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

Chapter 161 They bore too much for her
When the news first spread, Zhao's family was indeed furious at home.

She angrily accused Zeng Xiaoyan of being heartless and siding with outsiders. Even if Zeng Xiaoyan didn't like her, she was still family with her. How could she help outsiders and abandon her own family?

She even dragged her sister-in-law, Liu, into it: Liu had been good to her enough, hadn't she? Is this how she repaid her?
When Liu first learned of this, she was also shocked and felt extremely distressed about the money.

But Liu quickly calmed down.

It's impossible for my third brother and sister-in-law to keep this from their parents-in-law, meaning they must have known. If they still did this knowingly, then they must have their reasons.

As for the reason, she couldn't figure it out no matter how much she thought about it.

But that doesn't stop her from thinking that way.

Now that the news has spread, she believes her in-laws will definitely give the family an explanation.

Don't they want to earn more money for their families?
After discussing it with Liang, Sister-in-law Liang did come up with a story.

The recipe was originally incomplete. The three of them tried many times before finally completing it. They signed a written contract to work together on this project, and none of them were allowed to have any ulterior motives.

Zhao was still indignant, though she remained skeptical: "Even if it's an incomplete recipe, why not have one of our own family members try it? Why ask outsiders? In the end, it's still my third sister-in-law siding with outsiders!"

Aunt Liang's face turned cold: "Zhichun is literate and intelligent, and your Aunt Zhu'er is meticulous and skillful. Can you compare? Besides, even if the recipe is incomplete, it has nothing to do with you. Why do you insist on giving it to you?"

Zhao cried, feeling wronged. "Mother, how can you say that? We're family."

Aunt Liang sneered, "Now you know you're family? How did you treat Xiao Yan before? With your attitude, why would Xiao Yan side with you? Why would she think of you first when there are good things to do? Zhao, you can't just blame others, you should also think about yourself. How you treat others is how others will treat you, it's fair."

Zhao was filled with shame and indignation. In her anger, she even dragged Aunt Liang into it, saying, "But Mother, these two or three hundred coins should have belonged to our family. Now, more than half of them have been given to others. Don't you feel bad about it?"

Aunt Liang laughed in exasperation, "I don't feel sorry for you."

"."

“Why should I feel bad? I didn’t have a single penny before, and now I have so much. It’s like a pie fell from the sky. I’m very content. I don’t dare to ask for too much. Otherwise, God will not stand by and watch, and something bad will happen.”

She trembled slightly as she said this. Earning at least six or seven hundred coins a day was really too much, so much that it made her a little uneasy.

Seeing that Zhao had nothing more to say, Aunt Liang said, "Here's what we'll do: give each of you thirty copper coins a month as your private savings, and don't ask about this matter again."

Mrs. Liu was overjoyed and quickly expressed her gratitude.

Zhao was also delighted, but then blurted out, "How much does my third sister-in-law earn per month?"

Aunt Liang sneered, "She has as many rules as we do in our family."

Zhao's expression changed again.

Aunt Liang: "If you're capable, it'll be the same."

Zhao was so angry and aggrieved again. Under Aunt Liang's suppression, Zhao quieted down for two days. But perhaps because she had heard too much gossip and even instigation from the village, she became restless again, demanding that Zeng Xiaoyan give the recipe to her family as well, and saying that her sister-in-law thought so too.

"There are so many people in the county town, so even if two more shops sell this konjac tofu, it won't make a difference. The recipe is just sitting there, isn't it? We won't take it for free. Once we make money, we'll give our third sister-in-law one or two taels of silver."

When it came to giving Zeng Xiaoyan one or two taels of silver, Zhao couldn't help but shudder with heartache. In her opinion, one or two taels of silver was quite a lot. If her third sister-in-law were sensible and kind, she should have taken the initiative to say no—how could she, as a family member, accept such a sum?
Zeng Xiaoyan ignored her completely and instead went to ask Liu Shi first.

Liu was furious when she heard this. "This has nothing to do with me. I didn't say anything. Second sister-in-law means that you shouldn't involve me."

Zhao has now offended even the good-natured Liu.

Instead of feeling guilty, she blamed Liu for not giving her face, saying, "Sister-in-law, you may not say it, but isn't that what you're thinking? I'm here to play the bad guy, and if I get any benefits, I'll share them with you too. Instead of thanking me, you blame me. I'm really doing good deeds but getting no reward."

Liu was disgusted. She, who had never argued with Zhao before, couldn't help but retort, "You know in your heart whether you mean well or not. I can't accept your kindness. Second sister-in-law, please don't give me this kind of kindness again. Also, I really didn't mean it that way."

Zeng Xiaoyan: "Don't worry, sister-in-law. I'll ask you personally if anything happens in the future, so that no one will cause trouble again."

Zhao was practically fuming: "You're all bullying me! You're all bullying me!"

Zhao made a huge scene, but Aunt Liang scolded and reprimanded her, which calmed her down.

Unexpectedly, Zhao didn't stop after failing to achieve her goal, and actually went to find Aunt Zhu'er in private.

Aunt Zhu'er didn't get her way, so she went home in a huff and started making a scene again.

Last night, the Liang family was in an uproar. It almost escalated to the point where the Liang family wanted to divorce Zhao. Of course, Zhao was not happy about it. She cried and complained that the Liang family was now making money and had become wealthy, and that they looked down on her, their wife who had shared hardship with them. They said that if they wanted to divorce her, there was no way they would accept it. She had borne children for the Liang family and worked hard for them for so many years. The Liang family should not even think about getting rid of her.

She would rather hang herself at the gate of the Liang family than leave.

Aunt Liang was not about to be trifled with. She coldly sneered, "Although I've never been a wicked mother-in-law, I know how to be one. If you really piss me off, Zhao, do you think I can't handle you?"

"Don't talk to me about fairness or unfairness. What a mother-in-law wants to do is none of her daughter-in-law's business. If you want to live a good life, then we'll all live a good life. If you don't want to live a good life, then I'll grant your wish."

Zhao was so angry that she trembled all over. She was furious and resentful, but she didn't dare to make a scene anymore and asked Liang Mingsong to pull her back to her room.

Afterwards, Liang Lizheng said to Aunt Liang, "The second son's wife is really outrageous. It's been so many years, let it go. Don't argue with her, don't let her get angry, just let it be. Keep an eye on her on weekdays, and make sure she doesn't cause any trouble. Also, I think the two children are fine, but you should teach them more and make sure Zhao Shi doesn't corrupt them."

Zeng Xiaoyan was afraid that Aunt Zhu'er would feel wronged, and felt quite guilty, so she said many comforting words.

Aunt Zhu'er felt a little embarrassed and quickly laughed, saying, "It's nothing. I'm not that confused. Besides, we earn so much every day. Just thinking about this, what's there to fuss about?"

Everyone laughed at what he said.

Xu Zhichun smiled and said, "By the way, I have something to tell you. Didn't I give you a lot of those new seedlings before? How are they growing now?"

(End of this chapter)