Chapter 150 -

Chapter 150: Chapter

After Second Uncle Chengang, Madame Liu, Ruizhe, and Liu Feng hurried out of the compound gates with the sixty taels of silver, the heavy footsteps faded down the dirt road. The hall suddenly became very quiet. The huge storm had passed, but the air still felt thick and heavy.

Yimei didn’t say a word. She walked back to her table, pulled out her stool, and sat down calmly. She picked up her chopsticks and went right back to eating her food like nothing happened.

Madame Zhao gave a quiet, tired sigh. She stood up from her seat and walked into the kitchen with Bai Shu to bring out the rest of the warm rice and side dishes. ℴ

Bai Rulan stood in the middle of the hall, her cheeks burning red with pure frustration. She glared at Yimei with angry, teary eyes. She couldn’t stand watching Yimei eat so peacefully after throwing the whole house into chaos. Stomping her feet on the wooden floor, she whirled around and marched straight out of the hall.

Meiling gasped softly, looking nervously between Yimei and her sister. "Rulan, wait up!" Meiling called out, quickly running down the corridor after her to calm her down.

Qinqin stood right behind Yimei’s chair, holding her breath. She looked down at her young Madame in utter shock. Her small hands were still shaking from how close she had come to being carried off by slave traders, yet Yimei sat there completely cool, direct, and unbothered.

"Well... morning is completely ruined," Wenliang muttered in a dry, scratchy voice. He scratched his messy head, leaning back against a wooden pillar as he tilted his head and took a big, careless gulp of cheap wine.

Madame Chen didn’t care about the drama or anyone’s feelings. She strutted right over to the basket of fresh orchard apples Madame Bai had set down earlier. Without asking anyone for permission, she reached inside, grabbed two of the largest apples, and stuffed them right into her wide sleeves. Then she took a huge, noisy bite out of a third one, chewing loudly.

Madame Zhang watched her sister-in-law’s shameless greed with a bitter, sour face. She muttered under her breath while scrubbing her wooden chopping board violently. Soon after, Madame Bai stood up with a heavy heart and walked off to check on her daughters in their room, leaving the main hall in an uncomfortable silence.

High up in a massive, bushy banyan tree right outside the compound wall, two hidden figures sat perched among the thick leaves, watching every single detail through the open hall windows.

They were Mr. and Mrs. Shen, a secretive couple sent all the way from the imperial capital by the main branch elders to keep sharp eyes on the disgraced, exiled Bai family.

Mr. Shen adjusted his small brass telescope, peering closely at the scene before letting out a soft sigh and shaking his head.

"Old Madame Bai was right after all," Mr. Shen whispered, watching the relatives in the hall. "This family is truly struggling. Look at them, uncles acting out of desperation, wives hiding secrets behind their husbands’ backs, and everyone else constantly arguing over simple meals."

Mrs. Shen sat right beside him, casually peeling a dried plum with a small knife. She kept her eyes locked onto Yimei, who was smoothly setting down her chopsticks.

"The rest of the family seems so lost and chaotic, husband," Mrs. Shen murmured, a thoughtful glint in her eyes. "But that new daughter-in-law... Yimei... she is remarkably sharp. Did you watch how she handled everything? She saved her little maid, secured an entire inn deed, and managed to get the second branch to help her with the shop. She moves through these conflicts with incredible calculation."

Mr. Shen pulled his telescope back, eyebrows raised. "She is clever, I’ll give her that. But even so, she is married to a crippled young master living in a quiet village. It will be difficult for her to build much out here."

"Do not underestimate a clever mind, husband," Mrs. Shen replied softly, a faint, intrigued smile touching her lips. "She is clearly the one holding things together for the young master right now. We should send a letter back to the capital tonight. The elders should know that the first branch’s young Madame is far more capable than anyone expected."

Back inside the main hall, Yimei wiped her lips with a clean cloth. She stood up and turned around, her dark eyes naturally landing on the corner where Zhengyu sat in his wheelchair by the open window.

Zhengyu had been watching her the whole time, a subtle, dark smile resting at the edge of his lips.

"You have quite the audience watching your show today," Zhengyu said in a low, raspy voice, glancing subtly toward the tall tree branches outside.

Yimei didn’t even bother to glance out the window. She stepped over to his wheelchair, her face flat and unreadable. 𝖋𝘳ℯ

"Rats inside the house, crows in the tree," Yimei replied smoothly. "It makes no difference to me. As long as they don’t block my way to making silver, they can sit up there and watch all day."

She reached into her sleeve, pulled out the dusty yellow inn deed Madame Liu had surrendered, and tossed it right into Zhengyu’s lap.

Zhengyu caught the parchment, unfolding it with one hand as he read the old seal. "An abandoned inn in the south-east market. It’s going to cost a lot of silver and heavy labor to fix the rotten roof, clean the place, and open those doors."

"I have the silver," Yimei said, leaning down slightly until her face was only inches from his. "And as of today... I have three new workers from the second branch who will handle all the dirty work for free."

Zhengyu looked straight into her calm, dark eyes, feeling the faint warmth of her breath against his face. His heart skipped a beat, a thrilling warmth rushing through his chest as he stared at her sharp, unyielding expression.

"You really plan on turning this family’s mess into your personal workforce, don’t you?" Zhengyu whispered softly.

Yimei let out a faint, razor-sharp smirk, standing up straight.

"I don’t care about taking over anything, husband," Yimei said directly. "I just like it when people pay what they owe."