Chapter 62
Chapter 62
Ji Hanyi suddenly presented Madam Lin with a booklet. Madam Lin paused in surprise, then looked at the thick sheaf in Ji Hanyi’s hands and accepted it in astonishment.
She had never imagined that Ji Hanyi would keep records of such things.
She opened the booklet and flipped through a couple of pages. Everything had been recorded down to the smallest detail, including the date, the time, and even which matron had delivered each item. The entries went all the way back to the day Ji Hanyi first entered the residence.
Even a plate of fruit Madam Lin had casually given Ji Hanyi was listed, along with every monetary gift received by her courtyard.
The booklet recorded not only what had been issued from the common stores, but also a separate section for every member of Xie Residence. Who had sent what and when was all clearly documented. Even a single handkerchief had been entered into the records.
Every gift Ji Hanyi had sent out was also listed in full at the back.
While Madam Lin was still reeling from her surprise, Ji Hanyi handed her another booklet. This one contained a complete record of every expense incurred by her courtyard: gratuities for the servants, repairs to the rooms, the cost of tending the flowers and plants, holiday bonuses, and gifts sent to maintain social connections. Once everything was added up, very little remained of her monthly allowance of five taels. Sometimes, it was not even enough.
The Xie Family had many social obligations, and Xie Yuheng was the eldest son of the First Branch of the Xie Family. Whenever anything happened in another household, they had to send a gift, and it could not be anything shabby. This was by far her largest expense.
Finally, Ji Hanyi showed Madam Lin one last account book.
It contained the accounts for her shop, though she only showed Madam Lin its earnings from the past few months.
The shop was not especially profitable, but after all expenses were deducted, it still brought in a little over a hundred taels of silver each month.
Madam Lin finished examining the books one by one, then stared dazedly at Ji Hanyi.
Meeting her gaze, Ji Hanyi said quietly, “Mother may have one of your attendants compare these records with the items in my courtyard. Everything in the storeroom has been sorted by category.”
Madam Lin looked at her with a complicated expression. “Did you record all of this yourself?”
Ji Hanyi nodded. “So many items come and go that I began keeping records to make it easier to keep track of everything in the courtyard.”
Second Madam Xie, who was sitting beside Madam Lin, saw the astonishment on her face and could not resist taking the booklet to examine it herself. After leafing through it, she too was taken aback.
She had never expected Ji Hanyi to record so much in such meticulous detail.
Even so, she whispered to Madam Lin, “The entries may be detailed, but what if she simply made them all up?”
This time, Madam Lin shot Second Madam Xie a cold glance. She had been the one to stir up this entire affair, yet even now, she was still trying to sow discord.
In truth, Madam Lin had known that Second Madam Xie’s remarks were intended to provoke her. However, she had been displeased with Ji Hanyi lately and had believed some of the accusations, which was why she had come to confront her. Who would have thought Ji Hanyi would produce so many records?
Madam Lin managed the common stores of the residence, so she still remembered what had been sent to each courtyard.
No matter what, Ji Hanyi was her daughter-in-law. Madam Lin would never skimp on the supplies sent to her own son’s courtyard. She had personally inspected every item, so how could she not remember what had been sent over?
She might not remember every last detail, but the entries in the booklet were almost entirely correct. Besides, Ji Hanyi had documented all her expenses as well. She likely would not dare use these records to deceive her.
Nevertheless, Madam Lin sent a matron to fetch the household account books. She randomly selected several entries and cross-checked the dates, only to find that every one of them matched perfectly.
That meant there were practically no errors in Ji Hanyi’s entire booklet.
Madam Lin silently closed it.
Watching her expression, Second Madam Xie’s face stiffened slightly. It seemed the entries had all checked out.
Now feeling rather awkward, she rose to leave. “When all is said and done, this concerns Eldest Sister-in-law’s courtyard. There is no need for me to remain here, so I’ll take my leave.”
Ji Hanyi looked at Second Madam Xie. “Just now, Second Aunt accused me of secretly taking things belonging to the Xie Family to support the Gu Family. The matter has yet to be fully resolved, and we have not compared the booklet against the inventory. I must ask Second Aunt to wait a little longer. Otherwise, if another misunderstanding arises in the future, I may once again be accused of sneaking things away. How could I possibly bear such a reputation?”
She continued, “Moreover, I sincerely wish for harmony within the residence. But when something happens, it is always best to get to the bottom of it first.”
Second Madam Xie froze. Seeing that Ji Hanyi now had the truth on her side and refused to let the matter go, she gave a dry laugh. “Just look at the fuss this has caused. That wasn’t what I meant at all. It was only a casual remark, yet my niece-in-law has taken it so seriously.”
Ji Hanyi looked steadily at her. “A casual joke from Second Aunt could ruin my reputation and brand me as greedy. How can you call that taking things too seriously?”
Second Madam Xie was rendered completely speechless. She turned stiffly to Madam Lin. “Eldest Sister-in-law, just look at this…”
“Wasn’t I only looking out for you, Eldest Sister-in-law?”
Madam Lin gave Second Madam Xie an indifferent glance and, for once, spoke in Ji Hanyi’s defense. “There has indeed been a misunderstanding. Do not bring this up again. Hanyi is my daughter-in-law, after all. If word of this gets out, it will reflect on my household as well.”
Second Madam Xie nodded repeatedly. “Eldest Sister-in-law is absolutely right. I haven’t said a word about it outside. I only mentioned it to you.”
Madam Lin rubbed her aching brow and told Second Madam Xie not to say anything for the moment.
Madam Yu glanced at Ji Hanyi. She had expected to enjoy a good show today, only to find that Ji Hanyi had recorded every last detail in a ledger. For some reason, the discovery left her feeling rather wistful. Her earlier schadenfreude faded, replaced by a measure of pity for Ji Hanyi.
Ji Hanyi was, after all, the daughter-in-law of the eldest branch of the Xie Family, yet there was nothing glamorous about her life. She had to tread so carefully at every turn. Eldest Master Xie did not care for her, and even her mother-in-law treated her like this.
At that thought, the sense of inferiority Madam Yu had once felt disappeared. Ji Hanyi’s life had long since become worse than her own, so why kick her while she was already down?
Madam Lin questioned Ji Hanyi again. “You recorded everything so clearly in this ledger. Who told you to keep it?”
Ji Hanyi answered truthfully, “I decided to keep it myself.”
Madam Lin drew a deep breath, humiliation suddenly washing over her face as though she had lost face in front of everyone.
She gave another cold snort. “I refuse to believe you were truly so meticulous and generous that you even paid for repairs to your courtyard out of your own pocket. Haven’t you been asking Yuheng for money all along?”
Ji Hanyi remained perfectly composed. “If Mother does not believe me, she may ask the Eldest Master.”
Her calm response only made Madam Lin look as though she were deliberately making trouble without cause.
A sudden surge of anger rose in Madam Lin. She handed the thick ledger to the old maidservant beside her and stared fixedly at Ji Hanyi. “Since she says we can verify it, then go and verify it. I would like to see whether things truly are as she claims.”
The old maidservant did not dare delay. She summoned two more old maidservants to accompany her.
The inventory check lasted until the sky had begun to darken.
Upon returning, the old maidservant respectfully presented the ledger to Madam Lin and reported in a low voice, “First Madam, we checked everything carefully. Not a single item is missing. Everything is still there.”
Madam Lin’s hand stiffened slightly as she reached for the ledger.
The expression on Second Madam Xie’s face also froze.
Who could have imagined that Ji Hanyi truly had not taken a single thing from the Xie Residence? Even the silver she had spent on fabric at the shop that day had genuinely been her own.
What the old maidservant said next made Madam Lin’s expression stiffen further.
The old maidservant continued softly, “Most of the things in the storeroom are still brand-new. The senior maidservant from the Young Madam’s courtyard said that the Young Madam never touched many of the items after they were placed in storage. Some of them have even gathered a layer of dust.”
“She never used anything from the storeroom for the birthday gifts, hundred-day celebration gifts, or other congratulatory presents sent to the various branches of the Xie Residence either.”
The warm room fell silent.
The servants waiting inside exchanged glances, then looked toward Ji Hanyi, who sat quietly to one side without saying a word.
Second Madam Xie had no idea what to say now. She was so embarrassed that she could not even bring herself to meet Ji Hanyi’s eyes.
Of everyone in the Xie Residence, Second Madam Xie had always been the fondest of bringing up how Ji Hanyi had entered the Xie Family with only two sedan-loads of dowry. In truth, she had only done so to make herself feel better.
First Madam Xie managed the household, and her son was more accomplished than Second Madam Xie’s own, but at least her daughter-in-law was nothing impressive. The more Second Madam Xie talked about that, the better she felt.
She had remained until the very end today, expecting to see the outcome she wanted. Never had she imagined things would turn out this way and leave her so embarrassed.
Yet she also had to admit that Ji Hanyi had brought little dowry with her in the first place. Despite all the valuable things belonging to the Xie Family, she truly had not taken a single one for herself. That much was genuinely admirable.
Second Madam Xie knew that staying any longer would only make her look even more ridiculous. She hurriedly rose, muttered that she had matters to attend to in her own courtyard, and prepared to leave.
Madam Lin glanced at Second Madam Xie and stopped her. “From now on, watch your tongue in this residence.”
Second Madam Xie’s expression changed slightly. Was Madam Lin trying to push all the blame onto her?
She immediately shot back, “All I did was bring up the subject. Elder Sister-in-law was the one who insisted on investigating.”
Then Second Madam Xie looked at Ji Hanyi. Gritting her teeth, she lowered her voice and said, “Niece-in-law, I was only talking. Please don’t take any of it to heart.”
“Rest assured, I will never bring this matter up again. Just look at the commotion this has caused. It was all a misunderstanding, so there is no need to damage the harmony of the family over it.”
Ji Hanyi turned her cool, placid gaze toward Second Madam Xie. “I have never been one to harm the family’s harmony. The conversation simply came to this today, so I had no choice but to explain. Second Aunt may say certain things without thinking, but they may sound very different to those who hear them.”
“As long as Second Aunt understands that, it is enough.”
Seeing that Ji Hanyi did not intend to pursue the matter, Second Madam Xie secretly breathed a sigh of relief and nodded at once. “You are right, of course. Don’t worry. I will never say such things again.”
With that, Second Madam Xie hurried out with Madam Qin.
Only Madam Lin and Ji Hanyi remained in the room.
Madam Lin gripped the weighty ledger, her heart filled with humiliation and anger, yet she could find nothing to say.
She was Ji Hanyi’s mother-in-law. There was no question of her admitting fault to her own daughter-in-law.
Instead, she tossed the ledger down in front of Ji Hanyi and found another reason to criticize her. “Did you record all this because you were afraid our Xie Residence would accuse you of using its belongings?”
“Just who were you keeping this ledger for?”
Ji Hanyi raised her eyes and looked at Madam Lin’s faintly irritated face. Her voice remained soft and even. “If today’s incident had not occurred, I would never have thought of taking it out.”
“Nor did I ever imagine this ledger would prove useful in such a way.”