Chapter 520: I’ll Let You Have It (1)
At this moment, Chu Lian really wanted to ask one question: when on earth had she even consented to putting all of Guilin Restaurant’s earnings into the public funds? She also wanted to remind Matriarch He that it had been the matriarch herself who had said that Guilin Restaurant would belong to Chu Lian back then. No matter how much it earned, all profits would belong to the third branch.
Unfortunately, there was no such things as video or voice recordings in this era, so even if she pointed these out, they would never admit to it.
After Matriarch He spoke, He Ying’s brows immediately furrowed together. She looked towards Chu Lian, “That’s right. Sanlang’s wife, the Longtaitou festival has already passed, why hasn’t Guilin Restaurant opened up for business? Practically every other shop in the capital has already opened by now.”
There wasn’t any expression in particular on Chu Lian’s face. She put on a benign smile and said, “I ordered the managers to renovate the restaurant and it was delayed until now, which is why it hasn’t reopened.”
“How’s the renovation going?” The matriarch asked.
“It’s nearly complete.”
“Since it’s almost finished, it’s better not to delay the reopening date for too long. Do reopen as soon as possible then.”
Chu Lian smiled at her.
He Ying had been keeping a close eye on Chu Lian’s expression. Noticing that there wasn’t a trace of disagreement in her, He Ying continued, “Sanlang’s wife, I’ve also heard Mother mention that Guilin Restaurant was given to you, and that the deed is in your hands. However, when all’s said and done, you’re part of our He Family now. Right now, the estate’s public funds are severely lacking. Using the profits of Guilin Restaurant to fill the estate’s coffers was something that Mother had no choice but to do. I hope you’ll understand why Mother did this. At her age, it’s not easy to keep this large estate going.”
He Ying paused, fully into her role as a caring senior, “But there’s something I need to be frank with you about, please don’t get angry.”
Chu Lian was tempted to reply with, ‘If you know I’m going to get angry, you might as well not say it.’
He Ying stared at Chu Lian, believing that there was nothing but absolute sincerity in her eyes right now, “I’ve been by Mother’s side long than you have. Guilin Restaurant was part of the dowry given to my mother by my grandmother. Back when I got married, Mother couldn’t bear to give it to me, yet she gave it to you. From that, we could see how important you are to Mother. However, in the end, the long-established Guilin Restaurant still belongs to Mother.”
Chu Lian tilted her head to the side and met with He Ying’s gaze.
“Aunt, if there’s something you’re trying to imply, please say it straight.”
When the edges of He Ying’s mouth curved upwards, the wrinkles at the sides of her lips looked like they were carved into her skin, giving her the appearance of an extremely harsh person. “Sanlang’s wife, I like your straightforward attitude. Fine then, I’ll state it bluntly. Since you know that Guilin Restaurant’s earnings have been drawn into the public accounts now, it isn’t very appropriate for the deed to be in your hands, don’t you think?”
After all that setup, they just wanted to take Guilin Restaurant back and appropriate it for themselves.
He Ying was using the logic of a bandit.
A mocking thought popped up in Chu Lian’s mind. Going by her aunt-in-law’s logic, if she stayed long-term in their house, then the deed of the house should naturally belong to her.
She would have retorted back in a temper, if not for the fact that the person in front of her was House Jing’an’s matriarch and He Sanlang’s own grandmother. Chu Lian had to keep in mind her position as a He Family daughter-in-law, and the deed had indeed been a present from the matriarch.
Otherwise, she wouldn’t have tolerated all this.
If all they wanted was Guilin Restaurant, she would let them have it!
With an indifferent expression, Chu Lian asked the matriarch, “Is this your stance as well, Grandmother?”
There was an awkward look on the matriarch’s face. She had just recalled that she had stated that all earnings would be theirs when gifting Guilin Restaurant to Chu Lian. She had even assigned Manager Qin to be Chu Lian’s assistant for this purpose.
In the end, she was the one who had broken her promise first.
At this moment, she didn’t know how to compose herself.
However, when she thought about the monthly profits of Guilin Restaurant, Matriarch He’s will became resolute. She bore with the embarrassment, gritted her teeth, and nodded.
“Sanlang’s wife, lay the blame for this on me. Our estate truly needs the funds right now. This decision is certainly unfair to you, so let me make it up to you. I’ll take responsibility and transfer two fabric stores from the public accounts to you in exchange, what do you think?”
Fabric stores?
How funny. Was the matriarch going to ask for those back again once she made them profitable like Guilin?
She was taking Chu Lian for a fool!
Chu Lian turned her head back and beckoned Wenqing over. The handmaid took out a long wooden box from her sleeve and handed it over to Chu Lian.
Chu Lian stood up from her seat, took two steps forward, and placed the box on the table by the matriarch’s side.
Chu Lian spoke up, “Grandmother, since this is your wish, then I shall return this deed to you in the exact same condition as it was when you gave it to me! Like Aunt said, Guilin Restaurant wasn’t originally mine, it was part of your dowry.”
“You’re the lady-in-charge of the house, Grandmother, so I’ll defer to you. Now that Guilin Restaurant has been transferred to the public accounts, it naturally won’t be of any concern to me. From now on, all matters regarding Guilin Restaurant will be handled by you, Grandmother.”
After a slight pause, she continued, “As for the stores you mentioned for exchange, I wouldn’t dare to accept them. My younger cousin, Miss Pan, hasn’t found a match yet, so please keep it for her dowry instead.”