In the afternoon, Zhulan returned to the residence and did not summon all her daughters-in-law. Instead, she singled out one to speak with, bringing them in one by one. She was worried that it would be difficult for the group, especially for the first three daughters-in-law, whose silver savings were not as much as the Magistrate's.
Zhulan started with the eldest, "The situation is this, my hands are short on silver, so I'm hoping to borrow some from your households. I will pay you back in two months."
Lady Li thought of many things but never imagined her mother-in-law would borrow silver. The first wife's household didn't have much silver; the current savings stemmed from the dividends of a snack shop, "Mother, following you I've invested in shops, and I currently have around eight hundred taels. Please consider this silver as the first house's show of filial piety. It's just that we don't have much to offer in terms of substantial help."
