At the thought of money, Yang Zhengshan felt another headache coming on.
Silver really did slip through one's fingers.
The Yang Family had spent quite a lot during this period. They had bought so many servants, had to pay them monthly wages, and on top of that had sent out so many festival gifts for the New Year. There was not much silver left in Yang Zhengshan's hands.
Selling the shops could indeed earn him several thousand taels of silver, but there would be even more places to spend silver in the future.
The family's daily expenses, the children going to school or hiring teachers—and most important of all, he had to marry Yu Qingyi. The betrothal gifts had to be given too.
In truth, compared with other officials' families, the Yang Family's spending already counted as low. At the very least, the Yang Family's expenses were all necessary expenses; there was no extravagance or waste.
As for other officials? A single meal cost several taels of silver, a bottle of wine cost over ten taels, and from time to time the rear courtyard would hold some tea party or flower gathering, where hundreds or thousands of taels would be smashed in just like that.
Social dealings between officials, social dealings between officials' wives and families—these all required great piles of silver.
Aside from sending a few festival gifts, Yang Zhengshan had practically no dealings with other officials, and the Yang Family's womenfolk took even less part in those gatherings.
In fact, after they came to Anyuan City, there had been officials' wives who invited Wang to attend gatherings—plum-blossom viewing, painting appreciation, tea tasting, and the like. Quite a few invitations had been sent to Wang.
But how could Wang understand those things? In her eyes, these plum blossoms were