CH 76

Li shi was worried about the kimchi in her natal family. She knew that the kimchi was not easy to sell when she saw the bustle of the Wang family. She was afraid that her maternal family would incur losses and that the appeal of the abundance of pork in her courtyard would diminish. Quickly standing up, she said, “Mother, I’ll go back to my maternal family for a while. I’ll come back to tidy things up.”

Zhulan rolled her eyes in her heart, and hurriedly stopped Li shi, “You don’t need to go back, your mother’s family’s kimchi has already been sold out.”

Li Shi was stunned, “Mom, how do you know?

Seeing Wang Ru’s face change from the corner of her eyes, Zhulan felt better, “The kimchi was handed over to the escort company through Wu Chun’s connection. How do you think I know? Alright, let’s tidy up quickly. Once it’s done, take two pounds of meat back to your maternal family. Your grandmother can have a taste of our delicious pork.”

Li Shi’s heart was good, Zhulan said it was okay, she was relieved and didn’t ask any more questions, and focused on the pork again. Li Shi After cleaning the casings, “Mother, Zhao shi and I will go back to the kitchen to make blood sausage.”

Zhulan waved her hand, “Go.”

Wang Ru clenched her fists, feeling frustrated and resentful. Not only did her plan fall through, but she also ended up being the one who suffered. She couldn’t understand why Li Shi, who seemed to have no troubles at all, was so lucky. The more she thought about it, the more infuriated she became. As a modern person, she couldn’t accept being outsmarted by people from ancient times.

Sun shi’s character was really cowardly. Seeing Aunt Zheng going back angrily, she didn’t dare to stay any longer. She pulled her daughter and said, “Let’s go back too.”

Wang Ru pushed away her mother’s hand and glared angrily at her protruding belly. It was all because of this piece of meat. If it wasn’t for this meat, her father wouldn’t have become so arrogant and ignorant about his own worth just because he had a little money. She had suggested using the money to repair the house, but he didn’t listen, thinking it challenged his position. He even scolded her harshly.

Now things were even worse. The money he lent out was unlikely to be repaid, and they didn’t even have enough money to repair the roof. They had no place to live, and they couldn’t afford to stay in someone else’s house. Just for a place to stay, they needed to pay five wens, and they also had to pay for firewood. If she didn’t come up with a solution soon, they would end up homeless before the Chinese New Year.

As for the private money in her hand, she will not let anyone touch it!

Sun shi shielded her belly, Sanya’s gaze was terrifying, “Sanya, what are you doing?”

Wang Ru stared and shouted fiercely: “I changed my name to Wang Ru, don’t call me Sanya again.”

Zhulan noticed that Sun Shi was startled and took a few steps back, so she quickly reached out to support her. Her intention was not out of kindness but rather a fear of Sun Shi causing trouble for the Zhou family. She genuinely didn’t welcome Wang Lao Si and his family. “Since your child has run away, you should hurry back as well!” she urged.

Sun shi left in a hurry without even saying thank you.

Zhulan pricked up her ears to hear the commotion next door, and she thought to herself that Fourth Wang and his wife can really make a fuss. She also realized that Wang Ru hadn’t succeeded in her scheme to vent her frustration on the Li family. It seemed that Wang Ru’s resentment was now uncontrollable.

Zhulan silently lamented that it was a pity Wang Ru couldn’t simply leave home. In ancient times, one needed household registration to travel anywhere, so it wasn’t easy to move around freely. Not only were human traffickers legal, but kidnappers were also rampant. With limited technology and vast, sparsely populated areas, it would indeed be challenging to catch kidnappers.

Zhulan understood the harsh reality of being an undocumented individual in ancient times. If someone ended up being bought and sold, there was no proper recourse for justice. The authorities would turn a blind eye to such matters. This was precisely why Rong Chuan, despite enduring the hardships imposed by his parents, never considered running away from home. Once someone became an undocumented person, luck might lead them to a good household, but it could also result in being sold to undesirable places. In such circumstances, death seemed like a cleaner and preferable option to a life of misery.

The chaos from the next door soon quieted down, and Zhulan divided the pork into pieces weighing around one jin each, freezing them in a large vat for convenient retrieval when needed. The pig’s head would be dealt with when the eldest son returned, as Zhulan didn’t know how to handle it. She looked at the vat filled with pork and her hands stained with pig’s blood, silently amazed. She never expected that she, a second-generation rich person, would adapt so well to ancient times. Not only did she manage to slaughter the pig without feeling nauseous, but she also willingly cleaned up the mess, even feeling joyful about it.

Zhulan counted the changes she had undergone in ancient times, raising her head to look at the sky. The environment truly changed a person!

Her eldest grandson, Mingyun, noticed that all the meat had been placed in the vat and his disappointed expression appeared. He asked, “Grandma, are we not eating meat tonight?”

Zhulan glanced down and realized she hadn’t saved any meat for herself. She smiled and said, “Of course, we’ll eat meat tonight, and we’ll also simmer some bones for soup.”

Mingyun stood there without moving and said, “Grandma, you’ve worked hard. Let me bring the meat to Mom.”

Zhulan chuckled, knowing the little one was afraid she might trick him. Despite his young age, he had the shrewdness of the Zhou family running through his veins. Luckily, the Zhou genes were stronger than the Li family’s. If not, Zhou Shuren would have had a good reason to cry. “Okay, okay, Grandma will give it to you to take to your mother,” she agreed with a smile.