not manage it. 

Let alone the fact that the family hadn’t even split up yet. Her husband barely made any money hunting, and even when he did, the old man and old lady scraped it all away.

Seeing her mother-in-law tongue-tied, Wang Mengyan shook her head quietly. Her in-laws were too honest and simple-minded, they didn’t realize they were being used.

She couldn’t just stand by and watch, so she spoke up. “Grandfather, Grandmother, didn’t Er-di and Si-di go to the county school using family funds? Then shouldn’t Zhizhou’s tuition also come from the public family fund?”

Madam Zhang’s eyes lit up. Why hadn’t she thought of that? She quickly added, “Yes! Zhizhou’s schooling should come from the family fund. And if we borrow from Meng girl now, the repayment should come from the family fund too!”

Old Madam Yu had been quietly pleased, thinking she’d removed herself from the mess. But upon hearing this, she frowned and shot Wang Mengyan a sharp look. The eldest branch sure married a clever daughter-in-law.

Yu Ruhai had originally thought his wife’s suggestion was good. After all, Meng Yujiao’s money should belong to the Yu family anyway. Using it made perfect sense. But once he heard about paying it back from the public fund, he was immediately displeased and snapped, “Meng girl, we’re all family here. Do we really need to talk about repayment? You’re just a woman, what use is there in hoarding all that private silver? Better to use it to help your cousin go to school.”

Afraid Yu Jiao might object again, Yu Ruhai quickly looked at Madam Song and said, “Second daughter-in-law, Meng girl is from your second branch. You shouldn’t have any problem with her using her money to send Zhizhou to school, right?”

Under his gaze, Madam Song shrank back a little. In the past, she never would’ve dared say anything. But now, she glanced at Yu Jiao and finally gathered the courage to say, “I can’t make decisions for Meng girl.”

Yu Ruhai was just about to scold her. “She’s Qizhe’s wife! You’re her mother-in-law, how can you not make the call? Then it’s settled—”

But before he could finish, Yu Jiao interrupted him with a half-smile. “My money is naturally mine. I’m the only one who gets to decide what to do with it. Since you don’t plan to repay it, then there’s no need for a loan.”

With that, Yu Jiao stood up and walked out of the main hall, leaving behind a room full of blackened faces and deep frowns.

“She’s out of control!” Yu Ruhai roared, shouting at Madam Song, “What kind of daughter-in-law acts like that? And you, as her mother-in-law, are utterly useless! Go tell Qizhe to keep her in line! How can a woman be the one calling the shots in your branch?”

Madam Song turned pale from being yelled at. She thought to herself, You, the head of the household, can’t even handle her, who else could? Besides, the consultation fee had already been split fifty-fifty with the family. Whatever was left belonged to Meng girl. Why should she hand it over for free?

“Chun,” Madam Zhang turned to plead with Madam Song, “Please talk to Meng girl for me. Zhizhou going to the county school means everything to our branch. Just consider it your sister-in-law begging you.”