If the Huo Family and the Mei Family refused, Old Lady Fan wouldn't summon them. However, the other families were holding nearly 200,000 taels in IOUs!
Since Madam Shao had seemingly slapped her own face, Old Lady Fan felt compelled to retaliate.
They doubted they would actually receive payment this time. Two families secretly rejected Shao Yunduan's request but didn't dare to refuse openly.
Every family knew Old Lady Fan's temperament. If they dared to decline, they risked earning her enmity, making their future interactions challenging.
They might as well collectively voice their grievances to the government to reclaim the money.
Qiao Xuan, unwilling to ask Shao Yunduan for the promissory note, left the other party bewildered.
Qiao Xuan chuckled, saying, "Since you're here to collect the debt, why didn't you bring the IOU? Perhaps you forgot that I'm expecting you, so let me go back and fetch it now!"