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Zhang Qingniang held Zhao Xiaohua’s hand affectionately, patting it gently. She embodied the very image of a dutiful sister-in-law.
Zhao Daliang, standing nearby, said to Zhao Xiaohua, “Xiaohua, look at how well your sister-in-law treats you. From now on, you must respect her properly, understand?”
Zhang Qingniang, slightly chiding, responded to Zhao Daliang, “What are you talking about? It’s only right for me to treat my younger sister well. She treats me very well too. In my eyes, she is just like my own sister.”
Zhao Xiaohua felt touched by these words and leaned against Zhang Qingniang, saying, “Sister-in-law, you are truly good to me, much better than that Liu Siniang. Look at her, she used to speak ill of me in the village, ruining my reputation. Now that she’s left the Zhao family, she doesn’t even acknowledge me. When she sees me, she ignores me completely. She’s truly an ungrateful wretch.”
Zhao Daliang and Zhang Qingniang didn’t respond immediately to Zhao Xiaohua’s remarks. They had, after all, seen Liu Siniang that day as well. Liu Siniang had caused quite a stir in the village when she married Li Shi. Today, she appeared well-dressed and healthy, which highlighted how poorly she had seemed to live when she was with the Zhao family. This made not only Zhao Xiaohua uncomfortable but also Zhao Daliang. Zhang Qingniang, on the other hand, felt uneasy simply because Liu Siniang was Zhao Daliang’s former wife and had found a good match, which made her feel resentful.
Zhang Qingniang’s thoughts were indeed peculiar. She didn’t particularly dislike Liu Siniang; rather, it was because she had taken Liu Siniang’s husband that she wanted to believe it was worth it. The worse Liu Siniang fared after leaving Zhao Daliang, the better Zhang Qingniang felt about Zhao Daliang and the more justified she felt about her own actions. However, seeing Liu Siniang thriving after leaving Zhao Daliang made Zhang Qingniang feel inferior to her. This uncomfortable feeling stemmed from a sense that the better Liu Siniang’s life became, the more people might criticize Zhang Qingniang. This thought gnawed at Zhang Qingniang’s heart.
Noticing that her brother and sister-in-law had fallen silent after her comment, Zhao Xiaohua quickly changed the subject. After some thought, she shifted the conversation back to the topic of the medicine.
“Second Sister-in-law, I won’t mention that ‘medicine’ in front of others anymore. I’ll only bring it up with you. Can you tell me where it comes from? Are there other medicines like it?”
Zhao Xiaohua had always thought her sister-in-law was wealthy, and now with this medicine, there might be other useful medicines as well. Perhaps something to cause stomachaches or headaches. She figured that if she were to get married, having such peculiar medicines on hand could be helpful. She was already beginning to prepare for her future.
Seeing Zhao Xiaohua inquire about the medicine again and even ask for other types, Zhang Qingniang immediately understood what her sister-in-law was thinking. She didn’t dislike Zhao Xiaohua’s ambition to marry a wealthy man; after all, she had once had similar aspirations. Unfortunately, things hadn’t turned out well for her initially, but at least she now had some money and was able to marry and have a home. If her sister-in-law wanted to marry a wealthy man, she would support her. It could be beneficial for both of them.
“Sister, didn’t I already tell you? I got this medicine when someone who owed me money couldn’t pay up and gave it to me instead. I never intended to use it, but today I took it out to help you. Fortunately, it’s not poison. If we were caught with it, it would be a crime. That’s why I told you not to mention it again. It’s enough that just a few of us know about it. As for other medicines, I really don’t have any. However, I’m sure such medicines exist in the world. If you need them in the future, come to me, and I’ll help you find them.”
Zhang Qingniang held Zhao Xiaohua’s hand, saying, “When the time comes, come to me. Just don’t forget to share some benefits with me.”
Though disappointed, Zhao Xiaohua felt reassured that Zhang Qingniang would help her in the future. She believed that her sister-in-law was clever and might indeed be of great assistance when the time came. As long as Zhang Qingniang didn’t compete with her for a man, Zhao Xiaohua was willing to share some benefits with her. After all, she would still need the support of her natal family and wanted to show that she had married well by ensuring her family appeared prosperous.
“Thank you so much, Sister-in-law. But, you know, I want to marry into a good family, which is why I thought of becoming the Rain Goddess. Who would have thought that a wild dog would suddenly appear and scare me off the carriage? Sister-in-law, what should I do now?”
As Zhao Xiaohua spoke, her face darkened with worry and fear. There hadn’t been any rain this year, and she was genuinely afraid of a severe drought. If that happened, everyone would blame her. Even if they couldn’t hit or scold her, she couldn’t bear the tarnished reputation. She remembered the previous Rain Goddess who fell from the carriage and was later rejected by her fiancé and married off to a distant place. The thought of experiencing the same fate terrified her.
Zhang Qingniang, seeing Zhao Xiaohua’s fear, patted her hand reassuringly. “Don’t worry, Xiaohua. We’ll figure something out. Maybe we can find another way to ensure you get a good match. And as for the Rain Goddess matter, we’ll think of a plan to deal with it. You’re not alone in this; we’ll face it together.”
Zhao Xiaohua felt a bit more at ease hearing Zhang Qingniang’s comforting words. She trusted that with her sister-in-law’s intelligence and support, they might find a way out of this predicament.
Zhang Qingniang, having heard Zhao Daliang explain the seriousness of the situation, felt that Zhao Xiaohua was indeed very unlucky, but she still believed the situation wasn’t irreparable.
“Don’t worry, sister. Sometimes bad things can turn into good ones. Think about it, it hasn’t rained since the beginning of spring, and everyone is hoping for rain. If it rains after the Rain Worship Festival, all the credit will go to you, and no one will remember that you fell from the carriage.”
“Exactly, Xiaohua, your sister-in-law is right. We haven’t had a severe drought here in years. It’s not that easy for a drought to happen. I think the rain is just a bit late. With Guyu approaching, it will surely rain in a few days,” Zhao Daliang chimed in, trying to comfort her.
Their reassurances made Zhao Xiaohua feel a little better. If it did rain soon, her fall would quickly be forgotten, and she might still be praised as the Rain Goddess who brought the much-needed rain.
Seeing that Zhao Xiaohua was still a bit downcast, Zhang Qingniang said, “Xiaohua, even if we do face a drought, don’t worry. Just shift the blame to someone else. Didn’t you say it was Shen Wulang from the Shen family who threw something that scared the wild dog, causing it to rush at you? That makes it his fault. And wasn’t Shen Zhu covered in rashes before? If the Rain Goddess gets scared and falls from the carriage because of a dog called by her nephew, and he also falls from the carriage, people will definitely blame them. You’ll just be a victim of their misfortune.”
Upon hearing this, Zhao Xiaohua’s eyes brightened immediately.
“Sister-in-law, you’re right! We’ll blame the Shen family. Shen Zhu has always wanted to marry into a good family. Let’s see how she manages that after this. If she dares to implicate me, I’ll bring her down with me. Sister-in-law, you’re brilliant! I feel so much better now.”
Zhao Daliang looked at Zhang Qingniang and felt he had made the right choice in marrying her. She was beautiful, gentle, wealthy, and intelligent, and her relationship with his mother and sister was also excellent. It seemed that his future would only get brighter. If they had a son in the future, everything would be perfect.
The Zhao family returned home happily.
After the Rain Worship Festival, construction began on a new house for the Zhao family. While it was customary to plant melons and beans around Guyu, most people in their area planted wheat and rice, along with sweet potatoes. Few people were planting melons and beans yet, so there wasn’t much work to do in the fields. Thus, finding workers to build the house was relatively easy.
With both the Zhao and Li families planning to build houses, the atmosphere on the east side of the river became lively.
Originally, the east side of the river wasn’t considered a desirable location, and villagers preferred not to settle there. However, since Shen Zi’an’s family became wealthy and built such a large compound there, the people of Riverside Village started to view the east side with less disdain.
Su Zhi found it strange that the Zhao family were building their houses here. She wondered why, now that they had money and Zhao Daliang was involved in business, they didn’t find a house in the city instead of building in the countryside. However, rumors began to circulate in the village, suggesting that the Zhao family’s chosen location had excellent Feng Shui. Some fortune tellers even claimed that living there would bring wealth. So, despite their newfound wealth, they decided to settle their homes there.
The villagers of Riverside Village believed in this notion. Zhao Daliang’s family used to be very poor; they couldn’t even afford to raise both of their sons until they adopted out one. Now, suddenly, they were wealthy.
Some also pointed out that Shen Zi’an’s and Li Shi’s families, who also lived on the east side of the river, had become wealthy too, likely due to the good Feng Shui of the area. In the past, this area was considered unfavorable due to poor crop yields and inconvenient transportation, but now it had become desirable.
However, others argued that there were still a few poor families struggling to put food on the table, suggesting that not all of the east side was blessed with good Feng Shui. This reminder prompted people to reconsider, realizing that perhaps the west side of the river was more convenient and comfortable. Nevertheless, some still harbored the desire to move to the east side in the future, including Shen Zigui’s family.
After Shen Ziju finished his exams, Shen Zigui’s family could finally move out. They also decided to build a house, and after much consideration, they concluded that the east side of the river was the best option.
When Shen Zi’an heard about their decision, he welcomed it warmly. He mentioned that there was a piece of land next to their property that they could buy from Li Zheng.
Li Zheng, aware of their plans to divide the property, approved the sale, and they purchased the land for five taels of silver. It was a sizable piece of land, and the family was thrilled. They eagerly awaited Shen Ziju’s completion of his exams so they could start building their new home.
Meanwhile, Shen Zi’an and Su Zhi began preparing their own garden. They had already bought plenty of materials and were ready to start as soon as Li Shi’s family finished their construction so they could lend a hand.
Su Zhi looked at the dwindling amount of silver in her hands and decided she needed to earn more. The most direct way was to continue selling her recipes. Now that Zhang Dafu knew about her, she could sell to him more frequently. After a few more sales, she would have sold most of her recipes and could then focus solely on her own business.
Upon hearing Su Zhi’s decision, Shen Zi’an took her back to town. Along the way, they encountered the large dog again, and it led them to someone else.