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“Our house has already been sold, and even the land underneath it has been sold together. Naturally, we can’t sell it to you,” said the villagers in front of Aunt Li’s house.
Aunt Li was shocked to hear this. She wanted to build a garden in front of her house, but all around were other households. If she wanted to expand her garden, she would have to buy land from other families. She came here full of confidence, thinking that by spending money, she could persuade this family to agree happily and move away after building a better new house than the current dilapidated one. However, she hadn’t expected such a response, and she felt as if she had been struck by lightning.
Zhao Xiaohua also came along and was equally stunned upon hearing this. However, she recovered before Aunt Li did and quickly asked who had bought it.
It turned out the buyer was none other than Brother Shitou. He had paid twelve taels of silver, which was enough for us to build another new house.
The people of this household spoke with smiles on their faces, and they expressed contempt in their hearts for the price Aunt Li had mentioned earlier. When Aunt Li had made her offer of only six taels of silver, they thought she was treating them like beggars. If they moved away from here, they would still need to buy land to build a house, which would cost a lot of money. Her six taels of silver were simply not enough. Seeing how easily Li Shi had offered twelve taels, which was enough for them to buy land and build a house, that was what a true person would do.
Aunt Li and Zhao Xiaohua walked out of this household under the disdainful gazes of its residents. Then, they hurriedly went to the household on the east side, but the response they received was the same: it was also sold to Li Shi. And not just that house, even the one next to it was sold to Li Shi.
“What is this Li Shi planning to do?” Aunt Li exclaimed angrily, coughing violently. The person beside her quickly patted her back, but ended up getting pinched several times, crying out in pain.
“Don’t cry out. If you do, I’ll sell you off,” came the stern warning.
Zhao Xiaohua gritted her teeth and said to Xiqi, which made Xiqi too frightened to make a sound, tears streaming down his face as he rubbed her arm. Zhao Xiaohua was also very angry. She realized that with all the land next to their house bought by Li Shi, they wouldn’t be able to expand their garden. Moreover, what was Li Shi planning to do with all this land? It wasn’t suitable for growing crops here. Could he also be intending to enclose it as a garden? The thought of this possibility made Zhao Xiaohua even angrier.
Aunt Li and Zhao Xiaohua discussed for a while, then headed straight to Li Shi’s house.
Li Shi’s house was now finished and tidied up. Li Shi went to help Shen Zi’an tidy up the garden in his yard. Liu Siniang was experiencing her monthly period today, so she didn’t go out. She did some cleaning around the house and then sat inside, sewing. Building the house had cost a lot of money all at once, so she needed to work even harder to earn back that silver.
When she heard someone knocking urgently at the door, Liu Siniang went to answer it. She was in a hurry to open the door and was surprised to find Aunt Li and Zhao Xiaohua standing outside.
When Aunt Li and Zhao Xiaohua saw that Liu Siniang was the one who opened the door, their expressions turned sour. Especially when they noticed Liu Siniang’s complexion and attire, their eyebrows furrowed even more.
Ever since leaving the Zhao family and staying with Su Zhi for some time, Liu Siniang had been extremely well taken care of. Later, she married Li Shi, who treated her with great care. He always found ways to improve her health, and in no time, Liu Siniang had undergone a remarkable transformation in the eyes of others. Her sallow skin turned fair with a rosy tint, her hair, although still slightly yellowed, gained a glossy sheen, and although she remained slender, she had put on some weight, no longer appearing as a mere skeleton. She wore a silver hairpin adorned with a green jade, and her outfit, a blue floral-patterned cloth, was of excellent quality, made from a fine cotton fabric. In this village, only a few women could be seen wearing clothes made from such fabric.
Aunt Li and Zhao Xiaohua were displeased to see Liu Siniang like this. It could be said that since Liu Siniang had left them and found a better life, they weren’t happy about it.
Seeing the mother and daughter duo, Liu Siniang felt equally unhappy. These two were her former mother-in-law and sister-in-law, the source of her past hardships. Seeing them reminded her of those difficult days, so how could she be happy?
“What are you here for?” Liu Siniang blocked the doorway, not allowing the two to enter. This was her home, and she wouldn’t allow these two in. They were not welcome here.
Aunt Li cursed, “You’ve really grown some backbone, huh? Don’t forget, I used to be your mother-in-law, your elder. And you treat me like this? No wonder you can’t even lay an egg, your heart is so black it’s rotten!”
Liu Siniang’s face turned pale in an instant. Her inability to conceive was her deep-seated issue. Although Su Zhi had mentioned that Zhao Daliang had been away from home for two and a half out of three years, which wasn’t her fault, being criticized for over three years had taken its toll on her heart. Now, being reminded of it again felt like returning to those past days, causing her heart to ache.
Zhao Xiaohua quickly pulled Aunt Li aside. Liu Siniang wasn’t part of the Zhao family anymore, so it wouldn’t be appropriate for her mother to continue scolding her like this, especially outside the house. If someone heard and reported it to Li Shi, it would be troublesome. Zhao Xiaohua knew Li Shi wasn’t someone to be trifled with.
Thinking of Li Shi, Zhao Xiaohua felt a pang in her heart. She had once considered him as a potential match for herself. However, she eventually felt that although Li Shi had some abilities and money, he still wasn’t up to her standards. She thought she should marry into a wealthy family where she could command servants. That’s why she gave up on Li Shi. But she hadn’t expected Li Shi to marry Liu Siniang. And seeing how well Liu Siniang was doing now, and knowing that Li Shi not only renovated their house but also bought so much land nearby, made her feel a twinge of jealousy. She thought Li Shi actually had a solid financial foundation and that Liu Siniang had truly lucked out.
“Why are you insulting people in front of their house?”
Aunt Li and Zhao Xiaohua felt embarrassed upon hearing someone speaking behind them. They realized that their previous words might have been overheard. They also understood that Liu Siniang was no longer part of the Zhao family and had remarried. It wouldn’t be right for them to continue scolding her like this.
As soon as Su Zhi arrived, she heard Aunt Li’s insults towards Liu Siniang. She couldn’t help but wonder why Aunt Li was still causing trouble. After all, Liu Siniang was no longer her daughter-in-law, so what was the point of stirring up trouble here?
Aunt Li and Zhao Xiaohua felt uneasy when they saw Su Zhi. Deep down, they both knew that dealing with Su Zhi wasn’t easy. Moreover, with Shen Zi’an’s family doing better and better, both Zhao Daliang and Zhang Qingniang had advised them not to quarrel with Shen Zi’an’s family. Therefore, they didn’t want to argue with Su Zhi. Now that Su Zhi had caught Aunt Li insulting Liu Siniang, they wondered how to resolve the situation.
“Sister Zhao, you’re here. We came to see Brother Shitou about something,” Zhao Xiaohua spoke first, hoping to gloss over what had just happened.
But Su Zhi wasn’t inclined to let it slide. She couldn’t tolerate this kind of behavior.
“If you’re here to talk to Brother Shitou, you should refrain from insulting his wife as soon as you step through the door. Sister Siniang and Brother Shitou have only been married for less than a month, and if they want to have children, they’ll have to wait a while longer. Do you have the heart to come here and nitpick? You’d be better off going home to take care of your own daughters-in-law,” Su Zhi said sternly, then walked over to Liu Siniang.
Liu Siniang had been momentarily affected by Aunt Li’s words earlier, but she had already recovered. She smiled at Su Zhi, knowing that Su Zhi was always supportive and that she needed to be strong herself.
“Aunt Li, whether my heart is black or rotten, if it is, people will see it without you having to say anything. You don’t need to remind me. And don’t bring up the fact that you used to be my mother-in-law. If people ask, are you not afraid of being questioned about how you became a former mother-in-law? You don’t mind being laughed at? I think it’s embarrassing to have been married into a family like yours,” Liu Siniang retorted firmly.
“That’s right. It’s just like that. But all that is in the past now. As long as I’ve married right this time, there will be endless good days ahead, and let others regret it,” she added confidently.
Su Zhi was pleased to see Liu Siniang standing up for herself. She admired her courage.
Aunt Li and Zhao Xiaohua couldn’t say anything in response, but they felt angry inside.
“Liu Siniang, we came to talk to Brother Shitou about something. Is he at home?” Zhao Xiaohua asked, attempting to steer the conversation back to its original purpose.
Zhao Xiaohua spoke up again, asking, “Is he not at home?”
Liu Siniang replied, “He’s not at home. If you have any business, you can tell me. I’m his wife now, and I can handle his affairs.”
Aunt Li and Zhao Xiaohua felt even more aggrieved upon hearing this. She used to be their daughter-in-law, but now she referred to herself as someone else’s wife. It felt really uncomfortable.
“We just wanted to ask if you bought the houses and land in front of our house and the two houses to the east. If you did, could you sell the land to us? We’ll pay the same amount you paid,” Aunt Li stated.
Upon hearing this, Su Zhi chuckled inwardly. It turned out this was the matter they came for, and it was her idea.
When Li Shi was building the house, Su Zhi had suggested to him and Liu Siniang that they should buy all the nearby land, so they could have a big garden in the future.
Su Zhi’s suggestion was simply to ensure that the living standards of the Li family and her own family didn’t differ too much. Among friends, differences in savings might be acceptable, but significant disparities in living conditions could lead to tension. Although Su Zhi believed that Li Shi and Liu Siniang were not petty individuals, she wanted what was best for them. Throughout history, having multiple properties and land was never a mistake.
One of the reasons Su Zhi used to persuade Li Shi was that if they bought up all the land, the Zhao family wouldn’t be able to expand their garden. Then, their family’s auspicious land would be limited, and even if the Zhao family had more money, they would still be overshadowed by the Li family’s garden.
When Li Shi heard this reason, he immediately agreed. Now, it seemed like the right decision. Look, the Zhao family wanted to expand their garden, but they couldn’t find any land to buy.
“We’re not selling. You can leave now,” Liu Siniang said firmly, feeling extremely satisfied. She pulled Su Zhi inside and slammed the door shut with a loud bang.