Divorce with three kids? I'll build a house and eat meat, driving my in-laws crazy.

Chapter 198 She's an outsider

The maidservant couldn't answer, so she kowtowed and said, "Madam, I'll go and call the master over right away."

There are some things she said that the madam wouldn't believe, and might even beat or scold her. It would be better to call the accountant over and explain things clearly.

As she turned to leave, she heard an old voice from outside the door: "No need to call me, I'm coming."

The accountant looked very unhappy; he had overheard a few of what Madam Bai had said earlier.

He had followed Master Bai for many years, and in his heart, Master Bai was the true master; wives and concubines were not important.

Upon his arrival, Madam Bai forced a polite smile and said, "Please come in and sit down, sir."

The accountant stroked his gray beard and waved his hand, saying, "No need."

He then pointed to the people behind him and said, "Madam, it's time to settle the accounts this month."

Following the direction of his finger, Madam Bai saw several elderly men standing with their hands clasped in front of them; they were clearly accountants as well.

As a large family, the Bai family always puts its expenses on credit and settles them together at the beginning of the following month.

As the newly appointed mistress of the house, this was the first time Madam Xue had experienced something like this. She didn't understand, but she wore an arrogant smile on her face.

She sat down by herself, crossed her legs, and said, "Go ahead and speak."

The accountants had already settled accounts with several wealthy families today. Although the families were not of high status, they had treated the families with great courtesy.

Offering tea, providing a seat, and inviting someone to stay for a meal are all routine practices, and many families even give generous red envelopes (gifts of money).

Finally, they would politely thank you and see you off.

They assumed that the Bai family, being a prominent household, would be quite courteous in this regard.

Bai Lu used to be in charge of these things, and they had a good impression of the little girl.

Today was the first time they had met Madam Bai, and they were being looked down upon like this. The group of people were all seething with anger.

At that moment, all they wanted was to grab the money and leave.

A man stepped forward and said, "Madam Bai, the entire household spent a total of 2000 taels on food purchases last month."

As he spoke, he politely handed her an account book.

Others also handed over their booklets, and Madam Xue looked at the thick booklets, feeling utterly overwhelmed.

These ledgers range from small items like coal, cloth, jewelry, furniture purchases, and livestock feeding, to larger items like shop repairs, rent, land taxes, social obligations, weddings, and funerals—a thick stack of more than a dozen books.

Madam Xue frowned; she hated these kinds of things the most.

But this is something every matriarch must take care of; she can't shirk it.

He could only impatiently ask his accountant, "How much is it in total?"

Before the man could answer, she said directly, "You should pay their bill."

The accountant thought to himself, "You should take a look at the accounts first and check them carefully. What if they've falsified them?"

But the lady was clearly very impatient, so he could only cup his hands and say, "Reporting to the lady, the total is 33000 taels."

"So much?" Madam Xue frowned. The Bai family spends so much money every month.

With that money, she could buy her son several large houses.

Feeling the pinch, she looked at the group suspiciously and said, "You wouldn't be lying to me by falsifying accounts, would you?"

The group didn't actually falsify the accounts. Bai Lu had investigated them very carefully and thoroughly before, so they wouldn't dare to.

Now that Madam Bai is saying this, they can tell at a glance that she is an outsider.

The group exchanged glances, as if they had discovered a sucker who was being taken advantage of.

He was secretly delighted, but on the surface he smiled sincerely and said, "Madam is joking. Even if you gave us a hundred heads, we wouldn't dare."

Hehe, guess what? They didn't dare before, but now they do.

Seeing that everyone was shaking their heads, Madam Xue raised her chin and directed the accountant to begin clearing the accounts.

Several large boxes were carried over, and the accountant checked the accounts one by one and settled the bills.

Throughout the entire process, Madam Xue frowned, pondering how to swindle Bai Yuanwai's money into her own pocket.

After everyone left, she said to the accountant, "Send a box of silver to my room; I need it urgently."

She felt that Master Bai's money was hers, and she didn't need to explain herself to anyone when spending her own. The accountant didn't bother to ask either, and simply bowed, saying, "Madam, there's no extra silver in the account."

"What do you mean by this? Where's the money? Did you embezzle it?"

The accountant turned pale with anger. He suppressed his rage and said, "The money left in the accounts is only enough for the household's daily expenses this month. There isn't a single penny more."

Fearing she still wouldn't understand, he explained, "Without the master's seal, or the deputy seal, the money in the bank can't be withdrawn."

Xue gritted her teeth. "Damn old man, why did you put all your money in the money shop?"

Wouldn't it be better to keep it at home and use it whenever needed?
What's most infuriating is that she still hasn't found that deputy seal.

Undeterred, he said, "What if I go to the bank myself to ask for it?"

She was the dignified Madam Bai, and the money shop served the Bai family; she was essentially a servant of the Bai family.

When servants saw her as their mistress, they had no choice but to obediently hand over their money.

Moreover, she condescended to go and fetch it herself.

The accountant suppressed a scornful laugh and said earnestly, "Even if you don't bring your seal, sir, you won't be able to withdraw the money."

Madam Xue's face darkened further. She smashed the cup with a crash and roared, "Get out! All of you, get out!"

The accountant quickly left, but the maid dared not leave, and carefully knelt on the ground to pick up the crumbs.

"Madam, calm down. There's always a way. You have a dowry, right? Take some out and buy a few people to visit the ancestral graves."

Xue was reluctant to spend the money, but she had no other choice at the moment.

She never imagined that after marrying into the Bai family, she would have to pay for things herself when asking others for favors.

The accountant left the Bai family's residence and hurried to a secluded courtyard near the county government office.

Shuya was already waiting there. She asked, "Is everything going smoothly?"

The accountant smiled and said, "Not bad."

For at least the next month, the Xue family will not be able to squander a single penny of the Bai family's money.

Shuya took out a letter and a red envelope from her bosom and handed them to him: "Thank you for your hard work, sir."

The accountant unfolded the letter, saw the familiar handwriting, and had it stamped with his seal. He asked, "Is Miss alright?"

Shuya nodded: "Miss is doing well, thank you for your concern, sir."

The Xue family paid someone to sneak into the Bai family's ancestral graves in the dark. They dug around a bit and immediately felt an eerie atmosphere.

After a brief discussion, the group decided to go back and report: "Madam, nothing was found at the Bai family ancestral graves."

Frustrated, Madam Xue lashed out and chased the group away.

After tossing and turning until she finally fell asleep, she suddenly woke up with a start and called Chu Yu over, asking, "Son, where is that wretched girl Bai Lu now?"

Chu Yu, whose sweet dream was disturbed, said impatiently, "Where could she be? Of course, she's being tortured on Old Man Nie's bed."

After saying that, he smiled and thought to himself, "That old man is lucky. Bai Lu has a fiery temper; she'll probably be quite a fun person to play with."

Madam Xue said, "I have a feeling of unease in my heart. You should go and see her quickly."

Chu Yu was displeased, but the thought of seeing Bai Lu being humiliated and turned from a young lady into a plaything suddenly piqued his interest.

As soon as it was light, he happily arrived at Old Man Nie's house, only to find that the house had been burned down completely.

The neighbors all say that Old Man Nie has gone back to his hometown.

Chu Yu felt inexplicably uneasy. After thinking for a long time, he decided to go to Chenjia Village to take a look.

Bai Lu might be hiding at Li Ruru's house.

The sky, which had been raining for a long time, finally cleared up.

Chu Yu's carriage stopped in front of Li Ruru's house, only to find that her house was now a mess.

Many people around were crying, and there were already many white wreaths piled up.

He was taken aback and asked a villager, "Is Li dead?"

(End of this chapter)