Chapter 97

The ox cart clip-clopped all the way to Longquan Village.

This was Zheng Shi's first time at her son-in-law's home. After stepping off the cart and gazing at the spacious courtyard before her, she was stunned.

This—this was too big, wasn't it?

It was at least twice the size of the Zheng family home!

"What are you dazing off for?" Du Ruo hooked her arm through Zheng Shi's and coaxed her toward the house, "Let's go, Mother, let's go see your room and see if you like it."

Turning left after entering the main hall, they reached the west wing.

There wasn't much furniture inside—just a canopy bed, two rattan chairs, and a half-new wardrobe.

"Mother, just make do for now. When our family has money and we build a new house, we'll get everything you need."

Zheng Shi rolled her eyes at her.

"Why waste money like that? This is already very good."

As long as she could live with her daughter, she would be happy even if she had to sleep in a chicken coop or a pigsty.

Besides, what was wrong with this room? She liked it very much.

Zheng Shi walked over and pushed open the window.

A sweet osmanthus tree as thick as a wrist stood outside, its leaves rustling, the fragrance intoxicating. The setting sun shone through the gaps in the branches, creating a sense of peaceful, quiet years.

The bitterness, resentment, and unwillingness that Du Ren Mei had stirred up in her heart suddenly vanished completely.

That ungrateful, heartless dog of a man—why was she still thinking about him?

"Woof! Woof woof!"

Two furry legs suddenly appeared on the windowsill, and a dog's head popped up, baring a set of white teeth at Zheng Shi, its tail wagging so hard it seemed to reach the sky.

Tie Dan recognized Zheng Shi; the last time Du Ruo had dragged the whole family to the Zheng home, it was Zheng Shi who had fed it.

Now that they were on its home turf, it naturally had to come over to say hello.

Zheng Shi burst into laughter.

"A-Ruo, how exactly do you raise this dog of yours? It's not only strong, but it's also so human-like. I like it too much!"

Du Ruo patted the dog's head and laughed, "Maybe it's become a spirit."

She signaled the dog, "Tie Dan, come on, perform a 'chest-crushing stone' for my mother."

Tie Dan turned and bolted away in a flash.

Did it look stupid? Chest-crushing stone? Even though its bones were incredibly strong, it was still flesh and blood—wouldn't it hurt?

Zheng Shi laughed heartily, her finger poking Du Ruo's forehead in mock annoyance.

"You, you've become naughty since you got married. Don't you dare lead my son-in-law astray."

Du Ruo stuck out her tongue. Jiang Cheng didn't need her to lead him astray; that guy was a black-sesame-filling rice ball himself—it would be a miracle if he didn't lead her astray.

Speak of the devil.

Jiang Cheng had already moved Zheng Shi's belongings from the cart and placed them in the room. "Mother-in-law, if you see anything missing, just tell me, and I'll go prepare it."

"No, no need." Zheng Shi waved her hands hurriedly. "Nothing is missing. It's truly hard on you, being so thoughtful and thorough."

She was extremely satisfied with this son-in-law.

He was handsome, had good character, could earn money, cherished his wife, and was even filial to her, his mother-in-law. How many sons-in-law like this were there in the world?

Sigh, if only A-Ruo hadn't been disfigured by Du Mingzhu, they would have been a true match made in heaven, a perfect couple...

That evening, the family ate stewed wild chicken with mushrooms, braised fish, and a large bowl of steamed eggs.

Zheng Shi was stunned once again.

After the meal, she pulled her daughter into the room again. "A-Ruo, don't go spending money recklessly just because your husband is a constable now and has some cash. This silver is all earned through his hard work; how can you be so extravagant? Isn't your brother-in-law still studying? And Wan'er is still taking medicine. There will be plenty of places to spend money in the future. You must be frugal, or how will you live in the days to come?"

Du Ruo was caught between laughter and tears.

She naturally knew Zheng Shi meant well, but while they could save elsewhere, they absolutely could not skimp on food—the children were all still growing.

"Don't worry, Mother, I know what I'm doing. I promise I won't eat your son-in-law into poverty."

The family would soon have a large sum of money coming in, but Du Ruo didn't plan to tell Zheng Shi yet, especially about the Ghost Duyu. The fewer people who knew, the less risk there was. Once the silver was in hand, everything would be clear.

Seeing Du Ruo's confident expression, although Zheng Shi still had doubts, she said nothing more.

Her daughter had changed like a different person since getting married; she had her own ideas.

Since she said she knew what she was doing, she probably really did.

Longquan Village was only so big; usually, if there was any disturbance in any household, it wouldn't take long for everyone to know.

The next morning, the news that the Jiang family's second branch had taken in their mother-in-law to support her spread.

At the willow tree by the village entrance, several women gathered to gossip, and this was the main topic.

A woman stitching a shoe sole for her husband didn't stop her mouth. "If you ask me, among all the men in our village, Jiang Cheng is the most doting on his wife. Who else would agree to take in their mother-in-law to live with them?"

"Exactly." A young wife who had married in around the same time as Du Ruo said, her face twisted with jealousy, "My man, let alone taking in my mother, even if I mention going back to visit my mother, he has to be coaxed and served before he barely agrees—and he even stipulates that I must return the same day!"

"They're all men, so why is there such a big difference?"

The women burst into laughter.

There were those who praised, those who mocked, and those who were unhappy.

For instance, Auntie Lin.

Auntie Lin was practically dying of anger. Back then, the Lin family had wanted Jiang Cheng to marry into their family, and despite all sorts of coercion and inducements, they couldn't get him to agree.

They had thought Jiang Cheng wasn't willing to be a live-in son-in-law and support someone else's parents.

Yet now, Jiang Cheng was taking in Du Shi's mother and supporting her like his own. Apart from the children not taking the Du surname, how was this any different from being a live-in son-in-law?

This was like taking the Lin family's face and trampling it underfoot!

"Pah, what a joke!" Auntie Lin said sourly, "Her man doesn't want her, so she runs to live with her son-in-law. Doesn't she fear people pointing at her spine and cursing her? If it were me, I would have jumped into the pond and drowned myself ages ago, rather than living and losing face!"

After saying this, she shook her fan and walked away.

The women behind her looked at each other, then revealed expressions of disdain in unison.

The tone was truly sour.

It was a pity that Jiang Cheng simply didn't fancy Lin Qingshuang; even if Auntie Lin died of jealousy, she could only watch with envy...

The willow tree soon became lively again.

To help Zheng Shi get familiar with the environment of Longquan Village as soon as possible, Du Ruo took her mother for a stroll around the village early in the morning.

They met many villagers along the way, all of whom greeted them very warmly.

Zheng Shi's heart finally settled.

"A-Ruo, I think the people in your village are quite easy to get along with, much better than those in Xinglin Village."

Back when she was divorced and sent back to her maiden home, many people looked at her with strange eyes—some mocking, some cursing, and of course, some sympathetic. Her heart, already riddled with holes, couldn't take it, and she had almost hanged herself.

Fortunately, the child in her womb saved her, and she had been able to survive until now.

"That's because you haven't met the bad ones yet." Du Ruo laughed, hooking her arm through Zheng Shi's as they continued walking. "Once you meet them, you won't think so."

Before they knew it, the mother and daughter arrived at the fields.

The wheat had mostly been harvested, with only a few households still rushing to finish.

Among them was the Jiang family's first branch.

Yan Pozi stood at the edge of their field, leaning on her cane, directing the men at work. "Pi Laosan, if you've rested enough, hurry up. The weather is about to change; if we don't get the wheat in, it'll all rot in the field."

"Li Goudan, you go bundle these up and take them to the threshing floor."

"Gently! You're spilling all the grains!"

The men answered and buried their heads in their work.

Jiang Lian'er was jumping around nearby, asking one person if they wanted water and another if they were tired.

Her sister-in-law, Qin Shi, followed behind the men, picking up the scattered wheat ears, her massive belly round and protruding; every time she bent over, it was extremely difficult.

Du Ruo couldn't help but frown.

Qin Shi was about to give birth; why was she still out here working? Weren't they afraid something might happen?

Zheng Shi also saw this scene and asked suspiciously, "Whose daughter-in-law is that? Her family is truly heartless."

Du Ruo rolled her eyes. "The Jiang family's."

The mother and daughter were whispering on this side when Yan Pozi spotted them.

Du Ruo thought for a moment and led Zheng Shi over.

Zheng Shi would be living in Longquan Village for a long time, so she would eventually have to greet Yan Pozi; that was the only way to be polite, as Yan Pozi was of a higher generation.

"Mother, this is my grandmother." Du Ruo introduced.

Zheng Shi hurriedly curtsied and put on a smile. "So it's the grandmother of the family. Please forgive my poor eyesight for not recognizing you sooner."

Yan Pozi looked her up and down. "So, you're that divorced woman who was kicked out by the County Assistant?"

Zheng Shi felt extremely embarrassed.

She had heard her daughter mention that the Jiang family's old woman was biased and mean, and she had thought her daughter was exaggerating. Seeing her today, she was indeed very annoying.

She withdrew her smile. "Since you're busy, Grandmother, we won't disturb you. We'll be going."

She was about to turn away when she heard the old woman speak again. "Yes, thanks to your daughter, I have no choice but to be busy."

Zheng Shi frowned.

Although she was gentle by nature and didn't like to argue, a mother's love made her strong. She couldn't tolerate anyone speaking ill of A-Ruo. "What do you mean by that, Grandmother?"

Yan Pozi's gaze fell on Du Ruo. "Why, didn't you tell your mother?"

"Tell her what?" Du Ruo was stunned for a moment, then realized. "Oh, I see! You mean your eldest grandson having an affair, being blackmailed for thirty-nine taels of silver, and you not being able to pay, so you had to trade the land with me for money?"

She waved her hand with a magnanimous air. "It's alright, Grandmother. Although I'm in a hurry to use the land, I can still give you a few days' grace. You don't have to be in such a rush to harvest."

Sarcasm—who didn't know how to do that?

If you use that scumbag Du Ren Mei to upset my mother, I'll use your precious grandson to upset you. We're even.

Yan Pozi was indeed flushed with anger.

Originally, her plan had been to take the money first and then refuse to hand over the land. To that end, she had even sent Mei Niang to the second branch, hoping to alienate Jiang Cheng and Du Ruo so she could reclaim the land and leave Du Shi with nothing.

Who would have thought that Mei Niang was a wanted criminal and would be caught by Jiang Cheng?

In the end, it was she who had lost both money and land!

Now, the first branch had no money, no people, her son was paralyzed in bed, her daughter-in-law was in jail, her grandson was mentally unstable, and her granddaughter-in-law and granddaughter were either heavily pregnant or as stupid as pigs. There wasn't a single reliable person left, forcing her to spend money to hire outsiders to help.

This was all the second branch's fault.

This little bitch Du Shi actually dared to mock her to her face. It was hateful to the extreme.

"Don't worry," Yan Pozi sneered. "Since the land was sold to you, I will naturally give it to you. But it's just a few acres; you won't get rich from them, just enough to scrape by. What's the rush?"

Without the land, the first branch still had eight or nine acres; no matter what, they wouldn't live worse than the second branch!

Du Ruo laughed. "Don't worry about that, Grandmother. Just let me know when the land is cleared, and I'll arrange the planting."

After saying this, she pulled Zheng Shi away.

Watching their retreating figures, Yan Pozi's gaze was dark.

Jiang Cheng would rather spend his energy supporting his useless mother-in-law than spend half a thought on honoring her, his nominal grandmother. He was indeed just like his father—an ungrateful wolf...

Seeing Qin Shi struggling to bend over with her belly, Yan Pozi frowned.

"Qin Shi, you don't need to be here. Go back."

Qin Shi was heavily pregnant; originally, Yan Pozi hadn't let her come to help.

But Jiang Lian'er wouldn't have it, saying that picking wheat ears from three acres of land was too much for her alone, and that picking wheat ears was a simple task that even a pregnant woman could do. She had insisted on dragging Qin Shi along.

That dead girl was becoming more and more disobedient.

Qin Shi put down the wheat ears in her hand and walked slowly toward home.

After walking for about half a quarter of an hour, she stopped by the Clear Water Pond, staring blankly at the calm, waveless water.

She wondered how deep this water was—would it be enough to drown a person...

"Sister-in-law." Du Ruo and Zheng Shi happened to turn from the other side. Seeing Qin Shi's appearance, Du Ruo felt something was wrong, so she tentatively called out.

Qin Shi turned her head slowly, her face expressionless. "Sister-in-law."

Du Ruo was somewhat suspicious.

She had figured out the personalities of everyone in the first branch and had dealt with them all.

Except for Qin Shi, who was like an outsider, seemingly indifferent to everything and never participating in any conflicts—her desirelessness was frightening.

Du Ruo looked at her belly. "Sister-in-law, you should be giving birth soon, right?"

Qin Shi gently stroked her abdomen, a rare glimmer of maternal light appearing on her withered face. "Yes, soon."

Her belly was abnormally large, round in the middle and pointed at both ends. Such a fetal position...

Du Ruo walked up to her and placed her hand on it.

"Host, her situation is extremely dire."