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

Chapter 154 The Zeng Family's Anger and Indifference
The day Zeng Xiaojuan left the Lou family with Qiao'er, the Lou family was in an uproar.

The next day, Lou Erniang and her son stormed off to the Zeng family home in a rage.

This time, the mother and daughter were smarter. Instead of visiting Madam Zeng directly, they went to the shop to find Master Zeng. Master Zeng was so shocked he questioned his existence.

What did they say again?

Peace and separation?

Did Xiaojuan get a divorce?
Even if they were talking about Xiao Yan and Li, he wouldn't be this shocked.

Xiao Juan, that timid, meek, and indecisive daughter, actually got a divorce!
Upon further listening, it turned out that it was Xiao Yan who had stirred things up.

now it's right!

Master Zeng was furious.

Lou Erniang and her son didn't care what he thought; they were there to vent their anger. If Master Zeng didn't give them money, they would ruin the reputation of Zeng's daughters, accusing Zeng Xiaojuan of harming her husband's family, disrespecting her mother-in-law, and harming her nephew out of jealousy for her elder brother and sister-in-law having a son. In short, they would make everyone else lose face.

They have nothing to lose, so they're not afraid of those who wear shoes.

Master Zeng was furious that they were so shameless.

In the end, they had no choice but to compromise, giving Lou Erniang and her daughter two hundred taels of silver, signing a contract and affixing their seals, severing all ties between the two families, and stipulating that they should respect each other and not spread rumors outside.

Lou Er and her mother accepted the silver notes without further hesitation. Lou Er sneered, "Master Zeng, don't think we're greedy. This is what our Lou family deserves. Two hundred taels is already a bargain for you. Madam Zeng never had good intentions from the start. She ruined my illegitimate daughter, making her useless and worthless, and married her to me. She can't stand seeing her illegitimate daughter living a good life, so she hates our family as well. She secretly sabotaged our Lou family business, forcing us to move back to the countryside. Ha, Madam Zeng is truly cunning and ruthless! But what did our Lou family do wrong? We don't owe her anything. Why does she have the right to harm us like this?"

Master Zeng was so angry he nearly fell backward: "Nonsense! Utter nonsense!"

"Whether it's utter nonsense or not, go check it yourself. I don't believe you don't know what kind of person your wife is."

"you--"

Lou Erniang and her daughter strode away, leaving Master Zeng with a chest pain from anger, a sense of powerlessness, bewilderment, and a touch of irritation.

Despite being a concubine's daughter, she has more and more demands than the other. The third daughter has been striving to be the best since she was a child, and now she has become even more demanding. I never expected that the second daughter, who has always been well-behaved, would also become so ambitious.

Even if the lady did something wrong, isn't that how every stepmother behaves?
Why is everyone else doing fine, but they're the only ones who aren't?
They've made a fool of themselves in public.

Mrs. Zeng and Young Master Zeng were also quite surprised to learn that Zeng Xiaojuan had divorced.

Upon hearing that it was related to Zeng Xiaoyan, the eldest son of the Zeng family felt even more disgusted. This third sister was the one who stirred things up; no wonder.

Madam Zeng sneered, "Third daughter is really getting more and more capable. She's even ruined her own sister's marriage. Second son is a fool too, yet he listens to everything she says. If you ask me, since they're keeping it from the family, we should just ignore them and see what they're capable of. If they're so capable that they never need to ask the family for anything in their lives, then I'll be impressed! Otherwise, they should be taught a lesson so they know that not everything can be done."

Master Zeng was also very angry. "What Madam said makes sense. Since they are so capable, let them do whatever they want. I don't expect them to come begging for mercy in a month. Then we'll teach them a lesson. What kind of dog temper do they have? They don't care about anything and act recklessly. If we don't teach them a lesson, they really don't know their place."

"Exactly! If we don't take this opportunity to teach them a lesson, who knows what they might do in the future? Wouldn't that be embarrassing?"

Master Zeng had no recollection of Zeng Xiaoyan telling him that her second sister was not doing well in her husband's family, but he hadn't taken it to heart at all. If he had known about Zeng Xiaojuan's divorce beforehand, he would have definitely scolded her and stopped her; he certainly wouldn't have allowed her to divorce, let alone supported her.

The Zeng family was full of confidence, waiting for Zeng Xiaojuan to return home in desperation, unaware that Zeng Xiaojuan had already rallied and was living her life peacefully. Zeng Xiaojuan specially made a pair of very beautiful embroidered shoes for Xu Zhichun.

"I don't have anything else to offer, but I put a lot of effort into these shoes. Zhichun, please take them and wear them, and don't be disgusted by them."

The soles are soft and thick, and the uppers are light blue with colorful embroidery of intertwined floral patterns and two fluttering butterflies, making them very lifelike and beautiful.

In ordinary households, there aren't many rules for embroidering shoe uppers, insoles, handkerchiefs, and headscarves. The fabrics used are mostly cotton, and the embroidery threads are also ordinary. So, unlike embroiderers who specialize in embroidering fine silk pieces, they don't pay attention to maintaining their hands. They can just pick up a needle and thread and start embroidering, and the results will be just as vivid and beautiful.

Xu Zhichun was pleasantly surprised. "The colors are so beautifully matched, the pattern is so nice, and the embroidery is so exquisite. Sister Xiaojuan, your shoes are so well made, the clothing stores in the city would definitely be eager to buy them."

Although many women know how to make simple shoes and socks, many others don't know how or are unwilling to put in the effort, so they have to buy ready-made ones from clothing stores.

Clothing stores usually have a relatively stable source of goods. For example, women from a certain alley or neighborhood might make clothes for the store in their spare time, and the two parties would agree on a delivery schedule. If a woman stops making clothes, she needs to inform the store in advance, and the store will find someone else to fill the gap.

However, if someone prepares the food and brings it to the store to sell, the store will buy it depending on the situation, but the price will definitely be slightly lower than if there is an agreement.

Zeng Xiaojuan has this skill, so it's not a bad thing to use it as a temporary solution.

She was happy to see that Xu Zhichun liked it. "This is the only thing I know how to make. I'm glad you like it, Zhichun. In the future, if you need shoes made, just come to me and I'll make them for you."

"That's great! That's exactly what I'm bad at. I'll have to trouble Sister Xiaojuan sometime in the future!"

"No trouble at all, haha."

Xu Zhichun looked at the patterns and her heart stirred. She smiled and said, "Sister Xiaojuan, these patterns are beautifully drawn. They are especially unique when embroidered with colorful silk threads. Why don't you draw a few more and see if the shop will accept them?"

Zeng Xiaojuan couldn't help but feel a little tempted. "I've heard before that flower patterns can be sold for money, but I don't know if people would be willing to buy my paintings."

“Then give it a try,” Xu Zhichun said. “I have all the necessary brushes, ink, paper and inkstones at home. They’re just sitting there unused, so feel free to take them and use them.”

"this--"

"You are welcome."

"Okay, I'll give it a try."

"Ah."

Xu Zhichun casually mentioned a few design concepts and combinations to her, which were nothing special to modern people, but Zeng Xiaojuan found them refreshing.

If it weren't inconvenient, Xu Zhichun would have liked to just give her a book of flower patterns for reference.

Zeng Xiaojuan was a little excited. "I suddenly have an idea, Zhichun. How about I draw it and show it to you?"

"Okay, I'll just look around. I'll go home and get you some paper and pen."

That's good. She can go back and cram at the last minute, and look for some pattern design books or similar catalogs in the harbor warehouse space.

(End of this chapter)