Chapter 101 - The Zhou Family
Yu Hai and Madam Liu looked at each other, and both of them could see helplessness in the other’s eyes. They were both the younger generation, so there was little they could do against the overbearing and shameless Madam Zhang. If they were too resolute and stuck to their guns, the two women in front of them would slander them in the village for being unfilial. On the other hand, if they yielded too much, this pair of locusts would gobble them up and devour everything they could get their hands on.
“Madam Li, why are you here again causing trouble?” Just as the married couple were trying to find a solution, the sound of Old Yu’s voice resonated in and provided them with a glimpse of hope.
Madam Li was still a bit timid in front of her father-in-law, so she weakly said, “Father, I was keeping Mother company…”
Madam Zhang abruptly interrupted her and pasted a smile on her face as she spoke to Old Yu, “Old man, Second Son still has a filial heart. Their family had come up with a new method of making money, so they were going to help us too!”
When Old Yu heard what she said, he looked towards Yu Hai with a remorseful expression and a tinge of gratitude. This son of his had always been filial since childhood. Even if he had caught a tiny tit, he would always bring it back home to let everyone eat some. In fact, after he settled down and got married, he still always gave the money he earned to the general purse and didn’t keep a private purse.
Ah, he was not worthy of his son. He even pushed his son out of the family during his most difficult time. Fortunately, his son was able to survive and even his leg was preserved…
Old Yu switched his gaze to Madam Zhang and glared at her, “I already know about the method for making money! Aren’t they just selling some appetizers to make a small sum of money every day? Stop trying to covet it, Second Son’s family is relying on this little bit of money to make it through!”
“What do you mean? It’s not a little bit of money, they make around twenty to thirty copper coins a day, ah! That’s more than what you and Eldest Son brings home every day! This is Second Son’s good intentions, so he should spread the wealth to the whole family. Husband, Third Son will be able to participate in the entrance examination for Rongxuan Academy soon. If he passes and then becomes a scholar who had passed the county level examinations, he can get a lot of benefits…his whole family is living in town right now and doesn’t he need money for living expenses?” Madam Zhang, once again, brought the topic of the conversation back to her younger son in an attempt to voice her complaints.
As Madam Zhang rambled on and on, Xiaocao and her family stayed mutely silent. It was obvious that she was forcing them to teach her how to make braised food. How did she manage to twist it around such that they were the ones volunteering for this?
Although Xiaocao had no qualms, her father was a different story. He had always been filial and was softhearted. In front of his father, Yu Hai wasn’t able to refuse any request. In the end, Xiaocao was forced to fork out a portion of the spices she had used yesterday and give instructions on how to use them to Madam Zhang. In a pique of fury, she pretended to forget to give the pair of women the complete details on how to prepare and clean the pig head and intestines properly.
She had already reserved the pig head and offal in advance from Butcher Wang’s stall at the dock’s marketplace. Furthermore, the butcher was a kind and honest man. To him, it didn’t matter who he made money from, but it was more important to preserve his relationships with and not have a reputation of breaking his promises. Thus, their ingredient supplies would not be endangered in the future. She planned on doing business as usual. As for who could make more money...that would depend on their own abilities!
