Chapter 825: The Disabled Young Master 38

Hearing this, He Jiantong did not refuse outright. Instead, he said to his trusted aide beside him, “Hurry up and give Sixth Brother five taels of silver! And let those five taels be a gift from me to Sixth Brother. He doesn't need to pay me back.”

He Chong had always been unreliable and was fond of spending his time and money on women. The money in his hands had probably all been spent on some courtesan or another.

Besides, if he lent He Chong this money, it would definitely be like throwing meat buns at a dog—gone for good with no hope of getting it back.

……

Seeing that He Jiantong was only giving him five taels of silver, He Chong immediately became anxious.

“Wait, Seventh Brother, I said five hundred taels, not five taels! If nothing else, you could at least give me fifty taels!”

He Jiantong let out a cold laugh.

“Sixth Brother, if you're short of money, you can go ask Fourth Uncle and Fourth Aunt for some. We're not even full brothers, so what does it look like for you to come to me asking for money? For all we know, Fourth Uncle might have hidden hundreds of thousands of taels of silver just like Second Uncle did! There are plenty of people in the He family who are richer than me. Could you all stop keeping your eyes on the little bit of money I have?!”

After being told this by He Jiantong, He Chong immediately looked awkward.

“It's just that I don't dare ask them for money.”

After saying that, he looked at Tang Wan again and gave her an ingratiating smile.

“Good sister-in-law, could you help me persuade Seventh Brother? I'm only borrowing five hundred taels to get through this emergency! I'll pay you back after the New Year. If you don't believe me, you can have me write an IOU!”

He Chong had a pair of charming, affectionate-looking peach blossom eyes. Coupled with his ingratiating, pleading expression at this moment, he was the sort of person who could easily make others soften their hearts.

But the moment He Jiantong saw that expression, his face darkened, and he unconsciously clenched his fists.

This He Chong… actually dared to flirt with Wanwan!

Hmph!

Shameless!

I'm not even giving you five taels of silver now!

……

Tang Wan, meanwhile, said coolly, “Even I listen to my husband, so how could I possibly persuade him to lend you money? Sixth Brother, why don't you go ask the brothers and sisters from the other branches for a loan instead? The Second Branch is so wealthy, and the other branches probably aren't short of money either!”

Seeing that Tang Wan had also refused him, the smile on He Chong's face finally faded somewhat.

However, unlike the others, he didn't start cursing or show a nasty expression simply because he couldn't get what he wanted. Instead, he said dejectedly, “All right, then! I'll try asking some of the others to lend me some.”

After saying that, he looked toward He Jiantong's servant, preparing to take the five taels of silver.

……

He Jiantong hadn't even wanted to give him the five taels anymore.

But because of Tang Wan's response, he changed his mind again.

After all, that face of He Chong's, which was so good at deceiving girls, didn't seem to work very well in front of Wanwan.

After receiving the money, He Chong said to the two of them, “Then, Seventh Brother, Seventh Sister-in-law, I'll be going first!”

He Jiantong nodded indifferently.

Only after He Chong had left did He Jiantong casually explain to Tang Wan, “His name is He Chong. He's the legitimate son of the Fourth Branch. We used to have a pretty good relationship, but we gradually grew distant afterward.”

Tang Wan merely nodded upon hearing this.

“I see. No wonder your attitude toward him seemed a little different from how you treated the others.”

He Jiantong hummed, then continued, “He's good-looking and smooth-talking, and he's very good at making women happy. So he has a lot of female admirers outside. The other brothers are all quite envious of him.”

The moment she heard this, Tang Wan immediately became wary.

“Really? Then you should probably spend less time with him from now on, Tongtong!”

“Oh? Why? You don't like him?” He Jiantong asked, secretly delighted.