Chapter 6 – Unfavored Child (II)

Lady Guan, with sorrow in her eyes, glanced at Sui Xi before nodding slightly. As she was putting her child down on the low chair by the door, Lady Guan cast a glance at her husband, the dissatisfaction in her heart surging forth. "Why are you drinking at home again?" She asked him, "Why don't you go to yamen to see if there are any errands to run?"

"The government has already sent some petty officials, why should I go? So that I can become one too?" Lord Guan responded as he ate a peanut then quickly washed it down with his wine, ingesting so much in one go that both of his cheeks were swollen with it.

"You can't drink at home." Lady Guan said as she removed the bamboo basket from her back and placed it near the door, beside the chair that Sui Xi landed on. Straightening her back, she took the towel hanging on her shoulder and wiped the sweat off her brow with it, the dissatisfaction in her heart growing as she heard her husband belch. "Although there is a small piece of land in our family, I can't manage everything. I have to help others to make a subsidiary to support the family if you…"

"Okay, okay! If the worst comes to the worst, I won't take the land. After all, I am a formidable palace graduate. Do I still have to go to the fields and cultivate a farm?"

Lord Guan replied testily, his features shifting into a grimace. He was genuinely impatient. If it hadn't happened to be the beginning of dynastic changes, the royal court would be cutting down the light and easy jobs, and would also have no time to attend to these palace graduates. As if it hadn't happened before… How should he impress somebody now?

This was just a bad time!

Lady Guan kept biting her lip and asked in a lower voice, "I know this caused great grievance to you, but it's not a dead-end street? You never made up for your errand."

"Whether you can make up for it or not is a matter of money. If you don't give other people certain benefits, will they arrange jobs for you? It's not that I don't have the ability, it's just that I've got no luck. Supposedly I had money, I would still be oppressed at home."

"How much money is that?" Lady Guan inquired as she was wiping her hands and seating herself on the opposite side of Lord Guan.

At that, Lord Guan lazily stretched out his hand and held out five fingers. "If you don't have twenty taels, ten will do it."

"That many?" Lady Guan retorted, her body abruptly inhaling a large breath in surprise. "Here at home, we can't even scrape five taels."

"Deng boy from the next street was just a scholar. Then he went to make money, so now he is the inspector in the government office." Lord Guan said, "Being an inspector in the office is definitely a lucrative post."

"Well then, you should also try it. I will borrow some money from my mother tomorrow. I have also just received my wages. I could probably scrape together five taels… and maybe borrow five more from my sisters." Lady Guan said, her voice slowly growing softer and lower as she thought more. Unconsciously, she even clenched her teeth and formed her hands into fists.

"That's only like ten taels, what's the use?" Lord Guan humphed, irritation lacing his tone. With a sigh he pushes himself into a seated position. Suddenly, his eyes brightened. With a smirk, he placed his arms flat onto the table and stared straight at Lady Guan. "Don't you have a chest, you know, from your dowry?"

Hearing that suggestion, Lady Guan could not help but adopt a hesitant look, her fingers digging into her palms harder. After a few seconds of silence, Lady Guan straightened her back and said, "That's out of the question. That is for Sui Xi."

How could my husband just suggest that so casually? She thought to herself, resisting the urge to place a hand on her heart.

"What does it matter now?" Lord Guan retorted as he gave his aforementioned daughter a side-glance which turned into a glare. This little freak was getting in-between him and 'his' money!

"I can't help thinking about my daughter. I'll borrow money tomorrow." Lady Guan replied, her face turning pale as her heart ached. Maybe I should just … But seeing Sui Xi all clever and cute sitting by the door, she firmly shook her head.

Lord Guan sighed. "It's just I shouldn't have thought about using your dowry in the first place. It was your parents' wish to give you those, after all. It's just… Sui Xi… I don't know if I will be able to get her married in the future."

"Whether she gets married or not, she's still my daughter." Lady Guan quickly said back, her eyes turning slightly red. After she had nothing more to say, she picked up Sui Xi and left.

As he was looking at their backs, his bearded face gave the impression of helplessness.

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