They've all separated, so what does it matter to me if they get poorer and poorer?

Chapter 113 What to do

Zeng Xiaoyan's heart skipped a beat: "Could they really dare to kill someone? Aren't they afraid of the saying 'a life for a life'?"

Xu Zhichun said, "It's not that we're not afraid. It could be a momentary lapse, or it could accumulate over many years. Eventually, the victim will reach their breaking point, and one day they might just—"

Perhaps one of those events will become the last straw that breaks the camel's back.

Zeng Xiaoyan asked Aunt Zhu'er, "What happened next? What happened to that family in your family's village?"

Aunt Zhu'er: "What could we do? We said the daughter-in-law died of a sudden illness, and that dying from a sudden illness was unlucky, so we burned her body overnight. Her family came and made a scene, and I heard they paid a few taels of silver in compensation. But the dead can't be brought back to life, so that was the end of it."

Zeng Xiaoyan felt ice-cold all over.

Xu Zhichun patted her gently and said, "Don't worry too much. After all, your second sister is a daughter of the Zeng family. The Lou family wouldn't disregard this marriage and shouldn't dare to go too far."

Zeng Xiaoyan shook her head. "Sister-in-law Zhichun, you didn't see how fierce that old woman is. After hearing what Aunt Zhu'er said, I think she's even more hateful than that family in Aunt Zhu'er's hometown village. If this continues, my second sister will be beaten to death by her one day."

While driving the carriage, Liang Mingliang listened intently to their conversation. He then turned his head and chimed in, "Yes, yes, I think so too!"

That old woman was really fierce, so vicious, like a demon, as if she wanted to devour people.

right.

When her husband said the same thing, Zeng Xiaoyan panicked even more. She wished she could tell her husband to turn the carriage around and run to Loujia Village to snatch her second sister and Qiao'er away, as if her second sister and her daughter would be beaten to death by that old woman if she was a step slower.

She held back.

"Sister-in-law Zhichun, I don't know what to do. You always have good ideas, can you help me think of a solution?"

Xu Zhichun: "."

Zeng Xiaojuan's matter is really difficult to handle.

Her family didn't care, her husband's family was wicked, she was soft-hearted, and she had a young daughter who held her back. No matter how you looked at it, she only had one way out: death.

However, if this kind of thing happens to a stranger, you can just sigh and move on.

After all, it's none of your business what other people do.

But that was Xiao Yan's older sister, someone she had met once before. How could she bear to watch such a gentle and kind woman walk down a dead end?

Aunt Zhu understood, coughed, and said tactfully, "Xiao Yan, this is ultimately a family matter of the Lou family. Take it slow, don't rush."

Zeng Xiaoyan understood immediately and felt a little embarrassed. "Sister-in-law Zhichun, I was so anxious that I asked you so many questions. I'm sorry to have troubled you."

Even she, as the younger sister, shouldn't get involved, let alone Sister-in-law Zhichun, who is a complete outsider.

Hearing this, Xu Zhichun felt a little guilty and shook her head with a smile: "You're treating me like one of your own, there's nothing to be embarrassed about. As long as the Lou family still cares about the marriage ties with the Zeng family, they won't dare to go too far, so you don't need to worry too much. As for the future, it depends on your second sister's own wishes."

“If she wants to stay in the Lou family, no one can stop her. If she wants to break free from the Lou family, as long as she makes up her mind, we will work together to find a way and not let her face it alone.”

Zeng Xiaoyan said sadly, "She can't bear to part with Qiao'er."

She realized that Qiao'er was her lifeline.

Xu Zhichun: "Then let's find a way to take Qiao'er with us."

Zeng Xiaoyan was shocked: "This—is this possible?"

"That old woman from the Lou family looks down on the little girl and may not care about blood ties. We can talk to her when the time comes and hear what conditions she proposes."

If there's something to talk about, then there's nothing to fear. Blood ties?
The ancients valued bloodlines, yet sometimes bloodlines mean nothing at all.

Otherwise, what about those who sell their children?
But most importantly, it's Zeng Xiaojuan's own attitude.

Zeng Xiaoyan suddenly realized: "Sister-in-law Zhichun is right. I'll save up more money. That old hag just wants money, so I'll give it to her."

As she spoke, she turned and patted Liang Mingliang on the back: "I...I saved up my own share of the money, you don't have any objections, right?"

Liang Mingliang shook his head vigorously, "How could that be? Qiao'er is my niece too! Look at how pitiful she is, I want to beat that old woman up."

The three women couldn't help but laugh.

Xu Zhichun cautioned, "Don't let anyone know you're willing to pay yet. What if they ask for an exorbitant amount? It's not that time yet. Just wait and see. If that day ever comes, I can scrape together some money for you."

Aunt Pearl also said, "I can too."

Zeng Xiaoyan felt a warmth in her heart and smiled, "That's great, I haven't known you for nothing."

Finally, something to cheer me up.

Because the trip to Loujia Village took some time, I was quite busy after returning home.

Fortunately, we didn't need to go up the mountain to dig konjac today, which saved us a lot of trouble.

As the sun was setting, everything was ready, and Zeng Xiaoyan and the other two said goodbye and went home.

Uncle Yang Ming and his son Yang Xiao'an have arrived.

"Madam Xu! Madam Xu!"

Uncle Yang Ming did not enter the courtyard, but called out loudly from outside.

He was a widower, and Xu Zhichun was a widow; gossip was a terrible thing.

Xu Zhichun rushed out, "Uncle Yang Ming, what's the matter?"

Uncle Yang smiled and said, "That's it. The konjac plants are all planted. I already told Chunfen that we don't need to dig them up and plant them tomorrow. See?"

Xu Zhichun smiled knowingly and said, "I've been busy lately, and I was just thinking about how this matter is almost resolved. I was just about to ask you about it. I've calculated your wages and will give them to you tomorrow. By the way, what about the konjac field I mentioned earlier? Would you like to consider hiring you and your son to help look after it? The routine is to check on the field every few days to see if it's been damaged by people, livestock, or wild animals, if any plants have withered or died, if weeding is needed, if it's short of water, etc. It'll be a fixed 200 coins a month. If there's anything that needs to be done, there will be extra pay. Since there's a lot of land now, if we need to weed or water, I'll hire more people. You two can help supervise those people, making sure they do the work well and cleanly. That will also be extra pay. If you're willing, we can discuss the specific details, including the extra pay under certain circumstances, and then have the village headman witness it and sign a contract. Go back and think it over, and let me know whether you agree or not."

Before Xu Zhichun could finish speaking, Uncle Yang Ming and his son Yang Xiaoan were already nodding excitedly.

"No need to think about it, no need to think about it! Zhichun, I can do this, I'll definitely do it well for you."

Yang Xiaoan was so happy that he forgot his shyness. "Sister Zhichun, two hundred coins is enough. There's no need to add any more."

Yang Ming'an: "Yes, yes, yes! Xiao An is right!"

I just go to the fields every few days to check on things. It's not a big deal at all. Planting and harvesting dozens of acres of land is very tiring, but just taking a casual stroll to check on things is easy.

Going there every day is no problem.

Earning two hundred coins in just one month is like winning the lottery.

They feel bad accepting the money, but if they need to do something else, they're always happy to do it. Only after doing it do they feel at ease taking the money.

(End of this chapter)