Wanjin Lady

Chapter 25 Single Night

There are red lanterns hanging high outside the window.

The light is blood red.

The lights outside were bright, and the clansmen who came to help had arrived at the house early and were busy preparing for tomorrow's wedding.

The feast was prepared early.

The servants in the Wen Mansion had to be busy all night.

Wen Wan was still wearing her wedding gown, her hair half-finished for the wedding trial. Her face was tense as she tapped the account book on the table. Her tone was inarticulate, and she said, "The man surnamed Shi has run away."

Also in the room were Aunt Liu and Master Tu, who were temporarily summoned.

For such a big matter, Wen Wan was not familiar with the Wen family's situation, so she could only seek these two people as advisors.

Aunt Liu frowned, "Shi Jinquan has been with the master for quite some time."

"He came to me a few days ago and told me about his resignation. During the past six months since my father's illness, many people have been clamoring to leave, so I didn't take it seriously."

Since Wen Weimin became seriously ill, the original owner took care of him wholeheartedly for two or three months, and at that time the winery was still able to operate.

But gradually, Wen Weiming became seriously ill, and the employees in several taverns began to feel uneasy.

Some are anxious to find a new way out, some are afraid that the Wen family will default on their debts, and some are taking the opportunity to enrich themselves. The Wen family appears calm on the surface, but undercurrents are actually surging.

Ultimately, it's all her fault as the heir to the Wen family.

This group of people have followed Old Man Wen for many years and are afraid that the business will become unstable if the owner changes one day.

What's more, she is still a woman.

No handle.

They have even less confidence.

It is such a simple yet irrefutable truth.

Hongmei bit her lip and said, "Miss, let's report it to the police. The accountant took away the account books. This is a serious crime. The government has issued arrest warrants. Shi can't get away."

"That's not right. If we report this to the authorities, the creditors will know the account books are missing and they'll all come to collect. The authorities haven't found Shi Jinquan, but we've been completely taken advantage of. This was my oversight." Wen Wan quickly reflected on herself. "The most urgent thing is to suppress this matter and not make it public. We must find Shi Jinquan first."

"Leave this to me." Mr. Tu immediately accepted the order, but he had some concerns. "Since he has been harboring evil intentions for a long time, he must have made some preparations. It will probably be difficult to find him. Young lady, you must be mentally prepared."

"I know. I'll try to find him first." Wen Wan was not optimistic either. "What I'm more worried about now is that he has a backup plan."

Aunt Liu's heart also sank.

The accountants of the Great Chen Dynasty were almost all close associates of the boss, either close relatives or confidants, and they shared the boss's success and failure together.

Unless the boss is in big trouble and the accountant runs away to protect himself or betrays the boss, generally speaking, an accountant will work for one boss for three to five years, or even for life.

In other words.

Shi Jinquan ran away...either because he embezzled money and was afraid of being discovered by Wen Wan, or because there was a big problem with the Wen family's accounts.

No matter which one it is, it will be a fatal blow to the current Wen family.

"That bastard!" Concubine Liu cursed anxiously. "It's the eldest daughter's wedding day, and he really knows how to choose a date! He knows all those creditors are eyeing our family, and as soon as the wedding day is over, someone will definitely come to collect the debt! Now that we don't have the account book, whether or not we owe money, and how much is owed, doesn't it all depend on others' words?"

Wen Wan gestured to Aunt Liu to calm down. "Don't make this public for now. Father just recovered a few days ago, and the doctor said we should avoid getting too impatient. Tomorrow is also my wedding day, and at this critical moment, we absolutely cannot cause trouble. We can't let outsiders see that we're cowardly."

Aunt Liu's brow twitched at her words. It really was true, they all ended up doing the same thing!
There was a dim candlelight in the room, which made the young lady's face look gloomy.

"Madam Liu, I'd like to trouble you to invite your brothers over to help keep things under control. I hope everything goes smoothly at tomorrow's wedding banquet."

"Master Tu, go find Shi Jinquan first, and then find out if there are any new wineries or restaurants in Ping County, or if Shi Jinquan has contact with other wineries. Who did he meet in Ping County during his last few days? Does he have any debts?"

Mr. Tu immediately understood, "Is the young lady afraid that Shi Jinquan has accomplices?"

Wen Wan couldn't tell the zodiac either.

In the past, the original owner did not worry about household affairs and had only met Shi Jinquan a few times. She had no say in what kind of person Shi Jinquan was.

"My father treated him well, and there was no deep hatred between the two of them. He suddenly stabbed my father in the back, and there must be a reason behind it. Everything can only be focused on the wedding banquet first. As long as the wedding banquet goes smoothly, the elders will be speechless. Then we can talk about Shi Jinquan's matter."

"Madam Liu, please help me find out if there are any other accounting offices in Ping County these days."

Wen Wan paused again. Every shop has its own permanent accountant, and only when a shop goes bankrupt can a temporary accountant be circulated. It's really hard to find one if you're scrambling around at the last minute.

"Isn't there a Qingshan Academy on the outskirts of Ping County? There must be people there who can read and write. We can find one or two young people from poor families to help tide us over for the time being."

After the two left, Wen Wan sighed softly, then raised her elbows and rubbed her temples.

Looking at the big red lanterns all over the yard and the various bright flowers placed in the corners, all of them reminded her that she was going to get married.

Thinking back to the past, her parents always carefully avoided mentioning words like "boyfriend", "marriage", and "childbirth". They even never asked her to attend the weddings and full-month celebrations of her siblings, fearing that she would be saddened by the scene.

However, now, she has to complete the great things that she had not accomplished in her previous life in this different time and space.

With a completely unfamiliar man.

Wen Wan felt heavy-hearted and didn't feel any joy at all.

The night was deep, and the servants in the backyard had not yet rested. The pots and pans made a crisp sound as they were all preparing for tomorrow's banquet.

But the bride-to-be was worried about the account book.

Anyang's account books are so messy, and the accounts of several other wine shops are probably not much better. If we want to merge them into an account book with clear income and expenditure, we will have to hire someone to do a careful calculation.

The most terrible thing is.

Shi Jinquan not only took away the account books, but also took away the contracts, IOUs, debt certificates, receipts, etc. of the Wen family and all upstream and downstream suppliers.

In other words, the Wen family was wiped out by Shi Jinquan's trick.

Wen Wan was having a headache when she suddenly heard intermittent "bang bang bang" sounds coming from the window.

Wen Wan pushed open the window and stuck her head out.

The support rod on the windowsill was taken away, and then a pair of slender white hands reached in.

Zhao Heng was wearing a dark silk robe, his jet-black hair tied up with a bamboo crown, and the sharp contours of his facial features were fully revealed under the moonlight.

He had just walked out of the yard, passed by the bamboo forest, and there was a bamboo leaf on his right shoulder.

When he entered alone, the wind brought the scent of soapberries on his body after bathing.

He propped up the window coffin with a pole, glanced at Wen Wan again, and said with a smile, "Tomorrow is the day we will get married. Why do you look so sad, my lady? Do you regret this marriage?"

(End of this chapter)