Divorce with three kids? I'll build a house and eat meat, driving my in-laws crazy.

Chapter 52: Will she be the legal wife or the concubine?

Chu Xiu thought for a moment, "A rough renovation to make it habitable will cost about 2 taels of silver. If you want something more refined, it will cost about 10 taels. If you want it to be more comfortable, it will cost about 20 taels."

Li Ruru nodded. This was all within her means. She took out 30 taels of silver and said, "I'll leave this matter to you. Consider the extra as a reward for your hard work."

Chu Xiu's mouth dropped open. Aunt Li was so trusting of him. Wasn't she afraid he would take the money and run away?

He took a deep breath and asked, "Auntie, is your name on this land deed?"

“Uh…” Li Ruru was taken aback, then shook her head and said, “No, the name on this land deed should still be the original owner.”

At this moment, Xiao Yishan walked over and said, "Uncle Hu's family has been dead for many years. You can ask the village head to buy this place."

After he finished speaking, he went back to work. Li Ruru always felt that there was loneliness and sadness hidden in his eyes.

She sighed, thinking that Xiao Yishan must have had a pretty good relationship with the deceased members of the Hu family.

That's true. We're all neighbors, we see each other all the time, how bad could our relationship be?

"Then I'll go see the village head tomorrow," Li Ruru said, then asked Chu Xiu, "Have you decided where you'll sleep tonight?"

Chu Xiu pointed to the grapevines in the yard, "I'll sleep there."

Xiao Wu was already making the bed for his young master. He simply laid out a straw mat, put on a thick quilt, and then laid another layer of straw mat.

Li Ruru was worried that the place would be damp at night, but after seeing Xiao Wu's actions, she realized she had been overthinking it.

Why would a rich young master like him lower himself to such a lowly position?

In the blink of an eye, Xiao Wu had already set up the curtains.

The thin layer of white gauze resembles a modern mosquito net, complete with pretty lace trim.

Li Ruru laughed and said, "You certainly know how to enjoy yourself."

Xiao Wu felt that this sentence was a compliment to him. If it weren't for the fact that he brought so many things from home, the young master probably wouldn't have been able to sleep well at night.

Chu Xiu slept soundly until dawn, quite satisfied with his little nest. He rubbed his eyes.

He had a large courtyard, a big house, and a luxurious bed in the Chu family, but he could never sleep well.

It was strange that he slept so soundly in this little open-air nest last night.

After he got up and washed his face, he saw that Li Ruru had already finished washing up.

He chased after her and asked, "Aunt Li, can I take those leftover wolf-tooth potatoes home from last night?"

Li Ruru glanced at him. "Are you taking this to your father?"

Chu Xiu, having his thoughts exposed, nodded somewhat embarrassedly.

His relationship with his father had been a bit tense these past two days, and he wanted to find an excuse to ease the tension.

"What does your father do?" Li Ruru asked.

Chu Xiu's eyes darted away. "He's just a businessman."

He was afraid that Li Ruru would send him home after she found out his identity, so he told a lie.

Li Ruru said "Oh" and then turned and went into the kitchen.

In no time at all, she had prepared three dishes.

One dish was yesterday's wolf tooth potatoes, another was eggplant with tofu, and the third was a bowl of braised bullfrog.

After thinking for a moment, she made a wild vegetable soup.

When Chu Xiu arrived at the kitchen and saw so many dishes, he was pleasantly surprised and said, "Auntie made so much! I was just saying one potato would have been enough."

Li Ruru flicked his head and said, "When you go home to see your father, you have to bring back a proper feast. If you only bring back scraps, your father will break your legs."

Chu Xiu stared curiously at the bowl of spicy bullfrog. "Is this a frog? Auntie, when did you catch it?"

Li Ruru's lips twitched. "He was caught yesterday. Alright, take him back now."

She breathed a sigh of relief after sending the person away. She had just brought over a few bullfrogs from her spatial storage without thinking.

After the rooster crowed three times, Li Ruru's family began another day of selling konjac tofu.

The konjac tofu business is on track and the customer base is relatively stable.

Today, Ren Si Niang still sets up her stall across from hers, selling white tofu, while Granny Liu continues to sell straw sandals as usual.

Neither the mother-in-law nor the daughter-in-law had much business; only a few people came to inquire, and even fewer actually bought anything.

During their free time, the two women kept an eye on Li Ruru and Aunt Pang across from them, noticing that their side was constantly receiving a steady stream of customers.

The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law were nothing but jealousy.

Ren Si Niang said, "Mother, should we also sell fried dough cakes?" She saw that Aunt Pang's business, which used to be deserted, was doing well, and it would be a lie to say that she wasn't envious.

If Aunt Pang can sell fried dough sticks, why can't she?

Granny Zhao nodded, "We can give it a try."

She paused for a moment and then said, "We still need to find out the secret recipe for konjac tofu from the Li family."

Ren Si Niang's eyes darted around, and she whispered, "Mother, why don't we buy two bowls and try them? Once we taste them, we'll know exactly what she put in them."

Granny Zhao slapped her forehead. "That's right, I'll go buy two bowls. What flavor do you want?"

"Sweet."

When Li Ruru saw Granny Liu appear in front of her stall, she didn't show much emotion.

He simply asked politely, "What do you want?"

Granny Liu said, "Two bowls of konjac tofu, one sweet and one sour and spicy."

After Er Ya received the money, she saw that the woman was about to leave with the bowl, and hurriedly said, "Remember to return the bowl later."

Granny Liu waved her hand, "Don't worry."

She was trying to figure out the secret recipe for konjac tofu, not to steal the bowl. She had no interest in Li Ruru's bowl.

Er Ya, however, did not think so. Her family's bowls had all been replaced with new ones, white with pink flowers, which looked very pretty.

She would be heartbroken if she lost or bumped into one of them.

Meanwhile, Chu Xiu returned home with three dishes and a soup.

When Magistrate Chu was summoned for dinner, he still had a cold face.

"Speak, what do you want now?"

He knew his son well; he was only so attentive when he needed something from him.

Chu Xiu brought out all the dishes and placed them on the table.

He smiled and said, "Dad, try this dish first. I think it's delicious, so I brought it back especially for you."

Upon hearing that his son had brought it back specially, Magistrate Chu's expression finally softened.

That brat, he still cares about his father after all.

He looked at the dishes on the table; he didn't recognize several of them, and they were probably just simple country fare.

To avoid spoiling his son's fun, he took a small bite of the wolf-tooth potato with his chopsticks.

Crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, paired with a spicy sauce, they're so delicious you can't stop eating them.

Magistrate Chu devoured most of the plate in one go, and only at the end did he ask, "What is this? It's delicious."

Chu Xiu laughed and said, "It's just a kind of wild vegetable. Try some others."

Magistrate Chu's taste buds were awakened, and he ate several more spicy bullfrogs, praising them repeatedly, "The meat is tender, spicy and fragrant."

Magistrate Chu loved spicy food, which Li Ruru didn't know. She just made it casually, but unexpectedly it touched his heart.

Chu Xiu swallowed hard. "Father, save it for me."

He grabbed a piece of spicy bullfrog and ate it with a satisfied expression.

After the father and son had eaten and drunk their fill, Magistrate Chu took a sip of tea and asked, "Which restaurant in the county town made this?"

Chu Xiu said smugly, "It's not some restaurant, it's run by Aunt Li."

"Aunt Li? Is that the Mrs. Li you mentioned last time?"

Chu Xiu nodded, "Her cooking is delicious; the child has gained weight these past few days."

Seeing his son bring up the widow again, Magistrate Chu put down his chopsticks and said, "Do you have something to ask of me today? Is it because of her?"

Chu Xiu didn't beat around the bush and said directly, "Yes."

Magistrate Chu's hand trembled, and he closed his eyes, as if he had made a decision. "Fine, fine, do whatever you want. I won't stop you."

The son must have pulled this stunt to marry that widow. Once a son grows up, he can't control him anymore, so he has no choice but to let go.

Sons are all attached to their mothers. Now that his mother is gone, he wants to marry someone who resembles her.

Yesterday, Xiao Wu said that his son was helping Li Niangzi with chores. If he didn't like her, why would he be so eager to be with her?

Magistrate Chu sighed three times and said, "Tell me, when do you plan to get married? Will she be the principal wife or a concubine?"

(End of this chapter)