Ye Shenyan drained the tea in his cup, picked up the bill and scrutinized it carefully. Then he raised his eyes and looked at Ye Zhinan.
"Would it be convenient for me to go into your room and have a chat, daughter?"
Ye Zhinan had been mentally prepared. Ye Shenyan wasn't blind; he just wanted to save her face.
She nodded and led Ye Shenyan into the room.
"Tell me, what exactly was the so - called hush money for?"
She nervously twisted the corner of her clothes. Knowing she couldn't deceive him, she decided to tell the truth.
"Inspector Qin asked me to use it to build greenhouses. But since we've fallen out, I'm not willing to spend the money for them."
She knew it was wrong to embezzle public funds, but she would replenish it immediately from her space. The words she said just now were merely to cover up the fact that she had a space.
Ye Shenyan's face darkened a bit. He took out a tattered sachet and gently shook it.
The sound of copper coins rang clearly in their ears.
"We can't take other people's money. This is the money your mother saved from her work. You can use it to buy the items on the bill."
Ye Zhinan's nose tingled, and tears welled up in her eyes. She fought hard not to let them fall.
Ye Shenyan sighed and returned the silver to her.
"The silver from the government all has special marks. If it's not registered and circulates in the market, it will soon be discovered. Inspector Qin might be able to explain it, but our family is that of a convicted official. If we're found out, our whole family will be in big trouble."
Ye Zhinan gasped in horror. Her heart pounded like a drum, and she couldn't come to her senses for a long time.
Can't circulate in the market?
Then why did Qin Yihuai give her the silver...
"I don't like to speculate about his intentions. Qin Yihuai seems honest and upright. He must have his own plans. But if he's deliberately targeting you, it's probably a test."
She frowned. Ye Shenyan's words made perfect sense.
Although she had had a few encounters with Qin Yihuai, it was hard to know a person's true nature. She didn't really understand the real him.
Even if he was extremely capable, it would be difficult for him to completely figure out her thoughts.
Only by repeated tests could he determine whether she was an ally.
"He sought out your elder brother and came to you several times for help. It seems like a request, but actually it's a probe. Your interactions are yet to come."
Ye Shenyan left behind these cryptic words and turned to leave the room.
Ye Zhinan was left alone, sitting in front of the table, constantly replaying the past events between them in her mind.
She tightly clutched the three taels of silver in her hand, but her heart couldn't calm down for a long time.
She could hardly imagine what would happen if the Ye family accidentally spent this three - taels of silver.
...
Just as dawn was breaking, Han Xiangmei got up to rummage through the family belongings.
After scraping together everything, the items in the family were barely enough.
She looked at the items in front of her and felt heart - ache.
But then she thought that it was all for her daughter, and she felt a sense of elation and relief.
Ye Zhinan wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes and bent down to pick up the basket. Unexpectedly, Ye Shenyan took it first.
"Since the third son of the Zhao family came to ask for things in his mother's name, it's naturally a matter between the elders of the two families. Let's go and meet them."
A sly smile flashed in Ye Shenyan's eyes. Before Ye Zhinan could say a word, he had already walked a few steps.
She always thought her father was the most upright person, but she didn't expect him to be so scheming at times.
By going there, he clearly intended to make the Zhao family lose face.
"Regardless of whose idea it is, today I have to teach them a lesson on how to discipline their children."
Ye Shenyan murmured to himself as he walked, and his back straightened involuntarily.
As soon as their family of four walked in, they saw a lot of things placed in the yard.
They were carefully wrapped in red silk, and there were some servants standing outside.
"Hey, it seems we'll be attending a wedding soon. Let me offer my congratulations in advance."
Ye Shenyan deliberately raised his voice to make the Zhao family elders lose face.
Zhao Yongyu blushed and forced a embarrassed smile. He quickly stepped forward.
"You've really seen a joke. You must come to our house for the wedding banquet another day."
A look of mockery flashed in Ye Shenyan's eyes. He heavily slapped the dowry box.
"Strangely enough, the other night I had a dream. I suddenly dreamed that my sister - in - law told my wife about the marriage. Now it seems that such a good thing won't fall to our family."
Zhao Yongyu's face immediately darkened. He forced out a few dry laughs and told the servants outside to go farther away.
It was just a vain attempt to cover up. Everyone could see clearly.
It was Zhao Qingyuan who couldn't hold back first. He stepped forward a few steps and pointed at Ye Zhinan's nose and cursed.
"I don't think there was any dream. You just came here deliberately to stir up trouble in my elder brother's marriage."
Ye Zhinan didn't say a word. She just moved the box behind her and threw it heavily on the ground.
When the box hit the ground, a lot of dust was stirred up and flew in the air.
She coldly glanced at Zhao Qingfeng. Even if they weren't engaged, out of the past friendship, he shouldn't have watched so indifferently while Zhao Qingyuan humiliated her.
Presumably, he just didn't want to offend the county magistrate.
"Brother Zhao is really joking. I've never known about any engagement. I just promised Brother Zhao yesterday that I would send the reward. Should I wait until Uncle Zhao is not at home to come?"
There were many traps in her words.
She not only wanted to tell Zhao Yongyu what his son had done, but also emphasized that it was done when he was not at home.
She really looked down on Zhao Qingyuan. Since the two families had fallen out, she might as well say more sarcastic words.
"I know real men never do things secretly, so as not to embarrass their elders."
Zhao Qingyuan blushed and angrily stared at her. He couldn't say a complete sentence for a long time.
The Zhao family elders stood there stunned, not reacting to what had happened.
Zhao Qingfeng quickly stepped forward and stood in front of the whole family.
"Nannan, give my younger brother some face. Don't make the two families too embarrassed."
His eyes were cold as never before, with an indescribable sense of strangeness and threat.
Ye Zhinan sneered and decided to make things clear.
"Did your younger brother ever think about giving me some face when he asked for so much? Did he ever think about the relationship between the two families when he lied through his teeth and said that the things he received were just a return of favor?"
The Zhao couple weren't stupid. Even if they were muddle - headed before, they understood now.
Zhao Yongyu stepped forward and slapped Zhao Qingyuan hard.
His hand trembled, and there was anger hidden in his eyes.
"You unfilial son. The friendship between our two families can't be measured by these things. The Ye family has been kind to us. Even if we have to go through fire and water, it's only right."
Ye Shenyan interrupted him and completely cleared the relationship between the two families.
"You're wrong. There's no need to go through fire and water. When I helped you back then, I never expected any return."