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

Chapter 159 Han Chunfen Was Wronged
"I'm making something here, so it's not convenient for you to see."

"Would we steal their skills?"

"Isn't it better to clear my name? Why deliberately invite suspicion? Otherwise, I won't be able to speak up in front of Xiao Yan and Aunt Zhu'er. In short, it's just not acceptable."

"You're so stingy! Look how capable you are!"

The two women, aunt and sister-in-law, stormed off home in a huff.

Forcing their way in is out of the question; they couldn't even handle the spring equinox alone.

The villagers are watching closely, both openly and secretly. If Mao and Liang Cuier succeed, who knows how many more people will come under the pretense of visiting each other?

Since both of them returned empty-handed, no one else had any hope and had to give up.

Xu Zhichun was genuinely surprised; he hadn't expected that making this public would cause such a huge uproar in the village.

Zeng Xiaoyan and the others were also speechless. They talked about these things while working, and they didn't know whether they should laugh or not.

There's nothing we can do about it; we can only wait and it will probably get better in a while.

Ironically, not only Mao and Liang Cuier, but even Chunfen's sister-in-law Xu had wicked thoughts.

When Xu Zhichun and the others were making konjac tofu and konjac noodles, Chunfen would happily help out, carrying water, peeling, and dicing. Afterwards, she would clean the floor, take out the trash, and wash the baskets and hampers.

Xu Zhichun trusted her completely and told her to keep quiet about it.

Madam Xu secretly instructed Chunfen to pay attention to how they did it and to tell her quietly when she got back.

Her mother had repeatedly told her not to upset her sister-in-law and to listen to her, since she felt bad for her sister-in-law for eating so much.
So Chunfen always listened to her sister-in-law, and she was even a little afraid of her.

But she also heard what Sister Chun said.

I don't know what to do now. I can't keep things to myself, and I look worried and distressed.

Xu Zhichun and the others could all see it. When Xu Zhichun asked, she hesitated for only a moment before telling them everything.

Chunfen did basic work, and even if she told others, it wouldn't affect anything. But Xu Zhichun didn't expect this girl to be so honest.

She felt a warmth in her heart and was quite moved.

“Next time your sister-in-law asks you, just say that you only know how to sweep the floor, fetch water, feed the chickens and pigs, and that you don’t know anything else. We don’t allow you to look at anything else.”

Chunfen hesitated for a moment: "But... my sister-in-law will be angry if I lie to her like this."

"So do you think what your sister-in-law asked you to do was right?"

"No, that's not allowed."

Spring Equinox shook his head without even thinking.

"That's not lying to her, that's just dealing with it. She might yell at you a few times, but she won't ask you any more questions, and that'll be the end of it."

"Oh"

Spring Equinox breathed a sigh of relief, but also felt somewhat confused.

Xu Zhichun comforted her, "Just say what Sister Zhichun said, and the problem will be solved. Sister Zhichun will cook you something delicious."

"Yes, I'll listen to Sister-in-law Zhichun!"

Chunfen finally smiled again. Xu Zhichun regarded Chunfen as a younger sister and had originally planned to raise her wages. He intended to give her an extra five or six taels of silver at the end of the year so that her mother could buy her more food and clothing and the whole family could have a happy New Year.

It seems best not to give her the money yet. She should save it for Chunfen; she might need it someday.

I'll make her two new outfits by the end of the year, and buy her lots of snacks like melon seeds, peanuts, and candy.

When she returned home on the evening of the Spring Equinox, Xu indeed found an opportunity to pull her aside and question her privately.

Spring Equinox was afraid of her and wanted to avoid her, but she still grabbed him, so he had no choice but to bite the bullet and let her drag him away.
That night, when Chunfen went to Xu Zhichun's house to stay overnight, she saw her and cried with grievance.

"My sister-in-law scolded me and pinched me. She called me a useless piece of trash and a stupid thing! Waaaaah!"

Xu Zhichun was stunned. She quickly hugged her and patted her to comfort her, saying, "Don't cry, don't cry. It's wrong of her to swear. We're very close during the Spring Equinox. It's not like what she said."

After finally calming her down, Xu Zhichun said, "From now on, stay far away from her and don't be with her. If she pinches or scolds you again, just quietly tell your mother."

Without hesitation, Chunfen said, "My mother wouldn't say anything bad about my sister-in-law."

Xu Zhichun couldn't understand what the Spring Equinox meant at this time. When she finally understood, all she could do was sigh. If the silly Spring Equinox really was compared to her brother, she was destined to be the one abandoned by the family.

Xu Zhichun said with a smile, "Anyway, if you've been wronged, telling your mother is definitely the right thing to do."

Spring Equinox nodded: "Mm."

Xu Zhichun simply set up a pot and cooked her a bowl of noodles, adding fried eggs, beef balls, and ham sausage. He also sprinkled on some fragrant scallions and garlic sprouts, and added a small spoonful of Lao Gan Ma chili sauce. Chunfen beamed with joy and ate it all up, soup and all. She rubbed her belly contentedly and was happy again.

Xu Zhichun thought the matter was over, but to his surprise, the Xu family came to his door the following evening.

She was quite friendly and even brought Xu Zhichun a basket of vegetables, including green beans, cucumbers, and green peppers.

Xu Zhichun had a bad feeling.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Xu Zhichun asked with a smile, "Sister-in-law, is there something you want to say?"

“Nothing escapes your notice, Zhichun, you’re so clever,” Madam Xu said with a smile before speaking, “We both have the surname Xu, so we can be considered relatives. Our two families have some connections, so I won’t beat around the bush. It’s just that Chunfen, when she used to work at home, she could do the work of three people. With her around, our lives were much easier. Now that she’s gone, we’re busy and tired every day. But you’ve had it tough too, doing so much work by yourself. How can you manage without someone to help? We’d rather be busy and tired ourselves than ask her to go back.”

"But... isn't the wage for Chunfen a bit low? That's what our family thought before, but we felt that you've had a hard time too, so we thought it would be fine to give you just a little bit of the wage. We're all neighbors, so who would be so particular about it? We didn't expect you to be so capable, earning so much in a day. We were overthinking it."

"So, when you think about it this way, shouldn't we give you a reasonable amount for your wages? Don't you think so? We didn't mean anything by it, we didn't want to take advantage of you, we're just taking what we're entitled to. You can add a little bit more if you think it's appropriate."

"I heard from Chunfen that you guys make those shredded tofu, and Chunfen helped out too. Logically, she should get a share, right? That's not unreasonable, is it?"

Xu Zhichun wasn't too surprised; it was pretty much what she expected.

The allure of wealth is quite profound.

"Is this your sister-in-law's idea, or your whole family's idea?"

"Of course, that's what we mean."

"Is this what your whole family wants?"

"Can I still lie to you?"

Ms. Xu was slightly annoyed and embarrassed.

Xu Zhichun understood; it seemed that she had acted on her own initiative.

(End of this chapter)