Chapter 40: It’s Done
It was noon, the time for lunch.
Grandma Su scooped with a spoon at the bottom of the basin, ladling out a big spoonful of porridge. The white, plump rice grains were packed tightly together, whetting one’s appetite.
She brought this bowl of porridge in front of Second Uncle Su.
She ladled the second bowl, third bowl, and fourth bowl in the same way. When only the last bowl remained, she directly handed the spoon handle to Second Aunt Su.
“If you want to eat, serve it yourself. Which family’s daughter-in-law needs an old woman servant to serve her? Aren’t you afraid of being struck by lightning?”
Second Aunt Su was long accustomed to such things. She pursed her lips and calmly scooped a spoonful of rice soup.
It was always like this. The first bowl of rice in the house was always served thick and dry—that was for her precious son. The second bowl was for her precious grandson. The third bowl was hers, and the fourth was for her man. As it got thinner and thinner with each scoop, the last bowl was one she, as an outsider, wasn’t even willing to scoop.
Second Aunt Su wasn’t stupid. She had just secretly picked up an egg and eaten it raw while they weren’t noticing. Chickens didn’t lay eggs every day anyway, so occasionally stealing one to eat wouldn’t be discovered.
On the table besides the thin porridge, there were a few flatbreads. Second Aunt Su eyed the largest one and reached out to grab it, but Grandma Su tapped the back of her hand with the tip of her chopsticks.
Second Aunt Su endured the pain, grabbed the flatbread tightly, and pulled it back. Before Grandma Su could scold her loudly, she bit off a big mouthful first, then took a sip of porridge and swallowed everything in her mouth.
“Reincarnated starving ghost? Haven’t you ever eaten before? What does a woman like you need to eat so much for? Grain is saved for men first. Men have to do farm work and exert effort.”
Second Aunt Su kept her head down drinking porridge, pretending not to hear Grandma Su’s words.
Go ahead and scold. Anyway, she had eaten the food. As long as it went into her mouth, she could scold all she wanted—it wouldn’t cost her any flesh.
Second Uncle Su glared at Second Aunt Su: “Mom is right. Why are you so greedy?”
Xiaobao mimicked Second Uncle Su’s tone: “Mom is so greedy, stealing our flatbread to eat.”
A voice came from the courtyard: “Mom, Dad, I’m back.”
Hearing this voice, Second Aunt Su hurriedly finished the flatbread in her hand as fast as possible, then gulped down the rice soup.
Su Guilan stepped into the main room and saw everyone eating. She plopped down, grabbed a flatbread, and was about to eat.
“What are you here for?” Grandma Su snatched the flatbread from her hand, split it in two, and gave her only half. “You didn’t say you were coming ahead of time. We didn’t make food for you.”
“I don’t like eating porridge. Telling you ahead of time wouldn’t help anyway—it’s still porridge. Mom, I want to eat eggs. Boil a few eggs for me!” Su Guilan made her request.
“Sister-in-law sure has a big tone.” Second Aunt Su said sarcastically, “Our family only has thin porridge to eat. Those few eggs are for Xiaobao to nourish his body. You’re a grown person—surely you won’t steal food from a child?”
“I’m about to solve a big trouble for you all. Isn’t it reasonable for me to eat a few of your eggs?” Su Guilan said smugly.
“What do you mean?” Second Uncle Su asked.
“I just went to the Feng Family and asked them. They said everything is going according to plan. Zhang Zhaodi fell for it and signed the IOU, promising to compensate them one hundred taels of silver. Zhang Zhaodi came back yesterday, didn’t she? With a bad complexion? That’s because the Feng Family people starved her for two days and two nights.”
“How did the Feng Family matter succeed?” Second Aunt Su asked.
“Originally, I planned for the Feng Family people to casually damage something and frame Zhang Zhaodi for it, then say that thing was extremely expensive, worth one hundred taels. But the Feng Family had a daughter who unluckily died young, so they framed Zhang Zhaodi for it that way. No matter how Zhang Zhaodi explained, the Feng Family insisted she caused the death, then locked her in the wood shed and starved her for two days and two nights until she gave in and agreed to compensate one hundred taels of silver. They only released her then. Don’t think Zhang Zhaodi looks fine—she’s actually extremely anxious!”
“I guarantee she’ll soon be borrowing silver everywhere. Just wait and see. One hundred taels of silver—even if they sold both mother and daughter, they couldn’t scrape it together. In the end, they’ll still come to us.”
“What do you plan to do?” Second Uncle Su asked.
“I’ll make conditions with her. As long as her daughter marries Mutou, I’ll help her plead with the Feng Family to waive the one hundred taels compensation and only make her pay twenty taels. If she doesn’t agree, then let the Feng Family people come to her house every day to make trouble, giving them no peace. Those farmlands are worth thirty taels. She’ll be desperate for money and definitely sell cheap—you all buy them up. Once she hands over the twenty taels of silver to the Feng Family and they agree to give me half, I won’t keep a single copper coin of that ten taels—I’ll return it all to you. That way, you’re buying farmland worth thirty taels with just ten taels of silver. Isn’t that a great deal?”
The Su family members all showed smug smiles.
“I specially made a trip yesterday just to see how Zhang Zhaodi was doing. That disaster star put on a good act—I couldn’t see anything on her face.”
“You’ve already eaten three flatbreads. Why are you still eating?” Second Uncle Su noticed Su Guilan had eaten several flatbreads, taking all of theirs, and angrily slapped the table.
Su Guilan picked her teeth and said irritably: “If it weren’t for me, could you all take such a big advantage? A few flatbreads—do you have to be so stingy?”
“Alright, just a few flatbreads. If this matter succeeds, forget three flatbreads—you could eat ten.” Grandma Su said, “Don’t go out to work today. First go inquire about what Zhang Zhaodi is doing.”
When Second Aunt Su heard she didn’t need to go out to work and only needed to inquire about gossip, she became more eager than anyone. Not long after, she brought back the latest news.
“Zhang Zhaodi went to the village to borrow money.”
“One hundred taels of silver, and she went to the village to borrow money?” Grandma Su sneered, “Has she gone stupid from anxiety?”
“Forget one hundred taels of silver—no one would lend her even one hundred copper coins. Those orphan and widow can only rely on midwifery for a living, and midwifery work isn’t available all the time. Lending to them would be like a steamed bun thrown at a dog—gone without return.” Second Aunt Su said, “Anyway, from what I heard, so far only Old Blind Li has lent her fifty copper coins.”
“Ignore her. Once she hits a brick wall, she’ll naturally think of us.” Grandpa Su said, “So stupid.”
In the afternoon, Zhang Zhaodi went around the village borrowing, managing to borrow a total of three hundred copper coins. Now only Zhong Lanhua’s family and Grandpa Su, Grandma Su, and Second Uncle Su’s family hadn’t been asked yet.
At this time, Su Yaoguang and Zhou Wangshu came back.
Seeing the two return, Zhang Zhaodi cried at the courtyard entrance. This scene was seen by many in the village, who all speculated what had happened in their family and why they were borrowing money everywhere.
“Whew, pretending is so tiring.” As soon as she closed the courtyard gate, Zhang Zhaodi wiped her tears and said, “Daughter, Mom has done as you said. What next?”
