The Gu family had long since noticed Seventh and his wife whispering in the corner. Now, seeing the couple walking toward them, several of his sisters-in-law hastily pulled their husbands and children aside.
Ancient Wen Heng ignored them, however, and led Jin Qianqian straight to his parents.
Li Cuicui looked at them warily. "Seventh, we don't have any food for you. Why don't you go ask your brothers?"
'They must have already eaten all their rations,' she thought. 'They aren't thinking of getting something from us old folks now, are they?'
Ancient Wen Heng glanced at Gu Dashishi, then grabbed Li Cuicui's hand and pulled her aside. "Mother, lend me 200 coins."
"What?" Li Cuicui's eyes flew open as she stared at him. "You might as well eat me alive! Two hundred coins, just like that? I don't have it."
In a flash, she figured out what that number meant. "What are you planning? You want to take your wife into the county town?
"Let me tell you, don't think you can just stay in there once you get in. There are curfews everywhere. The moment the time is up, they'll just drag you out. Surely that old scholar of yours taught you that?"
Ancient Wen Heng had expected Li Cuicui's scorn. "I'm not planning to stay. I just want to go in to get some money."
Li Cuicui sized him up. "I'm your mother; I know you inside and out. Besides the skin on your bones, you don't have a single thing of value."
"Alright, now go find a corner to curl up in. I still have a lot to pack and no time to waste my breath on you.
"Lending you money is out of the question. You'd be better off using this time to go look for wild vegetables. You might even scrounge up another meal that way."
Ancient Wen Heng had already guessed Li Cuicui wouldn't lend him the copper coins easily, so he played his trump card. "Mother, take a look. Ever see anything like this?"
Li Cuicui glanced down dismissively, only to see a weather-beaten face reflected back at her. She was so frightened she stumbled backward. "Wh-what is that?!"
Ancient Wen Heng quickly reached out a hand to steady her. "Don't be afraid. It's a mirror. You know what a copper mirror is, right?"
Li Cuicui looked at him, still hesitant. "This can't be a copper mirror. I've seen a copper mirror before. Don't lie to me."
'A copper mirror only shows a blurry outline of a face,' she thought. 'How could one show a face so clearly?'
"Then look at me. Is that my face in the mirror now?" Ancient Wen Heng had no choice but to turn the palm-sized mirror toward himself so Li Cuicui could get a clearer look.
"Where did you get this?" Li Cuicui panicked. "We don't do wicked things! Whoever owns this is not someone we can afford to offend. Give it back, quickly!"
'Something so precious can only belong to a wealthy, powerful family. If we hold onto it, it will only bring us disaster.'
Ancient Wen Heng lowered his voice, a mysterious look on his face. "It's your daughter-in-law's dowry. We wouldn't bear to part with it unless we had no other choice."
"Besides, we've been right under your nose this whole time, living honestly. Where would we get our hands on something so valuable?"
But Li Cuicui was skeptical. "Her? With that kind of backing? Stop trying to fool me. If something like this existed, would her grandmother have been bedridden for half a year with no money for treatment?"
Ancient Wen Heng knew the story had holes, but it was the best excuse they could come up with.
The original Jin Qianqian had lived alone with her widowed grandmother. Two years prior, Grandma Jin, realizing she didn't have much longer, hastily began to arrange a marriage for her granddaughter.
The terms she offered were very tempting: whoever married her granddaughter would only have to pay for her funeral. No betrothal gift was required, and all her possessions would be included as the dowry.
At the time, Li Cuicui had put a great deal of thought into acquiring a daughter-in-law who wouldn't be a burden on them with her own family's troubles.
After all, marrying a wife could cost nearly ten taels of silver from start to finish, while a simple burial for an old woman would only be two or three taels. Many people had their eyes on such a good bargain.
She tempted Grandma Jin with promises that her son had many brothers for support and that the family assets would be divided immediately after the wedding. Grandma Jin doted on her granddaughter, and even though she knew life with Gu Yuan Yu would be hard for a long time, she gritted her teeth and agreed.
Not long after the wedding, Grandma Jin passed away, her final wish fulfilled.
Li Cuicui, true to her word, allowed Gu Yuan Yu and Jin Qianqian to give the old woman a proper burial.
Ancient Wen Heng had seen this in his memories. 'The Gu family had a mountain of flaws, but at least their basic character was decent.'
'Otherwise, he would rather have bribed the Government Officials at the city gate than waste time trying to persuade Li Cuicui.'
'Besides, he couldn't just abandon his current identity. If he and Jin Qianqian wanted to survive in this era, showing filial piety to the Gu parents was their responsibility.'
"It was because she was too timid back then. Besides, it was a family heirloom. She couldn't bear to trade it for money."
"Now your son and daughter-in-law are at the end of their rope. If we don't pawn this, we'll starve," Ancient Wen Heng said, using the excuse he had prepared.
Seeing Li Cuicui's expression soften, he fanned the flames. "I'm not asking for a handout. When I get back, I'll pay you back double."
"But it's her family heirloom. If you pawn it, you'll be doing your wife a great wrong," Li Cuicui said. 'She knew how important a dowry was to a woman. Once something that precious was traded for silver coins, it would be nearly impossible to buy back.'
Ancient Wen Heng, however, looked unconcerned. "An object is just an object, but people have to live. We can't just clutch this thing while we starve to death, can we?
"So, one word: are you lending me the money or not?"
Li Cuicui slapped him twice, though not too hard. "I really gave birth to a bunch of debt collectors! But mark my words: your wife is saving your life. You'd better not treat her poorly in the future."
Ancient Wen Heng's expression softened. 'This old woman might seem sharp-tongued and mean, but her heart was actually incredibly soft.'
"I know." He knew that the man was the key to a good relationship between a mother-in-law and her daughter-in-law. He certainly wouldn't show how much he valued Jin Qianqian in front of Li Cuicui. If he did, the concept of filial piety alone would be used to crush Jin Qianqian.
'Sure enough, his method was working.' Li Cuicui glanced sympathetically at Jin Qianqian, who stood a short distance away. "I can't control you anymore, anyway. Just remember, whatever you do, you must act with a clear conscience."
Ancient Wen Heng urged impatiently, "Could you hurry up and give me the money? The city gates will close soon."
It was already late afternoon; they didn't have much time.
Li Cuicui was speechless. 'She'd never seen someone borrow money so brazenly before.'
She turned her back to Ancient Wen Heng and started rummaging through her things. A long moment passed before she finally finished counting out 200 copper coins, her hand trembling.
"You'd better remember to pay me back. I'm not asking for double anymore, but you can't be short a single coin. Otherwise, I won't be able to answer to your father and your brother."