"What are you doing?" Zheng Yiming hurried over upon hearing the commotion, and upon entering, he saw this scene and shouted anxiously.
Although Old Master Zheng did not care about Bai Jinxiu's feelings, he did care about his only son. Hearing his son's shout, he quickly stopped.
He coughed uncomfortably, complaining, "Your mother has truly turned against heaven. I speak to her, and she ignores me. How can there be such a woman? If she's not taught a lesson, it's not enough to establish marital authority."
"Father, Mother is dying." Zheng Yiming looked at his father sadly and said with grief.
"Dying? I think she's dying of happiness. A woman like her, how could she bear to die?" Old Master Zheng's first reaction to this was disbelief.
In his heart, although Bai Jinxiu was gentle, she was actually cruel and ruthless. He had some idea how his concubines disappeared. Not to mention anything else, just the ruthlessness she showed towards the Bai family siblings made others feel inferior. They were the only two remaining children of her maternal family, and she could be so heartless. What more could be said about others? How could such a person bear to die?
"This time it's real." Zheng Yiming then burst into tears. He wished it was all a dream as his father said, but reality was so cruel.
"This time it's for real?" Seeing his son's demeanor wasn't like he was joking, and looking closely at Bai Jinxiu's complexion, which was unusually pale and tinged with a deathly grey, Old Master Zheng's heart sank.
They had been married for so many years. He resented Bai Jinxiu for either dismissing or killing his concubines, leaving him with only one son in his middle age. He hadn't observed carefully just now, but now he could see that this time was truly different from before.
Although he didn't say it, he knew in his heart that the household couldn't function without Bai Jinxiu. She had only been sick for a few days, and things were already in disarray. He couldn't imagine life without her.
"How did it suddenly come to this? Weren't you fine a few days ago?" Old Master Zheng asked, puzzled.
Zheng Yiming stiffened, not knowing how to answer.
"Illness strikes like a mountain, but recovery is like drawing silk. One can never be sure about people's lives," Bai Jinxiu said, seeing her son's silence and fearing he would slip up.
"What do we do about the household now? Hurry and get some money out." Old Master Zheng hadn't eaten dinner yet and was starving. He just wanted Bai Jinxiu to quickly bring out the money so that the household expenses could be maintained and he could continue his life of luxury.
"There's no money. How much did you lose at the gambling dens? Don't you have any idea?" Bai Jinxiu said weakly. After so many years of anger, she had learned to face things with a sense of calm.
"I know, but we still need to get some money out to get by for now." Old Master Zheng touched his nose guiltily. He didn't want to be like this, but he couldn't help himself.
"Our family has reached the point of selling servants and ancestral homes. There's really no money left. You can also get some money by taking the household servants to the matchmakers." Bai Jinxiu said irritably, not mentioning the land deeds and property she had given to her son.
"Are you kidding me? If we do that, won't I become famous in the city? How embarrassing would that be?" Old Master Zheng immediately rejected the idea. He didn't believe the Zheng family had reached such a state.
Bai Jinxiu was too lazy to talk to him further. Was it too late to care about appearances now?
Seeing that Bai Jinxiu was ignoring him, Old Master Zheng started rummaging through chests and cabinets. He couldn't find anything in the bedroom or the storeroom. The storeroom was empty, except for a few large items that couldn't be moved.
Seeing a group of stewards following him, all looking at him expectantly, or rather, asking him for money, he had no choice but to take out the little silver he had left on him. At the very least, he could have dinner and have the energy to do things tomorrow morning.
Lying in bed, he thought about Bai Jinxiu's words. They were not without reason. He knew his own affairs. The household didn't really have much money. Bai Jinxiu had been pawning things all along, and he knew it. She had probably sold a lot of land and shops. Perhaps the household had truly reached its end.
The next morning, he did as Bai Jinxiu had said. He called for matchmakers and sold a small portion of the maids and female servants in the mansion.
He got a few hundred taels of silver, distributed some to the stewards of the household, and still had plenty left. He started to get itchy again and couldn't resist going to the gambling dens for a few rounds. When he came out, his hands were empty, and nothing was left.
Zheng Yiming had been staying by his mother's bedside these past few days. He was aware of the absurdities his father had been up to. After all, even if he didn't send people to follow him, others would gossip behind his back once he left the house.
The money Old Master Zheng gave to the stewards only lasted a few days, and they gathered again. Old Master Zheng missed the days when Bai Jinxiu was healthy. At least he didn't have to worry about household affairs.
They dispersed only after he promised to give them money tomorrow. As they walked out of the main courtyard, they exchanged glances, everything understood without a word.
The money hadn't actually been spent so quickly. The stewards, seeing that the Zheng family was about to collapse, had prepared for the future and taken some money for themselves. They were relying on Old Master Zheng's ignorance of financial matters. If it were the Madame, they wouldn't dare, even with a hundred times their courage.
Old Master Zheng fretted about what to do without money, regretting his impulsiveness the previous few days and losing all the money gambling.
He had no choice but to continue selling servants. By now, there were only a dozen servants left in the mansion, including the stewards.
At first, he thought he couldn't gamble with the money this time. If he lost it gambling again, there would be no servants left to sell.
Could a person addicted to gambling change so easily? Naturally, the money didn't stay with him for long.
Even more unfortunately, Bai Jinxiu completely closed her eyes and left the world with all her unfulfilled regrets.
Zheng Yiming cried his heart out. He hadn't expected that in just half a month, his mother would be separated from him by the Yin and Yang realms.
Old Master Zheng was worried because another problem had arisen: there was no money for the funeral. Seeing that his father really couldn't come up with the money, and they couldn't sell the house, Zheng Yiming had to take out his private savings. No matter what, his mother had to be buried with peace.
The Zheng family had recently become the talk of the town. With the sale of servants, rumors spread like wildfire. The matter of the Zheng family seizing the Bai family's assets was also completely leaked, and everyone disdained the Zheng family's actions.
Bai Jinxiu had passed away. The mourning hall was set up, but few people came to pay their respects.
Wu Caiwei never gave people any reason to criticize her in such minor matters. She personally came with her brother to pay her respects. The world praised them for their loyalty and righteousness. Zheng Yiming knew the truth. His mother was killed by her. How could she still have the face to come?
Wu Caiwei remained indifferent to his anger. It seemed he wasn't entirely blameless, was he? At least he was aware of this matter, Wu Caiwei thought silently.
Old Master Zheng didn't know why Wu Caiwei had moved out, but he heard that she had a large sum of money. He shamelessly went to borrow money. Even someone like Wu Caiwei, who had been through many storms, couldn't help but be surprised.