Chapter 72: Zhou Shufen’s Secret

“Ah? Then why is that?”

Seeing their family so enthusiastic, Zhou Shufen took Aunt Liu as a confidant and decided to share her little secret.

“At the place where I worked, a boss had an accident and died, leaving behind a young wife and a son. The grandmother of that family was afraid that they, as a widow and an orphan, would take her son’s property and marry someone else. Guess what happened?”

“What happened? Did they not let her marry?”

Zhou Shufen shook her head. “The woman is still young, just in her early twenties.”

“Then did they just kick the wife out and keep the child and the property?”

Zhou Shufen still shook her head.

“Did they kick them both out and not let them take any property?”

Zhou Shufen continued to shake her head.

“Could it be that they killed the young daughter-in-law?”

Zhou Shufen: “…”

“What are you thinking? Killing someone is illegal; how could that be possible?”

This left Aunt Liu and her son itching with curiosity.

“Then what was it? Just tell us.”

Zhou Shufen had kept them in suspense long enough and finally explained, “She has a younger son, and they directly had the younger son marry the elder daughter-in-law. That way, the property stays in the family, and the daughter-in-law is still part of their family, and the eldest grandson is also theirs.”

“Ah?” Aunt Liu and her daughter were shocked.

“Did that young widow agree?” Aunt Liu asked.

“Why wouldn’t she agree? A widow and an orphan can’t hold onto a business. Rather than letting outsiders benefit, it’s better to stay and guard it with the family. After all, that child is still from that family, right? If it were another set of grandparents, would they care for him as much?”

Aunt Liu and her son weren’t foolish and immediately understood Zhou Shufen’s implication.

So, she had her eyes on Zhang Tingyuan.

And instead of saying it directly, she spun a story.

So… did she really want to go out and do business?

What business? To hell with Zhou Shufen; it seemed like she wanted to come back to get married.

But she hadn’t expected to come back late; Zhang Tingyuan was already married.

Xiaoqin rolled her eyes and walked away.

Aunt Liu suppressed her anger and kindly advised, “You came back too late; Zhang Tingyuan is married now. Moreover, that couple with the Ye surname seems to be Lin Bingwei’s biological parents. Once they recognize each other, she’ll become a rich man’s daughter. Zhang Tingyuan isn’t foolish; he wouldn’t divorce her.”

“Then do you think Lin Bingwei, now a rich man’s daughter, would look down on Zhang Tingyuan and want a divorce?”

Aunt Liu shook her head. “No, she can’t. Zhang Tingyuan is a soldier. I’ve heard that unless the soldier himself agrees to the divorce, the soldier’s spouse cannot initiate it.”

She seemed to know quite a bit.

Aunt Liu said, “Listen to your aunt’s advice; men and children are unreliable. If you have connections, it’s better to focus on making money.”

Zhou Shufen lowered her head in silence.

Aunt Liu continued to persuade her, “Anyway, the child is yours; he won’t run away. Isn’t it good to have someone help you raise him? Once the child grows up and understands, you can come back to claim him. Isn’t that better than now? As for Zhang Tingyuan, there’s really nothing you can do; you came back too late.”

“Alas!” Zhou Shufen finally took it in, sighed deeply, and said, “Aunt Liu, I’m really sorry for bothering you these past few days. I’ll go check the train tickets and leave in a few days.”

Aunt Liu was happy and said, “That’s good. Then what about my Xiaoqin…”

Zhou Shufen didn’t know how to respond and asked indirectly, “Are you short on money right now?”

Aunt Liu nodded, “Well, I have no choice. It’s not that I haven’t given her chances; I’ve given her too many over the years. I’ve spent a lot of money and provided her with plenty of medicine, but she still can’t get pregnant. What can I do? If this drags on, my son will be older, and it will be harder to find someone after a divorce.”

She had already told Xiaoqin to follow her to earn money to find a new daughter-in-law because the current one couldn’t have children.

If she couldn’t earn more money, she would have to sell her blood.

Her husband died young, and ensuring her husband had descendants had become her obsession.

“Anyway, I can’t let my husband’s line die out.”

“But if Xiaoqin follows me, she might have to endure some hardships.”

“It’s fine; she’s not afraid of hardship.”

“The outside world is chaotic. To succeed in business, she’ll have to drink with the bosses and such. She’s just a young girl; I can’t guarantee her safety.”

Aunt Liu hesitated, picturing the scenario of earning money while a young girl had to toast the bosses and end up being taken advantage of.

However, thinking about making money made her endure it.

“Don’t worry, don’t worry. To earn money, you have to invest somewhere; I understand that.”

Zhou Shufen understood and said, “Okay, I got it. I’ll take her away in a few days. You remember to prepare for her; she needs to have some money on her.”

Aunt Liu actually didn’t want to give Xiaoqin money, but thinking about her earning money to bring home made her awkwardly nod.

“That’s right; I still care about Xiaoqin. I’ll try to prepare more for her.”

The plan was pretty much set. Although Zhou Shufen was still reluctant, there was nothing she could do.

Who told her that her fate was so unfortunate?

Her young husband died, and by the time she figured things out and wanted to come back to marry Zhang Tingyuan, it was too late.

Why didn’t she think of this a few months earlier?

Aunt Liu was happy to have arranged for her daughter to earn money. Tonight, she had her daughter-in-law take out some preserved meat that had been prepared before the New Year to cook and enjoy a good meal together.

After dinner, Aunt Liu pulled her son Zhang Li aside to discuss the matter.

“I’ve already talked to Shufen and let her take your sister out to earn money. Once they’ve earned enough for a new daughter-in-law, you can divorce your wife. But Xiaoqin needs money for the train ticket, so you should let your wife borrow some.”

“Ah? How much do we need?”

Aunt Liu thought for a moment and said, “At least two or three hundred.”

“That much?”

“I asked Shufen; just the train ticket costs seventy to eighty, and the expenses outside are high. To do business, you need some capital; at least three hundred.”

“How can she borrow that much?”

“How can’t she borrow it? She can’t have children, and her family is always afraid you’ll divorce her, so just let her go back and tell her family she needs it for medical treatment. For such a big issue, three hundred isn’t too much.”

Zhang Li hesitated for a moment, “Sigh! I’ll give it a try.”

“Okay, go tell her quickly.”

“By the way, when are they planning to leave?”

“In a few days, so we need to hurry with the money.”

Zhang Li thought about Zhou Shufen. Although she was in her second marriage, she was younger than his wife and looked much younger and prettier, plus she could still have children.

So he quietly said to his mother, “Mom, why don’t I just get together with Shufen? She can earn money and has the ability to have kids. What do you think?”

Aunt Liu had been focused on having her daughter follow Zhou Shufen to earn big money and hadn’t considered this angle at all.