Chapter 46: I Only Have Five Hundred Taels
“Sit down!”
Yu Zhengqing had always been a figure of authority in front of his children. Being suddenly questioned by his eldest son like this made him feel embarrassed. For a moment, he even forgot that they were now criminals, and his cold rebuke to Yu Xiaoran came out louder than intended as if raising his voice could somehow cover his own helplessness.
All eyes turned to him instantly, even the guards and Wu Dahai, startled by his sudden outburst, looked over in surprise.
Seeing Yu Xiaoran, eyes blazing with anger, still standing and staring at his father defiantly, Old Madam Chen hurriedly reached out, grabbed her eldest grandson, and pulled him down to sit beside her.
“Silly child, why are you making such a scene? Look, everyone’s watching us! It’s not that we don’t want to get medicine for your grandfather; it’s just that, in his current state, even if we reach the frontier, he probably won’t…won’t last long.”
As she spoke, Old Madam Chen suddenly covered her face and began to sob, looking genuinely heartbroken over Old Man Yu’s condition. But the words she said were heartless, making her tears seem hollow and insincere.
“Grandmother, what do you mean by that? And father, do you think the same way as Grandmother does?”
Young and hot-blooded, the eighteen-year-old Yu Xiaoran had always been a dutiful and kind-hearted grandson. Even when the whole family looked down on Yu Luo’s family, he, as the eldest son of the main branch, never stooped to adding insult to injury. He believed that as the heir to the marquisate, he should not lower himself to such petty actions. Though he did not interfere, he would occasionally help Yu Luo’s family in secret, making sure not to let his grandparents find out.
Now, discovering that his once-loving family members were so cold and heartless, Yu Xiaoran was in utter disbelief, unable to accept the reality before him.
“Mother, how much silver do you have left?”
Ignoring Yu Xiaoran’s question, Yu Zhengqing took a deep breath, suppressing his anger, and looked at Old Madam Chen with a lowered voice.
Hearing this, Old Madam Chen instinctively tightened her grip on her clothes. Realizing she was being too obvious, she awkwardly relaxed her hand a bit.
“Not much… just five hundred taels.”
“Impossible! You never took out any silver before, and my sister couldn’t have only given you five hundred taels.”
Yu Zhengqing exposed her lie mercilessly, his eyes cold and piercing.
Everyone’s eyes turned to Old Madam Chen, full of contempt. The entire family was in such dire straits, yet she was still hiding money. What was the point? In the wilderness, without Yu Zhengqing and the two grandsons, the women wouldn’t even stand a chance of survival. What good would hidden silver do her then?
“My sister only gave me five hundred taels. Why would I lie to you?”
Old Madam Chen stuck to her story, her face unwavering. If it weren’t for the people around, she would have cursed her son outright for being unfilial.
“Mother, if you still have silver left, you should give it to my husband. Lady Lan and I have already handed over all our money to him. The whole family is relying on him now. If someone were to rob you, a woman, what would we do? Besides, we’re nearing Pingyang City. When we switch to a new batch of guards, they might search us and take everything. They won’t be like Wu Dahai, who has some sense of honor. Those new guards won’t have any such scruples.”
Chang Huilan shot a glance at her husband, whose eyes were dark with barely suppressed fury. She knew that as filial as Yu Zhengqing was, he would never dare to openly rebuke his mother. If anyone was to play the villain, it would have to be her.
Moreover, her mother-in-law’s behavior was truly selfish.
Considering her sister-in-law’s status as the wife of the Minister of Revenue, Chang Huilan couldn’t believe that she had only given her mother-in-law five hundred taels during their farewell.
“I said five hundred taels, so it’s five hundred taels! Why would I lie to you? And you, a daughter-in-law, what are you insinuating? I’m not dead yet, and you want to control my silver? Are you trying to rebel? Why don’t you learn from Lady Lan? She’s not only more diligent but also more obedient and never talks back to me, her mother-in-law…”
“Enough! Grandmother, just hand over all the silver tickets you have. Don’t forget that when you were harassed by beggars down the mountain, if Grandfather hadn’t been so worried about you, he wouldn’t have fallen ill like this!”
Seeing Old Madam Chen trying to change the subject and scolding his mother in the process, Yu Xiaoran could no longer hold back. His voice was low but full of warning.
Hearing this, Old Madam Chen’s eyes widened in shock. She stared at her beloved eldest grandson in disbelief. Her lips trembled, and the next moment, she burst into genuine tears of sorrow and heartbreak.
This time, it was not an act. She was truly devastated by Yu Xiaoran’s words.
“Enough, five hundred taels it is then. Mother, just remember that when we reach the frontier, even silver might not be able to buy us anything. If you still have more, you should hand it over so I can use it to smooth things over. Maybe, before we reach the frontier, someone might come to rescue us. But since you’re so reluctant, then let’s continue this journey into exile.
Honestly, I’ve had enough of this life. As long as Father is still with us, we can take it one day at a time.”
Seeing that Old Madam Chen was determined to hide the money, Yu Zhengqing, having exhausted all efforts, finally resorted to a cold threat, turning away from her altogether.
Meanwhile, on Yu Luo’s side, the three of them had already made plans: Yu Luo would go shopping again. This way, she could directly store supplies in her system.
Her system had a much larger capacity than Ye Jiamei’s hospital space, making it easier to store more things. As for Ye Jiamei’s hospital space, it was best not to fill it with miscellaneous items, in case they needed to perform surgeries in the future. Any contamination by bacteria from those items could cause complications.
The next morning, when they stepped out of the cave, the outside world was a blanket of white.
It turned out that snow had fallen throughout the night. As beautiful as the scene was, no one had the heart to admire it amidst their current plight.
