Chapter 119:
The next day, early in the morning, Master Yao delivered the inspection receipt to her.
He also brought the payment from yesterday, a total of over two taels of broken silver.
She invited Master Yao to stay for breakfast, but he waved his hands repeatedly and politely declined, saying he was busy before bidding her farewell!
After seeing off Master Yao, Luo Zhi’er put away the things, took out her private stash and counted it: two hundred and thirty-two taels of silver.
Adding the two thousand taels banknote from last time and this broken silver, it was a full two thousand two hundred and thirty-two taels.
Luo Zhi’er’s eyes sparkled with little stars; this amount of silver was enough for an ordinary family to live on for a lifetime, very comfortably, and some families never earned even a hundred taels in their entire lives!
This was a huge sum of money.
Even if one day she left Old Li Family, she would have no worries about food and clothing; she contentedly put away the private stash.
If Zhou Shi found out, wouldn’t she turn red-eyed and fight her desperately?
After hiding the private stash and confirming several times that there were no issues, Luo Zhi’er went to make breakfast. There was still a large jar of termite mushroom oil, and since it had just rained, she planned to go catch frogs later.
Catch loaches in the evening.
However, Master Yao’s morning visit naturally aroused everyone’s suspicion again, especially Second Uncle Li Zheng Sen.
While Luo Zhi’er and her daughter were eating breakfast, he came over. Seeing the mother and daughter sitting under the big tree eating, with a pipe in his mouth, he walked over.
Luo Zhi’er saw him coming from afar, stood up to greet him, and said indifferently, “Second Uncle, why are you here? Have you eaten breakfast?”
Li Zheng Sen glanced at the bowls of Luo Zhi’er and her daughter; they were eating well—green vegetable noodles with shredded meat mixed in, topped with golden fried eggs.
It seemed Little Mei was right; this Luo Zhi’er was not ordinary. With Eldest Sister-in-law controlling the rice, flour, grains and oil at home, she still could
Thinking of Oldest Brother’s family in prison, and seeing the niece-in-law and her daughter eating so well, he felt strange inside.
“Mm, I’ve eaten. San Mao’s Wife, who was that middle-aged man just now? Your Second Aunt said that person also came yesterday afternoon?”
Luo Zhi’er looked up and saw a stern suspicion in his eyes, then said indifferently, “No one, just an uncle I know from town!”
Li Zheng Sen showed a trace of displeasure, as if feeling a sense of slipping out of control. “No matter who he is, as your second uncle, I must remind you: your man is still in prison. A lone man and widow—private meetings are improper. I hope you keep your distance and don’t bring shame to Old Li Family!”
Seeing Li Zheng Sen’s righteous appearance, Luo Zhi’er found it somewhat amusing. When she was down and out with no food, had this second uncle ever helped her and her daughter?
Now he was afraid of losing face for his Li Zheng Sen family, or was he truly afraid she would prosper and feel uncomfortable?
She was too lazy to guess, and just said, “Second Uncle, you’re overthinking it. I, Luo Zhi’er, am pure and innocent; a upright person has no fear of slanted shadows. He’s just an acquaintance—normal interaction!”
“Normal interaction? Then what about what your Second Aunt said, that you were moving things out of the house?”
“Hmph! This matter doesn’t trouble Second Uncle. I remember our two families have been divided for decades. I’ll wait for Parents and San Mao to return and explain the specifics clearly! Old Li Family matters—no need for Second Uncle to worry!”
Her meaning was clear: they had long divided the family, so if they feared implication, why come meddle with her?
Ridiculous!
“You!”
Li Zheng Sen’s pockmarked face flushed awkwardly. When had he ever suffered such a setback? Except from Eldest Sister-in-law Zhou Meizhen?
He stared carefully at Luo Zhi’er’s face for a long time. This niece-in-law seemed different from before—or had they interacted little previously, and he didn’t really know her?
“Our family is all prisoners now. Miao Miao and I just got out too. Aren’t you afraid of being implicated now?”
“Good, good, very good!”
Li Zheng Sen flicked his sleeves and left! Even if he was foolish, he could see she was chasing him away, reminding him that their family needed to keep distance.
Luo Zhi’er gazed at his retreating figure in a daze, a mocking smile on her lips.
This feud between Zhou Shi and Li Zheng Sen’s family didn’t seem like Zhou Shi being unreasonable; Li Zheng Sen’s family was much more cunning!
Since they had divided the family but still wanted to control her behavior without any boundaries, she wouldn’t indulge their actions. Indulge them this time, and next time they might habitually point fingers, even feeling they deserved respect.
When benefits came, respect Second Uncle; when trouble came, quickly cut them off clean!
If they had always claimed kinship and feared she was deceived, she could understand, but they hardly interacted anyway—only Old Li Tou was unwilling, forced under Zhou Shi’s pressure to associate!
She had reason to suspect Second Aunt grew suspicious, fearing she had found a way to earn silver surpassing their Second Son’s Family, so cloaked in moral pretense, she deliberately sent someone to suppress her!
This proved that rural saying: relatives are those who fear you have, hate you lack, and most fear you surpass their family.
Feud if they must; she wasn’t afraid. Anyway, Old Li Family had never received any help or support from Second Son’s Family from beginning to end!
After thinking it over, she put the matter aside, finished eating, washed the bowls and chopsticks, picked up the wooden bucket and pliers, Miao Miao carried the bucket lid, and the mother and daughter headed toward the farmland in that mountain hollow from yesterday!
On the way, they met Grandma Zhao and greeted her, also Uncle Erdan. Uncle Erdan was shouldering a hoe, coming out from the gully along the path by the ditch.
Miao Miao sweetly called out Second Old Man. Uncle Erdan was fine, no extra expressions, “Miao Miao, going to the mountains with your mother?”
“No, Second Old Man, Miao Miao is going to the field to catch frogs with Mother today!”
“Oh!”
Uncle Erdan didn’t ask more. Li Sanmao usually hunted, now in prison; the mother and daughter were quite pitiful, catching small animals to fill their stomachs!
“Uncle Erdan, so early—you’ve been working in the field?”
“Hehe! Heavy rain yesterday, I feared the rainwater would flood the corn in the field, so I came to check. Just now I cleared the ditch to divert the water!”
Luo Zhi’er nodded in agreement. Uncle Erdan’s fields near the door had been cleared yesterday afternoon; it was this distant mountain hollow one he had time to check today.
Now finished, he was preparing to go back for breakfast!
“Then Uncle Erdan, take care. Miao Miao and I will go first!”
“Hey!”
“By the way, San Mao’s Wife, Miao Miao said you’re catching frogs. I saw plenty hopping in my field this morning. Go take a look, but be careful not to trample my corn!”
“Oh, some of those corn cobs can be eaten already—so sweet! You and Miao Miao pick a few to taste fresh!”
Their family’s was an early crop of corn. Old Li Tou’s farmland had wheat and soybeans before; their corn was a late crop, just starting to sprout without ears yet!
“Hehe, Uncle Erdan, you’re too polite! Thanks for your kindness, but no need for the corn cobs. I’ll just go catch some frogs—see you!”
“Hehe, alright, go ahead!”
Uncle Erdan shook his head and went back, thinking Luo Zhi’er and her daughter were quite pitiful. Old Li Tou’s family because of Li Lei going to prison—he hadn’t had the heart to ask just now.
Poor things; he actually knew the general situation from village talk, so he wouldn’t rub salt in the wound—couldn’t help much anyway.
Others probably feared her bad luck and wouldn’t let her go to their fields to catch frogs, so he let the mother and daughter catch in his field and pick some corn to fill their stomachs.
Luo Zhi’er led Miao Miao along the gully to the corn field Uncle Erdan mentioned. On the way, there were a few frogs in the mud holes of the ditch.
“Mother, come quick, such a big frog here!”
Luo Zhi’er rolled up her sleeve, just caught one from the ditch and threw it into the wooden bucket, then looked up and stepped forward, “Got it, Mother’s coming!”
Miao Miao suddenly screamed. It turned out it was a toad just now!
Not a frog—who knew the toad leaped up and jumped onto Miao Miao’s leg. She shook and it bounced off.
She accidentally stepped on it, “Squawk!” A soft squishy mass underfoot, and seeing it covered in bumps, it scared Miao Miao badly!
