The Family Had Split, Why Should I Care if They Go Broke? - Chapter 29

Uncle Liang forced a smile. “All right then, we’ll let you get back to your work. But remember—we’re family. You’re a daughter-in-law of the Liang clan, so when you speak, you ought to think about the family’s reputation.”

Don’t go running your mouth with things better left unsaid.

Xu Zhichun raised an eyebrow. “Don’t worry, Uncle. I understand. A person should know their place. Not only should their words match their status, but their actions too.”

Uncle Liang’s face darkened. He gave a cold little laugh. “Good. Best if you really do know.”

Their gazes locked. A chill flashed in Xu Zhichun’s eyes: Who was really pretending here—we both knew the truth.

Uncle Liang stormed off, face black with anger.

Lady Zhang couldn’t help inching closer to Auntie Zhu’er, her eyes glued to the bowl of peanut-braised pig’s trotters in her hands. The broth was rich, the pork soft and falling off the bone—it looked absolutely mouthwatering.

“Little Sister-in-law Zhu’er, did you bring that over specially for them?”

Aunt Zhu’er blinked. “Huh? Oh?” 

Lady Zhang reached out to take the bowl, grinning. “They can’t possibly finish all that. My little boy is growing and needs the nutrition—better give it to me. Lady Xu, surely as a grown woman, you wouldn’t fight with your nephew over food, would you?”

Xu Zhichun, “…”

Aunt Zhu’er thought to herself that her timing couldn’t have been worse. Xu Zhichun had once mentioned that pig’s trotters with peanuts were delicious, and that they were best when simmered for a long time until soft and tender. So Zhu’er had set them to stew early on a low fire. Since their houses were close by, she just had to toss a big log into the stove—it would burn for hours. She could go back occasionally to check the fire while still tending to the konjac she was slicing here.

Sure enough, after stewing for so long, the peanuts and pig’s trotters had turned soft, sticky, and flavorful. She’d ladled out a generous bowl for Xu Zhichun and Liang Mingxuan to taste—only to run right into the two uncles and aunts here.

Although Aunt Zhu’er was of the same generation as Lady Zhang and Lady Bai, the age gap was wide, and they rarely interacted. The trotters she had brought for Xu Zhichun were carefully chosen, with plenty of good meat—how could she possibly let Lady Zhang snatch them away?

Besides, Lady Zhang and Xu Zhichun didn’t get along at all. Even for a friend’s sake, she wouldn’t hand them over to Lady Zhang.

Aunt Zhu’er stepped back, hiding her hands awkwardly to the side. “N-no, I didn’t bring them for that. I just suddenly remembered I had something to discuss with Zhichun, and in my hurry, I forgot to put the bowl down. Yes—that’s it, I came to see her about something.”

Lady Zhang clearly didn’t believe her. She snorted, “Your memory sure is convenient.”

Aunt Zhu’er just gave a sheepish laugh.

Xu Zhichun asked evenly, “Aunt, do you still have business here? If not, please go home.”

“Hmph!”

Lady Zhang shot Xu Zhichun a vicious glare, then stormed off in a huff.

Lady Bai, who had kept quiet the whole time, gave Xu Zhichun a smile before leaving as well.

That smile made Xu Zhichun’s scalp prickle. Aunt Zhang’s loud and open hostility didn’t scare her nearly as much as Second Aunt Bai did—she always gave off the unsettling sense of a venomous snake lurking in the shadows, waiting to strike when least expected.

Lady Zhang muttered curses all the way home, fuming. Halfway there, Lady Bai finally spoke, smiling as they reached the door, “Enough, Sister-in-law. No point being angry. Even if Lady Xu saw you fuming, she wouldn’t care—in fact, she’d probably take pleasure in it. Why bother?”

That only enraged Lady Zhang more. “She wouldn’t dare!”

But on second thought—she probably would dare. After all, that woman had already drawn a knife before. “What a disgrace to the family! That ungrateful fool!”

A flicker of malice flashed in Lady Bai’s eyes, though she smiled faintly. “In a way, you can’t blame her. With Minglang gone, she lost her support. She’s still young—of course, she wants to cling tightly to whatever she has left. After all, her life ahead is still long.”

Lady Zhang snorted. She couldn’t care less about Xu Zhichun’s struggles. With so many sons in her household growing up, their little bit of farmland wasn’t enough. If they could seize the good fields, things would be much easier. Those lands had belonged to the Liang family anyway. Now that Liang Minglang was dead, they should rightfully go to the eldest family member. How could an outsider like Xu Zhichun possibly have a share?

Lady Bai sighed. “If Lady Xu were to remarry and secure herself a new household, naturally she wouldn’t cling so desperately to the Liang family’s property.”

Lady Zhang’s eyes lit up as the idea struck her.

That’s right—why not just force Lady Xu to remarry? She was still young, with no children—surely she must want to marry again.

If they married her off and kicked her out, not only would the good fields fall into their hands, but they’d also gain a bride-price. As for raising little Liang Mingxuan—whether the boy turned out promising or not, he’d still owe everything to them in the future.

Lady Bai added mildly, “Lady Xu is rather attractive, and still young. I’m afraid she might not agree to an ordinary match—we’d have to find her a respectable household.”

Lady Zhang gave a cold laugh. “Hah, remarriage is remarriage. She’ll be lucky if anyone wants her at all—does she think she still gets to pick and choose? Dream on! Sister-in-law, they say, an elder sister-in-law is like a mother. I’ll take care of this matter for her. You needn’t trouble yourself.”

Lady Bai lowered her eyes with a faint smile. “Then I’ll leave it to you, Elder Sister-in-law.”

“Mhm”

Lady Zhang finally felt her mood lift a little. Her steps quickened as she hurried home to discuss it with her husband.

Lady Bai was satisfied, too. Better to let her sister-in-law handle the dirty work of offending others.

Aunt Zhu’er set down the steaming bowl of braised trotters and smiled. “I cooked it just like you suggested—it really does taste wonderful. I brought you a bowl to try. But tell me, what were your uncles and their wives doing here again?”

Xu Zhichun, who had no illusions about the “family honor” of the uncles’ families, gave a wry smile. “What else? They’re after my six acres of good fields. I refused, so they tried to force me. I had no choice but to scare them off with a knife.”

Aunt Zhu’er was startled. “The chief won’t allow them to act like that. Next time, just go find him—don’t go waving a knife around. That’s frightening! What if you hurt yourself? They’re going too far.”

Xu Zhichun chuckled. “I know my limits. When the time comes, I’ll go to Uncle Chief.”

She couldn’t run to the chief for every little thing. Do it too often and it would wear thin. Good steel should be saved for the blade’s edge.

Aunt Zhu’er sighed inwardly, then gently comforted her with a few words before smiling again. “My husband’s back this time, and he’ll be resting at home for several days. I told him your family needs some things made. We still have plenty of wood at home. Tomorrow morning, when I come by, I’ll bring him along. Just tell him what you need built—he’ll make sure it’s done properly.”

Xu Zhichun was overjoyed and quickly nodded with a smile. “Wonderful! Then I’ll trouble Uncle Qi Tian for this. It’s perfect that you have wood at home, as that will save me the trouble. Please calculate the cost of the wood and labor according to the market price; otherwise, I’ll feel awkward about troubling you.”

Aunt Zhu’er burst into laughter, giving Xu Zhichun’s shoulder a playful pat as she scolded, “What nonsense are you talking about? How could I charge you market price? Don’t make me look stingy. If I really did that, I’d die of embarrassment! To tell you the truth, the wood was all bought in bulk—I’ll just count it at cost. As for the labor—well, he’s sitting around at home with nothing to do anyway. Let him take it as practice to keep his hands busy. How could I ask for wages on top of that?”