"Cold Ruo Shuang, are you sure this gold bracelet is yours?" Cold Ruo Li asked, holding up the gold bracelet to Cold Ruo Shuang.
"For su… sure… it’s… mine, I… would… would… give… me."
Cold Ruo Shuang’s speech was slurred due to her missing front teeth.
"Then why is it engraved with 'Baby Li'er, wishing you peace year after year,' instead of your name?"
Cold Ruo Li subjected Cold Ruo Shuang to a soul-searching interrogation.
Upon hearing this, Cold Ruo Shuang directly lunged forward and snatched Cold Ruo Li’s gold bracelet. She took a close look at the engraved words, disregarding the pain in her mouth.
After she finished reading, she was utterly stunned. This gold bracelet indeed belonged to Cold Ruo Li, and she couldn't deny it.
Subsequently, Cold Ruo Li picked up another gold bracelet. The pattern on this bracelet was identical to the one on Cold Ruo Shuang’s wrist, suggesting they were a pair.
However, this bracelet was engraved with the letters “happylife.”
"Cold Ruo Shuang, since you said you didn't take anything from our Cold General’s manor, then tell me, what does this gold bracelet mean?" Cold Ruo Li asked again.
Cold Ruo Shuang again snatched the bracelet from Cold Ruo Li’s hand. After glancing at the engraved letters, she was completely bewildered.
"What do these symbols mean? How would I know? You should ask the skilled craftsman about this," Cold Ruo Shuang stated rechtfertigend.
"You don't know, but I do. These matching gold bracelets were worn on my hands until I was eight years old. Ever since my father went to guard the border, Aunt Liu forcibly took these gold bracelets from me. I repeatedly asked Aunt Liu to return them, but not only did I not get them back, I was also beaten by Aunt Liu. This incident is truly unforgettable for me."
Cold Ruo Li spoke calmly, as if the events she recounted were of no consequence to her. However, inside, her emotions were tumultuous. On one hand, she felt sympathy for the original owner’s tragic life. On the other hand, she was shocked by the letters engraved on the gold bracelet, as these letters confirmed that the original owner’s birth mother, Xia Wan'er, was indeed a transmigrator.
As she finished speaking, Leng Jinyu walked towards Cold Ruo Li and Cold Ruo Shuang. Upon seeing Leng Jinyu approaching her, Cold Ruo Shuang’s expression became flustered and fearful.
He snatched the pair of gold bracelets from Cold Ruo Shuang’s hand and examined them closely. Instantly, a flood of memories was triggered.
These gold bracelets were made when he accompanied Xia Wan'er, who was a few months pregnant, to find a skilled craftsman. At that time, Wan'er desperately wanted a daughter and had even decided on a name for their child: "Leng Ruo Li."
Later, she had a sudden inspiration to have a pair of gold bracelets made for their child, as she wished for her unborn baby to "see gold upon birth and be noble for a lifetime." Thus, she spent days sketching the design for these gold bracelets.
The patterns and engravings on these gold bracelets held special significance, especially the symbols on this particular bracelet. According to Wan'er, they were a form of letters, and when combined, they meant "happy life."
After examining the pair of gold bracelets, Leng Jinyu looked deeply at Cold Ruo Shuang.
Meeting Leng Jinyu’s icy gaze, Cold Ruo Shuang became frightened and stammered, "This… this… should have been taken by my mother. It has nothing to do with me."
However, Leng Jinyu cast a cold glance at Cold Ruo Shuang without speaking. He then knelt down and picked up the scattered jewelry one by one, examining each piece, which only intensified his anger.
Because half of these ornaments were small trinkets that Leng Jinyu had sent back to Li'er as gifts during festivals while he was stationed at the border over the years. Although these items were not exceptionally valuable, they were still rare. If sold, they would fetch a considerable sum. This Liu Ruyi was truly too greedy.
The other half of these ornaments were Xia Wan'er's belongings. When Wan'er passed away, he was so grief-stricken that he hadn't paid attention to the valuable jewelry on her dressing table. A few days later, he discovered that all the valuable items in Wan'er’s room had been cleared out.
At the time, Leng Jinyu thought their home had been burgled. He never imagined that Liu Ruyi had stolen these precious treasures. This Liu Ruyi was truly detestable.
The more Leng Jinyu thought about this matter, the angrier he became. He immediately shouted to Xiao Cheng and Steward Qi behind him, "Xiao Cheng, Steward Qi, come here and thoroughly search this concubine of the Qing King's manor, especially her sleeve pockets."
Upon hearing this, Cold Ruo Shuang's willow-like eyes widened in disbelief. Leng Jinyu was actually ordering two men to search her body. Wasn't this an insult to her?
"No, Father. I am a woman. You cannot have these two men search my body," Cold Ruo Shuang said with a look of horror.
"You don't have to be searched, but you can willingly hand over whatever you have hidden in your sleeve pockets. Otherwise, I will have someone call the Minister of Dali Temple to visit the Cold General’s manor."
Cold Ruo Li let out a series of cold sneers in her heart.
Cold Ruo Shuang pondered for a long time, then finally took out three thousand taels of silver notes and several extremely expensive pieces of jewelry from her sleeve pockets and handed them to Cold Ruo Li.
At this moment, it felt as if her flesh was being cut away, and she was heartbroken.
Looking at the silver notes and jewelry in her hands, Cold Ruo Li instantly felt that frightening Cold Ruo Shuang was not enough. She should have kicked Cold Ruo Shuang away.
She and Leng Jinyu estimated that the lowest value of these ornaments was seventy thousand taels of silver. Coupled with the cash in hand, it amounted to one hundred thousand taels of silver. This was a considerable sum of wealth.
These mother and daughter were truly insatiably greedy!
"Father, when you went to war, how many estates did you leave for Liu Ruyi to manage?" Cold Ruo Li asked speechlessly.
"When I went to war, you were still very young and unable to manage the affairs of the manor, so I left two estates for Liu Ruyi to manage. However, my intention was to ensure sufficient expenses for you and the people in the manor. Those two estates generated an annual income of about seven thousand taels of silver. I never expected that Liu Ruyi would not only be greedy for money but also cruelly abuse you. I regretted it when I learned of this, but the border was so far from the capital, and as the commander, I could not leave the border without an imperial decree. I could only write letters back to instruct Steward Qi to protect you in secret. However, I underestimated the wicked hearts of Liu Ruyi and Lin Feng. Steward Qi could not guard against them, and they exploited loopholes multiple times, putting you in danger."
As Leng Jinyu spoke these words, his mood became extremely heavy. He looked at Cold Ruo Li with a face full of guilt.
Seeing Leng Jinyu’s sorrowful expression, Cold Ruo Li quickly comforted him, "Father, those things are in the past. Don't think about them too much. Look, your daughter is fine now."