Chapter 546: Chapter 546: Faking Illness to Seek Good Luck

Zhu Hongyun, hearing of the day’s proceedings, was so pained that she wished she could roll on the ground.

Two thousand taels! She had never seen so much silver in her life.

Qiao Xiaomai casually spent more than what the Tong Family had gathered over decades. She was indeed rich!

“But the money isn’t ours after all.” Zhang Family’s matriarch said dispiritedly, “No matter how much your father and I tried to persuade her, she refused to agree.”

“Really, your grandfather and Tong Sanlang were the ones who should have spoken. Persuasion from your father’s mouth just isn’t effective.”

Zhu Hongyun said nothing, her eyes rolling around.

Tong Sanlang and Tong Tiehu not cooperating was a reality they couldn’t change at the moment.

But could they really let the events rest as is?

No no no, absolutely not.

There must be a way.

Li Rou sat aside silently, her head lowered. After a while, she suddenly raised her head and said, “Mother, how about this? You pretend to be seriously ill and say that only Sanlang’s marriage can bring luck against the illness.”

“In that case, Sanlang will surely ask for Qiao Xiaomai’s hand in marriage.”

With her words, Zhang Family’s matriarch and Zhu Hongyun were stunned.

But then, their eyes lit up sharply.

Yes, Tong Sanlang was very dutiful. If they tell him that his marriage can save his mother’s life, he would surely agree.

Running this scheme might bring misfortune to Zhang Family’s matriarch, but it would surely be beneficial to their current situation.

Li Rou noted the feelings of Zhang Family’s matriarch and Zhu Hongyun, and added, “Moreover, if Qiao Xiaomai were to marry under the pretext of bringing luck, you can find ways to control her.”

“If she disobeys or talks back, you can pretend to fall ill again and blame her, saying she brings bad luck.”

At this point, Zhu Hongyun couldn’t help saying, “But after she marries into the family, mother’s illness should get better, then she would bring good luck, not bad!”

“That’s merely a change in words. You could just say that her bad energy was strong enough to suppress the illness, and not because she is a good-luck charm. If Qiao Xiaomai defies you later, her bad energy would harm your health,” Li Rou said.

“Anyway, if she is disobedient, we have a way to control her.”

Zhang Family’s matriarch and Zhu Hongyun fell silent. They kept turning Li Rou’s words over in their minds. In the end, Zhang decided, “Let’s do this!”

If Qiao Xiaomai insists on not marrying, this might be the only way out of the deadlock.

If Tong Sanlang refuses to propose, he would be undutiful.

Once they had settled on a plan, Zhu Hongyun immediately called for Doctor Wu again.

In order to fake an illness, they naturally needed Doctor Wu’s support.

Zhang had spent all of her savings on purchases. Even the money for medical treatment was given by Tong Tiexu. Now, they needed to invite Doctor Wu to help them conceal the truth, which would certainly require more money.

Zhu Hongyun had no money; it was Li Rou who paid for it.

Of course, they also promised to repay her once Qiao Xiaomai was married in.

She had a son and daughter and needed the money even more.

Doctor Wu didn’t say anything on hearing the words of the three women. He accepted the five taels of silver from Li Rou and promptly taught Zhang how to fake an illness.

After several people checked their story, not long after Doctor Wu left, Zhang started feeling unwell again. This time, it wasn’t a fever, but chest pain.

The pain kept her awake at night and incapable of eating.

Two thousand taels of silver! It indeed caused Zhang enough heartache to lose sleep.

They ate largely vegetarian food at home now, all the vegetables were handpicked from their own garden, so it hardly mattered whether they ate or not.

As a result, Zhang’s lack of sleep and appetite made her look extremely frail after a few days, which made her appearance seem convincingly nearest to being seriously ill.