BMECDAH 14

Chapter 14

As night fell, Jiang Wei transformed into the likeness of her maternal grandfather and snuck into the scumbag father’s dream.

In the dream, Jiang Dahai was hugging his gold and silver treasures, grinning foolishly while baring his yellow teeth. Looking around, it wasn’t the same place where she had moved his assets last time. He truly was a cunning rabbit, capable of having three hidden burrows for his treasure. Since that was the case, she would squeeze him dry of everything.

Jiang Wei mimicked her grandfather’s voice: “Jiang… Dahai… Jiang Da—hai—”

“Who’s there?” Jiang Dahai was just reveling in his gold when a bloody head suddenly appeared. Terrified, he was pelted by gold, but he felt no pain; he realized he was still in a dream.

“You rebellious beast! Don’t you even recognize your own father-in-law?”

Jiang Wei floated in front of Jiang Dahai, fresh, bright red blood dripping from her face onto his ugly mug.

“Fa—Father-in-law?”

“You beast, you don’t kowtow a few times when you see me? Are you waiting for me to crawl out of hell and drag you down with me?”

“No need, no need!” Jiang Dahai hurriedly kowtowed several times. “Father-in-law, you’ve been dead for several years. Is there something you need by coming into my dream?”

“I’m here to find you. Hell is so cold; come and keep me company~”

Jiang Dahai’s neck was suddenly seized. A heavy sense of suffocation gripped him, and in his panic, he thought of a ruse. “Cough, cough! Father-in-law, I still need to live to prepare a dowry for Xiao Wei. You want her to marry off in grand style too, don’t you? Cough, cough!”

“At least you still have a conscience!” Shen Zhennan retracted his long fingernails. “Since your conscience hasn’t been completely eaten by dogs, I’ll tell you a secret. You’ve always wanted to know where my assets are, right? I’ll tell you now; go dig them up and use them as a dowry for my little Wei.”

Jiang Dahai’s mind raced. “Why don’t you tell Peirong or Jiang Wei?” Although he and his father-in-law had truly had a life-and-death friendship (he had ended the father-in-law’s life).

“What use is there in telling two weak women? Can they even get them out? Idiots!”

Jiang Dahai rolled his eyes. “Father-in-law is right.”

“The location is in the Huo family’s backyard. It used to be a derelict house. I had just hidden the treasure when the house was bought by the Huo family. Later, I wanted to find a new place to hide it, but who would have known I’d be killed by a retribution-deserving beast like you.”

“Cough, cough…” Jiang Dahai guiltily looked away. His expression turned ugly when he realized who the Huo family was. “You really knew how to hide things.”

“Even a cunning rabbit has three burrows, let alone you idiot, who knows to hide assets in separate locations.”

“How did you know that?”

“Because I am a ghost!” Shen Zhennan began to punch and kick Jiang Dahai violently. “Not only do I know you hide things separately, but I also know that Steward Zhao is preparing to transfer your assets. If you’re smart, you’ll take this opportunity to send Steward Zhao down to keep me company…”

“Ah…” Jiang Dahai woke up with a start. It hurt like hell. His whole body felt as if he had truly been beaten by a ghost.

Thirsty, Jiang Dahai felt his way out of bed to get water, but suddenly touched something soft and, in his fright, beat her wildly.

“Master, stop hitting! It’s me, Xiao Lv.” Xiao Lv, who had snuck into Jiang Dahai’s bed, never imagined she would be beaten by the Master.

Jiang Dahai lit the bedside candle. “Xiao Lv? Why are you climbing into my bed again?” Last time Xiao Lv snuck into his bed, the Second Concubine found out and nearly beat her to death. It was only because the Eldest Miss had begged desperately that she was allowed to stay in the manor.

Xiao Lv’s tears poured down. “Master, please save me! After the Second Concubine found out I told you about her whereabouts, she threatened to beat me to death. No one in this house can save me except you.”

“But I promised the Second Concubine I wouldn’t take any more concubines?” To be honest, Jiang Dahai was tempted by the sight of the delicate, youthful body before him.

“Master, why is it that the Second Concubine can have an unclear relationship with Steward Zhao, while you have to listen to her? You have to realize that you are the master of this house. Have you become so weak that you must obey the Second Concubine even to take a concubine?”

“That’s right, I am the boss of the Jiang Manor!” Thinking of how he was bullied by Jiang Wei in reality and harassed by Shen Zhennan’s ghost in his dream, Jiang Dahai was filled with rage. He had to marry this concubine today; it was time to let everyone know who was the master of the house.

The next day, Chen Xiaolian found Jiang Dahai with lifeless eyes, crying bitterly. “Master, the silver I obtained from Steward Zhao and the deeds you told me to retrieve are all gone.”

“What!” Jiang Dahai was struck as if by lightning, his footing unsteady. “What happened? What is going on?”

“I don’t know. I counted them carefully before I went to sleep, but when I woke up, they were all gone.” Chen Xiaolian, sporting her “pig’s head” face, sought comfort from Jiang Dahai. Jiang Dahai hurriedly backed away, fearing he would retch if he looked at her face.

The Second Concubine noticed his change in demeanor, and then smelled the scent of a woman’s powder on him. She instantly blew a fuse. “Master, you slept with the First Madam last night! No, that can’t be it, Shen never uses powder. It must be some other lowly b*tch in the manor!”

It wasn’t Shen, and it couldn’t be the Third Concubine, who had her heart set on someone else. So who was it?

“It was me, Master. Good morning, Second Sister.” Xiao Lv, dressed in red and green, swayed her waist as she approached them. “Master, you must be tired from last night. This is the tonic I woke up early to stew for you.”

“Who is your ‘Second Sister’? You lowly wench, see if I don’t beat you to death!”

“Enough! Can you stop acting like that Shen woman, fighting for favor all day long? Learn from the Fourth Concubine’s gentleness and virtue. She knows I’m tired and makes me tonic, while all you do is throw tantrums!”

“When you loved me, you called it ‘marital intimacy,’ but when you don’t, you say I’m throwing tantrums. Jiang Dahai, I gave up being a legal wife elsewhere to be your concubine, and this is how you treat me?”

“That’s enough. Why didn’t you say that when you arranged for the Third Concubine? You’re just annoyed that Xiao Lv is a maid and can’t help you stabilize your status!”

The shouting in Jiang Dahai’s courtyard drew everyone in the manor to come and watch the spectacle. Jiang Yan, who had spent the night persuading Shen Peirong, dragged her exhausted body toward the scene, squinting inside. “What’s going on?”

“It seems Father took a fourth concubine without the Second Concubine’s consent.”

“What?” Jiang Yan realized the person talking to her was Jiang Wei. She frowned. “Why are you out here?”

“Forgot to mention, the fourth concubine Father took is Xiao Lv, who was guarding me. Now that she’s our concubine, she naturally doesn’t have to guard the gate anymore.”

“Mother, look at Sister. She knows that Father taking a concubine will make you sad, yet she says these things on purpose.” Unable to win an argument with Jiang Wei, Jiang Yan went to find reinforcements.

Shen Peirong looked despondent. “It’s not the first time your father has taken a concubine; I’m long used to it. Come, let’s go take a look. I seemed to hear earlier that things had been stolen from the manor again.”

Jiang Yan linked arms with Shen Peirong as they walked side by side; the two were as inseparable as conjoined twins. Along the way, Jiang Yan triumphantly used her eyes to tell Jiang Wei that even if Mother knew she wasn’t her daughter, she remained the favorite daughter in her heart.

Jiang Wei returned an “I don’t recycle trash” look. She noticed that a dark cloud hung over Shen Peirong’s head, as if her luck had been sucked away by Jiang Yan all night. When too much luck is absorbed, a person not only becomes weary and decadent, but their thoughts can also be controlled by the one absorbing their luck. How could this dark mass be broken?

“Second Sister! Second Sister!” At that moment, the bouncing Jiang Yun He darted in front of Jiang Wei. Jiang Yun He’s complexion was ruddy, and his eyes were glowing; he looked as if he weren’t so foolish anymore.