Chapter 55: Earned Another Sum of Silver

Seeing Liu Lanzhi, Du Wanchun was slightly surprised for a moment but quickly regained her composure and smiled. “This incense shop belongs to my family, so of course, I am here.”

Liu Lanzhi’s eyes widened in disbelief as she stared at her. “You’re saying this shop belongs to your family? Impossible! Your husband’s family is so poor they can barely make ends meet. How could you possibly have the silver to open a shop?”

Du Wanchun didn’t want to waste time explaining and simply ignored her. Instead, she turned to Madam Li and asked, “Madam, are you here to buy perfume again today?”

Madam Li pushed Liu Lanzhi aside with a look of disdain, stepped into the shop, and glanced at the incense on the shelves. “The sandalwood pagoda incense you gave me last time was quite good. I’ll buy another box.”

Du Wanchun quickly smiled and took a small wooden box from the shelf, handing it to Madam Li.

Madam Li held the box, opened it for a look, and then asked, “How much for this box of pagoda incense?”

Du Wanchun smiled gently. “Madam, each piece of our mid-grade pagoda incense is seventy wen. This box contains fifteen pieces, which comes to one tael and fifty wen. But don’t worry about the fifty wen; just one tael of silver will do.”

Madam Li nodded slightly, closed the box, and said, “Alright, I’ll take it.”

After speaking, she signaled her maid to hand over one tael of silver to Du Wanchun.

Du Wanchun accepted it with a smile and turned to Zhou Feng to record the transaction.

Although Madam Li had initially looked down on Du Wanchun and Madam Zhou, she had to admit that the pagoda incense Du Wanchun sold her last time was excellent. County Magistrate Li, who often suffered from headaches, had felt completely refreshed after using it and repeatedly praised it.

This made Madam Li respect them from the bottom of her heart. So, when she saw Du Wanchun and Madam Zhou again, her attitude was much warmer than before.

When she looked at her daughter-in-law, Liu Lanzhi, she even started wondering if what the fortune teller had said was true—could this girl really be a bringer of fortune?

However, Madam Li wasn’t one to believe in superstitions. After carefully storing away the incense, she turned and left the shop.

Meanwhile, Liu Lanzhi stood outside, still in shock. She had never expected that the stepsister she had bullied since childhood could run a business so effortlessly. And just like that, she had earned an entire tael of silver from a single box of incense!

That was more than her monthly allowance at the Li household.

Liu Lanzhi was instantly filled with jealousy, especially when she saw the bright, cheerful smile on Du Wanchun’s face. The sight made her even angrier.

After all, she was the one who had married into the Li family. She was the one who had climbed the social ladder and transformed into a noble lady.

How could Du Wanchun be living a better life than her?

Liu Lanzhi spiraled into a vicious cycle of resentment, hating everything about Du Wanchun. Her teeth began chattering involuntarily from anger.

Seeing her standing still for so long, Madam Li turned and shouted, “What are you waiting for? Hurry up!”

Liu Lanzhi was startled by her sudden scolding, and with a loud plop, everything in her hands fell to the ground.

---

Madam Li saw what happened, and her face instantly darkened with anger. She rushed over, pointed at Liu Lanzhi’s forehead, and scolded furiously, “You can’t even hold onto a few things properly? Useless! Just look at the Zhou family’s daughter-in-law—she’s better than you in every way!”

Hearing the commotion, Du Wanchun glanced toward the entrance. Liu Lanzhi stood outside with her head bowed, her face pale, unable to utter a single word as Madam Li berated her mercilessly.

The more Madam Li scolded, the more enraged she became, completely forgetting her status as the county magistrate’s wife. She grabbed Liu Lanzhi by the ear and yanked it. “Hurry up and pick up the things you dropped! Stop embarrassing me out here!”

Liu Lanzhi let out a cry of pain and glanced at Du Wanchun from the corner of her eye before quickly biting her lip and turning away. Swallowing her humiliation, she hastily knelt down to pick up the scattered items.

Du Wanchun watched the scene with a mix of emotions. She couldn’t help but feel relieved—thank goodness she hadn’t married into the Li family. Otherwise, she would have been the one standing in the street, getting scolded today.

She patted her chest and let out a deep breath of relief.

Madam Zhou, who had also witnessed everything, walked over and gently took Du Wanchun’s hand, whispering, “Come on, let’s go home.”

“Mm.” Du Wanchun looked up and responded with a smile.

At that moment, Zhou Ruiyuan returned with the carriage. He strode forward, took his wife’s hand, and carefully helped her onto the carriage. Then, he turned around and assisted Madam Zhou as well.

Zhou Zhao sat at the front, holding the reins, and slowly drove the carriage away.

When they arrived back in Changliu Village, they returned the carriage to the Wang family at the village entrance and also gave them some copper coins as a token of appreciation.

After that, the family went home and started preparing dinner.

Du Wanchun washed the vegetables, Madam Zhou cooked, Zhou Ruiyuan tended the fire, and Zhou Zhao fed the chickens in the backyard.

The family remained busy until dusk, when they finally sat down to enjoy a fragrant, steaming meal together.

---

Meanwhile, in the Li County Magistrate’s residence in Cheng’an County, Liu Lanzhi didn’t have to cook, but she was responsible for serving the dishes.

As County Magistrate Li and Madam Li sat at the dining table eating, Liu Lanzhi had to stand beside them, holding chopsticks, ready to serve them whatever they desired.

She was starving, yet she could only watch the table full of delicious food while her mouth watered.

Young Master Li paid no attention to her suffering. As he ate, he casually asked, “Mother, how’s the matter of taking a concubine progressing? If we delay any longer, that girl’s belly will start showing soon.