The Evil Mother-in-law: Torment Children, Work Hard, Be Rich!

Chapter 702: Chapter 702: Unearthing Silver

"Second Sister-in-law, you complain that Eldest Sister-in-law gave me too little as dowry. How much did you offer?"

Mrs. Jia didn’t expect Gu Honglian to question her back.

"Second Sister-in-law, don’t try to tell me that you lack the skills and money Eldest Sister-in-law has, so you can’t give. Even though Feng Nian just built a house last year and times are tough, Feng Nian’s wife still added to my dowry."

Gu Honglian extended her hand directly towards Mrs. Jia, demanding.

"Second Sister-in-law, just add a little, even if it’s just a pair of shoes or chopsticks."

Mrs. Jia felt bitter, intending to shift blame onto Tong Huaqiong, but Gu Honglian turned the attack, directly asking her for dowry.

Originally, Mrs. Jia didn’t want Gu Honglian and Fan Tong’s marriage to succeed.

What right did Gu Honglian have to marry a scholar?

If Gu Honglian became the wife of a scholar, wouldn’t her pride soar to the heavens?

Mrs. Jia herself was unhappy with her life, so she didn’t want those around her to have it better.

That’s why she stirred Gu Honglian to ask Lu Zhaozhao for dowry, aiming to disgust the main family and sever ties between the main family and Gu Honglian.

Gu Honglian really asked, which angered Gu Jingzhe, but the final result wasn’t as Mrs. Jia had expected.

She just wanted to make things difficult for Gu Honglian and Tong Huaqiong.

"Mother, if it wasn’t for Second Brother and Second Sister-in-law taking my dowry, you and Father wouldn’t have been so troubled, and I wouldn’t have been forced to offend Jingzhe’s wife." Gu Honglian looked at the elderly Mrs. Gu, saying aggrievedly, "I’ve let go of past matters, but now I’m getting married. Second Sister-in-law should add to my dowry."

The elderly Mrs. Gu looked at Mrs. Jia, saying disapprovingly, "You should indeed add."

Mrs. Jia said, "Where would I find the money?"

The household goods were all controlled by the elderly Mrs. Gu now, and she couldn’t save even if she wanted to.

She had thirty taels of silver hidden away, which even Gu You Tian didn’t know about, and taking them out was absolutely impossible.

The elderly Mrs. Gu said coldly, "If you don’t have it, you should borrow or owe. When You Tian had money before, you didn’t hesitate to give some to your maiden family. Go ask them. This time everyone in the main family has given to Gu Honglian. We aren’t insisting you match the main family’s generosity; you and You Tian just need to give ten taels."

Mrs. Jia’s eyes reddened, saying, "If I had money, wouldn’t I give it to my sister? I don’t have a penny. You want me to ask my maiden family, but their harvest hasn’t been good these past few years, and my brother’s two sons have just gotten married, emptying their family funds."

Wu Na, unconcerned about the chaos, said from the side, "Grandma, don’t listen to Mother. She has thirty taels of silver; she’s just unwilling to take them out."

Mrs. Jia’s heart skipped a beat and she denied, "What nonsense are you spouting? Where would I get silver? If I had silver, wouldn’t I have taken it out when Rui Nian got married?"

Wu Na chuckled, saying, "Last time Uncle came over, I heard you tell him there’s still thirty taels of silver."

It appeared Wu Na had searched Mrs. Jia’s room twice when she wasn’t home but had found nothing.

The wicked mother-in-law had silver but wouldn’t take it out for her health; thus, she exposed it.

If she couldn’t live comfortably, she didn’t want others to either.

The elderly Mrs. Gu coldly stared at Mrs. Jia.

She believed Wu Na.

Otherwise, who lies and randomly comes up with an exact number?

"Second Daughter-in-law, I’m asking you one last time: where is your silver?" The elderly Mrs. Gu’s gaze was icy.

Mrs. Jia clenched her teeth and shook her head.

Her entire wealth amounted to those thirty taels.

Admitting it would mean not just handing over ten taels to Gu Honglian, but the inability to keep any of the thirty.

As she thought about this, Gu You Tian was already looking at her with an investigating gaze.

Mrs. Jia regretted deeply.

She shouldn’t have spoken harshly to Gu Honglian.

"I truly don’t have any silver."

The elderly Mrs. Gu didn’t want to hear her excuses, putting down her needlework, tiptoeing towards Mrs. Jia’s room.

If she didn’t admit it, she’d search for it herself.

"Mother, I don’t have silver, truly don’t."

Mrs. Jia followed her.

Soon, Wu Na, Gu Ruinian, Gu Honglian, and Gu You Tian all went with them.

At Mrs. Jia’s room, the elderly Mrs. Gu began searching.

Mrs. Jia’s heart pounded intensely.

The elderly Mrs. Gu invited Wu Na to search along, the two overturned cupboards to bedsides, missing no corner, yet they found nothing.

Mrs. Jia sighed with relief, saying, "I told you I have no silver, Mother, you just listened to Rui Nian’s family spread rumors."

The elderly Mrs. Gu’s face remained unchanged.

No, something’s not right.

The elderly Mrs. Gu glanced under the table at an open wooden box, filled with books.

Rui Nian’s books.

Since Gu Ruinian gave up studying after his leg became disabled, wanting to burn all his books, Mrs. Jia had saved them, tearfully declaring they were her symbol of sacrifice for Rui Nian’s education.

She placed them in a wooden box under the table.

No one at home read, so generally, no one flipped through the books.

Even the elderly Mrs. Gu forgot about those stacks of books.

Mrs. Jia felt immensely nervous seeing the elderly Mrs. Gu eyeing the books.

The elderly Mrs. Gu sneered and approached the table, spilling the books onto the ground, and shiny silver rolled out.

The elderly Mrs. Gu felt triumphant; this Second Daughter-in-law was still inexperienced.

Mrs. Jia’s face instantly lost all color.

Wu Na excitedly looked at the silver, saying, "I told you I couldn’t have heard wrong. Mother hid it well."

Gu You Tian slapped Mrs. Jia, shouting angrily, "What state is the family in? And you still have the nerve to hide your own wealth?"

Even Gu Ruinian internally complained about Mrs. Jia not contributing the silver.

Mrs. Jia clutched her face, eyes furious, crazily lunging to snatch.

Almost knocking the elderly Mrs. Gu over.

"You Tian, you’re worthless!" the elderly Mrs. Gu shouted to Gu You Tian.

Gu You Tian restrained Mrs. Jia.

Mrs. Jia cried mournfully; her silver.

The silver couldn’t be saved today.

The elderly Mrs. Gu gathered the silver in her arms and returned to the main room.

She counted; exactly thirty taels of silver.

"Give ten taels to Honglian for her dowry."

The elderly Mrs. Gu handed ten taels to Gu Honglian.

Gu Honglian happily accepted.

Now her actual dowry amounted to one hundred taels.

Wu Na said from the side, "Grandma, finding this silver was due to my effort, give me ten taels."

The elderly Mrs. Gu gave a sharp look, scolding, "Where’s your merit? Since marrying into the Gu Family, you neither cook nor wash clothes, don’t do farm work, only eat, look at any other in-law and compare, and still have the cheek to ask for silver? Go ask your parents if you have the skills."

Wu Na sneered and muttered, "Had I known, I wouldn’t have told the family about the silver."

Mrs. Jia glared at Wu Na with hatred.

A betraying wretch.

Gu You Tian said from the side, "Give these twenty taels to me; I’ll go to Pingchuan County and see if there’s any small business I can do."

The elderly Mrs. Gu stared with sharp eyes, "What kind of business could be done with twenty taels? Likely thrown away like water. This silver isn’t for anyone; I keep it for response to emergencies."

She considered it; rather than allowing Gu You Tian to waste it, she would keep it in her hands.

Mrs. Jia looked hatefully at the elderly Mrs. Gu; it was her silver.

The elderly Mrs. Gu said, "Putting on such a vengeful face for whom? You’ve eaten and drunk from the family and hid silver while the family suffers so greatly. Don’t assume that the silver is yours; it belongs to the Gu Family."

Mrs. Jia hated Wu Na, hated Gu Honglian deeply.