Gu Tianhao cleared his throat gently, breaking the silence. "Ahem. Mother," he began, addressing Old Madam Gu with respect.
"What my madam has said is not without wrong either. Even His Majesty the Emperor has acknowledged the dire situation of the Empire's financial stability because of continuous famine for the past few years." His tone was measured, as he explained the gravity of the matter at hand.
"As the years of famine increase, the hardships faced by our common people become more severe," Gu Tianhao continued, gesturing lightly with his hands to emphasize the reality of the situation. "And It's not just the commoners, but even those of noble standing have found themselves grappling with declining fortunes."
He paused for a moment and looked up at old Madam Gu's face.
Only after seeing the frown on her forehead smoothening did he take a chance to continue speaking.
"Because of financial instability, even nobles can't spend money as they used to do before. Mother, we have to recognize the present and accept it. We can't always compare our present with our past, right?"
Gu Tianhao looked earnestly at Old Madam Gu, hoping his words would bridge the gap between her expectations and the harsh truth of their circumstances.
Hearing Gu Tianhao speaking in her favour, Madam Yun couldn't help but feel nostalgic about the past when he used to favour her over Madam Lin and made her feel how much he loved her.
'Yes, that's right. He loves me.' Madam Yun internally thought.
"Yes, we can't always look back and compare our present with the past." Old Madam Gu sighed.
"Don't worry about the grains; I'll write to clan members. I'm sure they will help us with it, and about our other expenses, we can rely on the shop's earnings and the salaries you'll receive from the imperial court." Old Madam Gu said, looking at her two sons, and then turned to Madam Shen.
"I know I shouldn't say this, eldest daughter-in-law, but as you can see our circumstances, I hope you can help us with your dowry until the situation is stable and on the bright side." Old Madam Gu didn't show her usually haughty side but instead opted for a polite one.
Being addressed by Old Madam suddenly, Madam Shen was flustered.
In this situation what more could she say? Could she say no to her mother-in-law?
Of course not.
A forced smile graced Madam Shen's lips as she spoke; "What are you talking mother? Of course, what is mine is yours and the Gu family's. As long as the family needs not only my dowry, even if I have to sacrifice myself, I won't hesitate for a second." Madam Shen said.
"Yes. That's how the eldest daughter-in-law of Gu's family should be." Old Madam Gu said, her eyes gleaming with pride and happiness.
'So what if my two daughters-in-law are not as skilled in business as that girl from the Lin family? At least they are from a noble bloodline, and they know how to manage their family's reputation and help each other in troubled times.' Old Madam Gu thought internally.
Days turned into weeks, and weeks turned into months, and soon, three months had gone since the robbery.
Officers from the criminal bureau had accepted defeat and already buried the robbery case under the new cases happening in the capital.
The few detective organizations the Gu family had hired to find the clues about the robbery had also returned the money for not being able to solve the case.
Gu's family members had also lost hope of finding the lost goods back and old Madam had also accepted the fact.
"Mother, it's been three months since the robbery happened but there is not even one clue about how it happened and who was the mastermind. Do you think because it's not manmade but because it's some evil spirit who swallowed all the wealth in the Gu Residence?" Sitting under the parasol tree, Madam Yun, who was enjoying afternoon tea with old Madam Gu and Madam Shen, suddenly spoke in a mysterious voice.
Hearing her talking about spirits and ghosts robbing their Residence, Madam Shen couldn't help but chuckle, hoping old Madam Gu would follow her soon, but when old Madam Gu didn't follow her laughter, Madam Shen stopped laughing and looked at old Madam Gu.
She saw old Madam Gu frowning after hearing Madam Yun's nonsense-talking, but since old Madam Gu didn't laugh, it only meant that she also thought about these things.
Well, it was not the first time old Madam Gu had thought about it, but she always shook her head and thought it was all nonsense.
When Madam Yun suddenly raised the question she had buried deep inside her heart, old Madam Gu couldn't help but feel her heart move.
She ignored Madam Shen's laughing and turned towards Madam Yun and raised her brow; "So, what do you think?"
Inside Water Pavilion;
Sun was already bright and up in the sky, and after washing up and having her breakfast, Gu Yanyan had already gone to her study room to start practising her calligraphy and improving her writing skills.
Even in the modern era, Gu Yanyan was fascinated by those who could write calligraphy. That long brush dipped in ink smoothly slid over the white rice paper, just seeing it looked so satisfying.
And that was the reason, after coming into this world the first thing she wanted to learn was calligraphy. She knew that in this historical era, there was no pen and in future if she wanted to expand her business, she would have to read and write documents and at that, she would have to learn to write with ink and brush eventually, then why not learn this calligraphy when she had so much free time in the Gu Residence. In this way, she could find something to pass her time and enhance her calligraphy skills too.
Leaning over her study table, little Gu Yanyan was holding an ink stick and grinding it in the inkstone in a circle which made a rhythmic sound.
A soft aroma of ink was filling the air of the study room.
Just then the door of the study opened.;
"Miss, I heard some interesting news from the maids."