Chapter 8: Just Let It Go?

"My father naturally taught me about filial piety." Du Ruo smiled even more sweetly, "My father said, of all virtues, filial piety comes first. My father-in-law and mother-in-law are gone, so grandmother is the elder I should be most filial to."

Immediately after, she changed the subject, "However, my father also said, 'blindly following, trapping parents in unrighteousness, this is great unfilial piety.' If I agreed to work for the big house today, those who know would say I am filial to grandmother, but those who don't would think grandmother is biased, making me, a second-branch daughter-in-law who just entered the door and is still sick, serve the eldest uncle's family. Isn't this abusing me, the granddaughter-in-law? No, for the sake of grandmother's reputation, even if the Emperor himself came today, I couldn't listen to grandmother and trap her in unrighteousness!"

Du Ruo said it righteously.

Cao Shi and her daughter Jiang Lian'er looked at each other, both confused. What was she talking about, going around in circles? Why couldn't they understand?

Both of them turned their eyes to Yan Pozi.

Grandmother (ancestor) had lived in a big family when she was young, so she should be able to understand these official words, right?

Yan Pozi's drooping corners of her mouth curled into a cold sneer: "So, I have to thank you?"

"No need, no need, it's what granddaughter-in-law should do." Du Ruo waved her hand and smiled, "It's mainly because grandmother is wise and understands my filial piety."

Yan Pozi had a mouthful of old blood stuck in her throat, unable to go up or down.

She really underestimated this Du Shi. She didn't expect a girl who grew up in the countryside to have such schemes. Her attitude was neither humble nor arrogant, and her words were watertight. Even the official lady with a good background she served when she was young wasn't as eloquent as this.

After all, she was a new daughter-in-law, so Yan Pozi couldn't go too far. If Du Ruo made a big scene, she wouldn't look good either.

No rush, there's plenty of time.

Anyway, unless she died, the second branch wanted to crawl out of the mud!

"Enough, if you don't want to do it, then don't." She said with a cold face, picked up the wooden cane leaning against the table leg, and signaled Cao Shi, "Go, go home!"

Cao Shi panicked, "Mother, are we just going to let it go?"

Jiang Lian'er pouted even more, looking very unhappy: "That's right, grandmother, when sister-in-law entered the door on the second day, she had to do everything. Why can this ugly monster be an exception?"

Yan Pozi glared at them, "Then what do you want?"

Stupid idiots with no eyes. Didn't they see that she was determined not to do it? And she moved out her father, the County Assistant. No matter how much Du Shi was disliked, she was still the County Assistant's own daughter. She couldn't just torture her to death all at once.

Cao Shi didn't understand her mother-in-law's thoughts. She hadn't achieved her goal today, and she wouldn't be reconciled to go home in such a dejected way.

But her mother-in-law's old face had already pulled down, and she didn't dare not listen. Just as her eyes were darting around, she suddenly thought of something.

She immediately leaned into Yan Pozi's ear and whispered: "Mother, have you forgotten? Today is the second day of the new daughter-in-law entering the door, according to the rules..."

Yan Pozi's eyelids lifted, and her raised buttocks sat back down.

Cao Shi realized it and immediately straightened her back, triumphantly saying: "Eldest grandson's wife, if you don't want to do the work, fine. But yesterday you entered the door, according to the rules of the ancestors, today you must prepare a sumptuous breakfast for your husband's family. It's already this late, breakfast is too late. How about this, we'll accommodate you, go and prepare a lunch."

She looked at Du Ruo and smiled triumphantly: "Remember, it won't do if it doesn't taste good."

Du Ruo frowned and looked at Jiang Zhan for inquiry. Jiang Zhan looked embarrassed and nodded at her.

There was indeed this rule.

"Is that so... then fine, grandmother, eldest aunt, and sister Lian'er, you sit for a while, I'll go prepare."

Cooking, a small matter.

In her previous life, besides making medicine, she liked to tinker with all kinds of food. The most famous Chef Lin internationally was her old friend. When she had free time, she would go to Chef Lin's house for a meal and steal a few tricks by the way.

She had great talent in this area and learned almost everything at once. Chef Lin once joked that it was fortunate Du Ruo's ambition didn't lie here, otherwise, she would have starved the master by teaching the apprentice.

Du Ruo turned and entered the kitchen.

Her gaze swept around the kitchen, and her face collapsed instantly.

It's over, she forgot how poor this family was. Even for good food, there was no salt, how could she cook?

Just as she was having a headache, Jiang Sheng followed in, first sneaking a few glances outside, then leading Du Ruo to the corner and moving the big water tank.

Underneath, there was a half-person-deep hole.

Jiang Sheng took out a cloth bag from inside and opened the bag to show Du Ruo. There were two eggs, a few bowls of brown rice, and sweet potatoes, plus half a bag of white flour.

"There's only this little food left. Originally it was enough for our family to eat, now..." She was afraid they would run out of food tomorrow.

As he spoke, he took out a small jar from the deepest part of the hole and opened the lid.

A white layer, it was salt.

"This was brought back by Clan Head grandfather yesterday, saying that we are still growing, and we won't grow tall if we don't eat salt."

Du Ruo's eyes lit up. Clan Head grandfather was truly a good person, finally solving the urgent need!

The two moved the water tank back to its original position, Du Ruo let Jiang Sheng help burn the fire, and she began to prepare lunch. After thinking about it, with so little stuff, she couldn't make any feast, so she might as well make a few scallion oil pancakes.

Du Ruo was just about to go to the vegetable garden behind the house to pull some scallions when a few sharp barks and a child's crying suddenly came from outside.

She was startled and ran out to check, Jiang Sheng ran faster than her.

In the courtyard, Jiang Wan was squatting on the ground, holding the family's depressed big black dog and crying. The dog was very thin, looking almost like only a layer of skin left, its fur was extremely dull black, with a few clear footprints on it.

Beside her, Jiang Lian'er pointed at her and scolded: "You little girl, get out of the way, or I'll kick you too!"

Jiang Wan shook her head hard, tears falling like broken beads, but her hands held tighter, "Woo woo... I don't want..."

Jiang Cheng immediately took a step forward to block his younger sister, a fierce aura roiling in his eyes as he glared at Jiang Lian'er and said, "What do you think you're doing?"

"Why are you so fierce? I didn't hit her, I..."

At this time, Cao Shi and Jiang Zhan in the room also ran out when they heard the movement. Seeing Jiang Sheng's angry look, the mole on Cao Shi's face suddenly protruded. She rushed over, pulled her daughter behind her, pointed at Jiang Sheng's nose, and started scolding.

"You little rabbit, do you want to eat people? Lian'er is your cousin! Own cousin! You heartless thing, do you have any respect for elders? Is this how your eldest brother taught you?"

The bloodshot eyes in the youth's eyes spread bit by bit, soon turning blood red, his two fists clenched tightly, but he held back.

"She bullied Wan'er first!" He squeezed out a sentence through gritted teeth.

"You fart! How could Lian'er bully that dead girl? A sick seedling, who knows when she'll enter the coffin, we're afraid of catching her illness!"

"That's right, I'm too lazy to bully her." Jiang Lian'er poked her head out from behind her mother, "I was just playing with that dead dog for a while and she wouldn't have it, crying and howling as if I did something to her. If you don't believe me, ask yourself."

Jiang Sheng stared at her without speaking.

The husky on weekdays looked more like a wolf cub protecting its own at this moment.

"Wan'er." Jiang Zhan walked over, carefully picked up his sister, patted the dust off her, and asked softly, "Don't be afraid, tell second brother what happened."

The little girl cried and hiccuped: "Cousin said she wanted to kill Tie Dan for meat, and pulled Tie Dan's hair. Tie Dan hurt, so... so she scared her, and she kicked Tie Dan, *hiccup*, kept kicking, kept kicking..."

Jiang Zhan's thin lips were tightly pursed, outlining an extremely displeased line.

Tie Dan was a wild dog picked up by Wan'er, and also her best playmate. When they, the older brothers, were busy, it was Tie Dan who accompanied her through those times tortured by illness.

To Wan'er, Tie Dan was not a dog, but a family member. How could she not feel heartache watching Tie Dan being beaten?

"Eldest aunt, Lian'er is an unmarried girl, yet she is so arrogant and cruel. If this spreads out, what reputation will she have left?"

Cao Shi snorted from her nose, not taking it seriously: "It's just a beast, what's the difference from a pig? You guys treat it like a treasure. If you ask me, this kind of thing that can't lay eggs and wastes food should have been slaughtered long ago. What's wrong with kicking it a few times? It's worth you making such a fuss."

Jiang Lian'er also held her chin high and said: "Right, slaughter it for meat! That beast even wanted to bite me just now, it deserves to be kicked to death!"

Truly, the mother of the extreme opened the door for the extreme, extreme to the home.

Du Ruo, who was on the side, was directly laughed at by this pair of mother and daughter.

She stopped the furious Jiang Sheng, turned to Cao Shi, and smiled: "Eldest aunt, didn't you want to eat? You should take sister Lian'er into the room and wait, otherwise if this keeps going, I'm afraid we won't be able to eat until dark."

Cao Shi's stomach was already growling with hunger, and she knew she was slightly in the wrong, so she took the slope and scolded a few more words before pulling her daughter inside.

The smile on Du Ruo's face gradually disappeared.

"Second brother, third brother, Wan'er, follow me to the kitchen." After thinking about it, she added, "Tie Dan, you come in too."

These children were all too simple and not the opponents of that shrew. They had to be kept under her eyes. Although they were in the right today, they couldn't withstand the hat of filial piety being pressed down. If they continued to make a scene, and Cao Shi brought out Yan Pozi, the second branch would still suffer.

To punish bad people, there were plenty of ways, not necessarily hard-on-hard.

Du Ruo sneered coldly: "Second brother, where are the herbs I asked you to keep?" ===== CHAPTER 9 =====