Spoiled and mad critic of powerful ministers

Shen Qiongju paused on the handle of the vegetable basket in her hand, turned around and looked at Pei Zhihui. Her eyes, which were originally full of water, now seemed to have all the mist blown away by the cold wind, leaving only a clear and calm expression.

"Bang!" She slammed the vegetable basket down on the table, turned around, and strode towards the Pei family's courtyard gate without any hesitation.

Pei Zhihui paused for a moment under her clear gaze, and the fingers at his side curled slightly.

Hearing her step out of the Pei family's gate, he closed his eyes, roused himself, and continued to deal with the guests resting in the side courtyard.

.

"Bah! Shameless!"

"Exactly! The old man's body is barely cold, and she's out there flirting with some random man at the back door. What kind of behavior is that!"

The two aunts from collateral branches behind Liu walked inside, spitting and cursing under their breath.

Liu was annoyed by what she heard and frowned, saying, "Alright, that's enough. That man is Chunxing's husband from the laundry in Dabao Village. I've seen him before, and I know they're going to work at the Shen family's winery."

"So what? A widow who's always in contact with men outside the family, what will become of the Pei family's reputation if word gets out?" an aunt retorted defiantly.

Liu was momentarily speechless, too lazy to argue with them any longer, and quickly walked towards the kitchen.

After the guests finished paying their respects, they would always stay for a meal, so she had to go and check on how the food was prepared.

But as soon as she entered the kitchen, she froze.

The stove was cold, the pot was empty, and the cutting board was spotless, without even a single vegetable leaf.

The two cooks who had been hired to help were sitting on small stools with their hands tucked in their pockets.

"Why haven't you started cooking yet?" Mrs. Liu asked anxiously. "The guests are waiting!"

A cook stood up, forcing a smile, and said, "Madam, it's not that we don't want to work, it's that we have no rice to cook. We have no vegetables, rice, noodles, oil... nothing at all. What are we supposed to cook?"

"How could there not be any?" Mrs. Liu exclaimed in surprise. "Weren't you busy shopping the past two days?"

"That's right," another cook chimed in, raising her voice a few decibels, "but Madam Pei went out with an empty basket just now and hasn't returned yet."

Liu's heart skipped a beat, and a bad premonition welled up in her mind.

She hurriedly ran out and searched the courtyard, then looked in the side room, but there was no sign of Shen Qiongju.

The two women also came over, and after hearing what had happened in the kitchen, they looked at each other in bewilderment.

"Where...where is she?"

"Could it be... that she really ran off with that other guy?"

"Shut up!" Liu finally couldn't hold back any longer, turning around and glaring at them fiercely. "If you hadn't been talking nonsense at the door, would she have been so angry that she left?"

"You bunch of idiots! Don't you even consider who used their own money to pay for the old man's funeral these past two days? Who took care of everything so perfectly? And what do you do? Not only do you not help, but you stab us in the back. Do you think the Pei family owes you anything?"

Liu became increasingly angry as she spoke: "Now look what's happened, she's gone, who among you has the money to buy rice and vegetables? Who will take care of the guests?"

Several aunties blushed as they were scolded, one of them stubbornly muttering, "She owes the Pei family a debt; she's dragged our whole family down with her. She should atone for her sins..."

"Atonement? She saved our whole family's lives! In Dabao Village, if it weren't for the money she gave us, would the old man have survived until today? Would my aunt's headaches have gotten better? Would you all be alive and well, not tortured to death somewhere?" Liu said irritably.

Just then, Pei Zhichun burst into tears from inside the house.

"Mother, I'm hungry... Ah Chun is hungry..."

The little girl was crying her heart out. The adults had been busy with the funeral these past few days and hadn't been able to take good care of her. After all that fussing this morning, she was starving.

Liu ran into the house with a pained expression, picked up her daughter, and her eyes reddened as she looked at her daughter's pale face from hunger. She rummaged through the drawers and cupboards and finally found two pieces of pastry that had hardened a bit. She broke them into crumbs and fed them to her daughter.

Holding her daughter, she felt a headache coming on as the two cooks grew increasingly impatient.

"We're not doing this job. After listening for so long, it seems your whole family can't even afford groceries. How can you expect us to take the job?"

"Exactly! What kind of skill is it for a whole family, all so well-dressed and respectable, to gang up on a woman from out of town as their wife!"

The two cooks were talking when they took off their aprons and were about to leave.

Pei Zhihui was coming from the front hall, intending to discuss the guests' meal with Liu Shi. Just as he reached the kitchen door, he overheard the entire argument.

That man was Chunxing's husband from the laundry workshop in Dabao Village...

I need to go work at Shen's Winery...

Each sentence was like a muffled blow.

Only then did he belatedly realize that his aunt was in poor health and had been unable to do any work these past few days.

The entire massive funeral for the Pei family was managed entirely by her, using her own money and her frail body.

And what did he just say to her?

"Does she not discriminate between meat and vegetables when looking for a new partner?"

Pei Zhihui's expression turned extremely ugly in an instant.

He stood under the eaves, watching helplessly as the two cooks walked past him, cursing and swearing, but he couldn't utter a single word.

At this moment, Liu came out of the house carrying Pei Zhichun and saw him at a glance.

She stopped and glanced at him.

His eyes clearly showed his disapproval of Shen Qiongju's attitude.

.

Yuexianlou is the best restaurant in Wuxian County.

On the second floor, by the window, Shen Qiongju was taking small bites of a bowl of steaming hot plain noodles.

She was starving and had barely eaten anything for the past two days, barely holding on by sheer willpower.

Now that the breath had dissipated, the feeling of hunger surged in like a tide.

She ordered a bowl of noodles, a plate of braised beef, and a pot of warm Shaoxing wine.

She ate very slowly and earnestly, as if she wanted to make up for what she had missed out on these past two days.

After a sip of rice wine, a healthy blush finally appeared on her pale cheeks, and she relaxed completely.

Although this wine isn't as good as the homemade kind.

Outside the window was a bustling street, and inside was a warm, homey atmosphere; all of this gave her a feeling of being in another world.

"This feels so good," she suddenly sighed.

Although she wanted to stay in the Pei family to eliminate Pei Zhihui's resentment, she couldn't be so spineless. If she continued to be so easy to talk to and suffer every day, what would be the point of being reborn?

Human nature is inherently base, so she couldn't just give them benefits; she had to tighten her grip appropriately to keep the Pei family under control.

At this moment, Shen Qiongju was treating herself at the restaurant while making peace with herself, while the Pei family was in complete chaos.

This matter still alarmed Aunt Pei.

Pei Junlan is forty-three years old this year. It has been almost seven years since the Pei family exiled her and she came to the border with her maternal family.

For the past seven years, almost all of the Pei family's internal affairs and public accounts have been financed by her dowry or properties acquired with her dowry.

Years of hard work had turned her temples gray, and the wrinkles and signs of age on her face became even more pronounced after this exile. However, none of Pei's younger siblings were able to manage the household affairs properly.

Only Liu was somewhat clear-headed, but when faced with major events, she would only cry and whine. It's a mystery how her brothers managed to marry these foolish wives back then.

When Liu came to report on things outside, she was checking the income of her shop in the prefectural city and the twenty acres of land she had bought in Shenjia Village.

At the time, she was afraid that something would happen to the Pei family, so she made a contract in her deceased husband's name, which fortunately saved her this time.

Because of the long distance, the person she asked to deliver the proceeds only arrived today.

She refrained from scolding her troublesome younger siblings.

He took out twenty taels of silver and gave it to Liu, saying, "Go to Yuexianlou and ask the manager to prepare four tables as soon as possible. Although there aren't many guests, they are all relatives and friends who have helped us in our time of need, so please book better ones."