Chapter 40 Stepmother was beaten

Zhou Ruiyuan weighed the silver in his hand, slightly surprised. “Five taels?”

Du Wanchun smiled and nodded. “Yes, Madam Fang bought our bottle of floral dew for five taels of silver.”

“That’s wonderful.” Zhou Ruiyuan looked at her bright smile and couldn’t help but smile along with her.

When he smiled, his handsome features softened, making him look even more attractive than usual.

Seeing him like this, Du Wanchun felt a warm sensation in her heart.

“Wanchun, Ruiyuan, stop working for a bit and come rest. The eggs are almost ready.” Madam Zhou called out to them.

Du Wanchun quickly pulled Zhou Ruiyuan’s hand and led him into the front room.

A short while later, Zhou Zhao brought out the boiled eggs.

Just a few months ago, their family could barely afford to eat, surviving on donated sweet potatoes and coarse rice.

Now, not only could they enjoy steaming white rice and fragrant eggs, but they also had fresh, warm eggs to eat.

For them, this was something they never even dared to dream of.

Zhou Zhao peeled an egg, took a big bite, and as he chewed, tears welled up in his eyes. “Mother, this is so good.”

Madam Zhou quickly handed him a cup of water. “Zhao’er, slow down.”

Zhou Zhao didn’t even drink the water—he just swallowed the egg straight down.

Unlike him, Zhou Feng peeled an egg and handed it to Madam Zhou.

Zhou Ruiyuan also peeled an egg and gave it to Du Wanchun. Neither of them could bear to eat it themselves—they only wanted to save the best for their loved ones.

In the past, they had eaten eggs before, but back then, their table had been filled with all kinds of delicacies, and they never paid much attention to something as simple as an egg.

Now, their circumstances and mindsets were completely different, which was why Zhou Zhao was so emotional.

Du Wanchun held the smooth, white egg in her palm, took a small bite, and chewed slowly. As she thought about everything she had experienced over the past ten years, a wave of emotion surged through her heart.

At that moment, she realized that the egg in her hand tasted more delicious than any she had ever eaten before.

After finishing their eggs, the family busied themselves picking radishes and making more floral dew, working with great enthusiasm.

Meanwhile, the Du family in Xiangtang Village was facing a completely different situation.

Madam Liu had given birth to a baby girl, which made Du Dajiang despise her even more. Their days were growing harder by the day.

One afternoon, she picked up an egg from the backyard, planning to make egg drop soup.

But just as she held the egg in her hand, Du Dajiang snatched it away. “What do you think you’re eating for? You don’t even have a child in your belly anymore. Eating this is just a waste!”

After saying that, he took the egg and hid it in the oil jar in the backyard.

Madam Liu’s face turned pale with anger. Her body trembled as she pointed at him and shouted, “Du Dajiang! How dare you treat me like this? I’m going to the county magistrate’s house to file a complaint against you!”

Du Dajiang scoffed and glanced at her with disdain. “Go ahead! Do it! Just because your daughter married the eldest young master of the Li family, you think you’re something special? Hah! I bet the Li family doesn’t even care about her!”

Liu sneered coldly. “So what if they look down on her? At least it’s better than your daughter marrying into that penniless Zhou family! Du Dajiang, just you wait. My daughter will surely be wealthier than yours in the future!”

The more Du Dajiang thought about it, the angrier he became. Back then, he had no idea what kind of bewitching spell Liu had cast on him, but he had actually given away his daughter’s good marriage to this woman’s daughter. Now, even though he was technically the father-in-law of Young Master Li, he was in an awkward position—neither fully acknowledged nor completely estranged. It left him feeling stuck.

He picked up the smoking pipe from the ground and swung it at Liu. “You still have the nerve to talk?! If it weren’t for you, would my Wanchun have ended up in such a poor marriage?!”

The pipe struck Liu hard on the head.

She clutched her head in pain, wailing, “You… you… how dare you hit me?!”

Du Dajiang, still gripping the pipe, made another move toward her. “And what if I do?! After all the suffering you’ve brought upon my family, you should be grateful I haven’t thrown you out!”

Liu quickly dodged and ran toward the door, yelling as she fled, “Du Dajiang, just you wait! I’m going to find my daughter and son-in-law and have them stand up for me!”

Du Dajiang pointed after her and shouted, “Go ahead! Just don’t bother coming back!”

Liu ran faster and faster, truly heading in the direction of Cheng’an County.

The journey from Xiangtang Village to Cheng’an County was quite a distance. It took Liu more than an hour to reach the gates of Magistrate Li’s residence.

She tidied her clothes, plastered a bright smile on her face, and stepped forward to knock on the door.

Before long, the door opened, and a young servant boy appeared.

The servant gave Liu a once-over before asking, “Who are you?”

Liu immediately smiled and said, “I am the mother of your Young Madam. I’ve come to see her.”

Upon hearing this, the servant glanced her over again, but this time, there was an unmistakable trace of disdain in his eyes.

“Fine, come with me.” He turned and led Liu inside.

Liu, still smiling, followed behind him.

The Li residence was indeed a grand and wealthy household, a spacious three-section mansion. Passing through a courtyard and along a covered walkway, they soon arrived at the main hall.

Inside the hall, Madam Li was in the middle of scolding Liu Lanzhi harshly. “A country girl will always be a country girl! You can’t even read! I gave you a prescription and sent you to buy medicine, and you couldn’t even get the right herbs! How am I supposed to entrust the household management to you?!”

Liu Lanzhi knelt on the ground, her head bowed in grievance. “Madam, it wasn’t my mistake. The pharmacy gave me the wrong herbs.”

Madam Li slapped her hard across the face and shouted, “How dare you talk back to me?!”

Liu Lanzhi clutched her cheek, pressing her head lower, not daring to say another word.

Madam Li took a deep breath to calm herself, then sat down and took a sip of tea. “Oh, by the way, Yuehong will be moving into the household next month.”

Liu Lanzhi’s body stiffened. She looked up at Madam Li in shock. “Madam, I haven’t even been married for a full month, and you’re already letting my husband take a concubine?!”

Madam Li narrowed her eyes and snapped, “And what of it? It’s normal for men to have multiple wives! What are you getting so worked up about? Do you think you, of all people, have the right to object? It was already an extraordinary concession to let you be the main wife. Are you trying to control even this now?!”

Madam Li was tall and thin, with high cheekbones and narrow, upturned eyes that gave her a sharp and harsh look. Her voice was shrill and grating.

Just as these words left her mouth, Liu stepped inside, having witnessed everything. She strode forward with an unpleasant expression and said, “Dear in-law, these two children have been married for less than a month, and you’re already letting my son-in-law take a concubine? How could you?”