You Still Have Time to Worry About Your Birds?

The Old Ancestor nodded and said, "That's an excellent idea, but it's really hard to persuade just anyone to do it."

Zhou Wanwan smiled and said, "Oh! I don't believe anyone is without weaknesses; we can always find one."

The Old Ancestor nodded and said, "Yes, then go to class."

Zhou Wanwan patted her stomach and asked, "What are we having for breakfast today?"

The Old Scholar Tree has already come in from outside.

"The kitchen was really well-guarded today, it was packed with people. They managed to prepare over ten different breakfast options, so just eat a little bit!"

Zhou Wanwan led Cui Wenyuan into the living room, where they saw more than a dozen kinds of breakfast dishes.

Zhou Wanwan said, "Why don't you sit down and have something to eat too?"

Cui Wenyuan looked at Zhou Wanwan and said, "Who exactly are you? Why is the Cui Family so good to you? Sending you so much breakfast?"

Zhou Wanwan laughed and said, "Cui Family Cui Family isn't that kind. You should know what kind of people they are."

Cui Wenyuan sat down, picked up a bowl of white porridge, and said:

Yes, I know, that's why I'm curious.

"The Cui Family is incredibly stingy; how could they possibly treat you to such a nice breakfast?"

While drinking her bird's nest porridge, Zhou Wanwan said, "How stingy? Wasn't the Cui Family supposed to be very rich?"

Cui Wenyuan nodded and said:

"The Cui Family is indeed wealthy, but being wealthy doesn't mean they aren't stingy!"

The Cui Family is generous with their food and clothing, but they are reluctant to spend money on outsiders.

All of the concubines in the Cui Family were daughters of merchants. In order to maximize the Cui Family's profits, they married one concubine after another.

The eldest son of the Cui Family had more than thirty concubines, and the second son of the Cui Family also had several.

Zhou Wanwan hadn't expected the men of the Cui Family to be so enlightened.

They're going to such lengths for money.

Zhou Wanwan laughed and said, "Eat quickly, then we'll go for a stroll around the Cui Clan Academy."

Zhou Wanwan quickly went inside, changed into men's clothing, and then followed Cui Wenyuan to the clan school.

The Cui Clan family's clan school was indeed very impressive.

However, today, all the gentlemen had solemn expressions.

Xie Guangyuan looked at them and asked, "What happened?"

The gentlemen wiped the sweat from their brows and said, "Mr. Xie, all the books in our house are gone."

Xie Guangyuan frowned and said, "I don't understand. What do you mean by all the books in the house are gone?"

Mr. Xie also said helplessly:

"I don't know what happened yesterday, but all the books in the Xie Family's library are gone."

"Even the books these children left here, not a single one is left."

Xie Guangyuan frowned and said, "How could this be? Why don't you go and ask the patriarch?"

Soon, Eldest Master Cui and Second Master Cui arrived.

Those gentlemen reported the problems here, and Eldest Master Cui frowned and said:

"You mean you don't have a single book left in the house? The Cui Family family has tens of thousands of books!"

That cost a fortune, and now not a single copy is left?

The gentlemen nodded and said, "Yes, all gone overnight."

Eldest Master Cui was so angry he was trembling:

"Those books cost a fortune, hundreds of thousands of taels of silver! Who was the shameless person who did it?"

I have a bad feeling about this. You guys go and take inventory of everything in our private vaults right now.

The stewards rushed out, and after a while, they rushed back.

"Oh no, sir! Everything in your private vault is gone!"

"Second Master, everything in your private treasury is gone."

Eldest Master Cui's head lolled to the side, and he fainted.

Upon receiving the news, Old Madam Cui Family hurriedly said, "Go check my private treasury, quickly!"

Her personal maidservant quickly returned to report, "Madam, your private treasury is empty too."

The old lady suddenly blacked out and fainted Lili.

None of the masters of the entire Cui Family escaped death.

Zhou Wanwan walked a short distance away and asked, "Uncle Scholar Tree, who did this?"

The Old Scholar Tree coughed and said, "It was done by someone in our family."

Zhou Wanwan swallowed hard and said, "So, you mean all these things went into my private coffers?"

"Yes! You know those trees. They were so happy when you praised them yesterday."

They figured they could take whatever they could get, and in their excitement, they took everything the Cui Family owned back to their private treasury.

Don't yell at them, okay?

Zhou Wanwan chuckled and said:

"So what if they took it? The Cui Family family invited me here, so they think I'm one of them, right?"

Otherwise, why would I be able to see a doctor without paying?

The Old Ancestor nodded and said, "That makes sense!"

The Cui Family family was in a panic, not knowing when the money in their private treasury had gone out, or where to look for it.

Finally, the Xin'an County was summoned.

Shen Tao was also quite helpless. He had just gotten out of bed when he was summoned to the Cui Family.

He looked at the Cui Family Jiadao:

"The lock isn't broken, and I can't see how anything is missing."

"You must have offended someone, right?"

Eldest Master Cui stamped his foot and said, "Shen Tao, you'd better find someone to check. I have a lot of money in my private stash, and it's just gone like that."

Shen Tao rubbed his nose and said, "I've tried my best to help you, but I can't see anything at all!"

Old Master Cui walked in from outside carrying a birdcage, but upon hearing of the changes in the family, he dropped the birdcage to the ground.

"What did you say? You said everything in the house was stolen? Oh dear, what about my birds?" Old Master Cui rushed straight to the backyard.

The birdcage was completely empty.

He shouted loudly:

My lark, thrush, red-billed leiothrix, yellow-rumped warbler, skylark, myna, myna...

It's over, it's all over.

Old Master Cui cried his heart out, and Zhou Wanwan's lips twitched repeatedly.

Shen Tao stood next to Zhou Wanwan and said, "Master, I didn't even recognize you wearing men's clothing."

Zhou Wanwan smiled faintly and said, "You'll get used to it. Sigh! The Cui Family is quite pitiful."

Shen Tao nodded and said, "They just had to run into you."

Zhou Wanwan looked up at him and said:

"I didn't do that; it was my subordinates who did it. By the time I found out, it was too late."

The Cui Family family asked me to treat their illness, but they refused to pay and locked me in a side courtyard.

Shen Tao's face darkened, and he said, "What audacity!"

Zhou Wanwan waved her hand and said, "Oh! I think it's great. Don't bother me, my good days have just begun!"

Shen Tao thought for a moment and laughed, "Indeed, the Cui Family is quite unlucky; they actually dared to invite you into their home."

He was about to speak when he saw Old Master Cui walk over, take his hand, and say:

"Shen Tao! You must save my birds. I'm willing to pay any price."

"If you bring those birds back, I'll give you 100,000 taels of silver—no, 200,000 taels of silver."

This Old Master Cui, is obsessed with birds.

Eldest Master Cui was so anxious he kept stamping his feet:

"Dad, our books are gone."

Our entire family's coffers have been emptied, so what right do you have to worry about your bird?

What's so good about that lousy bird?

Old Master Cui retorted angrily, "What do you know? Those birds are my life. I raised them with great care and effort. I can't lose them."

Shen Tao looked at the weeping Old Master Cui and said, "I will definitely find a way to get those birds back for you."

Old Master Cui quickly nodded. "As long as you bring those birds back, I'll agree to anything you ask."

Shen Tao nodded and then had someone search the area again.

Then he walked outside.

When I got home, I saw someone bringing dozens of different kinds of birds to my door.

Shen Tao looked at the birds and asked, "What's the meaning of these birds?"

The visitor smiled and said, "The master wants you to return these birds to Old Master Cui. These birds are taking up too much food; we can't afford to keep them."

Shen Tao knew this was Zhou Wanwan's idea.

The birds placed at the county government office kept chirping, "Hey you little brat, let me out right now, I'm hungry!"

"Yesterday's food was really delicious, but what is this junk we're being fed today?"

"Let us out right now!"

Shen Tao had a headache from all the noise, so he returned the bird to the Cui Family early the next morning.