Chapter 120 - Thousand five hundred liang
Chapter 120 Thousand five hundred liang
Shu Huan had been honed for several months in such a harsh environment like Gu household and she often bickered with Gu Xiran, hence she gradually trained into becoming a black-belly. Seeing that Zhang Hanfang was silent, she couldn’t help but laugh, “What? Is Zhang household an empty shelf now and didn’t have the money to pay the compensation? If you truly don’t have the money to compensate, then, forget it. After all, we are relatives. It’s not good to truly ask money from you. At most, I will think of a way to borrow money. Perhaps, this money would be compensated then.”
If this was said by another, perhaps because Zhang Hanfang ached for the money, she would’ve given up on the face. However, it happened that this was said by Shu Huan, her enemy and also her rival in love. If she backed down and doesn’t pay the compensation, then she would truly lose all her face and self-respect without able to pick them up ever again. From then on, when she sees Shu Huan, she had to make a detour. When she saw Gu Xiran looking at this at a side smilingly, blood immediately rushed to her head. She didn’t even think and blurted, “I will pay for it, I will pay for it! I truly didn’t put such a small amount of money in my eyes!”
“Little cousin sister’s family is truly abundant financially.” After Shu Huan laughed, she looked at old maid Ding and asked, “How much money was spent when this Heavily Scented Building was built?”
Old maid Ding laughed, “This was built when old master was still alive. The bricks and woods used were the best. I only knew that the money flowed out like water. This old one can’t remember how much money was spent anymore. I can only calculate with an estimation.”
The more she talked, the uglier Zhang Hanfang’s expression became. She couldn’t help but reprimand her, “Why are you talking about not related things? How much money is it? Give a price!”
Old maid Ding blinked, stared at her and smiled, “Miss, don’t rush. I’m calculating! This Heavily Scented Building was constructed uniquely and elaborately but it was too detailed. There was a limitation to the cost. Two to three hundred silver liang is enough for the building and the yard…”
Fortunately, it wasn’t too expensive!
Zhang Hanfang sighed from relief and pejoratively interrupted her, “I’m too lazy to bicker about such a small amount of money with you. I will round it up and give you three hundred liang!”
Old maid Ding pouted. The smile on her face became a bit strange. She said, “Miss, you shouldn’t be in such a hurry. This old one hasn’t finished talking yet!”
Zhang Hanfang said in disdain, “What more do you have to say? Is it that you want to calculate the flowers planted in the yard and the birds raised in the gallery with me?”
“I’m unlikely to go that far.” Old maid Ding touched her cheek and said, “It’s just that the decorative carved big bed in the main room of Heavily Scented Building is made from red sandalwood and there were also some other pieces made from red sandalwood. All of these are worth no less than thousand liang. There were also the gold and silver utensils, decorations, chinaware, calligraphies and paintings….”
The smile on Zhang Hanfang’s face was already so rigid that it couldn’t be seen anymore. The corners of her mouth were twitching faintly.
At a side, Shu Huan felt very funny looking at this scene. Fearing that if old maid Ding continues to calculate, Zhang Hanfang wouldn’t be able to stand the provocation and would renege on the pay, she quickly interrupted old maid Ding, “Alright, aunty Ding is truly someone real-minded. How could it be counted piece by piece like this? Wouldn’t it then be not even taking the relationship of relatives into consideration? I will make a decision. Thousand five hundred silver liang. If old madam still had something to say, I will pay the remaining if the money is not enough.”
It wasn’t that she was kind. More money could be calculated, but Zhang Hanfang also needed to be able to pay it. Who would bring so much money when going out? If Zhang Hanfang could pay this thousand five hundred silver liang, she would be thankful enough.
Thousand five hundred silver liang!
Zhang Hanfang truly wanted to faint. In fact, this number wasn’t scary. At least, it wouldn’t scare her. When she often listened to her parents’ talk about business and the family’s spending, it was in full hundreds and thousands. She had long become numb to this. However, when it had become herself who had to pay such a large sum of money, the feeling was different. Only now did she realize the true value of thousand five hundred liang!
Nanny Guan couldn’t stand it anymore and said with a crying face, “Miss, I think it’s better if we just apologize. How would old madam truly argue over money with you?”
These words were to remind Zhang Hanfang that old madam still loved her, this granddaughter a lot. Moreover, old madam had been very strong-minded her whole life. Therefore, when dealing with relatives, she would do according to the rules and it was impossible for her to let her (ZHF) pay the losses.
Zhang Hanfang hesitated for a moment.
Gu Xiran laughed and said, “That’s right. If little cousin sister can’t pay up the compensation, then forget about it! Just take it as if we have never talked about this.”
It as already intolerable when one was being looked down on by a love rival who was born in a poor family; when she was being looked down upon by the person she liked, she couldn’t stand it! Zhang Hanfang raised her head and said impulsively, “Who said I can’t pay for it?! Nanny, take out the money!”
Nanny Guan ached so much that all her internal organs twisted together, but she knew that with Zhang Hanfang’s temper, she (ZHF) wouldn’t listen to her (G). Perhaps, the situation would get worse if she persuaded. She could only say helplessly, “We didn’t bring so much money out with us. Moreover, how could that Heavily Scented Building be worth so much money? Buying a four-story roof tile house in the city is just seventy silver liang.”
Old maid Ding got unhappy. Her expression turned bad and she muttered, “How could that rotten roof tile house be compared to Heavily Scented Building? According to you, if we build a shack and a cottage as home, ten silver liangwould be enough! When speaking, you have to have conscience. You are also a nanny of a great family. Could it be that you don’t know how much red sandalwood is being sold for presently? I was still calculating using the price of previous years. I didn’t swindle you!”
Nanny Guan had been stumped for words. She could only repeatedly roll her eyes.
Zhang Hanfang saw that they haggled over every ounce, shouted and screamed very tackily and Gu Xiran and Shu Huan were watching the play at a side, she was afraid that she would be looked down by them. She quickly pushed nanny Guan and said, “I said for you to go get the money. Just go get it. If the money is not enough, then bring my box of jewelry.”
“Miss…”
“Quickly go!”
Nanny Guan couldn’t win over her. She could only go back to find that group of maids and ask them which one have the box of jewelry. In the end, it was Mingluan who brought it over. When they opened the box, it was full of gold, pearls and jades. They shone even under the dim light of the lantern.
Zhang Hanfang picked up a green jade dangling hairpin with a bit of gold on it and inlaid with pearls. She hasn’t spoken yet when old maid Ding leaned over to look, smacked her lips and said, “A very exquisite jewelry. It must be worth fifty to sixty liang, right?”
Sure enough, this old maid Ding was difficult to deal with. As Shu Huan saw that the whole face of Zhang Hanfang turned black, she almost couldn’t hold her laughter in. She could only turn her head and hid in the shadow to conceal her laughter.
Zhang Hanfang was furious. She took out a see-through jadeite hairpin.
That pair of eyes of old maid Ding was very sharp. She praised, “It is really rare to see a hairpin made fully of jade. Let alone that it’s so see-through. I think that it could be worth three hundred silver liang.”
Zhang Hanfang took out a green jade bracelet with golden threads in an act of fit.
Old maid Ding swept over it and said, “Two hundred silver liang.”
A sheep-fat white jade girdle ornament in the shape of a butterfly.
“Hundred and twenty silver liang.”
Zhang Hanfang had completely got angry. She grabbed the jewelry box from Mingluan and directly threw it in old maid’s Ding hand and said, “You pick! You pick yourself! After you’ve finished, tell me!”
Old maid Ding quickly hugged the jewelry box and said, “Miss, be gentler. If it accidentally fell, I wouldn’t be able to pay for them even if you tear down my old bones!”
After hearing this sentence, Zhang Hanfang’s face turned for the better. However, nanny Guan wanted to die! She was very clear about how much jewelries they brought out this time. Don’t think that the box was full, that it would be enough. The ones that were worth a lot of money had already been taken out by Zhang Hanfang just now. Although, the other jewelries looked beautiful, they weren’t worth much. After all, when they went out and it was to the relative’s house, it was enough to bring a few jewelries that could keep up the face. The expensive sets were still at home.
Sure enough, old maid Ding calculated while holding the box of jewelries. Calculating till the end, she smiled with her face that was wrinkled like a walnut and said, “Miss, it’s not enough. All the jewelries here is not worth more than thousand silver liang.”