bookrebus Chapter 673 This Child is Really Righteous
Chapter 673 This Child is Really Righteous
Bai Qiaoniang looked at them and said word by word, "Then I'll take out all of Bai Wanwan's bills so you can take a good look at them."
Everyone gathered together. Bai Qiaoniang flipped through the account books page by page and said loudly:
"Please take a closer look. My Wanwan family does own five farms and three shops facing the street.
There are also two sets of quadrangle courtyards in the capital, which are clearly recorded in the accounts."
When the Lin family heard this, their eyes lit up instantly.
Old Mrs. Lin stared at the account book with a wide grin on her face.
Lin Zaozao couldn't contain herself anymore and quietly tugged at the sleeve of Lin Dasheng next to her, her eyes full of uncontrollable excitement.
Sun Mei's eyes were full of smiles. She gave both houses to her sons, one for each of them, so that they would not have any trouble getting married when the time comes.
Bai Qiaoniang changed the subject and said calmly:
"But Wanwan is a kind-hearted girl who can't bear to see others suffer. She had already made arrangements for these things.
Most of the five farms and three shops were sold for silver, which was donated to the refugees who had suffered disasters in the north.
The two quadrangles were also converted into schools, where children from poor families could learn to read and write."
She raised her eyes and looked at everyone:
"There's already written evidence of this. At the time, she also said that it was thanks to the grace of His Majesty that she had all this wealth, and now she should give back to the people and help His Majesty relieve his worries.
The official files and the list of recipients of donations can all be checked, so this is not just random talk."
As soon as these words were spoken, the whole room fell silent.
The noble ladies who were waiting to see the joke were also stunned, and there was a bit of complexity in their eyes when they looked at Bai Qiaoniang.
Mrs. Lin shouted, "Impossible, absolutely impossible. How could this be such a coincidence? Bai Qiaoniang, you did this on purpose, didn't you?"
Bai Qiaoniang shouted loudly:
"Don't think of others with such dirty thoughts.
My daughter wants to ensure that children from poor families can afford to go to school.
Besides, did I know this would happen today?
Could it be that I can tell fortunes?"
Bai Qiaoniang picked up the last few pages of the account book and continued in a clear voice:
“Though those two schools have begun to grow in size, their accounts have long been empty. No, they are even in negative balance.
Counting all the money, including the donations to refugees and the cost of repairing the school, the total deficit was 69,320 taels of silver."
She placed a thick stack of IOUs and detailed expense records on the desk, the pages rustling. "You two should keep your word, right?"
Seeing this, the people around rushed forward to look at the bills.
The seal on the IOU is clear, and the expenditure details even clearly record how many bricks and kilograms of rice were purchased.
At the end, there are also signatures from government officials and the refugee resettlement office.
"Tsk, this kid is really righteous!"
After looking through the bills, someone couldn't help but sigh: "They donated their own property without hesitation and even paid for the establishment of a school. How could any girl from an ordinary family have such courage?"
"Yes, if it were my girl, I'm afraid she wouldn't even be willing to take out a silver hairpin." The person next to him nodded, and looked at the account book with a little more admiration in his eyes.
But some people were skeptical, frowning and muttering:
"Could this be fake? Made on purpose to fool people?
Who would abandon a good family fortune and end up with such a huge loss?"
Bai Qiaoniang looked at them and said in a very serious tone:
"Our academy is not just a name; we only accept students from poor families.
There are already thousands of children studying here. You can check and see for yourself.
The pens, ink, paper, and inkstones these children use for their studies are quite expensive, and they were all purchased by my daughter. This can be easily discovered through investigation."
In fact, this has always been what Bai Wanwan advocated. Among these thousands of students, many came from the mountains, and many were really poor and could not afford to go to school, but they were children with good character.
Bai Wanwan checked their situation and, finding them suitable, allowed them to attend school.
This school is called Sanwei Shuwu. Bai Wanwan felt that this was a very meaningful thing to do. Moreover, this school has one room for girls and one room for boys.
Baiyin stroked his beard and said with a smile, "This child has always had a lot of ideas since she was young. We can't do anything about it. Besides, she likes it herself, so we just let her do it."
Lin Dasheng was so angry that he blurted out:
"Are you crazy? This is millions.
You...you bunch of lunatics, just give money away for free!"
Baiyin took a step forward and asked loudly to Lin Dasheng:
"What do you mean by that? Is it wrong for my daughter to do her best to help students all over the world?
You know, the old saying goes, "All things are inferior except reading." Reading is such a great thing! I see you're not even as good as a child!
Now let's get down to business. We owe over 60,000 taels. Didn't you just say you'd take care of it no matter what? Who's going to pay it back now?"
Lin Dasheng's face turned red and he opened his mouth for a long time but couldn't say a complete sentence.
Old Mrs. Lin even hung her head, and all the arrogance she had just had was gone.
The people around also started talking, and the looks they gave the Lin family were full of mockery.
Lin Zao Zao suddenly said, "Isn't it just over 3 taels? I'll pay for it. My sister has a noble character, but our Lin family is not far behind."
She waved her hand and saw the maid next to her take out 4 taels of silver.
Lin Zao Zao looked at Bai Qiao Niang in front of everyone and said:
"This is my little token of appreciation, and it can be considered as a contribution to those students.
If that's not enough, I can sell the farm and help my second aunt."
Lin Zaozao was a smart man. Taking out forty thousand taels at this time would make people look at him with more respect, especially the last sentence, which was even more eye-opening.
The wife of the Marquis of Ding'an laughed heartily and said, "This girl is kind-hearted and can't bear to see others suffer."
Several ladies who were good at scheming came up to the wife of Marquis Ding'an, their tone full of flattery:
"Mrs. Ding'an is truly blessed! The goddaughter you raised is truly special!
Look at her character and heart. How can any girl from an ordinary family compare to her? She will definitely have great fortune in the future!"
The people around him also echoed:
"That's right, Madam Hou has a unique vision.
The fact that you're interested in a girl like this shows that you have a kind heart, and that you were able to raise such a responsible child."
The wife of the Marquis of Ding'an smiled and said, "Thank you all for your praise. The child is kind-hearted and I didn't worry too much about it."
Su Niantang suddenly spoke in a clear voice:
"Mother, since you think so highly of my sister, I'd like to ask, why does she want to use my farm and my money to fill those holes?
How come all those things my mother left me, the farm and the shop, are now in Lin Zaozao's hands? Why is that?"
As soon as these words were spoken, the discussions in the room stopped immediately.
The smile on Lady Ding'an's face froze, her ears turned red, and she shouted, "What nonsense are you talking about, child? You have no respect for your elders!"