After listening to the aunt and niece, Liu Yun lowered her eyes to conceal the coldness in her gaze. Now that they had drained their own private savings, they wanted to drag the entire Gu Mansion down with them. When she looked up again, her face was a picture of trouble. "To answer you, Mother, this is somewhat difficult. Father had previously ordered that aside from daily expenses, any large expenditures in the mansion require his permission."
"How is this a large expenditure? It's just repairing an ancestral hall. It's a matter of a few hundred taels of silver. Give it to Xu Yulan first, and I will personally speak to the Old Master about it later."
Liu Yun was speechless. What sheer arrogance! "A matter of a few hundred taels of silver"? She wondered if the Old Madam realized that the entire mansion's monthly expenses barely amounted to a few hundred taels of silver, and that included all their social obligations and gift-giving.
"Seeing that it is getting late, Father and my husband should be returning soon," Liu Yun said. "After all, repairing an ancestral hall is a major affair, and since it concerns your maiden family, they will surely take it seriously. We should let the heads of the family make the decision when the time comes."
She was determined not to hand over the silver easily; otherwise, she would end up catching the blame from all sides. Did her mother-in-law have no self-awareness at all? Did she never stop to think why the household management rights had fallen into Liu Yun's hands in the first place?
Seeing that Liu Yun not only refused to listen but also brought up the Old Master, the Old Madam felt that Liu Yun was flaunting her authority and disrespecting her as a mother-in-law.
"Daughter of the Liu Family, I am still the Old Madam of this house!" the Old Madam snapped. "Are you saying I can't even make a small decision like this?
"Even if Kai Ping comes, would he dare to disobey me, his mother?
"Naturally, I will explain it to the father and son personally afterward. Go and withdraw the money at once!"
"Mother, it is not that I am unwilling," Liu Yun replied. "I simply cannot withdraw hundreds of taels of silver from the accounting room. Aren't you making things difficult for me?"
"Since when did our family have such a rule?" The Old Madam clearly did not believe her. When she had been in charge of the household, she had been able to withdraw thousands of taels without issue.
"If you don't believe me, Mother, I can hand the mansion's token to Xu Yulan. She can take a trip to the accounting room herself, and then she will know." Liu Yun suddenly felt grateful for her father-in-law's foresight. So this rule had been put in place to guard against the two giant rats embezzling from the family.
Upon receiving a signal from the Old Madam, Xu Yulan actually took the token. With her chin held high, she aggressively marched toward the accounting room with her maids and servant women in tow.
In less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, she returned, completely crestfallen.
Seeing Xu Yulan's defeated expression, the Old Madam knew that Liu Yun had spoken the truth. It seemed the Old Master was indeed guarding against her. She slammed her hand furiously against the table. Today, she had truly lost all face in front of her daughter-in-law.
At this thought, she couldn't help but redirect her anger toward Bai Suihe. If her third son's wife had been more tactful and perceptive earlier, she wouldn't have been put in such an awkward position today. She considered summoning Bai Suihe over to teach her some rules, but catching sight of the poorly concealed smugness on Liu Yun's face, she decided against risking further humiliation. Putting up a strong front to hide her weakness, she said, "I will speak to your father-in-law thoroughly about this matter. Since we are in-laws, he will surely lend a helping hand."
Liu Yun respectfully assented. She reached out and took back the token from a reluctant Xu Yulan, stating that she still had household chores to attend to, before excusing herself.
By the time she returned to her courtyard, Gu Antong was already waiting for her.
"Mother, why did Grandmother call you over again?"
Liu Yun didn't hide anything and recounted the Old Madam's actions. Gu Antong immediately said with disdain, "Grandmother and Xu Yulan are really something else. They don't seem to understand that a married woman should prioritize her husband's family, yet they blindly favor their maiden homes."
"Tong Er, are you implying that you won't help your younger brother in the future either?" Liu Yun's expression darkened slightly. If her daughter held such views, there would be no need to scheme so much for her sake.
Realizing her mistake, Gu Antong hugged Liu Yun's arm and coaxed, "Mother, that's not what I meant. It's just me and my brother in our family, so of course we will support each other in the future.
"Besides, our Anliang is an absolute prodigy, a future top scholar. How could he be compared to a destitute household like the Xu family? As his older sister, I'll even need his backing in the future."
"Oh, you." Hearing her daughter praise her only son so highly, all of Liu Yun's displeasure vanished like smoke. "Don't worry, your brother will definitely have your back in the future.
"However, I also hope you find a good husband, so that you and your brother can mutually support each other.
"It's getting late now. Hurry back and get some good rest; you have a banquet to attend tomorrow."
After Gu Antong left, Liu Yun summoned the servant women and instructed them to keep watch at the front. If the two gentlemen returned from their official duties, they were to report back immediately.
As for the clash in the mansion, Bai Suihe knew nothing about it, nor did she care to. After a wonderful sleep, she felt her energy had been somewhat restored. She dismissed all the servants and sat quietly in the room alone, beginning to communicate with her baby.
"Mother, you need to rest more. That way, I can also be full of energy!" Baby seemed exceptionally active. Bai Suihe caressed the slight bulge of her belly, her face radiating maternal love.
"I know," she replied. "With the treasure you gave me, the chances of our survival have increased significantly.
"It's just that this treasure is extraordinary. Will it have any negative effects on you, Baby?"
"Don't worry, Mother, it won't affect me at all! See, I'm still alive and kicking," Baby said. "And rest assured, this treasure had no owner. I fought hard to claim it.
"Aren't you curious about my origins, Mother?"
Bai Suihe's gaze deepened. "Baby, your origins are certainly extraordinary. I assume you've also noticed that I have an unusual background as well. However, since fate has brought us together as mother and daughter, we will naturally rely on each other to survive."
Now that they shared a common secret, and given that the baby in her womb had gifted her a treasure right after their first interaction, Bai Suihe felt that keeping anything else hidden would only make her feel guilty. "Baby, does it bother you that I am not your original mother?"
"Mother, why would you say that?" Baby's voice was tinged with confusion. "You are my biological mother. It has always been you!"
"But... I came from another world," Bai Suihe said.
"No matter where you came from, I only have one mother..." Baby was utterly baffled. From beginning to end, it had been the exact same person. Why would her mother say such a thing? While pondering this question, Baby completely ignored Bai Suihe's earlier remark about relying solely on each other, entirely forgetting the other party involved in their family.
Bai Suihe was thoroughly confused. Could it be that she was in her past life? If so, she had failed far too miserably back then.
"Stop overthinking it, Mother. From start to finish, you have always been my mother," Baby urged. "I couldn't contact you before, and I have so much I want to tell you.
"This time, all three of us have defied death and been given a second chance at life. We definitely won't end up with our family ruined like last time."
Bai Suihe fell silent. Putting the pieces together, she sort of understood, yet she still felt somewhat lost. What did she mean by all three of them having defied death and been given a second chance at life?
Her baby was extraordinary, and she herself had crossed over and been reborn. Did that mean the great villain of the book—her current, nominal husband—had also encountered some miracle? Did he cross over, or was he reborn? Regardless of which it was, neither possibility spelled good news for her. She suddenly felt a headache coming on. Knowing this information was worse than remaining ignorant; at least being clueless wouldn't be so agonizing.
"Mother?"