Chapter 35

Grandma Wang was the matriarch of the Wang family. Though her personality was somewhat domineering, and she enjoyed playing the role of a stern mother-in-law, she had never physically struck a daughter-in-law before—let alone lost her temper to the point of throwing something at one.

This was the first time in the fifteen years since Madam Zhang married into the Wang family that she had been so humiliated by Grandma Wang, and it was even in front of her father-in-law.

Madam Zhang’s face turned pale in an instant.

In any family, disciplining a daughter-in-law was considered a private matter, typically handled behind closed doors. It was rarely brought to the attention of the men in the household, much less addressed in front of the patriarch. After all, reprimanding a daughter-in-law in front of her father-in-law not only stripped her of dignity, but it also reflected poorly on the mother-in-law as a household manager.

Why?

Men were busy toiling outside to provide for the family, handling external affairs that were already burdensome and exhausting. A wife was expected to help manage the household and maintain peace within the family. To chastise a daughter-in-law in front of her husband was essentially an admission of the mother-in-law’s own failure and inability to manage the household effectively.

For this reason, no matter how dissatisfied Grandma Wang had been with her daughters-in-law in the past, she never reprimanded them in front of Grandpa Wang. Either she would find a way to send him out of the house, or he would leave on his own accord.

But today, Grandma Wang completely disregarded decorum and erupted at Madam Zhang in front of everyone.

This was unprecedented!

“You disgraceful, filthy wretch! All this time, I didn’t say anything about you frequenting that gambling den, thinking you’d wise up—after all, in a few years, you’ll be a mother-in-law yourself. Surely, I thought you’d have a sense of responsibility. But clearly, I was wrong! You have no restraint whatsoever. Let me ask you, do you think you have mountains of gold and silver to squander?” Grandma Wang scolded Madam Zhang mercilessly. “Using pork to settle gambling debts—how could you come up with such a thing? How much are those few pounds of pork worth? Are they worth sacrificing your dignity over? Let me tell you, Zhang Cuizhi, even if you don’t care about your reputation, the Wang family certainly does!”

“Mother, I only…” Madam Zhang stammered anxiously.

“Silence!” Grandma Wang shouted sharply. “The earrings hanging from your ears are worth more than those few pounds of pork, aren’t they? Why didn’t you use those to pay? You brainless fool!”

Madam Zhang touched the earrings on her ears and glanced at Wang Er beside her, continuously sending him signals with her eyes.

Wang Er turned his face away, avoiding her gaze. At this moment, he couldn’t afford to add fuel to the fire.

Madam Zhang was both angry and frustrated.

Grandma Wang noticed Madam Zhang signaling to Wang Er for help without showing any signs of remorse. Her anger surged to its peak. “Get out of here! Pack your things and go back to the Zhang family. The Wang family can’t afford to keep a daughter-in-law like you!”

Was she really going to be sent away?

Madam Zhang immediately knelt down. “Mother, I won’t dare do it again. I know I was wrong.”

Wang Er, who hadn’t considered divorcing his wife, quickly stepped in. After all, Madam Zhang had given him several children, was good-looking, and came from a respectable family. Putting on a fake angry face, he tried to smooth things over with Grandma Wang while pretending to scold Madam Zhang. “Get back to your room! If you dare do this again, I’ll divorce you myself!”

Madam Zhang, understanding that Wang Er was trying to shield her, pretended to cry a few tears before stomping back to her room in a huff. She cursed inwardly, blaming Wang Chun’er, that wretched girl!

Barely having a sip of tea, she suddenly saw Wang Min’er storm in angrily and plop down into a seat. Unable to hold back her curiosity, Madam Zhang asked, “What’s wrong? Who upset you?”

Wang Min’er glared at her sharply, her tone brimming with frustration. “Mother, how could you be so foolish? Do you know how embarrassed I am? The entire town is talking about how you used pork to pay off gambling debts. I’m mortified—I can’t even show my face in Changle Town now. How am I supposed to face people in the future?”

Madam Zhang hadn’t expected even her most cherished daughter to scorn her. The humiliation she had endured from Grandma Wang boiled over into fury, and she slammed her teacup down. “Ungrateful brat! All I did to raise you, and now you treat me like this? Get out of my sight!”

Chapter 36

After Madam Zhang knelt before Grandma Wang and swore she would never gamble recklessly again, with Wang Er also pleading on her behalf, Grandma Wang finally let her off this time.

Because of the cured meat fiasco, Madam Zhang avoided showing her face around town for quite a while, only daring to go out again once new gossip had overtaken this old scandal. However, as a result, her dislike for the eldest branch of the family grew even stronger.

Wang Yuan’er, however, knew that it was hard for people to change their nature. Madam Zhang not only failed to mend her ways but also escalated her behavior, eventually leading to borrowing from loan sharks.

After the cured meat was prepared, Grandma Wang proposed raising two piglets the following year so that by winter, they wouldn’t have to buy meat again. Wang Yuan’er had no objections, as there was space in the backyard. On the other hand, Madam Zhang grumbled a few words, acting as if it lowered her status. However, given the recent events, she didn’t dare to interfere much.

After several consecutive days of heavy snow, the sky finally cleared up. Wang Yuan’er packed freshly prepared spiced eggs and marinated dried tofu into a basket to sell in town. Her spiced eggs had already gained some renown, but they were somewhat limited as a single product. So, she also used the marinade to create dried tofu and spicy dried tofu. The cold weather made spicy snacks especially popular and sold very well.

Feeling tired from walking, Wang Yuan’er set down her baskets, brought out a small stool, and sat down to rest, propping her chin on her hand as she pondered what other goods might be worth selling.

Spiced eggs and dried tofu wouldn’t remain profitable for long. After all, hadn’t several other families in Changle Town already started producing and selling them too? Even though their business wasn’t as good as hers, it still slightly diluted the overall profits.

So, what is both simple and long-lasting?

“Fresh tofu for sale! Spring water tofu—smooth and fragrant!” The vendor’s call snapped Wang Yuan’er out of her thoughts. She looked over and saw Madam Bai carrying a shoulder pole with a load of tofu covered by a thin cloth.

Tofu was simple to make but required a special recipe to make it truly delicious—water quality was essential.

The mountain spring water from Changle Mountain was famous, which made Changle Town’s tofu equally renowned for its taste. Many people were already in the tofu-making business, but the profits were small since there was a lot of competition.

Wang Yuan’er glanced idly at the red chili peppers on her dried tofu in the basket, and suddenly an idea struck her.

Got it—fermented tofu!

In her past life, there was a famous sauce shop in Jiangnan that produced fermented tofu. It was long-lasting, paired perfectly with rice, and was a staple for many poor households. Only half a jar of fermented tofu could make a meal satisfying and could even be used as a cooking ingredient.

When she was at Landlord Li’s house, she had gotten along well with Xiu Niang. One idle day, they secretly experimented with half a jar of fermented tofu and, after two tries, managed to recreate a delicious version. They were thrilled with the result.

Now, fermented tofu hadn’t yet made its appearance. If she were the first to produce it, wouldn’t she be able to claim this lucrative business opportunity?

Thanks to the mountain spring water in Changle Town, the tofu made there was always tasty. She could absolutely try making tofu herself. The tofu residue could even be used to feed chickens and pigs—what a great idea.

Wang Yuan’er stood up in delight. Watching Madam Bai disappear into the distance, the more she thought about it, the more viable the idea seemed. She could hardly wait to pack up and go home to start experimenting.

Just then, the sound of horse hooves approached rapidly. In an instant, a man’s voice rang out, accompanied by the sharp snorting of a horse, “Hey, young lady, what are you selling? Give me some!”