Chapter 157: A Lot of Silver? Not Really That Much

Madam Zhao was slicing the steamed buns. Hearing Madam Rong's question, she frowned and replied, "Little children sleep a lot, how would I know?"

Madam Rong let out a regretful sigh, though her expression remained quite pleased.

Madam Zhao, clearly burdened with some thoughts, turned her head to look at the noblewoman sitting nearby, her voice tinged with perplexity. "Madam Shen, I've heard you like to adopt daughters. With your grand and vast household, constantly recognizing daughters like this—surely there isn't anything unseemly going on, is there?"

Madam Zhao had always been sharp with her words, and this remark left Madam Rong stunned for quite a while.

After a long pause, Madam Rong suddenly burst into laughter. "Big Sister, do you take us for human traffickers?"

"Isn't that just what you are? Your family is wealthy and influential, and recognizing a foster daughter costs you nothing, yet you can use these young women as bargaining chips for your business," Madam Zhao rattled off rapidly.

Madam Shen was momentarily taken aback by Madam Zhao's perspective, and then she suddenly chuckled.

"Elder Sister Zhao, up until now, the only daughter we have recognized is Shen Su," Madam Shen shook her head. "We haven't used any young girls for anything of the sort."

"Speaking of which, Matchmaker Hua came to propose a match for my son just the other days, and the prospective bride is none other than your Shen family's adopted daughter," Madam Zhao said in a sarcastic tone. "Are the two of you just going to hound my son and my little daughter-in-law relentlessly?"

Madam Rong was aware that Matchmaker Hua had been arranging a match for Shen Su, but she had no idea... that the groom-to-be was actually Jiang Chengyan.

"Do you two think that having money means you can do whatever you please?" Madam Zhao asked petulantly.

Madam Rong sat there feeling somewhat awkward, as she was completely oblivious to this matter.

Fairness-speaking, however, had Jiang Chengyan not been married, he would have made an exceptionally fine candidate for a son-in-law.

"Elder Sister Zhao can rest easy. Su'er is a good child, very obedient, and we would certainly never break up the young couple," Madam Rong shook her head.

Madam Zhao's only response was a cold snort.

While Madam Zhao and Madam Rong were talking in the kitchen, Bai Yan finally woke up once more.

She put on her outer robe, scrambled down from the brick bed in one fluid motion, and picked up her small wooden basin to go wash up.

She squatted by the doorway, brushing her teeth while flashing a mouthful of tiny, rice-grain-like white teeth.

Suddenly, a dark figure crouched down right in front of her.

Bai Yan lifted her eyes and saw it was the young master who had bought her candied hawthorns.

Today, however, he was not holding candied hawthorns; instead, he was gripping several bank notes.

"How about I give you some silver to spend?" Shen Dongliang held out five one-thousand-liang bank notes toward the little girl, who looked somewhat bewildered.

The little girl glanced at the bank notes, shook her head, and her tiny feet retreated a step backward in stealth.

"This is a lot of money. Smile at me, and I'll give it all to you, alright?" Shen Dongliang's voice was exceptionally gentle.

Hearing this, Bai Yan thought it over. Not only did she refuse to smile, but she actually bared her teeth at Shen Dongliang, putting on a fierce little expression.

A lot of money? It wasn't really that much, only five bank notes. She had seen plenty of them before.

Shen Dongliang had no inkling of Bai Yan's internal thoughts at the moment; he only found her fiercely milky expression rather amusing.

"Accept it. I won't make you smile then. This money can buy you a lot of candied hawthorns," Shen Dongliang said, pushing the five-thousand-liang bank notes a bit further forward. Who could have anticipated that in the very next second... the little girl would retch again.

The psychological shadow cast upon her by those candied hawthorns was simply too profound.

Shen Dongliang was startled, and by the time he looked back up, the little girl had already gotten up and scampered away.

To avoid Madam Rong seeing that he was also here, Shen Dongliang sidestepped and left the premises.

As soon as Shen Dongliang departed, Jiang Chengyan stepped out from the shadows of the corner.

Splendid. It seemed that all those days of making the little girl count silver notes hadn't been in vain.