Chapter 36: Seeking Help

Ma Chengteng initiated a conversation by asking Yueyao, "Yueyao, tell your uncle, have you been wronged in the Lian family?" Although Yueyao looked in good spirits from the moment Ma Chengteng saw her, such maturity and composure was extraordinary for a child of her age.

Yueyao didn't immediately respond; she was rehearsing internally how to relay to her uncle what had happened in the Lian family.

Ma Chengteng thought Yueyao was afraid to speak and became even more convinced that the Lian family had been mistreating her, "Yueyao, speak up, did someone in Lian Mansion bully you? Tell your uncle, and I will stand up for you."

After considering for a moment, Yueyao said, "Uncle, since returning from Jiangnan, I have been copying the Classic of Filial Piety and haven't dealt with other matters. But some time ago, I discovered that the servants from Jiangnan, aside from a few maids still serving in the Lanxi Courtyard, had all been sent away. One of my maids even told me that my wet nurse is getting very close to my Eldest Aunt's dowry maids." Yueyao hesitated briefly, then looked up at Ma Chengteng and seeing him deep in thought, she continued, "It was later that I came to know that Auntie's dowry nanny wanted to find out through my wet nurse how much family wealth I still possessed." Yueyao spoke vaguely, not directly accusing Lady Mo of coveting wealth.

Ma Chengteng didn't quite grasp the implication immediately, "What family wealth?"

Yueyao's expression grew somber, "Uncle, when my father was gravely ill, knowing he wouldn't survive the ordeal, he divided the family wealth into two parts. One part went into the public fund, and the other he left with me. Before passing away, he told me that this silver was for my marriage with Tingzheng in the future."

Ma Chengteng looked at Yueyao questioningly, "How much silver did your father leave you?" Ma Chengteng wasn't interested in Yueyao's silver. He simply wanted to know how much silver it was that had caught Lady Mo's interest. In his memory, the Eldest Lady Lian seemed to have a good reputation.

Without hiding anything from Ma Chengteng, Yueyao revealed, "About one hundred thousand taels. My father told me that the wealth of the second branch was divided equally. They all got the same amount of silver." This meant that the portion left for the public fund was also about one hundred thousand taels. Yueyao wasn't hiding this from Ma Chengteng because she trusted that he wouldn't covet such a small amount of silver. In addition, it prevented the possibility of leaving the silver in Ma Chengteng's care.

Ma Chengteng's expression changed slightly, "Yueyao, do you have any proof? We can't speak carelessly about such things." Without evidence, this could be seen as a grave disrespect. But in his heart, Ma Chengteng already believed Yueyao.

Yueyao shook her head, "The wet nurse has admitted that Granny Hua was indeed inquiring about how much silver I had. Uncle, truthfully, I didn't want to believe it either, but, but..." At this point, tears welled up in Yueyao's eyes.

Yueyao had a purpose in telling Ma Chengteng all this: to let her uncle know that Lady Mo was such a greedy woman. When the time came for her grandmother to pass on and she proposed taking back her dowry, her uncle would certainly agree.

Ma Chengteng was furious, "What an idea, to covet a niece's assets. Utterly disgusting. After all, the Lian family is supposed to be a scholarly family. What a so-called scholarly family." At last, he understood why Yueyao had written him such proper letters, "So what do you plan to do?" That Eldest Lady Lian really had some nerve, not even sparing two orphans a bit of silver for their personal use—it was truly despicable.

Of course, Yueyao had long thought this through, "Uncle, I want to deposit this silver in the Huitong Money House. Uncle, do you think that's alright?" Seeing that Ma Chengteng didn't respond immediately, Yueyao hurriedly explained, "Uncle, I originally wanted you to keep it for me. But I'm afraid that if they find out, it would reflect badly on you. I wouldn't want such a thing to happen, it could damage your good reputation." Yueyao trusted Ma Chengteng. With his honest character, whether it was one hundred thousand taels or one million taels, he wouldn't be corrupt. However, she dared not leave the money with Ma Chengteng. If something happened to her uncle again in two years, she wouldn't be able to reclaim the money. It was her uncle's wife that Yueyao preferred not to mention.

Ma Chengteng, smiling, said, "You little girl, people usually deposit silver in the Money Shop and receive a silver note. Are you saying you want to deposit the silver note back into the Money Shop?" He didn't need to guess; he knew that Yueyao's brother-in-law must have given her silver notes, not the kind that you deposit back into the Huitong Money House.

Yueyao quickly nodded her agreement, "Uncle, I plan to rent a safe deposit box for ten years, to put the silver note and some other things inside. That way, should anything happen, I have a fallback." Yueyao didn't intend to keep secret from Ma Chengteng her plan to store other things as well.