Farm Tough Girl
Chapter 435 - 435 432 Short on Silver_1

Chapter 435: Chapter 432: Short on Silver_1 Chapter 435: Chapter 432: Short on Silver_1 But the Chen Parents were stubborn and lacked ambition, no matter how much they were urged, they refused to ask for more money. They argued that Mei Garden had already treated Yuhua so well, providing her with the best of everything, and had already spent who knows how much silver on her. How could they have the audacity to ask for more?

Wang Yufang was furious, wasn’t the stuff given to Chen Yuhua essentially not for her? But no matter what she said, the old couple remained unmoved, so she had no choice but to make Dashu pretend that his old illness had relapsed, feigning a deathly appearance to deceive the old couple into seeking silver from Qiao Muniang.

Wang Yufang, with her sharp ears, heard the noise at the doorway and hurriedly urged Dashu to get on the kang bed, and quickly swept the melon seed shells on the floor into a corner where they wouldn’t be seen. Then she threw herself on the edge of the kang, wailing, “Oh my husband, why is your life so bitter? What are we to do? Could this illness really plague you for the rest of your life, Dashu, what can we do!”

As soon as Chen entered, he heard her wailing and was so angry his whiskers curled, “What are you blabbering about? Are you holding a funeral? Dashu isn’t dead yet, how can you have no manners? With such noise, how can Dashu’s illness get any better?”

Wang Yufang internally cursed the old coot but still replied meekly, “Yes, daughter-in-law knows her mistake.”

Then she quickly asked, “Dad, has the money for Dashu’s treatment come back yet?”

Chen harrumphed before saying, “It has been brought back.” As he spoke, he pulled out a bulging purse from his waist.

Wang Yufang’s eyes turned green, and she hastily asked, “Give it to me, give it to me!”

Chen, however, immediately put it back, “This is the money for Dashu’s medical treatment. Why should I give it to you?”

Wang Yufang was unhappy, “Why can’t you give it to me? I am Dashu’s wife, am I going to swallow my own husband’s medical funds? Do you think I want to be widowed?”

Chen was choked by her words, almost to death, and was about to scold her when he heard Dashu’s weak voice, “Dad, just give the money to Yufang, you’re busy enough with the tofu stall and all. I won’t trouble you with my illness; just let Yufang take care of me and find me a doctor.” In reality, Dashu was also afraid that Chen would actually use the silver to bring in a doctor, which would surely expose the deception.

Yufang’s eyes gleamed with mirth, and she raised her head proudly, “Dad, you heard him. Dashu said to give me the money. You guys are already too busy with the stall. Just leave this matter to me.”

Chen felt a wave of helplessness and could only hand over the silver.

Wang Yufang immediately took the money, hurriedly opened the purse, and began counting it carefully. But suddenly, her joyful face turned dark.

“Dad, what’s going on here? Why did you only get fifty taels of silver? How is that going to be enough!”

Chen was stunned, “How is fifty taels not enough? Besides, Yuhua is not made of gold; even if she were to be sold, it would not fetch more than ten or twenty taels. Lady Yu offering this amount is already a sign of respect for us!”

Wang Yufang, however, started to make a scene, “Was Yuhua sold? She is a bona fide member of the Chen family. This accident happened at Mei Garden, and Yuhua’s worth is no longer that of an ordinary maid. She is the leading actress of Chatu Town, and with such a severe injury, to settle for fifty taels is preposterous. Could it be that the owner of Mei Garden took you old folks for fools and hoodwinked you? You are too easy to deceive!”

Even Madam Li, usually so good-natured, couldn’t stand it anymore and said sternly, “No matter how valuable Yuhua is, it was Lady Yu who favored her and raised her up. Everything Yuhua has comes from Lady Yu. Talking as if money can settle everything… Lady Yu cares so deeply for Yuhua. Going there to ask for money was already embarrassing for me, how can you say it’s too little?”

“How can we not talk about it? Is your old face more important, or is Dashu’s life more important? Are you hoping that your son dies?”

“Nonsense! Dashu is fine. Isn’t fifty taels of silver enough for his treatment?” Chen turned red with anger, his neck bulging.

“This isn’t just empty talk. We’ve already spent so much money barely curing Dashu’s illness, and now, after just a few days, it’s relapsed. This continual relapse is what’s truly deadly. Just one treatment costs so much money, and how many years does Dashu need to cling to life? How many times can fifty taels of silver cover that expense?

Yuhua is so badly injured now, she has trouble even getting out of bed. Who knows if she’ll be able to perform on stage again? By the time Yuhua can’t earn any silver and the fifty taels are spent, do you think the few coins earned from selling tofu will be enough to save Dashu?”

Wang Yufang argued righteously, often mentioning clinging to life, which annoyed Dashu, but he didn’t dare say much. Usually, he loved this daughter-in-law of his, allowing her to make decisions about everything and even feeling a bit afraid of her.

Upon hearing Wang Yufang’s words, Chen’s face also turned pale. If his son’s condition really was so uncertain, that would be terrible. In the future, it might cost a large sum of money. Although fifty taels of silver seemed like a lot, purchasing a few precious medicinal ingredients was actually quite expensive.

He naturally loved his son. If something truly happened to him, Chen would be more anxious than anyone else. Seeing his son writhing in pain on the brick bed tore at his heart.

Seeing Chen’s reaction, Wang Yufang knew he was listening, her heart swelling with pride. It wasn’t easy to come across a chance to make money; why not make a large sum?

Madam Li was clearly shaken. “Why don’t we go and discuss it with Lady Yu? Yuhua’s injury…”

“Discuss what? Going back now to say that the money isn’t enough? I can’t bring myself to say it!” Chen roared.

Madam Li’s face darkened. “Do you want to watch Dashu languish in sickness? His condition is so serious, can we still care about our own face now?”

With those words, Madam Li’s eyes reddened, and she started to cry. “My poor son, what sin have you committed to deserve this suffering? To be afflicted in the prime of your life, without even having an heir… If Heaven wants to punish someone, it might as well take me instead!”

Dashu’s face turned red as he listened. He had only wanted to pretend to be sick to help his wife swindle some money, but he didn’t expect his actions to worry his parents so much. For a moment, he felt ashamed, yet the charade had gone too far. If he were to get up now and admit he wasn’t sick, not only would his parents be furious, but his wife would also despise him. How could he dare do something that would displease both sides?

With a slap of his hand on the table, Chen, feeling helpless, said, “Then we’ll make another trip.”

Wang Yufang was internally overjoyed and quickly said, “Let me accompany you, Father and Mother. You’re shy, but I can do anything for my husband. So if you find it hard to speak, let me do it!”

(Sorry for only having this one update this afternoon and for it being so late. If you want to throw bricks, throw them at me; I’ve already braced for impact.)