The wicked mother-in-law doesn't try to whitewash herself; she only abuses her awful children.

Chapter 702 Silver Found
"Second sister-in-law, you think the dowry my eldest sister-in-law gave me wasn't enough? How much was your dowry?"

Jia was surprised when Gu Honglian asked her a question in return.

"Second sister-in-law, don't try to tell me that you're not as capable as eldest sister-in-law or that you don't have the money, so you won't give it to me. Fengnian just built a house last year, and life isn't easy for him, but Fengnian's wife still gave me a dowry."

Gu Honglian stretched out her hand and asked Jia Shi for it directly.

"Second sister-in-law, could you please give me something, even just a pair of shoes or a pair of chopsticks?"

Jia felt bitter inside. She originally wanted to provoke Tong Huaqiong, but Gu Honglian attacked her instead, directly asking her for the dowry.

Originally, Jia Shi did not want Gu Honglian and Fan Tong's marriage to go through.

Gu Honglian, what merit or ability does she possess to marry a scholar?
Now that Gu Honglian has become a scholar's wife, won't she be so arrogant?

Because Jia herself was unhappy with her life, she didn't want those around her to have an easy life.

That's why she instigated Gu Honglian to ask Lu Zhaozhao for a dowry, all to disgust the eldest son's family and make them completely sever ties with Gu Honglian.

Gu Honglian did ask, which angered Gu Jingzhe, but the final result was not what Jia had expected.

She just wanted to cause trouble for Gu Honglian and Tong Huaqiong.

"Mother, if my second brother and sister-in-law hadn't taken my dowry, you and Father wouldn't have been in such a predicament, and I wouldn't have been forced to offend Jingzhe's wife." Gu Honglian looked at the old lady Gu and said aggrievedly, "I don't care about what happened before, but now that I'm getting married, my second sister-in-law should at least give me some more dowry."

Grandma Gu looked at Madam Jia and said with displeasure, "You really should add more."

Jia said, "I have no money."

Grandma Gu now controls everything in the house; she can't take anything away even if she wants to.

She still had thirty taels of silver hidden away, which even Gu Youtian didn't know about. It was absolutely impossible for her to take it out.

Grandma Gu said coolly, "If you don't have it, then go borrow it or buy it on credit. When you had land and money before, you gave your family a lot of subsidies, so go ask your family for it. This time, everyone in the eldest son's family gave to Gu Honglian, and we don't want you to follow the eldest son's example. You and Youtian only need to give ten taels."

Jia's eyes reddened, and she said, "If I had money, would I not give it to my sister? I don't have a single penny. You told me to ask my family for it, but my family's harvest has been bad these past few years, and my brother's two sons have married one after another, emptying our family's coffers."

Wu Na, never one to shy away from stirring things up, chimed in, "Grandma, don't listen to Mother. She has thirty taels of silver, but she just won't take it out."

Jia's heart skipped a beat, and she denied it, saying, "What nonsense are you talking about? Where would I get money? If I had money, wouldn't I have taken it out when Ruinian got married?"

Wu Na smiled faintly and said, "Last time my uncle came to our house, I heard you tell him that you still had thirty taels of silver."

It turned out that Wu Na had searched Jia's room twice while Jia was away, but she couldn't find anything.

This mother-in-law is malicious. Since she has money but doesn't use it to nourish her body, she'll just expose it.

If we don't let her have an easy time, no one else will either.

Grandma Gu stared coldly at Madam Jia.

She believed Wu Na's words.

Otherwise, whoever is lying can easily come up with an accurate number.

"Second daughter-in-law, this is the last time I'm asking you, where is your money?" Old Mrs. Gu's eyes were cold.

Jia gritted her teeth and shook her head.

All she had left was thirty taels of silver.

If they really admit it, they won't just give Gu Honglian ten taels, they won't even be able to keep thirty taels.

As she was thinking this, Gu Youtian was already looking at her with a probing gaze.

Jia was filled with remorse.

She shouldn't have been so sarcastic towards Gu Honglian.

"I really have no money."

Grandma Gu was too lazy to listen to Jia's nonsense. She put the needle and thread in the basket and tiptoed towards Jia's room.

Since she won't admit it, she'll go find out herself.

"Mother, I have no money, I really have none."

Jia followed.

Soon, Wu Na, Gu Ruinian, Gu Honglian, and Gu Youtian followed.

Upon arriving at Jia's house, Old Madam Gu searched the place thoroughly.

Jia's heart pounded. Grandma Gu called to Wu Na to help search, and the two of them searched from the cupboard to under the bed, leaving no corner unchecked, but they couldn't find anything.

Madam Jia breathed a slight sigh of relief and said, "I told you I had no money, Mother, and you just listened to Ruinian's gossip."

Grandma Gu remained expressionless.

No, something's wrong.

Grandma Gu's eyes glanced at an open wooden box under the table, which contained books.

It is Ruinian's book.

Ever since Gu Ruinian became lame, he gave up studying and wanted to set fire to all his books. Jia Shi snatched the books out, crying that they were symbols of all the effort she had put into Ruinian.

It was placed in a wooden box under the table.

No one in the family reads books, so no one usually flips through them.

Even Grandma Gu overlooked the stack of books.

Seeing Old Madam Gu staring intently at the book, Jia was extremely nervous.

Grandma Gu sneered and walked towards the table, knocking the book to the ground with a clatter, and the snow-white silver coins rolled out.

Grandma Gu was secretly pleased. She thought to herself, "She's too green to compete with my second son's wife."

Jia's face instantly turned pale.

Wu Na looked at the silver excitedly and said, "I knew I couldn't have misheard. Mother really knows how to hide things."

Gu Youtian slapped Jia Shi across the face and roared, "Look at the state of the house, and you still have the leisure to keep secrets?"

Even Gu Ruinian was secretly resentful that Jia Shi hadn't given him any money as compensation.

Jia covered her face, her eyes wide with rage, and frantically rushed forward to snatch it.

It almost knocked down Grandma Gu.

"Youtian, are you dead?" Old Mrs. Gu shouted at Gu Youtian.

Gu Youtian restrained Jia.

Jia wept bitterly, her silver.

The money is gone today.

Grandma Gu gathered the silver into her bosom and went to the main room.

After counting, it was exactly thirty taels of silver.

"These ten taels are for Honglian's dowry."

Grandma Gu took out ten taels and handed them to Gu Honglian.

Gu Honglian happily accepted it.

Now her dowry has one hundred taels of silver.

Wu Na said from the side, "Grandma, it's all thanks to me that this silver was found. Give me ten taels."

Old Mrs. Gu glared at her with eyes like knives and scolded, "Where did you get any credit? Ever since you married into the Gu family, you haven't cooked, washed clothes, or done any farm work. All you do is eat. Do you see any other daughter-in-law as lazy as you? You still have the nerve to ask for money? If you're so capable, go ask your parents for it."

Wu Na scoffed and muttered, "If I had known about this money, I wouldn't have told my family."

Jia glared at Wu Na with a look of hatred.

A traitor who betrays his own people.

Gu Youtian said from the side, "Give me these twenty taels, I'll take them to Pingchuan County and see if there's any small business I can start."

Old Mrs. Gu squinted and said, "What kind of business can you do with twenty taels? It'll probably just go down the drain. I won't give this money to anyone; I'll keep it for emergencies."

She figured it out: rather than letting Gu Youtian waste it, she might as well keep it in her own hands.

Madam Jia glared at Old Madam Gu with hatred; this was her money.

Grandma Gu said, "Who are you trying to fool with this act of being an enemy? You eat and drink at home, and the family is in such dire straits, yet you're hiding money. Don't think this money is yours; it belongs to the Gu family."

Jia hated Wu Na and Gu Honglian to death.