Chapter 263: Chapter 263: Sibling Conflict
Upon arriving at the restaurant and taking a seat in the private room, he found he couldn’t block out the lively sounds from outside. This made Hu Tuchao’s already foul expression darken even further.
He truly hated seeing the Ming Family Restaurant so bustling. In comparison, he felt completely incompetent.
Hu Tuchao was not in a leisurely enough mood to call his friends and companions to join him today.
He occupied the entire private room by himself, but that didn’t stop someone from showing up at his door.
Ever since Hu Yuwan was ruthlessly set up by Qiu Tao last time, she had lost all face and hadn’t left her home for a good long while.
She had recently lost all control over the household finances, and who was to blame for that but her unreasonable father-in-law? Ever since she returned from Jingzhao Mansion, Qin Shiqi had used a series of excuses—her being a merchant’s daughter, her lack of sophistication, and more—to force her to hand over the reins of the household.
But in the end, a letter had rescued her from the cage that was the Qin Family, which was why Hu Yuwan was here today.
Just like Hu Tuchao, Hu Yuwan had no desire to come to the Ming Family Restaurant and support Ming Lingyi.
She had crossed paths with Ming Lingyi several times, and in every confrontation, without exception, she had been utterly defeated.
Now, in Hu Yuwan’s mind, Ming Lingyi had probably replaced Feng Shuyu as her number one nemesis.
The Young Mistress of the Qin Family certainly couldn’t stoop to gawking at the spectacle by the Ming Family Restaurant’s entrance, but arriving late meant there were no tables left.
However, Hu Yuwan knew Hu Tuchao would be here too, so she wasn’t particularly worried.
When Hu Tuchao saw Hu Yuwan appear at the doorway, he seemed less than interested and quickly looked down. "Why are you here?" he asked.
Hu Yuwan replied, "If you can be here, why can’t I?"
The words carried a hint of pique, and her tone was anything but friendly.
Hu Tuchao shot back, "What’s got you so fired up today?"
’It’s not like I did anything to provoke her.’
Hu Yuwan hardly believed that Hu Tuchao hadn’t wronged her. When Hongyun Bookstore was embroiled in the scandal of forging the Emperor’s private seal, Qiu Tao was disposed of so quickly, yet Hu Tuchao, the man behind him, emerged completely unscathed. She, however, had been spectacularly unlucky that day, practically offering up her own face to be stepped on, leaving her completely humiliated.
Hu Yuwan refused to believe Hu Tuchao didn’t have a hand in it. Otherwise, how could he have escaped with absolutely no consequences?
At that thought, how could Hu Yuwan possibly be pleasant to Hu Tuchao?
Her brother had always been the most favored child at home. But now? In what way was her status not superior to his? ’And he still dares to sabotage me. Don’t I have every right to be furious with Hu Tuchao?’
"Shouldn’t you know best?" Hu Yuwan couldn’t be bothered to elaborate. ’Even if I brought it out into the open, it’s not like he’d admit it. So, when all is said and done, it’s just a dead-end issue. Why bother talking about it? Better to just keep it to myself.’
Hu Tuchao didn’t want to deal with her tirade, but she was part of the Qin Family, after all. He took the initiative to ask, "Have you been doing well at home lately?"
Hu Yuwan paused. "...Just wonderful."
’If he truly cared, he would have sent someone to check on me the day I returned from Jingzhao Mansion.’
’But sadly, not a single person from my maiden family showed up, leaving me to face Qin Shiqi all alone. In the end, Qin Shiqi took away my authority over the household. I’m a woman who married up, my husband isn’t even at the estate, so if I don’t have any real power, how could the staff possibly obey me sincerely?’
Clearly, Hu Yuwan had been having a difficult time.
To Hu Yuwan, Hu Tuchao’s concern now was like scratching an itch through a boot—completely useless.
"You certainly seem interested enough to come and support her. Are you two that close?" Having been practically under house arrest for the past several days, Hu Yuwan was not up-to-date on outside affairs.
For example, she had no idea that just yesterday, Hu Tuchao had suffered a major loss at the hands of Ming Lingyi.
Hu Tuchao said, "One must be magnanimous."
Hu Yuwan: "..."
*Ha!* ’Yeah, right. I’d have to be a fool to believe him.’
"Our father asked me to give you a message," Hu Yuwan said, finally getting to the point as she looked at Hu Tuchao.
"Hm?" Hu Tuchao responded.
"How much Silver do we have on the books right now?" Hu Yuwan asked.
The question was a sensitive one. Hu Tuchao didn’t answer right away. Instead, he stared at her, his gaze probing and speculative.
After a moment, Hu Tuchao finally spoke. "Are you short on Silver?"
When Hu Yuwan had married, her dowry had been substantial. For one, she was the family’s most beloved daughter. For another, the man she was marrying was of no ordinary status. She was already marrying up; if her dowry had been meager, the Hu family would never have been able to hold their heads high in the Capital City.
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