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

Chapter 214 The Best Revenge
Bai began by praising Xu Zhichun with a mix of laughter and sighs, which made Zhang's nose flare and her face grow increasingly dark.

"Hey, sister-in-law, aren't you busy at home? Go ahead and do your thing, I don't have time to listen to your nonsense."

Bai was also somewhat angry at Zhang's words.

If it weren't for the fact that this sister-in-law is very useful, she would have ignored her long ago, really.

"No, sister-in-law, of course I have something to tell you. Tell me, Xu has bought so much land all at once. Those wastelands are one thing, but there are forty-two mu of paddy fields, plus the six mu they already had. How can she possibly cultivate all of this? She'll definitely have to rent land from others or hire people. Are you suggesting we leave our own family members unused and let outsiders benefit instead?"

Zhang's eyes lit up: "You're right."

Bai smiled awkwardly again: "Xu dislikes me. Last time we met, she didn't even look at me properly. I don't know what I did wrong to make her dislike me like this. I dare not go to her and cause her any trouble. I can only trouble you, sister-in-law. If this matter is successful, I will also benefit from it."

Zhang's expression softened slightly, while Xu did not give her a hard time to her face. By that measure, she was more popular than Bai.

"Hmph, this will definitely work out, just you wait and see."

"Oh, thank you in advance, sister-in-law!"

Overjoyed, Bai flattered Zhang, then said, "Xu's konjac business seems to be really profitable. I think she probably earns more than two or three hundred coins a day. I see that Cui'er doesn't have much to do, so why don't you consider letting her run errands to earn some extra money to help with the household expenses?"

Zhang couldn't help but grit her teeth.

Why didn't she consider that?

She'd already mentioned it, but that brat refused.

No, let her talk about it again.

That brat, don't go too far.

Why should outsiders benefit while our own people aren't included?

Bai left satisfied.

As she walked out of the main house's courtyard, Madam Bai glanced back and curled her lip in disdain.

She bet that Zhang's family would definitely fail.

She'd seen through that brat Xu Zhichun; she wasn't one to be soft-hearted or side with her own family. She was wary of them.

However, it would make things a bit more lively if Zhang made a fuss.

Zhang couldn't wait a moment longer and, fueled by anger and resentment, went straight to Xu Zhichun's house.

The courtyard gate was closed. Zeng Xiaoyan, Aunt Zhu'er, and the others were there, making konjac tofu and konjac noodles.

The loud knocking, mixed with Zhang's shouts of "Open the door! Open the door!", could be heard clearly even in the backyard.

Aunt Zhu'er said worriedly, "Judging from the voice, it's your aunt. I'm afraid she's here to cause trouble."

Zeng Xiaoyan curled her lip, "Sister-in-law Zhichun didn't borrow money from their family to buy the land, so why is she making trouble? It's really unreasonable."

Aunt Zhu sighed with a smile, "That's the truth, but some people just don't listen to reason."

Zeng Xiaoyan: "Sister-in-law Zhichun, shall we go with you to take a look?"

Xu Zhichun shook his head: "There's not much work left. Don't waste time. Once you're done, you can go home early. You can stay with me during the Spring Equinox."

Aunt Zhu'er and Zeng Xiaoyan both laughed, "That's fine too."

With the Spring Equinox around, one person can easily take on eight.

"You, didn't you hear me? Why did it take you so long to open the door?"

As soon as Zhang entered with Liang Cuier and Mao, she glared at Xu Zhichun.

Mao said, "Sister-in-law, this is where you went wrong. You are so rude."

Liang Cuier smiled and said, "Sister-in-law, I don't think Second Sister-in-law did it on purpose. Please don't talk about her anymore, Mother, don't you think?"

Zhang rolled her eyes at Xu Zhichun again: "Hmph, look how sensible our Cui'er is! She's even speaking up for you with good intentions! You, as her sister-in-law, don't care about such a lovable sister-in-law at all?"

Speaking of which, Zhang's eyes couldn't help but well up with resentment again: It's all your fault!
It would have been better if she hadn't been resentful; the moment she did, Xu Zhichun remembered the awful things she had done and wanted nothing more than to scratch her face to pieces.

She would never forget that nightmarish experience and the fear and despair that gripped her soul at that moment. Liang Cuier grinned, her eyes darting around, and she turned to head towards the backyard.

Spring Equinox suddenly grabbed her.

Under the control of the Spring Equinox, Liang Cuier's struggles were like a chick under the talons of an eagle, utterly futile.

"What are you doing? Let me go!"

Spring Equinox obediently let her go, but glared at her and stopped her from going to the backyard.

Liang Cuier angrily complained, "Second sister-in-law, can't I even take a stroll in your yard?"

Xu Zhichun: "No, we're doing something in the backyard. We can't let outsiders see it."

Zhang said, "How is Cui'er an outsider? Xu, you take Cui'er with you regarding the konjac matter, and you are not allowed to refuse."

Xu Zhichun: "The three of us signed a contract that none of us are allowed to bring anyone in. Otherwise, we will have to compensate the other two with three hundred taels of silver and be kicked out, and we will not be allowed to participate in this matter again."

"you--"

"If you don't believe me, go ask Aunt Zhu'er and Xiao Yan. There's no use trying to renege on your promise; if you can't promise, you can't promise."

Zhang did not believe what she said, but had no evidence.

Xu Zhichun was speechless after just one glance, which made him even angrier.

"Where did you get the money to buy the land?"

Xu Zhichun ignored her, saying, "This is my family's business."

"Hmph, fine, it's your family's business. You can't cultivate all this land anyway, so we'll take care of those forty-odd acres of paddy fields. You'll still get your share of the rent. That's settled then! If you don't even agree to this, you're really heartless. Be careful people gossip about you."

Xu Zhichun gave a mocking laugh: "Has Aunt forgotten what she did? How dare she talk to me about conscience? I can cultivate my own paddy fields."

"How can it be!"

"I plan to buy people and have them do the planting."

"what!"

The mother and daughter, as well as the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, were all stunned and speechless for a moment.
"Are you kidding me?"

A strange, malevolent aura surged through Zhang's chest, though she had no idea where it came from.

Mao and Liang Cuier looked utterly lost and bewildered.

It's as if the people in front of them are out of reach, even if they were on horseback, and they've lost all their spirits.

Xu Zhichun felt a surge of satisfaction.

The best revenge against them is to live well, and even better, leaving them far behind, so that they can't catch up even if they try.

"I'm not joking. There's so much fertile land, but we don't have enough manpower. We'll have to buy people sooner or later."

"You actually still have silver!"

“I can earn it slowly, I’ll have it eventually. Besides, even if I’m short of money right now, I can just borrow from the village head’s family. They won’t worry about me not being able to pay it back.”

"."

Of course, no one is worried about that.

Even without small businesses, selling the produce from so many fertile fields would generate a considerable income each year.

Zhang opened her mouth, but had no words to reply.

Since they've already hired servants, they certainly wouldn't let someone else farm their land.

Her request would only make her a laughingstock in the whole village.

(End of this chapter)