Chapter 116 -

Chapter 116: Chapter

Early the next morning, the news spread like wildfire through every corridor of the Bai Manor.

Old Madame Bai had already posted notices across the estate. Only a small handful of senior servants would remain behind to maintain the main grounds for the next year, while the rest were given early severance pay. Before sunrise, Old Madame Bai had personally collected the official seals from all three branches, effectively stripping every son and daughter-in-law of their authority.

Inside Madame Bai’s courtyard, a warm stove burned quietly. Yimei sat gracefully at the wooden table, taking a slow sip of hot tea. Across from her sat her mother-in-law, Madame Bai, along with Zhengyu’s sisters, Bai Rulan and Bai Meiling.

"The entire town is talking about it," Rulan said softly, her mature face carrying a touch of worry. "News has already reached all the noble families. Everyone knows the Bai family is moving to the southeast."

Madame Bai set her porcelain cup down with a heavy sigh. "Let them talk. We really have nothing left from the main estate accounts now."

Seeing her daughters’ anxious faces, Madame Bai offered a reassuring, gentle smile. "Don’t worry, my daughters. I still have savings from my personal dowry hidden away. I will make sure our First Branch does not starve."

Rulan and Meiling both smiled warmly at their mother, feeling a wave of relief.

Yimei set her cup down and looked at Madame Bai with a calm, thoughtful gaze. "Mother, do you have any private shops registered under your own name?"

Hearing this, sixteen-year-old Meiling got instantly excited, leaning forward on the table. "Yes, Mother! You are originally from the southeast! Your maiden family lives right there!"

Madame Bai immediately reached over and gave Meiling’s arm a light, scolding tap. "Be quiet, Meiling! Do not speak so loosely."

Madame Bai turned back to Yimei, her voice dropping into a serious tone. "It is true that my maiden family is loaded with money. But the same goes for Madame Liu and Madame Zhang. Old Madame Bai explicitly forbade any of us from borrowing money or using connections from our maiden families. If any branch is caught receiving help from their in-laws, they will be instantly disqualified from participating in this competition."

Yimei’s dark eyes flashed with quiet understanding. "I see. So every single tael must be earned completely from scratch."

"Exactly," Madame Bai said grimly. "We are entirely on our own."

[Host, that means the pavilion Zhengyu gave you can’t be used. Even if you use it, the money generated from it won’t count toward the 100,000 taels needed for the First Branch to win.] Nine’s electronic voice sounded in Yimei’s mind.

Do you think I don’t know that? Yimei replied coolly in her head.

Rulan turned to Yimei, her face filled with worry. "Only the new daughters-in-law actually have an advantage right now. They both brought their own dowries and have shops registered directly under their names."

Yimei set her tea cup down on the table with a soft clack. "That may be true, but my own dowry isn’t much anymore. I used most of it for renovations on my new pavilion, which I cannot even use now. As for my original tea house, it was burnt down. I am just as broke as the rest of the family."

Madame Bai, Rulan, and Meiling all let out a heavy, synchronized sigh.

"That means An Yulan has the upper hand," Meiling said gloomily.

Hearing that name, Yimei almost choked on her breath, bursting into a sudden, clear laugh. "You shouldn’t bother worrying about her. She will be of no help to this branch at all."

Her confident words left Madame Bai and her daughters completely shocked. Before they could ask what she meant, Yimei turned her dark eyes toward her mother-in-law.

"Mother, were you ever given any shop to handle by your parents when you got married?" Yimei asked smoothly.

Madame Bai paused, her eyebrows furrowing as she tried to think back many years. Suddenly, her eyes widened.

"Ah! I just remembered!" Madame Bai exclaimed softly. "I was given a small shop after I married into the Bai family. The shop deeds and everything are legally registered under my maiden name. But since it is located far away in the southeast and I knew nothing about running a business, I just left it sitting there and never used it."

A sharp, clever glint flashed in Yimei’s eyes. She stood up, a small smile touching her lips.

"Mother, please look for the business files and shop deeds," Yimei said calmly. "That shop will be our ticket to winning whatever challenge Grandmother has put in place."

Without waiting for another word, Yimei bowed respectfully. "Thank you for the tea, Mother. I will take my leave now."

After Yimei bowed and stepped out of the courtyard, the room fell quiet once more.

Meiling looked down at her lap, her playful attitude completely gone. She turned to Madame Bai, her voice small and trembling. "Mother... will life really become that hard now? Are we really going to live like commoners in the southeast?"

Rulan held her younger sister’s hand, looking at Madame Bai with deep worry. "Everything happened so fast. What if we fail to raise the money? What if our branch loses everything for good?"

Madame Bai looked at her two daughters and let out a soft, gentle sigh. She reached across the small table, wrapping her hands over theirs to comfort them.

"Do not worry so much, my daughters," Madame Bai said warmly, offering them a reassuring smile. "Your grandmother may be strict, but she is still the head of this family. Even if things do not go as planned, Old Madame Bai will never sit back and watch her own children and grandchildren starve or suffer."

She patted Meiling’s hand gently. "She is only doing this to teach everyone a hard lesson about greed. Once the year is over, she may very well end up forgiving us and giving us a much lighter punishment. So keep your heads up, stay quiet, and let us do our best."

Rulan and Meiling both nodded, feeling a wave of relief wash over them as they leaned into their mother’s comforting words.

But even Madame Bai knew the truth.. Old Madame bai was rock completely hard to crack especially when she set her mind on something.