Chapter 24

Chapter 24

Jang Un-chu smiled.

"Un-mo, what are you talking about?"

"When you got married, the family gave you so much silver. How can you say you have no money?"

"Don't tell me the Zhao family has already taken your dowry and spent it all."

In this era, families usually didn't divide while the parents were still alive.

Food, clothing, and ordinary household expenses all came from the common funds.

Individuals generally didn't spend their own silver unless they wanted something extra.

A woman's dowry, however, was extremely important.

Any family that cared about its reputation would never casually touch it.

Jang Un-chu knew that if Jang Un-mo tried to make excuses, she would probably hide behind Zhao Yongchang or the children.

So she blocked that route first.

"Of course not."

As expected, Jang Un-mo had no choice but to deny it.

She opened her mouth to say something else, but Jang Un-chu continued with an expression of genuine confusion.

"And I'm asking you to return my silver."

"Just go home and tell the children to hand it over."

"What does whether you personally have silver or not have to do with anything?"

"The way you're talking makes it sound like I'm trying to cheat money out of you."

"So what I'm saying is, hurry home and make the children return it."

"If they hide the money somewhere and refuse to give it back, that would really become troublesome, wouldn't it?"

Inside, Jang Un-mo wanted to scream,

That's exactly what you're doing! You're extorting money from me!

But after thinking about it again, paying ten taels to settle the issue of the love letters wasn't necessarily a bad deal.

Now that Jang Un-chu had lost the letters, she was probably so furious she wanted to spit blood.

Jang Un-mo gradually calmed down again.

"Fine. I'll go home and get it."

"Hurry."

Jang Un-chu said.

"Come back quickly. I'll be waiting here."

Jang Un-mo had no choice but to return home.

Before long, she actually came back carrying the silver.

"Ten taels. Check it yourself."

Jang Un-chu weighed the silver in her hand.

"That's right. Exactly ten taels."

She calmly put the silver away.

Jang Un-mo finally couldn't resist making one last sharp remark.

"Sister, you're satisfied now, right?"

"Then from now on, I sincerely hope you live happily with Brother-in-law."

The smile on Jang Un-chu's face disappeared.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

The onlookers immediately perked up.

It sounded like something interesting was about to happen.

Jang Un-mo hurriedly said,

"Nothing. I misspoke."

"I only meant..."

"Your last marriage didn't go well, but now you're married to Brother-in-law and living very well."

"So there's no need to keep holding onto the past."

"That's all."

Then she gave an awkward smile.

"I know you've always felt uncomfortable about me and my husband."

"I also know you think you were originally supposed to marry him."

"But back then, Grandfather never clearly named which granddaughter the engagement was for."

"And as we grew older, my husband and I..."

"We developed feelings for each other."

"So there really wasn't anything we could do about it."

Since they all came from the same village and there had already been a marriage arrangement between the families, saying that she and Zhao Yongchang had developed feelings for each other wasn't particularly strange.

In village life, marriage discussions often began only after a young man and woman had taken a liking to each other.

Everyone grew up together in the same place.

Men and women alike had to work in the fields.

So developing affection naturally wasn't unusual.

As long as they didn't behave too intimately, there was no major problem.

Jang Un-mo continued,

"I don't want to fight with you..."

"Xiaoyang and Xiaoshan only did that because of me this time."

"They couldn't stand seeing me upset."

"I'll punish them properly when we get home."

"And the silver..."

"Just consider it something I'm giving you."

The hidden meaning was obvious.

Zhao Yang and Zhao Shan had only been trying to avenge their mother.

So while they might have deliberately messed up Jang Un-chu's room, they hadn't stolen any silver.

In other words, Jang Un-mo was suggesting that Jang Un-chu had deliberately used the situation to torment them.

Jang Un-chu wasn't surprised at all.

Jang Un-mo's ability to push responsibility onto others was second to none.

No matter what situation she found herself in, even if she were caught at the scene, she would stubbornly argue until she found some explanation.

The only difference was how long it took her to think of one.

How could someone who believed herself kind and innocent simply stand there and let her own children carry the stigma of being thieves?

Earlier, she had been too flustered to react properly.

Now, it seemed she had finally found her excuse.

Before Jang Un-chu could respond, Old Madam Gang stepped forward in anger.

"What nonsense are you talking about now?"

"Our third daughter-in-law is kind, and she gets along perfectly well with my son."

"The child she gave birth to is clever and bright too."

"Why would my daughter-in-law even spare Zhao Yongchang a second glance?"

"How many times has that husband of yours taken the examinations?"

"And he still hasn't even become a xiucai, has he?"

"Yet you praise him as though he's something extraordinary."

Jang Un-mo was instantly speechless.

Zhao Yongchang was indeed the kind of talent who succeeded late in life.

That was also part of the reason Jang Un-mo had shifted her attention to that scumbag back then.

Old ginger was always the hottest.

Once Old Madam Gang said this, the watching villagers began reconsidering things.

Without realizing it, several people nodded.

That youngest son of the Zhao family...

He really wasn't anything impressive right now.

Exactly.

How many years had he been taking the examinations already?

His children were growing up, and he still wasn't even a xiucai.

Seeing Old Madam Gang defend her so firmly, Jang Un-chu felt deeply moved for a moment.

But when she looked back at Jang Un-mo, her gaze immediately turned cold again.

She sneered without mercy.

"You and Zhao Yongchang had feelings for each other?"

"You've had feelings for quite a few men, haven't you?"

"Which number was Zhao Yongchang?"

"Sister!"

Jang Un-mo's expression changed.

She couldn't understand it.

The love letter was already in her possession.

How could Jang Un-chu still dare to say such things?

Then Jang Un-chu's gaze shifted behind her.

A bad feeling immediately rose in Jang Un-mo's heart.

She turned around.

Her mother-in-law and several other women from the Zhao household had arrived.

The Gang family's courtyard was so noisy that plenty of people had come to watch the commotion.

The Zhao family had heard that the matter concerned their household, so they had come over too.

Jang Un-chu raised her voice clearly.

"Madam Zhao, would you like to hear what your youngest daughter-in-law has been doing behind your back all these years?"

"Jang Un-chu!"

Jang Un-mo shouted through clenched teeth.

"You're just jealous because I live better than you!"

"You've always been like this since we were children, and you still haven't changed!"

Jang Un-chu replied,

"I never did anything to you when we were children."

"I simply refused to let Grandmother use me like your personal servant."

"Weren't we members of the same family?"

"If you wanted to act like some pampered noble young lady, you should at least have remembered what kind of family you were born into."

Jang Un-chu had never demanded absolute equality.

After all, even compared with other village girls, Jang Un-mo had been treated exceptionally well.

Jang Un-chu hadn't wanted fine clothes or luxurious food.

She had only wanted normal treatment.

She didn't want to be excessively neglected.

Her parents worked so hard, yet the family only paid to educate the eldest branch's children.

What was wrong with asking for even that much?

Was every good thing in the household supposed to belong to Jang Un-mo?

Jang Un-chu continued,

"You know best whether I'm framing you."

"You became irritated because Zhao Yongchang kept failing the examinations."

"Then you set your eyes on a wealthy young master from town."

"In the end, you ran away from home and spent two days with him before returning."

"Are you going to claim I invented that too?"

"You... you!"

Jang Un-mo felt as though she couldn't breathe.

Even though she knew Jang Un-chu had no proof, how could any woman remain calm after hearing something like this said publicly?

Especially when it had actually happened.

"What nonsense are you talking about?"

"Do you have evidence?"

Jang Un-mo demanded.

"Do you have any evidence?"

"Evidence?"

Jang Un-chu smiled.

"Of course I do."

"Have you forgotten?"

"You wrote that young master love letters very often."

She deliberately emphasized the words very often.

Seeing how confident Jang Un-chu looked, Jang Un-mo's unease grew.

Could it be...

Could Jang Un-chu have had more than that one letter?

Jang Un-mo's mind raced.

Yes.

That was probably it.

There was no way that scumbag Yang Ze would have kept only one love letter.

If Jang Un-chu had obtained one, there was a good chance she had others too.

Without realizing it, Jang Un-mo grabbed her grandmother's arm.

Her voice trembled.

"Grandmother..."

Old Madam Jang immediately began scolding Jang Un-chu.

"Un-mo is your younger sister!"

"You grew up under the same roof."

"What are you doing?"

"Can't you show your younger sister a little mercy as her elder sister?"

"Why should I show her mercy?"

Jang Un-chu replied.

"Does Un-mo even treat me like an elder sister?"

"We're only a few months apart."

"It's not as though I'm decades older than her."

"And I can't handle a younger sister this vicious."

Old Madam Jang became furious.

"Second Son! And Second Daughter-in-law too!"

"Look at the daughter you raised!"

"What family's daughter talks back to her elders like this?"

"She got married and now her neck has grown stiff!"

Jang Un-chu's parents had already been called over.

But even while Old Madam Jang scolded them, they merely lowered their heads and said nothing.

Jang Un-chu's mother even rolled her eyes slightly.

It was obvious she secretly thought her daughter was right.

Jang Un-chu had no interest in beating around the bush.

She asked directly,

"Grandmother, do you still remember how you threatened me back then and forced me to marry Yang Ze because of Jang Un-mo?"

Old Madam Jang's mouth twitched.

Then she hurriedly defended herself.

"Yang Ze's circumstances seemed excellent!"

"How were we supposed to know he was that kind of man?"

"He was handsome, and his family had money."

"He was more than good enough for you!"

"You should have thanked your ancestors for getting such a marriage."

"Besides, you agreed to it yourself."

"How did we threaten you?"

Jang Un-chu sneered.

"Now I understand why you love Jang Un-mo so much."

"The two of you are exactly alike when it comes to opening your mouths and making things up."

"The reason you threatened me into marrying Yang Ze was because both you and Un-mo already knew what kind of man he was."

"Otherwise, why would Jang Un-mo cry and make a huge scene, run away from home, spend two days with him, and then suddenly change her mind and refuse to marry him?"

Under ordinary circumstances, Jang Un-mo really shouldn't have known what kind of man Yang Ze truly was back then.

His domestic violence wouldn't have become obvious until after marriage.

Yang Ze had been living off relatives, without money or power.

How would he have dared casually beat other people?

But once he married a woman, she became almost like his property.

She couldn't easily escape.

At that point, there was no need for him to keep pretending.

Still, when one thought about it carefully, it was also possible that Jang Un-mo had discovered something and changed her mind.

Either way, it would be difficult for her to completely escape the suspicion now.

And even if she wanted to explain herself, she probably wouldn't know where to begin.

Besides, after this matter exploded, that wouldn't be the only thing Jang Un-mo would have to explain.

The villagers watching the scene were stunned.

Jang Un-mo had also been involved with Jang Un-chu's...

Former husband?

Those love letters had been written to Yang Ze?

They had never heard anything like that before.

Then, at last, Jang Un-chu took out one letter.

She smiled brightly at Jang Un-mo.

"This letter looks familiar, doesn't it?"