After the two of them had discussed matters, they were no longer anxious. Instead, they began discussing Jiang Chao’s situation.

Old Master Wu said: “Old Master Jiang has still experienced too few things after all. He only knew that Old Master Wang wanted to establish his own operation, but didn’t guard against Old Master Wang’s original employer’s two sons. This can be considered a lesson learned from experience. Fortunately, Old Master Jiang is still young—there will be plenty of opportunities in the future. For him, this might not necessarily be a bad thing.”

Yu Wen nodded repeatedly and said: “The Jiang family are orphans and widows—their days must be difficult now. Speaking of which, we also have some karmic connection with them. I was thinking, should we send some Mid-Autumn Festival gifts over?”

“That’s a good idea! Why didn’t I think of it!” Old Master Wu praised him, then sighed with emotion: “Everyone praises Brother Yu for his kind and benevolent heart. I didn’t take it seriously before, but seeing it now, I’m the one who failed to recognize gold inlaid with jade and have been remiss toward Brother Yu!”

“Where are you getting these words, Brother Wu!” Yu Wen responded with a flushed face. After Old Master Wu left, he instructed A’Tiao to prepare a gift of ten taels of silver, a set of the Four Treasures of the Study, and two bolts of newly produced genuine purple plain Hangzhou silk to send to Old Master Wu’s place, to be delivered together with Old Master Wu’s festival gifts by the Wu family’s chief steward to the Jiang family in Suzhou.

Ever since Yu Tang heard about the changes in Jiang Chao’s business, she had been somewhat dazed.

How could Jiang Chao have been deceived and swindled?

In her previous life, he had been famously shrewd.

Could this be the hardship one must endure before success?

Yu Tang felt somewhat uneasy.

Because of her rebirth, this life had already changed greatly from her previous life. For example, Wei Xiaoshan’s death… was because he had been implicated by her. Although Jiang Chao in her previous life had been a successful great merchant, who could guarantee that Jiang Chao in this life hadn’t been affected by the influence brought by her rebirth?

Yu Tang was very uneasy, secretly grateful that fortunately Jiang Chao’s character was solid and he hadn’t thrown down his burden and walked away. Otherwise, how would she explain things to her father and elder brother and the others!

Clearly some matters couldn’t rely solely on experience from a previous life.

Yu Tang sighed, but showed nothing of this in front of her mother. She only devoted herself wholeheartedly to attending to her mother’s illness at her bedside. Chen Pozi and the others were even more like startled birds, afraid that Chen Shi would again be like before, bedridden eight days out of ten. Everyone in the household feared even speaking loudly would frighten Chen Shi, so they all gathered around Chen Shi to serve her. Who still had the mind to make mooncakes?

It wasn’t until the shop assistant from the crab shop came to their home to deliver the crabs they had previously ordered that Yu Tang and Yu Wen suddenly realized they had forgotten about sending Mid-Autumn Festival gifts to the Pei mansion.

“Look at my brain!” Yu Wen slapped his forehead and asked Yu Tang, “Can you make those mooncakes? If not, I’ll hurry and find someone to go to Hangzhou City to buy some new-style mooncakes to send as gifts.”

The festival gifts sent to the Pei family naturally couldn’t consist only of mooncakes, but mooncakes certainly couldn’t be omitted.

Chen Shi had been frightened a few days ago. Yu Wen was afraid she might have another mishap, so watching her rest was more than enough—how could he let her continue making mooncakes?

Yu Tang smiled bitterly and said: “How would I know these things?”

Yu Wen didn’t hesitate either and said: “I’ll go right now and ask whose family has someone going to Hangzhou City in the next few days, and have them bring back a few boxes of mooncakes from Wufangzhai.”

Yu Tang agreed and saw her father out.

However, before their family could send the Mid-Autumn Festival gifts to the Pei mansion, Pei Yan came first.

Nevertheless, Pei Yan still didn’t enter their gate. Instead, he stopped his sedan chair in the alley behind their back door and had A’Ming privately come find Yu Tang: “Our master is waiting outside. He has a few words he wants to ask the eldest young miss.”

It happened that these past few days Yu Wen had been frequently visiting the Wu family and wasn’t home, and Chen Shi had taken her medicine and gone to rest. She thought for a moment, went back to her room to change clothes, and then went to see Pei Yan.

Pei Yan was sitting in the sedan chair. Only when he saw Yu Tang emerge did he descend from the sedan.

As soon as he descended, he carefully looked Yu Tang over.

Yu Tang was wearing a brand-new lake green plain-faced Hangzhou silk jacket. Her jet-black hair was neatly arranged in a double-spiral bun, with strings of jasmine flowers pinned on each side. She looked simple and unadorned, yet because of her fair and lustrous face, this outfit appeared clean and neat, as fresh and natural as newly sprouting tree buds.

He nodded inwardly to himself. After Yu Tang came forward and performed her greeting, only then did he say: “Have you been at home these past few days?”

Yu Tang didn’t come back to her senses for quite a while.

What was Pei Yan trying to do?

How could he be making such ordinary small talk with her?

With this kind of opening, who knew what words would follow?

She immediately became somewhat nervous, even forgetting to respond.

Pei Yan could see she was somewhat nervous and couldn’t help feeling puzzled about why she was nervous. He looked at Yu Tang strangely and continued: “Do you know about the Li family wanting to sell land?”

Yu Tang nodded: “I know!”

Not only did she know, but she had also been thinking about how to kick the Li family when they were down!

As a result, something happened on Jiang Chao’s side, and she no longer had the mind to worry about the Li family’s affairs.

Now that Pei Yan brought it up, she couldn’t help feeling somewhat regretful and said: “It’s a pity my family had some matters to deal with. Otherwise, I was preparing to make this affair known to everyone, so their family could never again hold their heads up in Lin’an City!”

Having reached the point of selling ancestral property, one could see how desperately the Li family needed money.

Even if their family didn’t buy it, forcing the Li family to sell the fields to the Pei family would also be good!

At least it would prevent the Li family from always thinking themselves superior, always scheming behind the Pei family’s back, wanting to replace the Pei family.

Pei Yan stared at Yu Tang without blinking, as if there were a flower on her face, making Yu Tang very uncomfortable. She couldn’t help wiping her cheek and asking cautiously: “Third Master, is there something dirty on my face?”

“Not at all!” Pei Yan responded, then couldn’t help looking at Yu Tang again.

Not only was there nothing on her face, but rather it was like a freshly peeled egg, white with a hint of red, looking quite pleasing.

Then what are you looking at me for?

Yu Tang looked at Pei Yan uncomprehendingly.

Pei Yan saw this clearly and raised his eyebrows at Yu Tang, saying: “Didn’t you want to watch the Li family suffer great misfortune? How is it that this time when the Li family is in trouble, you actually haven’t made a single move?”

Yu Tang was exasperated.

Was this the image of her in Pei Yan’s mind?

Yu Tang glared at Pei Yan.

Pei Yan didn’t mind, thinking Yu Tang was just keeping up appearances in front of him. Thinking about it, he felt that when Yu Tang had gossiped about the Li family in front of him before, her lively and spirited appearance had actually been quite interesting to watch.

He couldn’t help smiling and said: “Since you don’t want to know, then I’ll be leaving.”

Go ahead and leave—as if she couldn’t find out what happened to the Li family without clinging to him!

Yu Tang sneered inwardly.

Unexpectedly, Pei Yan left as soon as he said he would.

He lifted the sedan curtain, about to board the sedan.

Yu Tang was somewhat dumbfounded.

Could it be he came just to tell her these things?

Yu Tang couldn’t help taking a few steps forward and uttered an “Ai.”

With his back to her, the corners of Pei Yan’s mouth curved upward in a way even he himself didn’t notice. He paused for several breaths, arranged his expression, and only then turned around, looking at Yu Tang wordlessly.

Yu Tang’s mind suddenly turned the corner.

If Pei Yan dared to speak this way, the Li family’s troubles must be something only he knew about—at least within Lin’an City, he was the only person who knew.

Yu Tang felt that competing with Pei Yan over this matter was simply foolish. Moreover, having already experienced Pei Yan’s pride before, she simply didn’t bother with pretenses and said: “Third Master, what happened to the Li family? Why would their family think of selling their ancestral property?”

She wasn’t an affected person. Since she was asking Pei Yan for something, she asked sincerely and earnestly, putting herself in a very low position.

Pei Yan felt that his willingness to chat with Miss Yu was largely because Miss Yu was rather sensible and never put on airs in front of him. He had no intention of continuing to tease Yu Tang and said: “After Master Li was promoted to Left Administration Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, his official social obligations increased daily. Because of the maps incident, the Lin family fell out of favor with the Peng family and got caught up in some business deals. For a time they didn’t have that much silver to support the Li family. You made such a fuss last year and raided that estate where the Li family kept unregistered residents. The Li family doesn’t have that much silver to take to the capital. Selling other properties wouldn’t fetch much money and would easily arouse suspicion from the Li family’s clan branch and neighbors. That’s why they brought out fifty mu of prime paddy fields for growing jade-stalk rice to quietly sell.”

In other words, after falling out with the Gu family, the Li family had also fallen out with the Peng family.

Yu Tang was elated, her eyes brighter than usual by several degrees.

Pei Yan smiled secretly to himself.

He knew it—Miss Yu would definitely show her joy upon hearing this news.

“However, the Li family will at most only sell these fifty mu of land.” Pei Yan reminded Yu Tang, “Once Master Li has stayed in the capital for a while, naturally there will be loan sharks coming to the door, and their family will be able to catch their breath again.”

What did Pei Yan mean by saying this?

Was he telling her to seize the opportunity?

Then from which angle should she make her move?

Yu Tang had no schemes in her mind whatsoever.

But Pei Yan was only reminding her. As for what the Yu family would do, that was none of his concern.

He said: “I heard that Master Shen helped your family obtain some sea buckthorn tree saplings. Have they all survived?”

Yu Tang quickly said: “They’ve all survived. The tree-planting master we hired has good skills and is also honest and loyal.”

Pei Yan nodded and said: “Then what happened at your family?”

If it wasn’t a problem with the tree planting, what other matter could make Yu Tang not even watch the Li family’s excitement?

Yu Tang pondered whether or not to tell Pei Yan about this matter—if she told him, she feared Pei Yan would extend help, and then her family’s debt of gratitude to Pei Yan would never be fully repaid; if she didn’t tell him, paper could never wrap up fire, and she feared Pei Yan would hear about it from others, feel he had been slighted, become displeased, and think the Yu family didn’t know what was good for them.

As these thoughts flashed through her mind, Pei Yan’s eyes had already flashed with some displeasure at her hesitation.

Forget it—it was better to tell Pei Yan. She would rather owe him a favor than make him angry.

When Pei Yan got angry, he wasn’t easy to placate.

Yu Tang immediately said: “It’s my father…”

She told Pei Yan everything about investing in Jiang Chao’s maritime business venture, leaving nothing out.

Pei Yan looked at Yu Tang in surprise, not speaking for quite a while.

How was this Miss Yu like a firecracker—the moment he wasn’t paying attention, she would explode at who knows what time!

Previously when she was unwilling to invest in those wealthy families using the maps, he had thought she knew maritime business was difficult and had backed down in the face of difficulty. Who knew the situation was waiting for him here!

This was wonderful—altogether there had been just over twenty thousand taels of silver. Before her hands had even warmed them up, six thousand taels were gone in one stroke. No wait, there was also Old Master Wu’s one thousand taels, making it seven thousand taels total.

Pei Yan didn’t know what to say.

Yu Tang also felt somewhat embarrassed.

Mainly because this matter had her involvement.

She lowered her head shamefacedly, her voice weak as she said: “Jiang Chao as a person should still be decent. Our two families can also be considered evenly matched—no one would cheat the other. It’s just that we were careless this time. I think, if there’s an opportunity, Jiang Chao will definitely make a comeback.”