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

Chapter 45 The First and Second Wives Were Envious

Xu Zhichun politely declined, saying that there was none left and that she had kept the rest for her own family.

She's keeping enough seed potatoes for her own family first, isn't that reasonable?

I can sell three or four pounds of potatoes, take them or leave them, they'll be gone by tomorrow.

Liang Lizheng's words were still ringing in their ears, so these families didn't dare to say anything more. They had no choice but to take the potatoes. The whole family, both husband and wife, went home and blamed each other all the way.

Xu Zhichun smiled with relief: "After all these past few days of commotion, it's finally quiet. The village head is a good man."

Liang Mingxuan nodded in agreement: "The village head is fair and just, and no one in the village disobeys him."

"I can see that now. The village needs someone like that."

He can keep the situation under control.

The uncle and aunt hadn't had dinner yet, so they started a fire to cook.

Tonight I'll steam some tender egg custard. I bought some soft tofu today, pan-fried it until golden brown on both sides, and then stir-fried it over high heat with sliced ​​meat and garlic sprouts. I'll also make a stir-fried cabbage with vinegar.

Xu Zhichun recited the names of the dishes, and Liang Mingxuan nodded obediently. He was about to help wash the garlic sprouts and cabbage when his uncles and aunts from the first and second branches of the family, whom he hadn't seen for a long time, came together again.

The uncle and aunt exchanged a glance, both looking very calm and composed: they knew they would come!
They probably couldn't sit still after Liang Lizheng finished speaking. They must have seen other families from the village come and were too embarrassed to run into them, so they waited until everyone else left before making their appearance.

"Uncles and aunts, please have a seat."

"Eldest uncle and aunt, second uncle and second aunt."

Without even sitting down, Zhang stepped forward and glared at Xu Zhichun: "How much of that sweet potato and potato do you have left? Xu, you've got something good and you're hoarding it all? Don't you have any respect for your elders? Hurry up and hand it over."

Uncle Liang also glared at Xu Zhichun with displeasure, looking down at her condescendingly: "You're young and ignorant, so we elders won't hold it against you. But you need to change. You have to listen to what we teach you. If we weren't family, who would care about you? Don't be so ignorant again and again. Take this matter, for example. How could you make a decision without consulting us first? What do you know? You were just lucky this time. If it had been something bad, how would you have handled it? Not only would you have had a hard time handling it yourself, but you would have also implicated Mingxuan! You, as his sister-in-law, can't be so selfish. Even if Minglang is gone, you can't be completely inconsiderate of Mingxuan."

"Exactly!" Zhang was even more indignant. She glared at Liang Mingxuan and openly provoked him: "Mingxuan, look at what your sister-in-law has done! She doesn't take you seriously at all."

The Bai couple also glared at Xu Zhichun with displeasure.

Because of the sweet potatoes and potatoes, Xu Zhichun became the most sought-after person in the village. Everyone praised her and flattered her. Even Liang, the village head, looked at her differently and even specially banged a gong to gather the whole village to speak, so that everyone would remember her good deeds!
When has Liang Lizheng ever specifically banged the gong for anyone? Never!
This has never happened before.

That brat Xu Zhichun, what a huge favor she's given.

That's fine. It's just an empty title. It's good to have it, but it doesn't matter if you don't. It won't make a difference to your life.

But sweet potatoes and potatoes are rare commodities—especially sweet potatoes. How can such a good thing be sold for a single penny?!
What is a penny worth?
Such precious and rare things should sell for at least ten coins per pound, and after they grow and bear fruit, each family must give 20% of the harvest to themselves, only then is it fair.

That brat is really something, it's practically a free gift!
This is simply a case of seeking empty fame.

I never imagined she was such a vain person. It's one thing for her to be vain, but she dragged them down by costing them a chance to make a fortune and a chance to earn the gratitude of the entire village!

The Liang family could have taken this opportunity to advance further, but she ruined it all!

It makes me so angry just thinking about it.

That's why they say you should marry a virtuous wife; marrying someone like her is truly the worst luck imaginable.

Xu Zhichun was most wary of his second aunt, Bai Shi, but most annoyed and disgusted by his eldest uncle.

Every time this uncle spoke, he would adopt a haughty attitude, as if he, as an "elder," were a monarch, and Xu Zhichun and her aunt were lowly commoners who had to obey him unconditionally.

Talking to him about "separating the family" is useless. He will only yell and shout angrily, cursing "disrespect for elders" and "lack of manners," and he won't listen to anything else.

Xu Zhichun suppressed his anger and calmly said, "Uncles and Aunts, as the saying goes, one should not refuse a gift from an elder, and vice versa. If elders do not like something they do not want, how can a junior deliberately take it to bother them?"

Before Xu Zhichun could finish speaking, Zhang glared at her and scolded, "You dare to talk back? You're so sharp-tongued, you really don't respect your elders at all! What do you mean by 'sharp and sarcastic'? Are you trying to insult us indirectly? Believe me, if you keep this up, I'll beat you up!"

Fight? If she dared, she would have done it already. Why wait until now?

After the family split up, Liang Mingxuan, though young, was still a male member of the family. The eldest and second wives could only pressure him to "voluntarily" hand over everything; they would never dare to take action.

If they really take action, they will be completely in the wrong, their reputation in the village will be ruined, and they will never be able to hold their heads up again. Liang, the village head, will not allow such a thing to happen.

Liang Mingxuan looked at Zhang Shi with his dark, calm eyes and explained on behalf of his sister-in-law: "Aunt, you have misunderstood my sister-in-law. What she said comes from the Book of Rites, 'When an elder bestows a gift, the younger should not refuse, for to refuse would be disrespectful, and to accept it is without shame.' It is a proper Confucian principle, and my sister-in-law is using it in reverse, which is the same principle. My sister-in-law is the most reasonable person, please don't misunderstand her."

Zhang felt even more overwhelmed and deeply jealous.

She barely understood a single word, but subconsciously felt that it sounded sophisticated, profound, and reasonable, and couldn't help but think to herself: This kid has really learned something from his studies.

It seems my son has never said anything like that. Could it be that my son is not as good at studying as him? No, my son is definitely better than him, he just doesn't like to show off like him.

Half jealous and half sour, Zhang said domineeringly, "If she wants to be reasonable, can't she speak properly? Why does she have to use such difficult words? What is she showing off for? She doesn't deserve it! And you, don't think you're so great just because you can read a few words. Are you deliberately showing off here? Your fifth cousin is much better at studying than you. It's just that he's not in the village but living in the county town and studying hard at the school. If he were here, you wouldn't have a chance to show off."

Xu Zhichun didn't like hearing this. "Aunt, Mingxuan was just being reasonable, he wasn't showing off. How can the words of the sages be considered showing off?"

"What's the matter?"

Sages of the past? What are sages of the past?
Liang Mingxuan: "My sister-in-law said that these are the words of ancient sages, not just showing off. My aunt's words are disrespectful to the ancient sages and saints."

"Pah, pah, pah! Don't talk nonsense!"

Seeing Zhang Shi being led astray by her uncle and sister-in-law, Bai cursed her inwardly for being useless! Stupid woman, no wonder no one in the main branch of the family takes her seriously.

(End of this chapter)