Chapter 81: Pouches of Money
Chapter 81: Pouches of Money
"What made you think that you can Divorce us based on your opinion and decision alone?" Xin Cheng was trying to hold back his anger, but the papers in his hands and the woman in front of him were making it quite hard for him.
"Exactly! You alone can’t decide whether we should end our relationships or not." Zhe Yuan quickly added.
"I agree." Wei Guang spoke and compared to the harshness that others’ voices carried, his voice was still gentle and calm as ever. He looked straight into Xiang Ling’s eyes and continued, "We can’t make any hasty decision. Despite the rough past we all shared, things have changed now. You have changed... and divorce is no small matter."
Xiang Ling looked at the five men for a moment before she replied, "I haven’t made the decision."
"Huh?"
"What do you mean, Ling’er?"
"I mean it literally. What I’m trying to say here is that I’m giving the five of you a chance to Divorce me and free yourself from this relationship. I have decided to let you go if that’s what you all want. Now, I’m asking for your opinion." Xiang Ling explained calmly and noticed how each man relaxed visibly after hearing her words.
"That didn’t sound like you were asking for our opinions at all." Xin Cheng was unable to hold himself back from taunting.
Xiang Ling just gave him an unhappy look but didn’t respond as she was indeed at fault. She only phrased her words like that because she wanted to tease them a little bit and wanted to see their reactions. She never had the thought of forcing the divorce on them.
"So, you are trying to say that if we refused, you will not Divorce us?" Li Xian asked and Xiang Ling nodded her head in response.
"Great." Xin Cheng said as he tore the five papers into two parts. Stepping forward, he placed the torn papers into a very shocked Xiang Ling’s hands and turned to leave.
Watching him stepping toward the exit, Xiang Ling quickly called out, "Wait!" The man stopped in his tracks while the other four, who also stood up to leave, turned their attention toward her.
"What is it now?" Xin Cheng asked in a very unimpressed tone.
Ignoring the hostility in his voice, Xiang Ling threw the torn papers on a nearby table and mumbled, "I knew you all will not agree." Though she didn’t speak loudly, the sharp hearing of the five men caught every single word that left her mouth.
"You knew?" Dao Ming asked while tilting his head to the side.
Xiang Ling looked up at the man in surprise and eventually spoke, "Enough about all this. Since you all aren’t divorcing me, there’s something else we need to talk about. Sit down."
It almost sounded like she was ordering them and the men did follow her words and settled down once again in their respective seats.
Standing up from her seat, Xiang Ling picked up the pouches that were sitting on the table next to her and moved toward Wei Guang. She handed him one of the pouches and moved ahead. Everyone else received one of the pouches but Xin Cheng got two.
"There’s money in it." Zhe Yuan said as he weighed the pouch in his hand and felt the taels that were sitting inside. All five men looked at Xiang Ling for an explanation.
"Since none of you want to divorce me, let’s try to make our marriages work." She looked anywhere but at them, as she spoke the last few words. Returning to her seat, she continued, "Since you all are living here, you all are kind of my responsibility. These pouches contain money as you all have noticed. There are fifty silver taels in each of the pouches and these are for your daily expenses for the next month. From now on, you all will receive money for your expenses every month."
The men were clearly surprised by her words. Not only she was giving them money for expenses but it was also a big amount. The current Xiang Ling had nothing in similar with her past self except for the same body and name. Only if they knew how close their thoughts were to the actual truth. Of course, there was a particular person among the five of them who already knew about this big secret that their wife was hiding.
"Why Brother Chen got two?" Zhe Yuan asked when he noticed the two pouches in Xin Cheng’s hands.
"The other pouch contains the fifty silver taels that he loaned to me in Xinyang Town." Xiang Ling answered as she tried to give Xin Cheng a little smile but the man ignored her like a passing breeze. Clearing her throat to hide her embarrassment, she added, "You all can return to your rooms now."
The men stood up and started leaving the hall. Xin Cheng was the first one who stormed out and Xiang Ling couldn’t help but wonder why he was acting so furiously.
"Give him some time. He will calm down soon." Wei Guang’s soft voice pulled her attention toward him and she realized that he was the only one who hadn’t left the hall yet.
"Why would I waste my time worrying about him? I have many other important matters to pay attention to." She mumbled as she took another glance toward the entrance of the hall.
Wei Guang smiled at her words as he started walking alongside her. The two of them stepped outside the hall and headed in the direction of their courtyard. "You have been working really hard these days. You should take care of yourself. Also, let me know if you need my help with anything. I’m always idle and would love to be of some use."
Xiang Ling stopped in her tracks and her sudden halt also brought Wei Guang to a stop. Looking into his dark eyes, she offered, "How about you accompany me for a drink this evening after dinner?"