Chapter 445 — Borrowing Money
Purple Streets of Chang'an · Page 1 of 4
Jiang Yan, however, pressed her palms together and murmured, "Amituofo." Then she said, "Earning an honest living is always better than wandering far from home with no fixed place to settle. It may be harder work, but it is steady and sure."
That reply left Chen Jia staring open-mouthed—and took Jiang Ling quite by surprise as well.
It seemed Li Liang was beyond saving.
Jiang Ling fought back a smile and gave a soft cough, hinting that Jiang Yan ought to go back to her room.
But Jiang Yan thought for a moment, then slipped off a pair of pure-gold bracelets from her wrists and a pair of ruby earrings from her ears, and said quietly to Chen Jia, "This is all I can do to help them. Take these trinkets to Li Liang for me—count them as my thanks for the care he showed me in the past. If they run into hardship later on, have them send word to me. I can't promise much, but I can spare a little silver to tide him over."
Chen Jia stared at the gleaming ornaments, his brows knitting tightly into a frown.
"These are things you wear on your own person," he said gravely. "How can you simply hand them to an unrelated man? If someone with ill intent made use of this, how would you ever hold your place in the Yingzhen Duke's household? Put them away at once! If you wish to repay Li Liang's kindness, I have some private silver on hand—I'll advance it for you. From now on, you must never do such a careless, unthinking thing again!"
Jiang Yan's face flushed crimson.
Jiang Ling, however, nodded inwardly in approval.
Chen Jia had already lowered his head and drawn out a coin purse. "These pieces of yours look to be of fine quality—worth three or four hundred taels at the least. I'll have five hundred taels sent to him. What do you say?"
Jiang Yan had no notion of such things. In the past, the most she had ever spent was two taels of silver on a hair ornament or the like. Later she married Wei Quan, but Wei Quan never let her manage the household; an old servant of the Wei family handled all the daily expenses, and now and then she was given a few taels as pocket money. Her jewelry had all been arranged for her by Dou Yan. Hearing that these few pieces alone were worth three or four hundred taels, she felt all the more ashamed before Dou Yan and Song Yan, and did not dare glance at Chen Jia again. She mumbled, "No, there's no need for so much. Just give them some silver to keep by them... two hundred taels—no, a hundred taels will do."
She remembered how Li Tiaoniang, once, when breaking up with a lover, had insisted to the bitter end that he compensate her a hundred taels of silver, saying that a hundred taels was enough to marry her off.
She also remembered that when she herself had married, everything had been prepared and provided for.
A hundred taels for Li Liang ought to be enough for him to set up a new home.
Chen Jia, however, had some understanding of her temperament, and readily drew out several silver notes. "I'll have someone take them to Tianjin Guard tomorrow."
Jiang Yan breathed a sigh of relief and thanked Chen Jia again and again, adding, "I'll pay you back in a few days."
Chen Jia was not the man he once had been.
If he wished it, silver could pour in like water.
The reason he still kept some measure was, first, for fear of ruining his reputation and so hindering his official career; and second, for fear of arousing envy and being framed by others.
A hundred taels of silver had long since ceased to mean anything to him.
He nodded indifferently.
Jiang Yan and Jiang Ling went home to the side rooms assigned to them.
Jiang Ling washed and tidied herself, then lay down. Jiang Yan, suddenly saddled with a debt of a hundred taels, was on pins and needles, wishing she could fly straight back to Bishui Pavilion and take stock of just how much all her belongings were worth.