Chapter 375: Storeroom
Chapter 375: Chapter 375: Storeroom
"You still don’t understand. The Gu family is back, and they will definitely come to settle the score with us in the future. With so many businesses in our hands, if they want to make things difficult, do you think our Bai family can withstand the wrath of the Third Prince and the Gu family?" Bai Jingwen was so furious he almost slammed the table, but remembering that his two sons were present, he held it in.
"Father, you aren’t this timid, are you? Since we’ve already offended them, we might as well figure out how to deal with it." Bai Jiannan didn’t think the Gu family, who had already been stripped of their official titles, was worth fearing.
"I just received news that the Gu family’s granddaughter will enter the Third Prince Mansion."
Mrs. Bai sneered. "Your news isn’t very up-to-date. I already knew that before the new year."
"How did you know?"
"It was the talk of the entire Shangjing a while ago. Haven’t you heard?
"The whole city was saying that for Gu Antong, the Third Prince was willing to endure hardships and exhaustion despite his status as a Prince." Fearing this fool would be blinded by false information later on, Mrs. Bai walked into the inner chamber and brought out the letters Bai Suihe had sent previously, laying them out in front of him. "This details the Gu family’s situation along the journey. Read it first before you say anything else."
After the Bai father and sons finished reading, they saw that Bai Suihe hadn’t concealed anything in the letters. She even pointed out that Gu Baijiang had bargaining chips in his hands, forcing the Third Prince to compromise.
Recalling the string of rumors spreading in secret, Bai Jingwen abruptly looked up. "So Gu Baijiang really embezzled?"
"What else did you think? Our daughter has resolved our future worries.
"Now, Gu Baijiang is ruined, and Boss Gu is of no great use. You can see the end of the current Gu family at a glance.
"However, they won’t just stop here. I’m afraid they will act even more unscrupulously in the future and will definitely stand on the Third Prince’s side.
"The Third Prince is still somewhat favored now, but His Majesty is young after all. If the Third Prince wants to sit in that position..."
Through Mrs. Bai’s analysis, the Bai father and sons nodded repeatedly. This made too much sense.
The Gu family was tied to the Third Prince, but their success rate was still nowhere in sight. If they failed, they would drag all their in-laws straight into hell.
Although they were merchants, they knew taking sides too early was a bad idea. Bai Jiannan stared at Bai Jingwen. "Then Suihe and her husband really made a wise decision this time. Father, you have to show some appreciation."
"You brat, she is my daughter. Do you think I’d shortchange her?" His voice lost some confidence toward the end. "I’ll send her some silver notes later."
As for how much, he didn’t tell the mother and her two sons. "We also need to keep an eye on the Gu family and avoid being retaliated against by them."
"He’d have to have the strength for that first," Mrs. Bai sneered. He had bullied her daughter and still wanted to stay safely and comfortably in Shangjing?
Previously, out of consideration for Gu Baijiang’s official position, even if they were angry, they could only swallow it. But now things were different. Gu Baijiang was ruined, and Boss Gu was useless. She naturally didn’t mind adding fuel to the fire.
"Just watch. We won’t even need to do anything. The women in the Third Prince’s backyard will be the first to make a move," Mrs. Bai said. She knew no one could tolerate it; they shared a husband, and now he suddenly had a true love. What did that make them?
For this day, she had planted quite a few spies in the Third Prince Mansion. The more chaotic the Third Prince’s backyard was, the better.
"You’ve worked hard, my dear," Bai Jingwen said. He knew that offending the Third Prince and Gu Baijiang was inevitable. Now that his wife had made preparations, he also needed to add some fuel to the fire. "I’m going to my sister’s mansion to sit for a while."
After saying that, he stood up and beckoned for his two sons to follow.
Since his two sons had no talent for studying and no interest in academics, he simply kept both of them by his side. As for the sons born of concubines, once they married, they would be given a small portion of the family assets and sent to live elsewhere. This prevented family discord and was one of the secrets to how the Bai family maintained its strength.
Of these two legitimate sons, the eldest was already confirmed as the next Family Head. The second son would eventually receive ten percent of the family assets to start his own household. So, even though his was the only main bloodline of the Bai family on the surface, there were many branch families. They usually watched out for each other but never showed off their connections. Many people didn’t even know they were related. It could be said that Bai Jingwen was merely the public face of the Bai family.
Mrs. Bai paid no attention to the father and sons. Once they left, she took Nanny Wu to the grand storehouse. Naturally, the good items here had to be saved for her own children.
Although Bai Jingwen appeared to follow their ancestral teachings, everyone had selfish motives. Among the many concubine-born sons and daughters, he had a few favorites, and even their birth mothers had received plenty of good things.
These bolts of soft mist silk were not bad. There were many mosquitoes and insects in Lingnan, so they could be used to make bed nets for her daughter.
This Moonlight Brocade had just been purchased for the Bai Mansion a few days ago. It was originally meant to make clothes for the female family members after Kai Chun, but now she would commandeer it.
The color of this Guangling silk was quite nice, perfect for her daughter and little granddaughter. They could make a few more quilt covers when the time came.
After selecting the fabrics, she skipped the utensils and ornaments. Those things could be bought anywhere, so there was no need to waste space on them.
Moving to the jewelry section, she picked out a few matching sets of headpieces for Bai Suihe. Then, she directed her gaze straight at the Peace Locks and longevity locks. Whether they were made of gold, silver, or jade, as long as they caught her eye, she had the maids behind her gather them up one by one. Her granddaughter deserved to wear a different one every day without repeating.
These small jewelry sets were also quite nice and delicate. They had been carefully selected from the shops and sent over for the Bai Mansion to use as gifts for social connections. Since she couldn’t attend her little granddaughter’s third-day bathing ceremony, one-month celebration, or hundred-day milestone... she had to make up for it with all these items.
Turning to look at Nanny Wu, she asked, "Qingshui, with my granddaughter born, shouldn’t our mansion send some formal gifts?"
Nanny Wu glanced at the accountant standing by the side. "To answer you, Mrs. Bai, it is only proper. It’s just that since Miss is not in the capital, the concubines, young ladies, and young masters have no way to send gifts."
"That’s fine. Their gifts would come out of the storehouse anyway. Just prepare a portion for all of them according to the rules."
The accountant registering items on the side didn’t even blink. He recorded everything truthfully and even helped tally the quantities. All of the incoming and outgoing accounts of the mansion passed through his hands, and he had long grown accustomed to Mrs. Bai’s domineering attitude.
At most, the Master would mutter a complaint in private before tossing the matter aside. So why should a lowly accountant like him care so much? He just needed to do whatever the masters told him to. However, it looked like the storehouse was going to bleed heavily today. He could see the dark gleam in Mrs. Bai’s eyes.
Seeing her walk toward the medicinal herbs section, the accountant grew a bit nervous. It had been incredibly difficult to replenish the stock with that century-old ginseng, so he hoped Mrs. Bai wouldn’t take it. When he saw her pick up the century-old ginseng displayed in the most prominent spot, he swallowed hard. Now, they were definitely going to get scolded by the Master again.
"Mrs. Bai, that was incredibly hard to find..."
In the end, the accountant still braced himself and stepped forward to speak. Why hadn’t the butler arrived yet today?
Mrs. Bai glanced at him. "My daughter has gone through untold hardships and suffered all sorts of pain. She is exactly the one who needs this to properly nourish her body."