Chapter 12: Not Bad
Zhang Zhaodi looked at the things Zhou Wangshu was carrying, eyeing him suspiciously.
“Did you really catch it?”
Zhou Wangshu’s eyes were clear, and he nodded very sincerely: “Of course, auntie.”
“Mom, Wangshu is amazing.” Su Yaoguang boasted. “Wangshu, show it to my mom.”
Zhou Wangshu took out the slingshot, aimed at the sky, and with a bang, a bird was shot down.
Zhang Zhaodi’s expression softened a bit, and she spoke indifferently: “Not bad, the money for buying him and the money for his medicine have been recouped.”
“Auntie, I’ll do more work in the future, I absolutely won’t let you make a losing business deal.”
“That’s more like it.”
Su Yaoguang gave Zhou Wangshu a look, and he caught the signal, immediately starting to settle the rabbit in his hands.
Zhang Zhaodi planted the flowers Su Yaoguang brought back around the courtyard.
Su Yaoguang continued making cosmetics.
At the current progress, the first batch of goods could be completed in a few more days. Whether this business could work would be revealed on the next market day.
That evening, they made braised chicken chunks, and the aroma spread out, bewildering the neighbors. The mischievous child next door clamored to eat chicken, got slapped by the adults, and the loud crying sound spread, so much so that everyone in the village knew that Zhang Zhaodi and her daughters were eating chicken again, and this time the chicken they ate was caught by the little husband who cost ten copper coins.
Zhong Lanhua carried a basket into the courtyard, saw Xiao Yanci chopping wood there, with Jiang Yihuan handing him water, and lightly coughed, looking at the two unkindly.
Jiang Yihuan saw Zhong Lanhua return, trotted up with small steps, took the basket from her hand, and said softly: “Mom, why hasn’t big brother arrived yet?”
“Go to the village entrance to meet him, he should be almost here.” Zhong Lanhua glared at Xiao Yanci.
“Okay, I’ll go wait for big brother now.” After Jiang Yihuan spoke, she spoke up for Xiao Yanci. “Mom, Xiao Gege has been working for a long time, let him rest!”
“If he doesn’t work, are we two weak women supposed to do it? I bought him to work, not to enjoy himself.” Zhong Lanhua put her hands on her hips and scolded fiercely.
Jiang Yihuan’s eyes reddened, and she choked with grievance: “Mom, why are you so fierce? I didn’t say anything wrong. Xiao Gege is a person, how could he work nonstop?”
Xiao Yanci saw Jiang Yihuan scolded to tears by Zhong Lanhua, and hated Zhong Lanhua even more, while feeling even more sorry for Jiang Yihuan.
Such a good girl like Yihuan, how did she end up with a mother like this? Fine, if doing more work could let Yihuan get scolded less, then he’d do more!
“Yihuan young lady, it’s fine, I’m not tired, I can chop a bit longer.”
Jiang Yihuan looked at him with heartache: “You’ve worked hard, Xiao Gege.”
Jiang Yihuan wiped her tears and went out. Just after going out, she looked back at Xiao Yanci’s direction, and the corners of her mouth curved up. She strode away, her eyes full of mockery.
Men in the world are all the same, boring.
Village entrance. Jiang Yihuan saw a slender figure and went up to take the book box from his back, calling out: “Brother.”
That person nodded coldly, handed the book box to her, shook his sore arm, and said nothing with a cold face.
Jiang Yihui didn’t speak, and Jiang Yihuan didn’t dare to speak even more.
From childhood, she had feared this brother, and whenever she had any conflict with her brother, her mom wouldn’t side with her, always siding with this brother.
The Jiang family siblings walked home one after the other, and when passing Su Yaoguang’s doorway, the aroma in the air wafted over. Jiang Yihui glanced toward Su Yaoguang’s doorway.
Jiang Yihuan used this to chat with Jiang Yihui: “Brother, Su Yaoguang bought a son-in-law who lives with the wife’s family.”
Jiang Yihui frowned: “She’s only fifteen, so desperate to marry?”
“Her grandma wanted to betroth her to the Su family’s great-granddaughter’s foolish son, so to settle down sooner, she asked a human trafficker, saying she wanted to buy a man to be a son-in-law who lives with the wife’s family…”
Jiang Yihuan told Jiang Yihui about the recent events, starting with other families’ matters, then her own. She mentioned how her mom deliberately bought Xiao Yanci, and that Xiao Yanci had studied.
When Jiang Yihui heard that their family also bought a man, but to work, his originally furrowed brows relaxed. When Jiang Yihuan said that Mr. Xiao could read, disdain flashed in his eyes, and he said harshly: “If he really studied, would he have been sold? He probably just knows two or three characters, and claims he studied to inflate his value. Only you womenfolk would fall for that.”
Jiang Yihuan didn’t dare to retort.
As soon as Jiang Yihui entered the door, Zhong Lanhua excitedly came to greet him: “My son is back. My son worked hard studying. My son has gotten thin…”
Jiang Yihuan pouted.
Thin? How hadn’t she noticed?
The money she and her mom earned was all spent on her brother. His annual tuition fees, and three hundred copper coins every month for expenses; to earn that money, her eyes were nearly blinded from embroidery.
Jiang Yihui spotted Xiao Yanci chopping wood at a glance, and was somewhat surprised upon seeing his appearance, after all, this face was quite good.
But soon, he thought that there were two women at home, and having such a decent-looking man around didn’t feel safe no matter how he thought about it.
“You two come in with me.” Jiang Yihui called Zhong Lanhua and Jiang Yihuan into the room.
Xiao Yanci frowned.
The only ‘male master’ in this house seemed hostile toward him.
He stood outside the door, listening to the conversation inside.
“Why sell him? He can help us do a lot of work. Hui’er, your sister and I are ultimately weak women; having a man to help with heavy work has made things much easier lately.” Zhong Lanhua was unwilling.
Most importantly, everyone in the village knew they had a servant; she’d only been showing off for a few days, and if they sold him, people would think they couldn’t afford a servant.
She was now someone who had a servant to command, and the women in the village were extremely envious. Most importantly, the servant she bought was much better than the son-in-law who lives with the wife’s family that Zhang Zhaodi bought.
“With you two women at home, and an adult servant living under the same roof, if word gets out, it won’t sound good for our reputation. Yihuan hasn’t been betrothed yet; do you want her to be pointed at?”
Jiang Yihuan said weakly: “We’re upright and not afraid of shadows; we’re not afraid of what others say. Brother, don’t sell him, he’s really pitiful.”
“It’s not as serious as you say?” Zhong Lanhua said, “Alright, you just got back, you must be hungry? Huan’er, go with mom to make something good for your brother. The Su family ate chicken today, we’ll eat braised pork today.”
Jiang Yihuan agreed readily: “Okay, mom, let’s go make something good for big brother!”
Her mom had rarely done something beneficial for her; no matter what, she couldn’t let big brother ruin it. Her big brother was at the academy all day, even bringing dirty clothes back for them to wash, of course not knowing how hard they worked at home. Ever since they had Xiao Yanci, at least the heavy work was taken care of by someone.
