Chapter 172

Madam Zhang hurriedly dragged Wang Er back to their room, shut the door tightly, and pushed him down onto the kang (a traditional heated bed).

Wang Er, preoccupied with his own thoughts, assumed his wife was up to something inappropriate in broad daylight. He grew impatient and clicked his tongue, saying, “Are you reaching that ravenous age already, unable to wait until nightfall? You might have the energy for it, but I don’t have the mood.”

Madam Zhang froze for a moment. When she realized what he was implying, her face flushed bright red. She slapped his shoulder heavily and scolded, half angry and half embarrassed, “What nonsense is running through your head? I’m talking about serious matters!”

Wang Er raised his eyebrows and looked at her skeptically.

Madam Zhang shoved him aside, sat down with a thud, and asked, “I’m asking you—what you just said about Yuan’er’s investment in the merchant ship being highly profitable, is it true?”

Ah, so it was about that!

Wang Er grew even more frustrated and said, “What could be fake about this? Who is Song San, anyway? Just look at Jinji, and you’ll know his ideas are solid, and he’s skilled at managing business affairs—better than the Tang family’s master! Now, with this merchant ship going back and forth a few times, tell me, can it not make money? Besides, when has anyone running canal shipping not made money?” As he continued, he got angrier and said, “And Yuan’er, what kind of luck did she stumble upon to hitch onto the Song family’s ship? One business deal after another, counting silver nonstop. If she had said something earlier and revealed her connections, I’d have invested in it too!”

Madam Zhang sneered at this and said, “You see her as your niece, but does she see you as her real second uncle? That girl knows perfectly well what she’s doing—keeping things hidden so we wouldn’t grab a share of the pie. And you still think she’s a good one!”

When it came to money matters, Madam Zhang conveniently forgot all the times Yuan’er had bent over backward for the mess involving Wang Min’er, helping plan things out and smoothly marrying her off.

Wang Er was left feeling sulky.

Seeing that he didn’t respond, Madam Zhang dropped the topic for a moment and redirected her thoughts to her own ideas. She said, “You say that the merchant shipping business works, so why is it that only the Song family can do it? Can’t we do it too?”

Wang Er looked at her suspiciously and said, “What scheme are you cooking up now?”

Madam Zhang slapped him lightly and said, “What scheme? Don’t forget, we have Min’er, and we have connections!”

Wang Er paused in surprise, and Madam Zhang continued, “It’s true that the Song family is a powerful household, but isn’t the Tang family also a powerful household? If the Song family can build merchant ships and run businesses, why can’t the Tang family? How does that make any sense? We can go to Min’er and have her whisper a few words to our son-in-law, so he can also get into the merchant shipping business. Then we’ll invest in it—what do you think?”

“This…” Wang Er was somewhat tempted but still hesitant. He said, “Will that work? Min’er isn’t even a proper wife in the Tang family; will they listen to her?”

“You’re so dense! Who in this world ever thinks they have too much money? If there’s a chance to make big profits, would the Tang family really turn their noses up at it? If Min’er raises the idea, the Tang family might even praise her for it. If they make a fortune, they’ll credit her efforts, and her position in the family will become even more secure. As for us, we can take this opportunity to invest as well. It’s a win-win situation—why would we have to beg that girl, Yuan’er?” Madam Zhang said with a smug expression.

Wang Er pursed his lips and tapped his thigh thoughtfully, pondering the possibility of Madam Zhang’s plan.

After all, in the business world, apart from those industries controlled by the imperial court, there’s no rule saying who can or cannot do certain trades. If the Song family can do it, so can the Tang family. And considering familial closeness, their second branch has ties with the Tang family—surely that’s closer than their connection to the Song family?

The more Wang Er thought about it, the more he felt it was a viable idea. However, he was slightly more cautious than Madam Zhang and said, “We shouldn’t propose this business outright. Instead, let’s have Min’er drop a hint and also have our eldest brother mention it to Master Tang. Approaching it from both ends, the Tang family will decide. As you said, no one ever thinks they have too much money. If the Tang family decides to proceed, we can then rely on Min’er to get us a share in the business. That way, if any risks arise in the future, they won’t be our concern.”

Hearing this, Madam Zhang’s eyes lit up with excitement, and she praised, “You’ve really thought this through.” She then added, “In that case, I’ll go to Dongshan tomorrow to see Min’er. She’s been there for days, and I don’t even know how she’s doing. I’ve been thinking about her a lot, so this will be a good opportunity to check on her.”

Wang Er nodded in agreement, and Madam Zhang, feeling elated, started imagining how she could settle their involvement in the business. This also made her feel increasingly dismissive of Wang Yuan’er.

Meanwhile, Wang Yuan’er remained completely unaware of her second uncle and aunt’s plotting. She only knew that Madam Zhang mentioned visiting Wang Min’er to Grandma Wang the next day. She took Fuduo along with her to Dongshan, stayed for two days, returned with large bags and a beaming smile, and made several visits to her natal family. Whatever Madam Zhang was up to, no one knew for certain. Still, everyone went about their own lives. Wang Yuan’er, uninterested in probing into Madam Zhang’s schemes, simply focused on living her own life steadily and securely.

People should live a little more selfishly; that way, they won’t feel so wronged or uncomfortable.

However, there are always those meddling relatives who make her feel uneasy. It wasn’t about anything significant this time—just what Cui Yuan mentioned: rumors that the Zhao family’s small courtyard was said to have bad feng shui, making it prone to attracting trouble. Whoever lived there would be unlucky.

What an ironic prophecy it turned out to be!

The unpleasant rumors went like this: the feng shui attracted misfortune, someone had died there—an unnatural death, no less—and it was likely that the resentful spirit was still lingering on the property. Now that someone lived there, attracting thieves, how could it not be blamed on bad feng shui?

And the one spreading these rumors wasn’t just anyone—it was Zhao Dali’s so-called maternal grandaunt, Madam Hu!

Madam Hu and her family had settled in Changle Town as well. Living in the same town, they often encountered each other. Wang Yuan’er didn’t usually exchange words with her, but Madam Hu acted like she was facing a mortal enemy every time they met. Fortunately, Wang Yuan’er didn’t take it to heart, or they might have ended up bickering every time.

Unexpectedly, as soon as Cui Yuan moved out of the courtyard, Madam Hu confidently said that the place had bad feng shui and must have been sabotaged. And everyone knew exactly what she was implying.

When Wang Qing’er, who was out shopping at the market with Wang Yuan’er, overheard this, she was instantly enraged. Rolling up her sleeves, she looked ready to charge at Madam Hu for a fight!

“That’s just too much bullying! What does she mean by this? Sure, Mr. Zhao’s death is true, but he died in a ditch. As for this thief business, who hasn’t had thieves before? To say this place has bad feng shui and is a cursed house—ugh! She’s just sour grapes because she can’t have them!” Wang Qing’er was so angry her eyebrows were practically standing up.

Wang Yuan’er was also upset, but you can’t just go fighting because someone said a few words. Fighting with a shrew? Unless you’re even more of a shrew yourself.

“Everyone’s eyes are sharp. Why bother with her? If her mouth is foul, do you really need to compete with her?” Wang Yuan’er’s voice wasn’t loud, but everyone around heard it.

Madam Hu was nearby and naturally heard it, too. She walked over in a few steps: “You little brat, who are you calling foul-mouthed?”

“Talking about a mad dog. Why are you responding? Are you a mad dog?” Wang Qing’er never lost a verbal fight. Before her elder sister could speak, she had already confronted Madam Hu.

“Oh! What a foul-mouthed little brat. You called me a mad dog? Watch me tear you apart!” Madam Hu’s hands turned into claws, ready to pounce.

“Who’s afraid of who!” Wang Qing’er had already rolled up her sleeves.

Wang Yuan’er blocked her sister with a cold expression and said, “What does Aunt Hu want to do? Don’t forget, where do you think you are?”

Madam Hu hesitated for a moment before shouting, “Where do you mean? Is this the Wang family’s territory? Are the Wangs relying on their influence to bully others? Are you looking down on us outsiders? Do you think being a local makes you superior?”

Due to the river reconstruction, many families had moved to Changle Town to make a living, including several outsiders. With these words, Madam Hu seemed intent on stirring up a conflict between the locals and the newcomers!

“Some people just think they’re superior because they’ve lived here for generations. We’re all farming folk, yet they hold themselves above us—huh!” chimed in Madam Xie, the pregnant wife of the Zhou family, who also happened to be newcomers.

The Zhou family naturally sided with Madam Hu, and Madam Xie had long seen Wang Yuan’er as a thorn in her side.

Wang Yuan’er was so angry she laughed. Innocent as she was, she now stood accused of being arrogant and oppressing others. What had she said to deserve this?t:

Some people sided with Wang Yuan’er, like Madam Zheng and Sister Shugen, who said in unison, “The eldest Wang daughter didn’t say anything. It’s you who keep talking about outsiders and local snakes. What does that mean? Are you trying to insult all of us?”

“Who insulted you? You joined the conversation yourselves!”

The scene quickly divided into two camps: the real outsiders and the locals. Voices clashed louder and louder, almost turning into a full-blown fight.

The situation escalated, and further arguing seemed destined for mutual harm.

Wang Yuan’er furrowed her eyebrows. Her voice was too soft to be heard amidst the commotion. Her eyes landed on a gong displayed in a nearby shop. Without hesitation, she picked it up.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The arguing instantly quieted down!

Wang Yuan’er shouted, “Everyone, stop arguing! Why divide between outsiders and locals? We are all citizens under the same emperor, so what are we fighting about?” She then turned to Madam Hu and said, “Aunt Hu, we haven’t said anything about you. But it’s you who brought up being an outsider, causing trouble out of thin air, and disrupting everyone’s harmony. What is your intention? If you can’t explain it, then it must be deliberate mischief, and we might have to take this to the village head to sort it out!”

Hearing this, the crowd turned their eyes to Madam Hu. Indeed, they had come to watch the commotion, but hearing talk of “outsiders,” they wondered why this argument even started. Everyone had been living together peacefully for so long—who would even think of dividing people into locals or outsiders? Surely, no one here had regional prejudice.

But now, it seemed that Madam Hu had deliberately stirred things up with her words. Was it intentional or something else?

Noticing everyone staring at her, Madam Hu started to panic but tried to defend herself, “Who’s causing trouble? Clearly, it was you looking down on us outsiders by saying such things about this place!”

“How absurd,” Wang Yuan’er retorted with a cold laugh. “You’re the one spreading rumors about the feng shui of my small courtyard, and now you’re here trying to hit my sister on the main street. If I hadn’t reminded you and stopped you, should I have just stood there and let you slap us?”

When the crowd heard this, it seemed to make sense. They started whispering among themselves, and some began to look at Madam Hu with cold eyes. Stirring up trouble—what was her intention? Did she want everyone to be miserable?