This chapter has been stolen from volarenovels. Please read from the original source!
Chu Lian wasnât in charge of managing the estate and had no desire to take up the responsibility, either. She had just been drinking her water and doing her best to become one with the background. Why had this eldest sister-in-law of hers suddenly shifted the topic to her instead?
Chu Lianâs hands froze while in the midst of holding up her cup. However, she knew it wasnât a good time to speak and remained silent.
Matriarch Heâs brows furrowed together. How could the estateâs income have shrunken so fast?
When given the rights to manage the properties of their noble estates, the madams of other estates would likely develop the properties in their hands further and bring in more income. However, look at Dalangâs wife. Not only had their businesses stagnated, but their income had even shrunk by half. How was she managing the estateâs properties?
After Madam Zou spoke, she did feel a little guilty. She had appropriated some funds to plump up her dowry and House Dingyuanâs second branch after becoming the lady-in-charge of the estate. Otherwise, the estateâs income couldnât have declined so fast.
In the beginning, Guilin Restaurant hadnât been Chu Lianâs property; rather, it had been part of the matriarchâs dowry.
Madam Zou only saw the vast profits that Guilin Restaurant was bringing in now, but had never thought of the reason, or person, behind Guilin Restaurantâs success.
If not for Chu Lian, then Guilin Restaurant would still be hidden away in the old west market and making a loss!
After hearing Madam Zouâs words, Matriarch He was stunned for a moment. When she recovered from her daze, she said, âDalangâs wife, what are you thinking about now?â
Madam Zou took a deep breath and pinched herself under her sleeves. She gathered up her courage to say, âAfter all this time, Granddaughter-in-Law has finally seen that Third Sister-in-Law has a good hand at managing businesses! Weâre all House Jingâanâs granddaughters-in-law, so Third Sister-in-Law should put some responsibility on her shoulders, too. Since Third Sister-in-Law has the capability, why donât we move Guilin Restaurant into our estateâs public accounts? If Grandmother thinks that this is doing a disservice to Third Sister-in-Law, I can move out some other properties from the public accounts as compensation. Since Third Sister-in-Law is so skilled, Iâm sure those properties can become the next Guilin Restaurant in less than two months.â
Once Madam Zou finished speaking, it was not only Chu Lian, but even Matriarch He and Senior Servant Liu who were shocked.
A glint flashed through Chu Lianâs wide almond-shaped eyes. Chu Lian inwardly sneered. She hadnât expected that Madam Zou would try to pull such a trick on her here.
It seemed like she had set her sights on Guilin Restaurant and was already green-eyed with envy.
What a pity that Matriarch He had already handed over the deeds and documents for Guilin Restaurant to her a few days ago. Guilin Restaurant was now completely hers. It was useless for Madam Zou to ask for it from Matriarch He. If she wanted Guilin Restaurant, Madam Zou should be pleading her for it instead.
Chu Lian lowered her gaze and continued her silence with a calm expression, as if Madam Zouâs words had nothing to do with her, as if Madam Zou wasnât trying to steal the property in her hands right in front of Matriarch He.
Matriarch He and Senior Servant Liu turned to look at Chu Lian at the same time.
The furrow between Matriarch Heâs brows grew even deeper. âDalangâs wife, what are you saying? Iâve already told you that Iâve given Guilin Restaurant to Lianâer. You were present then and you didnât say anything. Why are you trying to ask for it back now? This isnât appropriate. Furthermore, Iâve already given Lianâer the deed to Guilin Restaurant.â
Madam Zouâs expression changed abruptly. âGrandmother, if we have this Guilin Restaurant in the estateâs public accounts, we wonât have to worry about Motherâs medicine fees any longer. Whatâs more, Third Sister-in-Law is capable in this respect, she...â
âAlright, you donât have to say any more. Iâve already made my decision. Since you said that the public funds can no longer accommodate your motherâs monthly medical expenses, then Iâll pay for half of it from my own private funds. The remaining half will be paid for with the public funds.â
This wasnât the result that Madam Zou wanted. What she wanted was Chu Lianâs Guilin Restaurant! That was the real golden goose!
If she managed to get it in hand, that meant that she would own all of Guilin Restaurantâs secret recipes. By then, she could even open up ten restaurants like Guilin if she wanted to. Wouldnât she be rolling in riches then?!
Just as Madam Zou was getting antsy and trying to come up with her next plan, Chu Lian suddenly spoke up. âI didnât know that Eldest Sister-in-Law and Grandmother were worried over this matter. Grandmother, let Granddaughter-in-Law pay for Motherâs medicine expenses instead. Granddaughter-in-Lawâs Guilin Restaurant has indeed earned quite a sum last month. Since Granddaughter-in-Law has the ability to do so, Granddaughter-in-Law should support the estate in this manner. Itâs also Motherâs medicine expenses weâre talking about here. Since Sanlang isnât around, this is all Granddaughter-in-Law can do for the estate. Granddaughter-in-Law hopes that Grandmother and Eldest Sister-in-Law will accept this small effort.â
Chu Lian had been intending to act as a silent prop in the background and drink her favourite honey water while listening to Grandmother and Eldest Sister-in-law chat about family matters. However, since Madam Zou was trying to plot against her, she wouldnât simply lie back and take it. She wasnât someone to be bullied!
She hadnât really wanted to say something like this at first, but the situation had forced her hand.
Bringing up the matter of Countess Jingâanâs medicine fees in front of Matriarch He was already reflecting rather badly upon Madam Zou. However, later on, without offering to pay for her mother-in-lawâs medicine herself, she had even tried to snatch away Guilin Restaurant, her sister-in-lawâs only property. Those high-sounding words she had used to pave the way beforehand were just that, grand yet empty. How could Matriarch He not detect the selfish motives in Madam Zouâs words?
Despite that, Chu Lian had readily agreed to this when Madam Zou was completely unwilling to do so.
She was even going to pay for her mother-in-lawâs expenses.
With this comparison, it was easy to tell who was the better person. Madam Zou had been left completely in the dust.
Besides that, Chu Lian was originally a poor miss without much in her dowry, so this comparison stood out even more.
Madam Zouâs face turned a different colour and shifted through all sorts of expressions.