The Wedding Feast (continued)

Second Concubine's pupils dilated in shock.

This little maidservant's vest looks faded from washing, and she's clearly thinner and smaller than before. Yet this poor girl dares to ask for "two or three thousand taels" or "three or four thousand taels"—what a boastful tone!

Second Concubine was truly angry this time.

She said, "The matchmaker didn't mention this before. It's such a large sum of money, and we don't own a bank, so it's not easy to raise it in a short time. Perhaps..."

"My daughter hasn't even married into the family yet, and you're already complaining about being poor," the maid said. "That's not what the young master and my daughter said."

The Second Concubine's chest heaved as she used all her strength to keep from arguing with her.

She could only look at her younger brother, "What did you say to her?"

Jin Huayu was afraid of this older sister, and seeing her angry, he immediately lowered his head and dared not say a word.

The maid persisted, saying, "The young master told my young lady that the family fortune of 100,000 strings of cash is not an empty promise; it will all belong to him and my young lady in the future."

The Second Concubine bit her tongue hard, the pain briefly making her ignore the indescribable bitterness in her heart.

She said, "You said it yourself, that's for the future. They don't belong to them yet; the money's all tied up in the shop, and we don't have enough cash to buy things."

At this moment, Jin Huayu actually pleaded with her, "Sister, how about we take some money from the account? You said it yourself, this is a major event in my life, and I don't want Xinxin to be unhappy over such a small matter..."

The Second Concubine almost coughed up blood.

My younger brother has always been obedient and ambitious, and he never questions or objects to his own arrangements.

"... Perhaps it's because over the years, while I was in the Marquis's Marquis's Residence, he was running the shops outside. He suffered grievances because of his merchant status, so he highly values Shi family..."

As the Second Concubine spoke with Gu Wanning, she even brainwashed herself, trying to exonerate her younger brother.

She even knew she was comforting herself, but what could she do?

Can she admit that this marriage was bad, that her brother had met the wrong person?

Gu Wanning and her Third Concubine were both somewhat embarrassed.

Both of them, being so clear-headed, felt that such a marriage was better off not happening.

Cut your losses in time; temporary pain is better than nothing.

Indecisiveness leads to a life of hardship.

However, such words should absolutely not be said.

It's up to the siblings themselves to figure it out.

So the two of them just listened, occasionally chiming in with a few words, but neither offered any advice or suggestions.

In fact, the Second Concubine didn't need it.

She quickly convinced herself.

"Before they even enter the business, they always think we make money easily. But once the shop is handed over to them to run themselves, they'll realize how hard it is to earn money."

"She still knows how to take care of her aunt, which shows she's grateful and doesn't have a bad conscience."

That's how the Second Concubine managed to soothe herself.

On the way back, Gu Wanning couldn't help but ask her Third Concubine, "Hua Ying, what do you think of this marriage?"

"A daughter born out of wedlock, she's self-righteous and arrogant, but she's ruthless when it comes to winning over men. She probably inherited her aunt's traits," the Third Concubine said incisively.

Gu Wanning sighed repeatedly upon hearing this.

"I'm afraid that from now on, Rongrong will be an outsider," the Third Concubine said quietly.

Gu Wanning thought so too, but then she thought about the obedient Jin Huayu and realized that he wouldn't be so blinded by lust.

However, she still hoped that the marriage could be called off.

"I even thought about having Rongrong spread false information, saying that their family was going to run out of money, to see if the other party would still be willing to marry her."

"She definitely won't marry him. There's no need to test her; Rongrong knows it perfectly well. It's an arranged marriage between two families; the other side has power, so what they're after is their wealth, right?"

"Yes, I was mistaken," Gu Wanning said. "Let's wait and see; I think things might not calm down in the future."

"If Rongrong is truly sober, she should leave herself a way out. If she comes out on her own, like me, she'll be better off."

Gu Wanning thought to herself, "That won't do."

To the Second Concubine, her younger brother was like her son.

I'll worry about him, and I'll get upset and angry because of what he does, but I'll never give up on him.

"Sister, do you believe it or not, the moment the Shi family's daughter enters the house, she'll immediately start taking advantage of the shop?" Third Concubine said.

This is a wolf with a huge appetite.

I'm afraid he's just an ingrate.

Gu Wanning rested her chin on her hand and said, "It's not a good time to persuade Rongrong now."

"She knows she's in a bind. Even if she were decisive, seeing her brother so infatuated, she wouldn't choose to be the bad guy at this time. She can only console herself," said the Third Concubine. "Let's not go again before the wedding."

"Yes." Gu Wanning thought so too.

There's no way to persuade them; they just get angry.

When it was time to sleep that night, Gu Wanning, after a few tries, naturally rolled into Xu Weibei's arms and chattered to him about what had happened during the day.

"She herself has elevated people to such a high position; it's entirely her own doing," Xu Weibei commented. "If the Shi family were any good family, would they even have a chance to do this?"

I'm worried that Rongrong will suffer even more later.

"Someone as shrewd as her, her discomfort will only last a short time," Xu Weibei said. "She can be ruthless."

Although he didn't have much contact with his concubines, and even often mistook one for the other, Xu Weibei still had a certain understanding of their individual personalities.

Jin Rongrong is definitely the most ruthless among these people.

She's just blinded by family ties.

"She won't suffer any losses." Xu Weibei stroked Gu Wanning's soft hair. "But don't get involved in this kind of messy stuff; you'll only end up doing more harm than good."

"I know what I'm doing; I'm just worried about her."

"You'd better worry about me if you have time," Xu Weibei snorted.