Chapter 446 — Repaying a Debt

Chen Jia, however, reflected that Jiang Yan had gone so far as to bring him even that half tael of silver, which surely meant she was deeply uneasy about the matter. Not wishing to put her in a difficult position, he said to the young servant who had delivered the money, "Go back and tell your young lady that I have received the silver. There is no need for her to hurry to repay the remaining fifty-two taels."

The servant nodded and returned to the residence to report to Jiang Yan.

Jiang Yan breathed a sigh of relief, then fell to worrying over how she might repay Chen Jia's silver as quickly as possible.

Her gold and silver ornaments were absolutely not to be pawned—otherwise outsiders would think her brother and sister-in-law had treated her shabbily.

Her monthly allowance was a mere twenty taels, so she would have to save for at least three months, and by then it would nearly be the New Year.

Whose debt was ever dragged past the New Year? How unlucky that would be!

But if any social obligation arose during those three months, she would not be able to repay the silver before the year's end either...

The very thought left her uneasy, and she could not help silently praying that no trouble would befall any of her relatives before the New Year.

Yet it is ever the way that the thing you fear most is precisely the thing that comes to pass.

Within a few days, word spread from the Lu household that the eldest young madam had suffered a miscarriage.

The Lu family's line was already thin, and even Dou Yan was anxious on behalf of the old Madam Lu and Princess Ninghuai when she heard the news.

She reflected that Song Cen's silence on the matter of Jiang Yan had depended entirely on the two old ladies restraining him, and since Jiang Yan was herself a married woman, she took Jiang Yan along with her to the Lu residence to visit the eldest young madam.

Jiang Yan, however, was somewhat worried. "Is it appropriate for me to go?" she asked.

After all, her status was uncertain at present.

"Appropriate? Of course it is appropriate!" Dou Yan had to put it tactfully. "The two old ladies are especially sympathetic toward you. Their refusal to attend Song Han's wedding was on your account, to speak up for you. If you go, they will only be pleased—there is no reason they would resent you. Between people, the more you visit one another, the closer you grow."

Jiang Yan felt that it would not do to arrive empty-handed.

Dou Xin said, "Set your mind at ease. I have long since prepared a tonic for you to give in your name; the nurses will present it to the eldest young madam when the time comes. You need only come along with me."

Jiang Yan had entered the household with nothing but the clothes on her back—and even those clothes had been bought for her by Chen Jia. Dou Yan knew better than anyone how little she had to her name, so how could she let Jiang Yan spend her money?

Thinking of this, she recalled that a few days earlier Jiang Yan had sent someone to see Chen Jia.

To make Jiang Yan feel that the Yizhi Hall was her own home, where she might do as she pleased, Dou Yan had not instructed anyone to report her every move. But Jiang Yan lived in the Yizhi Hall after all, and some things could not escape Dou Zhiwei's eyes.

She asked Jiang Yan with studied casualness, "What did you go looking for Chen Jia about? Have you run into some difficulty?"

How could Jiang Yan bring herself to tell Dou Yan that she had borrowed money from Chen Jia? Would that not amount to asking Dou Yan to repay the silver for her?

She said, "I asked him to look into the matter of Li Liang for me."

Dou Yan was not as bristling with hostility on this matter as Song Yan was, and she could well understand Jiang Yan's feelings. She smiled and said, "Set your mind at ease. Your brother is not a man who cannot tell right from wrong. He may harbor a passing anger toward Li Liang, but Li Liang did protect you after all. Once his anger has cooled, he will see reason."

Jiang Yan nodded again and again.

Her brother truly had not harmed Li Liang.

She could not help secretly reproaching herself.

She had been measuring a gentleman's heart by the yardstick of a petty mind.

Even her sister-in-law trusted her brother so completely, yet she had gone running to Chen Jia to ask how her brother meant to deal with Li Liang.

Thank goodness her brother did not know what she had done. If he knew what she had said to Chen Jia, he would surely be hurt.

At this thought, she felt all the more certain that her brother and sister-in-law must never learn of her sending silver to Li Liang.

If they knew, they would surely think she did not trust them, and suspect them of having mistreated Li Liang.

When they reached the Lu residence, both old Madam Lu and Princess Ninghuai were present.

The two old ladies seemed to have aged several years all at once.

Madam Lu, the eldest, was even more full of self-reproach. "I knew she was feeling unwell—I should have made her take to her bed and rest. Who would have guessed she was with child!"

The eldest young madam hastened to comfort her mother-in-law. "How can you blame yourself for this? It was my own carelessness. If you say such things, I shall be so ashamed I won't know where to put myself."

Old Madam Lu said, "Enough, enough. None of you must blame yourselves. Between people, there must be a bond of fate. This only shows that the child was not fated to be with our family." Then she said to Madam Lu, "For these days, you take charge of the household affairs. Do not let Zhan'er's wife lift a finger—let her rest and recover properly." And to the eldest young madam she said, "Do not think of anything at all. Build up your health. There will be children again in the future."

Both women nodded, yet the look of shame on their faces would not fade.

Old Madam Lu kept Dou Yan and Jiang Yan in the room to comfort the eldest young madam, while she and Princess Ninghuai withdrew to the reception room.

Meanwhile, Miao Zhi, learning that Dou Yan and Jiang Yan had left the residence, stirred into action.

She instructed Liu Hong to coax Fuye into her room to play with some sweets, while she herself hid in the adjoining wing and eavesdropped on Liu Hong and Fuye's conversation.

After they had chattered about this and that for a while, the topic turned to Song Han's wedding.

Liu Hong said, "The Dou family is so wealthy, and they are proper in-laws of the Song family—so why were they so stingy when the Second Master married? They didn't even send a wedding gift. Aren't they afraid the heir will take offense?"

Fuye chewed the wosi candy in her mouth.

How sweet this candy was!

No wonder it was made from a formula that had come out of the palace.

It was exactly the same as the ones in the Madam's rooms.

Clearly this Second Madam had spared no expense!

Clever of her, to know to inquire among the people close to the Madam. If she had asked around Xixiang Court or among the Second Master's people, she likely wouldn't have learned a thing in a year and a half!

She still had candy in her mouth, yet she planted her hands on her hips and argued loudly, "The Dou family isn't being stingy at all! Just look at the betrothal gifts the Dou family gave the Eldest Young Master and you'll see how rich they are—why would they care about a little money like this! It's only because some things came to light at home a while back, and everyone's saying the Second Master was brought in from outside by Lord Zhenguo. To make the Second Master a legitimate son, Lord Zhenguo swapped him with the eldest young miss born to Lady Jiang... The Heir Apparent fell out with Lord Zhenguo over this matter. If someone from the Dou family came to join in the fuss over the Second Master's marriage, of course the Heir Apparent would be displeased!"

Liu Hong was aghast, and could not help glancing toward the next room.

Fuye understood at once.