Chapter 241: The Shen Family's Ruin, A Turn of Fortune

While Lu Zhigang was in town collecting protection money and dabbling in some minor research on the side...

Zhou You had already returned to Gongliang City to have dinner with his parents.

"Look how thin the child has gotten from this trip."

His mother felt a pang of heartache and kept piling meat into Zhou You's bowl, "Eat more, build up your strength."

Beside them, his father puffed away on his pipe, full of worries; Zhou You noticed that since a moment ago, he hadn't eaten a single bite of food, nor had he touched the old wine he usually drank every meal.

Something must have happened recently! Just as he was thinking about how to ask, his father spoke up.

"Mother of his, I won't be able to bring home next month's wages."

His mother grew anxious upon hearing this, "What have you been doing out there? Did you gamble or visit brothels? If you don't bring wages home, what are we going to do about next month's rent, grocery money, water bills, and firewood costs?"

Living a domestic life, there is never a moment when money isn't needed for eating, drinking, bodily functions, clothing, food, housing, and transportation.

"It's not like I have a choice, is it?"

Zhou Laodie explained, "The trading firm has run into difficulties and is short on funds. The Master has even melted down the gold and silver ornaments from his own home, and he still refuses to lay off us old employees. Such righteousness!"

"Everyone has agreed not to take our wages this month to contribute a meager bit of effort."

His mother stopped speaking as she listened, only opening her mouth after a long while, "We can't do this next month, or what will our family eat?" "It's hard to say; if the firm can't keep running, it won't be easy for someone my age to find work."

Zhou Laodie's face was full of sorrow; Gongliang City is currently overcrowded, and finding a job that can barely keep one fed is as difficult as ascending to heaven.

Once the Shen Family Trading Firm falls, it will be nothing short of a disaster for the firm's stewards and managers.

The elderly couple was truly worried when, with a *thud*, four bright, gleaming large ingots were placed on the table, appearing as if a dump truck had crashed into their vision and slammed into their hearts.

Zhou Laodie and his mother immediately clutched their chests, "You'er, what is this?"

"I earned some extra money on this trip. Don't worry, the source of the money is perfectly fine."

"Mother, Father has been working hard during this time, so let's be more understanding. I will cover the family's expenses."

The wealth Zhou You obtained from the Golden Crane Mountain sect, if converted into specific figures, would be enough to make his parents faint.

Therefore, he hadn't brought the items back into the city, but instead made a detour to his ancestral home to leave them with his grandfather for safekeeping.

To facilitate daily expenses, he had taken a portion to carry with him, and he hadn't expected it to come in handy so soon.

The four large ingots, with their soft silver luster, were of the purest fine silver, without a trace of impurities.

Each ingot was 50 taels, making 200 taels in total.

The elderly couple's minds were sluggish, finding it hard to accept the fact that their son could earn so much money.

Zhou Laodie was the more worldly one; he turned to comfort his mother, "Our son practices boxing and martial arts; in these chaotic times, he can show off his skills, and earning money is much easier for him than for me. Accept it! Tomorrow, buy a few more meat dishes and bring me a jar of ten-year-aged brew."

"No, this is our son's hard-earned money; I must save it."

In contrast to the harmonious Zhou Family, Master Shen's mansion was filled with a bleak and miserable atmosphere.

Even though news from Steward Xu hadn't reached the city yet, the situation at the Shen Family Trading Firm had already reached a precarious point.

"Take it away!"

Two servants, their faces flushed red, carried a massive gold longevity peach as they passed by; seeing their master watching with a pained expression, they subconsciously stopped to wait for orders.

This longevity peach had been commissioned by Shen Sijing from a goldsmith in Fucheng for Master Shen's fiftieth birthday, representing a gesture of filial piety.

Master Shen loved it so much he couldn't bear to part with it, keeping it in his bedroom to admire at any time.

But now, even this longevity peach had to be taken out to be melted into gold bars to maintain the firm's cash flow.

A large part of the value of gold ornaments lies in the cost of fine craftsmanship; once melted, the value is greatly diminished.

But there was no other way; the firm was short on silver and gold, and without an injection of funds, it likely wouldn't last past next month.

"That is the jewelry from my dowry, meant to be saved for Siying's marriage; leave some for me."

Lady Shen wept, and the servants holding the jewelry box looked awkward; they dared not disobey their master's orders.

Master Shen flicked his sleeves; at this moment, he felt as if he were truly penniless and on the verge of ruin. "My lady, stop worrying about your jewelry. If the firm can't hold on, this house and this land will soon no longer be ours."

He glanced at his daughter's boudoir nearby, "And as for your willful daughter, she can forget about a life of luxury. The good news is that, as she wished, she won't have to marry if she doesn't want to."

"Have you heard that a fallen phoenix is worse than a chicken? Once our family falls, even if she were to beg to marry Zhou You, he wouldn't agree."

Shen Siying stared blankly at her slightly desolate boudoir; she heard every word of her father's clearly.

The whole household was collecting gold and silver ornaments, even scraping off the gold leaf from the door frames.

Her cherished jewelry had all been taken away, including the peace lock she had worn since childhood; now, only copper stoves and other utensils remained in her room.

If the situation continued to deteriorate, even the copperware would have to be melted down.

How did things end up like this? It was as if she had woken up overnight to find her wealthy family in ruins.

Shen Siying had heard from her close friends many tragic stories of companions whose families had fallen into decline and who had been forced into prostitution.

At the thought that she might meet the same fate, Shen Siying felt such despair that she wished she could just die.

"Zhou You!"

She suddenly thought of this name; if she hadn't defied her father but had agreed to marry him instead, would things have...

Her brother had once said that this junior brother was exceptionally capable, and the firm was in dire need of such talent.

It wasn't enough for his father to just work at the firm; they needed to bind him with the ties of marriage to make him help the firm with all his might.

Yet, because she, Shen Siying, had disagreed, this marriage proposal had stalled just as it had begun.

Shen Siying knew there was no chance left; the day she saw Miss Zeng's peerless beauty, she knew that her own pride in her looks and family background were like straw in the other's eyes.

What would her fate be in the days to come?

"You look after the house; I'm going to the firm and won't be back tonight."

Lady Shen still felt heartache and took a robe to drape over him, "Don't work yourself to exhaustion; so many people are depending on you for their livelihood!"

Before he could even step out the door, a figure rushed in, "Master, great news."

The person acting as reckless as a young boy before him was none other than Steward Xu, who was known for his steady demeanor at the firm.

Steward Xu was beaming, his expression urgent as he grabbed Master Shen's sleeve, "Master, listen to me first."

His voice was rapid and fast, like a surging river without pause, as he recounted the cause and effect of the matter in detail.

"Zhou You and Jiang Hua joined forces and killed Golden Crane Mountain, who had been entrenched in the town. Afterward, Du Yan Lu Zhigang took over the nest, and he was also involved, agreeing to let our firm move into the town."

Master Shen frowned and said, "If we still have to pay thirty percent of the shares, Lu Zhigang is no different from Golden Crane Mountain; they are birds of a feather."

"No money, not a single cent."

Steward Xu was so excited he was nearly shouting, "Master, hurry and send people to pick a location; the opportunity must not be missed!"

"It is eighty percent likely that Lu Zhigang is giving face to Zhou You, which is why we have such generous treatment; many people's eyes are red with jealousy."

Master Shen was a man of action and directly called out to Steward Xu, "What are we waiting for? I will personally escort the carts over."

"This time, it is all thanks to Zhou You!"

Mentioning Zhou You, Master Shen sighed; what a good child, his silly daughter just doesn't know a treasure when she sees one!

The ups and downs of a family's joys and sorrows change too quickly; one moment they were about to empty their family fortune, and the next they were met with a brand-new turning point.

Master Shen hurried out to handle the matter of moving into the town, and Lady Shen also called a halt to the melting of gold and silver wares.

The Servant Lineage of the Shen family all knew that the Master's business was getting better again.

But only Shen Siying knew that she was destined to have no fate with Zhou You in this life.

(End of this chapter)