"Enough, enough!" Mrs. Wang impatiently raised her hand to stop the conversation, struggling to keep her composure, "You still know Fangzi is your daughter, so stop upsetting her from time to time! Mrs. Jiang, bring 100 taels of silver banknotes!"
"Hold on!" Gu Jin interrupted.
"What? Not enough? Mrs. Jiang, add another 100 taels! Take the silver and leave quickly!" Mrs. Wang sneered, her disgust apparent.
"This time, I’m not here for money," Gu Jin sneered, "I am here to take my daughter home!"
"What did you say!" Mrs. Wang was shocked, and Gu Fangzi’s face turned pale.
"Fangzi bears the surname Gu, she is my daughter, Gu Jin’s daughter. Mrs. Shi, you cannot deny this, can you? What is wrong with me taking my daughter home?" Gu Jin said casually.
Mrs. Wang’s expression suddenly darkened, and she dismissed the maids, her demeanor stern and cold, "Speak plainly, what exactly do you want?"
"What do you all really want!" Gu Jin stretched his neck and retorted coldly, "You’ve detained my daughter in the Shi Mansion unclearly, ruining our family’s reputation!"
"You!" Mrs. Wang was so angry that she was speechless. Detained unclearly in Shi Mansion? And ruining the Gu Family’s reputation?
Does the Gu Family even have a reputation left? What a rascal!
Gu Fangzi’s face flushed with shame, feeling infinite disgrace at having such a father, wishing she could crawl into a hole.
"Did I say anything wrong?" Gu Jin waved his arm, exclaiming excitedly, "Originally, I kept quiet when Fangzi lived in your house, thinking that sooner or later she would belong to the Shi family anyway! But now Young Master Shi has already married the maid from the Sang family as his wife, why should my daughter still stay here and lose face! You, the Shi family, don’t even offer a word, blindly hoping for an easy out without any resolution! Today we must clarify this matter!"
"Father!" Tears rolled down Gu Fangzi’s cheeks again, she quickly wiped them away and tugged gently at Mrs. Wang’s sleeve, her face full of pleading sorrow.
Although Gu Fangzi resented her father deeply, what he said, albeit harsh, was exactly her concern. Indeed, the Shi family should give her a solid response; she wanted a true guarantee, not just Shi Fengju’s words, "Trust me, I will not fail you!"
Trust? The most worthless and ridiculous word in this world. Especially when it comes from the mouth of a man.
Even if it came from her elder cousin’s mouth, it would still be taken with several grains of salt.
Mrs. Wang was momentarily at a loss for words, her face alternating between shades of anger. Seething with rage, she almost wished Gu Jin would take Gu Fangzi away—it seemed like extending pity to an orphan and aiding a scoundrel was a mistake! Not only did they not receive any gratitude for their expenses, but they also had to endure such slander!
But seeing Gu Fangzi’s pitiful, mournful look, and recalling her shrewd and well-behaved service over the years, Mrs. Wang’s heart softened, and she reluctantly held back her anger.
"We will give Fangzi a resolution!"
"Empty promises, who can’t make those!" Gu Jin became more aggressive, pressing further, "Unless you dismiss the maid from the Sang family right now and bring Fangzi into the family with full betrothal gifts, then I will believe you!"
"Ridiculous!" Mrs. Wang furiously responded, "My daughter-in-law is virtuous and dignified, gentle and graceful, how could I dismiss her!"
"What do you want then?" Gu Jin coldly smiled.
Mrs. Wang huffed and turned her gaze away, speaking indifferently, "The Shi and Sang families have a marriage contract, which you are well aware of. Why do you only think of taking your daughter home now? Huh?"
Gu Jin rolled his eyes and said, "Let’s be honest! Your Shi family just wants to take my daughter as a concubine!"
"As an honored concubine," despite the previous agreement with Gu Fangzi verbally consented but never openly discussed, Mrs. Wang felt somewhat uncomfortable and somewhat apologetic towards Gu Fangzi, hurriedly said, "After entering the door and bearing a son, she will be promoted to legitimate wife, dressed in a red dress! Our Shi family will not mistreat Fangzi."
"Great!" Gu Jin clapped his hands, "We are relatives, I trust you! Since that’s the case, let’s finalize this matter! My daughter is not getting any younger, she can’t keep waiting !"
Damn you! Mrs. Wang cursed internally.
The daughter-in-law has only been in door for less than two months, and they were making grand arrangements to take another honored concubine, and this concubine has been raised in the mansion like a lady of the house. Not to mention the new bride losing face and the in-laws disagreeing, the Shi family would certainly be criticized by outsiders for being dishonorable.
"Even if she doesn’t enter now, it’s fine to present the betrothal gifts first!" Gu Jin quickly added. This statement was the real point.
Betrothal gifts? Mrs. Wang’s lips twitched.
She had never heard of presenting betrothal gifts for a concubine. The Shi family was a reputable family; everything must be handled with proper etiquette!
"Let’s wait until Fengju returns to discuss this matter! I as a mere woman cannot make this decision alone," Mrs. Wang thought for a while and decided to stall, "Here, I have 500 taels of silver banknotes, take this to use for now."
Gu Jin was pleased and grinned, "Done! Mrs. Shi is really straightforward!"
Gu Jin felt very triumphant inside, hoping that Mrs. Wang would not agree so readily in the future for Gu Fangzi to join the family. This way, it would be easier to blackmail them with more justifiable reasons. Once his daughter became part of their family, it would be difficult to freely extract money from them as he did now!
"Auntie, I’m sorry..." Gu Fangzi did not expect Mrs. Wang to stall, and she couldn’t help but feel secretly disappointed, yet her expression showed intense guilt.
Mrs. Wang gently patted her hand, softly saying, "Don’t worry, your aunt will make decisions for you."
"Yes!" Gu Fangzi lowered her head, half ashamed and half grateful, yet she tightly clenched her hand, involuntarily thinking, one says "trust me" while the other says "will make decisions for you." Just like mother and son!