Chapter 10: Integrity Shattered Everywhere, Want to Pick It Up? [10]

When Ji Mei heard the words "banknotes," her eyes lit up instantly, a raging flame nearly setting the entire room ablaze. Her mouth split open into a grin that reached all the way to her ears. "Banknotes?" Her high-pitched voice made no effort to hide her excitement.

"Yes! On this trip, all the goods are being held by the manservants; all I have on me now are some banknotes!" Although Zhu Jie said this, he didn't pull out the banknotes for a long time.

Ji Mei watched him rummaging and rummaging, reaching from his outer coat to his inner garments, digging deeper and deeper, yet he still hadn't produced anything. Could something have gone wrong? Had the banknotes flown away?

Just as Ji Mei was watching Zhu Jie anxiously, she heard him let out a startled cry, "Ah! Where is my purse? Why has my purse disappeared?"

"Did you forget where you put it, Young Master?" Hearing him say this, Ji Mei continued to prompt him.

But Zhu Jie looked utterly stunned. He took off his outer coat and shook it vigorously, but seeing that nothing like a purse actually fell out, he cried out in great alarm, "Could it be that I lost it?"

"How much silver was in your purse, Young Master?"

Zhu Jie pretended to ponder for a moment before letting out a long sigh of relief, saying, "Fortunately, it wasn't much—just five banknotes of one hundred taels each!"

"How much?" Ji Mei's voice jumped an octave, nearly soaring into the clouds. Five hundred taels! Her eyes were instantly filled with the vision of shimmering white silver. If she used this to buy meat, how many years and months could she eat?

At this moment, Zhu Jie was no longer anxious; instead, it was Ji Mei who became the worried one. "Young Master, think quickly! Where exactly did you lose the purse?"

"Perhaps it was dropped in the snow!" Zhu Jie said hesitantly. "Forget it, it wasn't much money. The snow on the mountain is so thick, where could one even look for it?"

Ji Mei began to panic. This guy was far too rich! He wasn't even worried about five hundred taels? Did he not understand the concept of five hundred taels? That was enough to sustain a family like theirs for a hundred years! And he just said it was lost?

"Miss, my apologies, I must take a bath!" Seeing her look so soul-stricken, Zhu Jie spoke with deliberate politeness.

Ji Mei immediately acted as if she had just realized something. "Ah! Right, Young Master, please bathe first. I won't disturb you!" Saying this, she retreated in a fluster.

Seeing her leave, Zhu Jie quickly leaned against the door and listened intently.

It did not disappoint her! As soon as Ji Mei stepped out, she rushed toward the main house, shouting loudly, "Mother, Mother, we've struck it rich!" Her voice was as high-pitched as a chicken having its neck stepped on, each scream higher than the last.

"What? Struck what kind of wealth?" Sister-in-law You perked up the moment she heard those words; she couldn't miss out on a good thing like striking it rich!

Ji Mei immediately rushed over and told everyone the good news about Zhu Jie losing his money. Upon hearing this, Old Lady Ji also perked up instantly. "If he won't look for it, we will! With these five hundred taels, we'll strike it big!"

As Old Lady Ji spoke, she swallowed hard, her expression so full of greed that she truly showed no restraint.

"Mother, it's such a snowy day, where are we going to look?" Sister-in-law You said somewhat dejectedly.

Ji Mei immediately gave her a contemptuous roll of her eyes. "What do you mean there's nowhere to look? Think about it! When is he most likely to lose something? It must have been when he was crouching in the snow! I bet the purse fell right there!"

"Yes, it must have fallen there!" Old Lady Ji nodded frantically in agreement. She suddenly stood up and shouted toward the outside, "Er Han! Er Han!"

Ji Yi had just finished fetching the bathwater for Zhu Jie and was sitting in the courtyard dazing off when his mother's explosive roar came. It was so powerful it nearly shook the snow off the roof and buried him alive.

Before he could even stand up, Old Lady Ji and the others impatiently grabbed him. "Come, lead us to the place where you found that boy!"

Ji Yi looked bewildered, only to see the entire family—young and old—suddenly surging out. Even Old Man Ji and the eldest brother followed, the whole family mobilizing for battle.

Some carried bundles of mugwort, some carried shovels; Sister-in-law You, unable to find a suitable tool, actually ran out with a ladle from the kitchen.

"Where are you all going?" Ji Yi couldn't help but ask as he looked at their bizarre equipment.

"To dig for treasure!" Eldest Brother Ji shouted excitedly, pulling Ji Yi along without a word.