Chapter 279: The Curse of Great Wealth

."Well, Wu should go have some breakfast first. He'll need to be on hand later to deal with Father's business partners. As for the yamen, just let Wu An keep an eye on things in secret. We'll wait unt..."Miss, I made some thin porridge. Have a little to tide you over first. You haven't eaten or drunk anything all day, be careful not to starve yourself."

The girl in a blue cheongsam spoke softly to the ripples, apparently also one of the little maid.

"I'm not hungry, I just feel really uncomfortable inside."

Liàn Yī touched her temples with a sigh and whispered, sniffling slightly.

"Miss, I know you're sad, but the master has been ill for a long time, you..."

"I know, but I'm still sad."

After finishing her story, Lian Yi wiped away a tear.

"Sigh," the young girl sighed, no longer persuading her mistress to eat congee. Instead, she advised her mistress to rest:

"Let me burn some paper for you, Miss. Why don't you rest a while in the side hall"

"I'll stay here with my father!"

The ripples gently shook their head, showing the little girl's stubbornness.

"Miss, you should rest and wash your face. Your eyes are swollen like walnuts. You have guests to see tomorrow! I've already drawn the water for you."

The young girl gently advised.

Ultimately, Ripple nodded and accepted the other party's suggestion.

The girl seemed to know that Lian'i was kneeling and couldn't get up, so she reached out and helped her up. She was a head taller than Lian'i, so it was easy for her to help. After sending Lian'i into the side hall, she also brought in the porridge and placed it on the table. She didn't persuade her to eat, only dipped a handkerchief with water and handed it to Lian'i, then hurried back to the spirit hall.

Ripple leisurely wiped her small face before turning to sit down. She seemed tired, leaning against the back of the chair to rest, but in fact, she had already begun receiving the memories of the original owner.

The original owner was the only heir of Wu Daca, the richest man in Jiangnan. After his wife gave birth to him, she nearly suffered a severe hemorrhage and couldn't recover. It was because Wu Daca was wealthy and generous that he used a 300-year-old ginseng to save his wife.

Wu Daca's wife, Li, was born into a wealthy family. However, due to their decline in fortune, she had no choice but to marry the merchant Wu Daca to maintain her family's face. It was essentially like being sold off by her own family.

Li had long grown cold to her family. Fortunately, Wu Dachai loved her dearly. Though he was a merchant, he also possessed some literary talent. The two were married after falling in love, treating each other with respect and living a comfortable life. If not for the occasional visits from her demanding relatives, their lives would have been even better.

Because of this childbirth, Mrs. Li injured her body and could no longer become pregnant again. The Li family then sought out Mrs. Li to have her younger sister marry into the Wu family as a concubine, in order to give birth to a son as soon as possible and ensure that the Wu family would not be without an heir.

This abhorrent proposal made Li completely sever ties with her family. She immediately went to Wu Dachai, sobbing and telling him she was willing to give up her position as his main wife, not hindering him from having a son, and demanding a divorce to take their daughter away.

Wu Dachang, of course, was unwilling. He tried his best to persuade Li Shi, but in truth, he was also somewhat weary of the Li family's insatiable greed and their vulgar display. This incident made him realize that his wife stood by his side and refused to help her family scheme against him.

Wu Dacheng, although capable of becoming a wealthy merchant, was not someone lacking intellect. He acted decisively and claimed his wife fell seriously ill after childbirth. He summoned many renowned doctors for treatment. Finally, they concluded that she needed to rest abroad in a pleasant climate to recover.

After laying this groundwork, Wu Dacaili directly ended his business in the north. Of course, he also put on a show, giving several seemingly bustling stores that were actually starting to decline to his own wife's family. He claimed he wanted to take his wife to the south of China to recuperate.

The Li family benefited from this, and the other party was doing it for their own daughter, so they naturally had no reason to stop. They could only watch as Wu Daca went away from the capital city and settled in the pleasant climate of Jiangnan. From then on, mountains and rivers separated them, making it impossible to visit and ask for favors. They could only hope for New Year's gifts every year.

The Li family didn't believe that Wu Youcai's fortune would dwindle so quickly, so they urged him to return to the capital. Wu Youcai was indeed talented; he said he would get back up wherever he fell. Unfortunately, he never managed to rise again in public view.

In fact, after Wu Youcai found out he had a daughter, Wu Lianyi, and knew his wife couldn't have any more children, he started making plans for his daughter. If he waited until after his death for his daughter to inherit all his wealth, the Li family would surely be like sharks smelling blood, rushing forward to devour their own daughter.

So, when the daughter had finished her first birthday celebration and the Li family was preparing to give her another daughter as a concubine, he had already begun to plot.

Upon arriving in Jiangnan, Wu Youcai shared his plans with his wife, Li. Li was very supportive. She didn't want her daughter to become a burden on the Li family in the future, especially not while carrying the wealth they had earned together.

The couple worked together to deceive the Li family, and after a few years of peaceful life, Wu Youcai only had a rice shop and a rented noodle stall on the surface. His earnings were only considered modest wealth, and he kept a low profile, not attracting attention.

Actually, privately, he uses all his money to invest in eating red envelopes, and it's invested under different people's names. He's considered Jiangnan's invisible rich man.

Li was, after all, ailing, and her family wasn't dependable. After a period of peace, she passed away when the original body was nine years old. The death of his wife also grieved Wu Youcai deeply. The Li family seemed to have sensed something and sent people to attend the funeral, claiming they wanted to take the original body to the capital for a while.

Wu Youcai's tears flowed freely as he clutched Li family's elderly servant and wept, saying:

"My good sir, this is like tearing out my heart! Wanwan has just left, and Ripples is the only solace I have now. If you take her away too, how can I possibly live"

I know you are worried about Wanwan leaving, me remarrying and being bad for Lianyi. I, Wu Youcai, swear that for the rest of my life, I will only live with my daughter and never remarry. I will also never allow anyone to bully my daughter.

The talk shut the matter down. The Li family was angry, but also a little resentful. However, three years passed and Wu Youcai truly never remarried. He only relied on his daughter. The Li family muttered curses under their breath and then shifted their attention elsewhere.

But at that time, Wu had fallen ill. Because he missed his deceased wife and his old injuries from his youth as a traveling merchant had not been cured, his health grew worse day by day. He eventually became bedridden, and he left the business affairs to his subordinates to handle.

The servants were not as careful as Wu Youcai. When they handled things, they revealed their tracks, and afterwards, rumors spread among the people, including the rumor that Wu Youcai was truly a wealthy man.

At that time, Wu Youcai was already critically ill and it was too late to stop the rumors. So, he began to make arrangements for his daughter's future step by step. He had to protect his daughter no matter what.

After receiving the message, the Li family in Beijing immediately dispatched people to set off for the Wu family in Jiangnan. As long as they could control Wu Lianyi, the rumored fortune would be theirs for the taking.

It's a pity they arrived too late. They got there in the afternoon, only to find Wu Daca had breathed his last. The ripples entered on the very night the original owner was keeping vigil for their father after his passing.

The Li family, driven by greed, set their sights on the immense wealth of the Wu family. Led by their young master, they disguised themselves as bandits and stormed into the Wu residence under the cover of night, intending to kill and steal. Unfortunately, after a bloody massacre, they found no gold or silver treasures anywhere within the house. All they managed to uncover was five thousand taels of silver bills.head. Seeing Yao Mama, she raised an eyebrow and then asked with a smile:"Grandmother Yao, why are you here at this time""Miss, this old slave is here at the mistress's command to ask you to go to the...