His mouth parted before he managed to speak, "Where… where did you get so much silver?"
"Don't worry, this silver is legitimately earned. Someone took a liking to my embroidery and paid a high price for it. However, I don't plan to embroider anymore. It's too hard on the eyes, and I don't want to go blind at such a young age.
Fifty-five taels is to repay you. With the rest, you can buy a house in town, get a shop, start a small business, send Bao Ge to school, and prepare a dowry for Ling Jie."
Five hundred taels of silver was an astronomical sum to them. To Wu Caiwei, it was nothing. But she only had a thousand taels for herself, and she had to keep some to start a small business, as she couldn't rely on selling embroidery forever.
"I'll accept the fifty-five taels of silver, but I can't take the rest. It's your hard-earned money, and what kind of man would I be if I spent your silver?" Liu Changhe felt a sense of unreality, but his reason was intact. Honestly, it was hard not to be tempted by so much silver, but he knew that a gentleman pursues wealth through righteous means.
"Who says I'm spending it on you? Don't flatter yourself. This is for my son and daughter. Although we're divorced, they were born to me, and I have to think about them." With that, Wu Caiwei directly stuffed the silver notes into Bao Ge's hand.
Bao Ge looked at his father, unsure of what to do. He wanted to take it. Reading was expensive, and those from less affluent families couldn't afford it. With this five hundred taels, he could study with peace of mind. Even if he didn't achieve anything remarkable, he wouldn't have to worry about the family's work.
Liu Changhe looked at his son and daughter's expectant eyes and sighed. He turned to Wu Caiwei, "You're giving away so much silver, do you still have any left? As a woman alone, you must first ensure your own livelihood, and you should also know not to flaunt your wealth."
"Don't worry, I'm not the same person I used to be. You should think about how big a house you want to buy." Wu Caiwei smiled mysteriously and glanced at the sky. She had to return to the county before dark.
Seeing that Wu Caiwei was about to leave, Mother Liu quickly signaled to her son. Liu Changhe looked at his mother, utterly confused, not knowing what she meant.
Mother Liu became anxious and kicked her son several times. She accidentally kicked Bao Ge, who was sitting beside him. Bao Ge immediately cried out, "Grandma, why did you kick me? I didn't do anything wrong."
Wu Caiwei instinctively turned her head. Mother Liu, seeing her look at her feet, gave an awkward smile. Knowing she couldn't count on her foolish son, she took matters into her own hands and tentatively asked, "Ling Jie is of marriageable age, and Bao Ge will be able to marry in a few years. You'll be a grandmother.
You have a son and a daughter, and you have the money now to buy a house and shop in town. We've been together for so many years, and I'm very satisfied with you. I consider myself a good mother-in-law. I was just too angry back then that I divorced you. Let bygones be bygones. Won't you come back?"
Liu Changhe finally understood his mother's intention and looked at her with hopeful eyes.
"To be honest, I'm very grateful to you all these years. But recently, I've been on my own, and I feel this is the life I want. I can freely see the outside world, and I can find another virtuous wife for Changhe, as he is very deserving. If I meet someone suitable in the future, I will remarry as well." Although the Liu family was good, Wu Caiwei, having finally separated from them, would not return to this home, as she was waiting for someone.
Liu Changhe couldn't help but show a disappointed expression. She praised him and his family, but she refused to return, indicating her dissatisfaction with him. Perhaps the incident last time had hurt her deeply.
Wu Caiwei was about to offer some comfort when there was a sudden banging on the door. Liu Changhe quickly put away the silver notes.
Bao Ge went to open the door. As soon as he opened it, he quickly tried to close it again. Unfortunately, the other party was quick-handed and pushed the door open. Bao Ge was hit with great force and stumbled, almost falling to the ground. He looked at them with dissatisfaction.
They stormed up to Wu Caiwei and looked her up and down. Seeing that she was wearing fine clothes, they knew she had been doing well recently, and their anger immediately subsided a lot.
"You child, you divorced Liu Changhe, why didn't you come to us? It's so unsafe for a woman to be alone outside. Would we harm you?" Mother Zhou said earnestly.
"Yes, yes. Where are you staying now? Hurry, take us to see. I don't know if it's safe. I think you should move back to the Zhou family. At least you're surrounded by family, and you'll have support." Father Zhou saw the silver hairpin on her head and estimated its value, guessing what she had been doing recently. He and Mother Zhou had a tacit understanding. Seeing her change in attitude, they immediately understood.
"Mother's embroidery was very good, and she taught me. I went to a sewing workshop in the city as a seamstress. They provided food and lodging, and I got two hundred copper coins a month, which was barely enough to live on." Wu Caiwei immediately restrained her aura and answered dully.
When Mother Zhou heard this, her eyes lit up. She had thought she might have done something shameful, given her attire, as she deeply understood how difficult it was for a woman to survive alone. To her surprise, she was working. Although two hundred copper coins wasn't much, it wasn't little either; it was enough for the Zhou family to live on for ten to fifteen days.
"You child, it's really something. Why didn't you discuss such a big matter with us? I forgot to tell you, the Zhou family has an heir on the way. In a few months, you'll be an aunt. Unfortunately, our Zhou family is poor. The child will have to live a hard life with us. Thinking about it makes me feel sorry, but there's nothing we can do. You're the capable one. When he's born, let him get close to you. You're so young, you're bound to remarry. If you suffer any grievances in your in-laws' home, he can help you out."
Mother Zhou's words were pregnant with meaning, telling Wu Caiwei that the Zhou family was poor now and urging her to provide more money, so that her future nephew could support her.
"This… Mother might not know, but after I left the Liu family, I established a female household in the county. You know it costs over two taels of silver to establish a female household, and I used the rest of the money to build connections.
It's hard to find work in the city. Even so, I promised to give her one hundred copper coins each month later, and only then did she introduce me to the embroidery house. Otherwise, with my skills, I wouldn't have been able to get in.
With that said, I only have one hundred copper coins left each month. Occasionally, I buy some rouge and powder. I really don't have a single cent left." Who couldn't complain? In any case, Wu Caiwei would not let them take advantage of her in the slightest.
Mother Zhou's heart sank halfway. The reason she rushed over as soon as she heard Wu Caiwei was back was because she heard that she had taken five taels of silver when she divorced. That was five taels, enough for their entire family to live on for a year. This ungrateful wretch had actually spent the silver in the blink of an eye.