Сhaptеr 218: Тhе Нu Fаmily’s Thoughts
Еvеning, main housе of the Wаng rеsidеnсе.
“Gеt out! Somеone, come quicklу! Тheу’ve brоkеn in, drivе thеm all оut…” In thе bеdrооm, Hu Shi wоke with a start, hеr fаcе and head drеnched in swеat, tossing аnd turning аs shе сriеd оut in аlarm.
“Mоthеr, Mоthеr… it’s аlright, no оne hаs brоken in. Cоusin is guаrding with his men.” In thе outer roоm, Wang Wan’er, whо hаd bеen dоzing off, hurried in at thе sоund оf the sсrеаms аnd rushеd tо her mоthеr’s side.
“Аh, theу didn’t comе in? Right, yоur соusin is guarding. Lооk аt mе, having anothеr nightmare.” It took Hu Shi а while to cоme to hеr sensеs. Оnly аfter seeing her daughter clearly did her heart settle down.
Yet, her eyes couldn’t help but redden. Since the bank incident, barely ten days had passed, yet it felt like ten years. Just now, she had another nightmare—dreaming of a crowd storming into her home, smashing everything, demanding repayment. If the debts couldn’t be settled, they threatened to sell Wan’er and Qingguan. That was what had jolted her awake in terror.
“Mother, rest a little longer. I’ll go prepare your medicine.” Wan’er helped her mother lean back against the headboard. Her mother’s health truly wasn’t good—her face was sallow, as if she had aged ten years overnight.
“Why are you preparing it? Where are the maids at home?” Hu Shi looked at her daughter, noticing how much thinner she had become in just a few days.
“Many people from the Wang family in Huizhou and Grandmother’s side have come, and they all need attending to. I’ve sent the maids and servants to look after them.” Wan’er took a handkerchief and wiped the sweat from Hu Shi’s forehead.
“Hmph.” Hearing this, Hu Shi couldn’t help but snort coldly. Anger still simmered in her heart. Truly, without experiencing setbacks, one can never truly understand the people and situations around them. Back when the bank was thriving, both the Wang and Hu families fawned over her, eagerly pushing money her way, hoping to exchange it for shares in the bank or to place their people in positions there.
How accommodating the Wang and Hu families had been back then! They would promise anything with a thump on their chests.
But now, as soon as the bank incident erupted, each of them feared losses and clamored frantically to withdraw their shares. With the bank sealed, they only thought of recouping some losses from the family first. Although they hadn’t completely torn off the mask, it still left Hu Shi feeling bitterly disappointed.
“How is your father now?” Hu Shi asked, pulling Wan’er closer.
“Father is still unconscious, but today he woke up for over ten minutes. The doctor says his condition is improving.” Wan’er replied with a faint smile.
“That’s good. That’s good.” Hu Shi repeated softly.
“Wan’er, you mentioned preparing medicine earlier. Go ahead. I’ll look after your mother here.” At that moment, a woman in her forties entered the room.
“Alright, thank you, Aunt.” Wang Wan’er nodded, then gave Hu Shi a reassuring look before withdrawing.
This woman was Hu Shi’s sister-in-law, Madam Hu.
After Wang Wan’er left, Madam Hu moved a stool and sat by Hu Shi’s bedside. Hu Shi remained silent, a knot of unease tightening in her heart."Aunt, I understand. I know you're upset about us withdrawing our shares, but times are tough at home too. You know we invested a lot of money in Sifang Bank, and now that it's been sealed off, the household is in chaos. Mother-in-law nearly fainted when she heard the news. We simply can't afford these losses. Besides, with the Huizhou Merchants Guild now taking charge, even if we wanted to withdraw our shares, we couldn't. In the end, we're all in the same boat, so we must work together and find a way to overcome this crisis." Madam Hu spoke earnestly as soon as she sat down.
Hearing Madam Hu's words, Hu Shi felt somewhat comforted: "Do you have a plan to get through this, sister-in-law?"
"Your brothers have all calculated that the bank cannot collapse at this point. If it does, the losses will be irrecoverable. So, the only way for the bank to survive this crisis is to inject more capital," Madam Hu said.
"The Huizhou Merchants share the same view," Hu Shi nodded.
During this period, since Wang Sifang's incident, the affairs of Sifang Bank have largely been taken over by the Huizhou Merchants.
Indeed, Sifang Bank holds deposits from the Merchant Guild and various Huizhou Merchants. In a way, the survival of Sifang Bank is tied to the survival of the Huizhou Merchants in Nanjing.
Originally, when the Weaving Bureau encountered trouble, Sifang Bank was also a victim.
The Yingtian Prefecture authorities sealed Yi Hou Sheng Bank for two reasons: first, they feared Sifang Bank might have illicit dealings with the Weaving Bureau and needed to investigate; second, the bank held deposits from numerous merchants, and they worried about potential unrest, so they temporarily sealed Sifang Bank.
Regarding the first point, Hu Shi knew that aside from legitimate business dealings, Sifang Bank had absolutely no illicit connections with the Weaving Bureau. Of course, in this regard, Hu Shi had to thank her nephew Luo Wenqian.
Back when Wenqian was engaged to Li Zhenniang, Sifang had approached Wenqian, intending to disrupt the engagement. Instead, Wenqian warned him, advising his uncle not to get involved with the Xu family's affairs.
Additionally, due to the land incident years ago where the Xu family had cheated Han Yigui, Wang Sifang had become wary of the Xu family and their dealings.
Earlier this year, the Weaving Bureau, through the Xu family's connections, invited Sifang to a banquet. They had intended to persuade Sifang to take over the raw silk procurement, replacing Wei Bai Wan's former role. However, given Wei Bai Wan's fate and Wenqian's warning, Wang Sifang refused to directly handle the silk procurement. Instead, he proposed lending money to the Weaving Bureau.
In this regard, Sifang Bank stood on solid ground. Over the past few days, Hu Zonglin and Wenqian had been working tirelessly on this matter. As long as they could clear this suspicion and get Yingtian Prefecture to lift the seal on Sifang Bank, followed by capital injections from the Huizhou Merchants, the bank would have a chance to survive. This would also minimize the losses for the Huizhou Merchants.
Moreover, if Sifang Bank performed well in the future, everyone might even stand to gain."I know Hu Zonglin and his group have this scheme in mind, but have you considered that if we allow each Huizhou merchant to inject capital into Sifang Bank, will the bank still belong to your Wang family? Your Sifang has been fighting Hu Zonglin for over a decade, and now, after all this struggle, are we just going to let Hu Zonglin’s people take over Sifang Bank? Are you willing to accept that?" Madam Hu said with annoyance.
"If it’s not, then so be it. Right now, I’m only thinking about getting through this crisis," Hu Shi sighed. What use was it to be strong when fate was not on your side? She knew well how Wang Sifang had fought Hu Zonglin for over a decade, and in the end, it was clear that Hu Zonglin had the last laugh.
"You’re being foolish. You still hold a trump card in your hand and don’t even know how to use it," Madam Hu said, patting Hu Shi’s hand.
"What trump card? Sister-in-law, I don’t understand what you’re saying," Hu Shi asked, looking confused.
"Your nephew Luo Jiu! He has Yi Hou Sheng Bank behind him, and a gold mine beyond the pass supporting him. I’ve heard he also has Minister Zhang and Marshal Qi backing him, right? As long as he fully assists, what does Hu Zonglin and his group matter then?" Madam Hu said.
"Sister-in-law, you’re really daydreaming. Wenqian hates us to the core. If it weren’t for the fact that the bank’s fate is tied to the survival of the Huizhou merchants, and if it weren’t for that incident back in Shizhou where Sifang lent a hand and he owes us a favor, he wouldn’t even touch our family’s affairs this time," Hu Shi sighed. She knew Luo Wenqian’s temper well.
"Why do you think that way? What happened to Luo Jiu’s parents back then can’t be entirely blamed on Sifang. Besides, isn’t Luo Jiu now your only blood-related nephew? And what’s more, don’t you have Wan’er in your family? I think Wan’er and Luo Jiu are a match made in heaven," Madam Hu said.
"Sister-in-law, you’re talking more and more nonsense. Wenqian is already engaged to the Li family’s daughter," Hu Shi said weakly. Her fever hadn’t subsided yet, and her sister-in-law’s rambling, unrealistic talk was giving her a headache.
"What does being engaged matter? It’s not like they’re married yet. I don’t think that Li family girl is meant for Luo Jiu. Otherwise, why would Old Shopkeeper Li suddenly pass away just before the wedding, delaying it again? I think now is an opportunity..." At this point, Madam Hu lowered her voice and added, "Engagements can be broken. At times like these, some methods must be used. Why not take advantage of Luo Jiu staying at home to help and find a way to make things between Wan’er and Luo Jiu a done deal? Once it blows up, wouldn’t the Li family have no choice but to break off the engagement..."
"Sister-in-law!!" Hu Shi was shocked by her sister-in-law’s words. At the same time, anger surged within her. What did her sister-in-law take Wan’er for? She was greedy, opportunistic, and somewhat vain, but no matter what, everything she did was for Wan’er and Qing’er. If they followed her sister-in-law’s plan, how would Wan’er ever be able to hold her head up in public again?
She wanted to argue with her sister-in-law, but the rush of anger made her head spin even more.
"Mother, the medicine is ready," Wan’er said at that moment, carrying the medicine in. Her face was pale as she brought it to the bedside, not even glancing at Madam Hu. Following her in was Auntie Wang. They had been outside earlier and had heard every word Madam Hu said. Now, they were both seething with anger inside.As soon as Aunt Wang entered the room, her sharp, knife-like gaze immediately fixed on Madam Hu.
“Think it over carefully. I’ll take my leave first.” Feeling somewhat guilty under Aunt Wang’s stare, Madam Hu whispered to Hu Shi and then turned to Wang Wan’er, saying, “Take good care of your mother.” With that, she hurried out as if fleeing.
“Mother, you mustn’t listen to Aunt’s words.” Watching Madam Hu leave, Wang Wan’er held a medicine bowl, her eyes reddened and her face filled with grievance.
“Don’t worry, I’m not foolish. There were things I couldn’t see clearly before, but how could I still be blind now? After all, Wenqian only has your father as his uncle. No matter what, he wouldn’t stand by and watch the family fall apart. There’s no need for me to sacrifice you as well.” Hu Shi spoke weakly.
“It’s good that you understand. Your relatives are just afraid that once the Merchant Guild steps in to manage things, they’ll lose their benefits. That’s why they’re urging you to scheme against Luo Wenqian.” Aunt Wang snorted coldly from the side. Although she had never possessed Luo Mengzhen’s foresight, having lived to this age, how could she fail to see through such matters?
“Mm.” Hu Shi nodded as Wang Wan’er fed her the medicine.
“By the way, I just went to the Li family and asked Li Zhenniang to take charge of the household affairs. For now, focus on recovering. Try to avoid seeing the Wang and Hu families as much as possible.” Aunt Wang added, addressing Hu Shi.
“Did Miss Li agree?” Hu Shi was somewhat surprised. Previously, she hadn’t treated the Li family well and had held prejudices against Li Zhenniang. So, when Aunt Wang mentioned inviting Li Zhenniang, Hu Shi hadn’t been optimistic. After all, her family was now in a difficult situation, and taking charge of household affairs at such a time would be a thankless task.
“That girl is broad-minded and has great vision. Don’t underestimate her.” Aunt Wang retorted with a hint of annoyance.
“Mm.” Hu Shi nodded slightly, feeling a pang of regret. In the past, it was she and Sifang, as elders, who had failed to do better.
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