From Hoarding to Time-Travel: My Supplies Saved Him

Chapter 731: Chapter 733: Counterattack

He Xiaoyu had deeply felt it these past few days. Ever since her aunt took control of the entire backyard of the Liang Mansion, the servants had been waiting on her with even more meticulous care.

She naturally hoped for her biological aunt to do well, so their He Family could also benefit a bit more.

"Things are great now. All the bitterness has finally turned to sweetness," He Xiaoyu asked with a smile. "Didn’t Mrs. Gu already refuse to let their young master come over to accompany my cousin last time? Why did you bring it up again, Aunt?"

Mrs. Liang He snorted. "That Mrs. Gu Jin is a slippery one. Her previous refusal was nothing but an excuse.

"My Feiling is a son of the governor’s mansion. Is he somehow unworthy of playing with her son?"

"Do you really just want to find a playmate for my cousin, Aunt?"

"As expected of my own niece. You are the only one who understands me best." Mrs. Liang He was in a good mood today, so she was much more patient in explaining things to her niece.

"This Mrs. Gu Jin holds a vast amount of wealth in her hands. Unfortunately, I only have your cousin. If I had a daughter, given that she has two sons, I really would want to arrange a marriage between our children.

"But since that path is a dead end, it doesn’t matter. I can still come up with other tricks.

"As long as your cousin can play with her young master, they will build a relationship. Then, we won’t be left behind when good opportunities arise, like that large plot of land in East City last time."

"Didn’t the governor also buy a large piece of land?" He Xiaoyu felt that the Liang Family hadn’t lost out at all. They had selected the land early, and the location was quite good.

"Heh, you said it yourself. The governor bought a large piece of land, but don’t forget that Feiling isn’t his only child.

"When it comes time to divide the family estate, the eldest legitimate son will definitely take the lion’s share. Given the governor’s favoritism, how much do you think my Feiling will get?"

Speaking of this, Mrs. Liang He gritted her teeth. "I’ve heard that this entire affair was spearheaded by Mrs. Gu Jin, and she was the one who initially secured that tract of land.

"It was originally a matter for the inner quarters, but she just had to escalate it to the entire Yongchang County.

"If she had just told me at the time, the owner of that land wouldn’t be the Liang Family, but rather, it would have become part of my dowry. The only ones who would truly benefit would be our He Family.

"It was only because that man surnamed Gu wanted to curry favor with the officials of Yongchang County that he ruined such a great opportunity."

Jin Qianqian would never have imagined that someone could possess such a convoluted thought process as to pin all the blame on her head.

He Xiaoyu also felt that if it had been handled that way, the ones to profit would have been the madams of the various estates. "Mrs. Gu probably just didn’t think of that beforehand."

"She certainly wouldn’t think that far ahead. After all, she is the one who profited the most from this. By offering up the land as a personal favor for Mr. Gu to use, it’s no wonder Mr. Gu dotes on her.

"Hmph, as long as her boy is in our mansion in the future, everything else will be easy to negotiate."

He Xiaoyu felt that this sounded somewhat inappropriate. "Aunt, you absolutely must not let the relationship turn sour, otherwise you won’t be able to explain it to the governor."

"How could this be turning sour? I’m actually doing a good deed. I invited several families at the same time, which also provides playmates for their boys.

"Didn’t you see? The messenger who went to deliver the letters just returned and said that several madams immediately agreed the moment they saw the invitation.

"The governor currently holds a high position. These people are too busy trying to flatter us to even think of refusing."

Mrs. Liang He still had this much confidence, so her good mood persisted throughout the day.

The aunt and niece chatted and laughed. Right then, her confidante, Nanny Ye, walked over with a dark expression on her face.

"Madam, this old servant has something to report."

Mrs. Liang He glanced at He Xiaoyu and said with a smile, "We are all family here. Just speak plainly if you have something to say."

"Mrs. Gu sent someone over with a cart of gifts. This is the letter she returned for you, Madam."

Mrs. Liang He’s face darkened. She had just been boasting to her niece, but she hadn’t expected to be slapped in the face by Mrs. Gu Jin the very next moment.

She didn’t even need to open the reply letter to know what was written inside. "How unappreciative of my kindness."

He Xiaoyu also felt that this Mrs. Gu didn’t know how to conduct herself in society.

"I’d like to see if Mrs. Gu Jin’s spine can always stay this stiff."

Nanny Ye asked, "How should we handle the gifts sent over by the Gu family?"

"Since they are meant as an apology, we will naturally accept them." Mrs. Liang He snorted. "Bring me the gift list. I want to see how generous she is this time."

When she took the gift list, her brows nearly knitted into a knot. What on earth were these items? They were just some dried goods and other foodstuff. Did the entire Liang Mansion really lack this bit of food? Was it so necessary to eagerly send these over?

If they were valuable items, she would have let the matter rest. But seeing an entire cart of gifts being hauled over, only for them to turn out to be these worthless trinkets—who was she trying to humiliate?

"Send the items to the back kitchen," she ordered. She had to accept them now regardless. If she returned them, it would instead make people think she looked down on these things.

She couldn’t swallow this anger, nor could she spit it out; she only felt terribly stifled.

He Xiaoyu didn’t dare to sit as comfortably as before. She quickly stood off to the side, taking a cup of tea from a maid’s hands and placing it by her aunt’s desk.

"Aunt, let’s not get angry over such meaningless people. Have a sip of water to calm down."

"Calm down from what?" Mrs. Liang He instantly swept the cup off the table, sending it crashing to the floor, which frightened He Xiaoyu and the maids and older female servants beside her into holding their breaths.

"She is the first one who dared to humiliate me like this. Very well indeed."

「Nightfall.」

As soon as night fell, Jin Qianqian had already received news from the Liang Mansion.

As the saying goes, money makes the mare go. Mrs. Liang He was simply too confident. She thought she had already gained total control over the Liang Mansion’s backyard, never expecting that some fish would slip through the net.

And these fish that slipped through the net just so happened to connect with the people she had sent out. If there was even the slightest rustle of grass in the wind at the Liang Mansion, the news would quickly reach her ears.

"TSK, TSK, TSK. The tables have turned now, and I’ve finally vented my frustrations." Jin Qianqian leaned back comfortably on the couch. "Later, have Housekeeper Jiang send over some reward silver. We mustn’t mistreat those who work for us."

To prevent delays in information in the future, Jin Qianqian felt that some silver just had to be spent. At the very least, she needed to secure people’s loyalty.

The other party intentionally leaked the information, and she enticed them further with money. She figured they would work even more diligently and gather even more intelligence.

Since this enmity had already been forged, she would need these people even more.

"Madam, is it really okay for us to forge an enmity with her like this?" Lichun used the opportunity of reporting on today’s backyard affairs to once again snatch up the task of serving her.

"Relax," Jin Qianqian said. "This Lady Liang can at most strut around in the backyard and make things difficult for us when we go out to attend banquets.

"Her reach doesn’t extend to the front yard, and Governor Liang won’t just let her do as she pleases."

It was precisely because Jin Qianqian saw this clearly that she had replied so bluntly.

Since she couldn’t understand human speech, she should at least be able to see the facts clearly.

"Then you must remember to bring more hands with you when you go out to attend banquets in the future, Madam." Lichun still felt a bit worried; some of the underhanded tricks from the inner quarters were always impossible to guard against.

Jin Qianqian had always sought stability, so she naturally agreed. "When I go out from now on, I’ll bring Ming Yue and the others with me."