The Family Had Split, Why Should I Care if They Go Broke? - Chapter 6

Zeng Xiaoyan was convinced that Sister-in-law Zhichun was truly a good person. She secretly wondered, How did I never notice this before?

For a rural household, a chicken was a treasure. Who would kill one for no reason, let alone invite someone else to eat it? Yet here was Sister-in-law Zhichun, giving her a huge bowl, piled with thick, tender pieces of meat.

It was clear that Sister-in-law Zhichun was kindhearted and generous.

The chicken soup was heavenly, rich and fragrant. The meat fell apart in her mouth; the shiitake mushrooms and radishes were soaked with flavor. And with Xu Zhichun smiling and urging her to eat more, the whole meal was peaceful and pleasant. Before she knew it, Zeng Xiaoyan had eaten herself full.

Glancing at the almost-empty bowl, she felt a little embarrassed. “Ah… I think I may have eaten a bit too much.”

Xu Zhichun shook her head with a smile. “Food is made to be eaten. As long as you enjoy it, that’s all that matters.”

Zeng Xiaoyan felt a warm surge of gratitude. “Sister-in-law Zhichun, you really are the best!”

She immediately offered to help wash the dishes. 

Xu Zhichun didn’t refuse—after all, leaving her idle might have made her uncomfortable. 

Together, they cleaned the table.

Xu Zhichun instructed Liang Mingxuan to go rest, telling him to review his studies once he had rested enough. 

Once the dishes were done, Xu Zhichun began brewing her medicine. Zeng Xiaoyan was sitting nearby and chatted idly.

As they chatted, the conversation drifted to Zeng Xiaoyan’s family. Once she started, she couldn’t stop.

Xu Chunchun listened carefully, hearing for the first time about the bitter conflicts between legitimate and concubine-born children. Thinking about Zeng Xiaoyan’s situation—her mother gone, her father too busy with business and favoring his official wife—Xu Zhichun couldn’t help but feel sympathy—Zeng Xiaoyan, a mere concubine daughter, had hardly been noticed.

When mother was alive, she had fought for favor. Now that she was gone, how could the stepmother let Zeng Xiaoyan live comfortably?

Xu Zhichun quietly offered words of comfort.

Xiaoyan’s eyes glistened with tears. She smiled through them. “If I’d known Sister-in-law Zhichun was this kind, I would’ve come to talk to you long ago. You’re the only one who trusts me, who believes in me. Everyone else says I make trouble for no reason, that I’m overly sensitive or pretentious, complaining about my meals and clothing as if I were a lady. Behind my back, they say I’m never satisfied and greedy. But they don’t know how hard life in the inner quarters was. Eventually, I stopped telling anyone. They’d never understand anyway.”

Xu Zhichun’s voice softened. “I see that your uncle and aunt treat you fairly. You must feel freer now.”

Xiaoyan snorted coldly. “The in-laws are fine, but I’ve never forgiven the past. My aunt left me three or four hundred taels of silver—hard-earned money she saved for me—but it vanished. I know my stepmother must’ve stolen it. Just imagine! They own the whole Zeng family fortune, a single golden hairpin worth hundreds of taels, yet they still envy my modest savings! By the time I married, my dowry was only twenty taels. Who could be content with that?”

“Someday, I’ll start my own business, make a fortune, and crush her with my wealth!”

Xu Zhichun’s mind raced.

This girl might just be the perfect business partner. 

A young widow trying to go it alone would face too many risks. Zeng Xiaoyan’s background gave her a perspective far beyond the other village women; she was straightforward, bold, and ambitious. With the backing of her uncle’s family, she was practically ideal.

If Xu Zhichun missed this chance, she’d never find a better partner. 

She couldn’t rely on farming alone—the goods in her warehouse couldn’t be sold without more business savvy.

This business must happen!

“Do you really want to do this?” Xu Zhichun asked. “Do you have any plans in mind? Honestly… I’ve been thinking about this too. You know my family situation. Relying on farming alone won’t be enough to support Mingxuan—it’ll be hard.”

Zeng Xiaoyan blinked. “You want to start a business too?”

Xu Zhichun sighed, a bit embarrassed. “I don’t have much choice. We have to try.”

Zeng Xiaoyan hesitated, then brightened. “I… I hadn’t thought that far yet. But that’s great! Sister-in-law Zhichun, do you have any plans? What if we teamed up?”

Xu Zhichun’s heart leapt—like someone handing her a pillow just when she was dozing off.

“I don’t have a clear plan yet,” she admitted. “But selling food seems promising. Let’s think it over and discuss it properly in a few days.”

“Sounds good!”

At that moment, Aunt Zhu’er came to return the bowl and asked with a smile, “Why wait a few days? What are you two planning?”

Zeng Xiaoyan remembered that Aunt Zhu’er was close to Sister-in-law Zichun, which explained her familiarity.

Xu Zichun’s mind stirred again. 

Aunt Zhu’er made excellent food and was a good person—a potential partner as well. 

She explained the situation.

Aunt Zhu’er’s eyes lit up. “Food, you say? That’s perfect! I love cooking. If you start, include me! I can even contribute some capital.”

Aunt Zhu’er had no parents-in-law. Her husband, Qi Tian, was a carpenter who had been an apprentice since childhood and finally made it big. He was very good at making furniture, had a steady stream of work, and earned a lot of money.

He had saved up a substantial fortune before marrying his wife, who was ten years older than her, but he doted on her, and the two had a very amicable relationship. They had been married for over two years and had never once quarreled.

He has been away from home lately, working for a wealthy family in the city, making furniture for them.

The three of them were very excited and discussed the matter together.

They agreed to keep their plans secret until they had a concrete strategy, especially since Xu Zhichun’s health still needed time to recover.

After chatting for a while, Xu Zhichun had to take her medicine and rest, so the two visitors left—in high spirits. 

She handed Zeng Xiaoyan the silver that the chief’s wife had lent her yesterday for medicine, asking her to return it.

She took her medicine, napped, then woke up and drank some tonic syrup, took some ginseng yu-zhu paste, and finished a piece of braised beef.

Her warehouse was stocked with beef rolls, meatballs, steaks, and various offal—but beef was rare and expensive, only to be enjoyed in secret.

When she got up, the basket was gone—Mingxuan must’ve gone to gather ragweed. 

Two pigs and twenty-plus chickens couldn’t survive on garden vegetables alone; gathering ragweed was a daily task.

Of course, she had no intention of letting them eat only grass. 

Cooing “gu-gu-gu-gu” to herd the chickens into the backyard, she scooped out a big ladle of corn kernels and chicken feed from her warehouse, pouring it into a long wooden trough.

The rich smell made the chickens go wild with joy, pecking eagerly. 

Watching them, Xu Zhichun felt her own mood lift too. Thinking to herself, Some other time, I’ll buy another twenty or thirty chickens to raise.