Chapter 76: Shouldn’t Zhaodi Talk to You About Hatred?

Especially the large bones, which hardly have any meat on them and are heavy, so they are very cheap.

However, Hu Zhaodi had already instructed Brother Ji to not sell the bones, but to save them for making soup.

Although Brother Ji didn’t understand why Hu Zhaodi didn’t want to sell the bones, sometimes what she said was more effective than what his father, Uncle Ji, had said.

Yang Dahui asked hoarsely and unwillingly, “So are there any large bones left?”

Brother Ji answered, “Yes, but they’re not for sale.”

Yang Dahui was so angry he nearly passed out. “Why aren’t the large bones for sale?”

Hu Zhaodi stepped forward. “I’ll answer that for you.

The large bones are rich in calcium when boiled for soup, which can promote bone growth and prevent osteoporosis.

Especially for someone like me, who hasn’t been well-fed in the Hu family and suffered from severe malnutrition, drinking more bone soup will help me grow taller.

So, our large bones aren’t for sale; they’re reserved for making soup so I can grow taller.”

Yang Dahui couldn’t help but twitch his lips, seriously suspecting that the Ji family was deliberately targeting him.

This Hu Zhaodi was really ruthless, holding a grudge over a small matter for such a long time.

Take his throat problem, for instance. That little devil only gave him half the antidote.

Just when he was about to become mute, Hu Zhaodi gave him a little more antidote, but still didn’t fully cure him.

In Yang Dahui’s mind, he wanted to harm Hu Zhaodi was a small matter.

But if anyone tried to harm him or his disabled son, that would be a huge deal.

The smell of meat wafting from the Ji family’s kitchen made Yang Dahui swallow several times.

But if he had to spend fifteen wen to buy a pound of wild boar meat, he still thought it was too expensive.

In fact, fifteen wen per pound was not expensive for the meat that Hu Zhaodi sold. Moreover, whenever she weighed the meat, the scale would always tilt high.

When weighing a pound, she would usually give an extra one or two taels.

In the past, Yang Dahui was the village head, and taking advantage had become a habit. Now, he wished the Ji family would give him a few pounds of meat for free.

In short, he wanted to eat for nothing.

But now that he was no longer the village head, who would still show him respect?

In the end, he bought half a pound of pork, holding it as the villagers looked at him with disdain.

Less than the time it takes for a cup of tea, Yang arrived at the Ji family’s small courtyard again, this time with Hu Dashan.

Yang asked, “Are there any large bones left? How much per pound?”

Brother Ji gave her a cold glance and answered, “No, our large bones aren’t for sale. They’re saved to make soup for Zhaodi. I heard that stuff helps with calcium, and Zhaodi will grow taller after drinking it.”

Yang wasn’t willing to give up. “Could you spare me a couple of bones? My Yaozu wants to drink some bone soup.”

“No, with your grandson’s temperament, would he even want to drink soup if there’s meat to eat?”

“Could you at least give me a little less meat? How about selling me a pound for ten wen?”

Nearby, some villagers couldn’t stand it any longer.

“I say, old woman, if you can’t afford the meat, don’t buy it. When you slaughter pigs at your house, if I go there, would you sell me a pound for ten wen?”

“This wild boar was hunted by Zhaodi and the Ji brothers at the risk of their lives. It’s already being sold cheaply, and you still have the nerve to haggle. If you can’t afford it, just go home and don’t stand here causing trouble.”

“Get lost, get lost. There’s not enough wild boar meat to go around anyway. Don’t block our way.”

“…”

Listening to the villagers’ disdainful insults, Yang’s face turned from green to pale.

She straightened her neck and shouted, “What are you shouting about? My Hu family has raised Hu Zhaodi for so many years. Isn’t it reasonable for her to give me a little?”

Someone sarcastically said, “Old woman, have some shame, will you? You’ve severed ties, and yet you still bring it up every day?”

Yang sneered, “Severed ties? Who agreed to that? Is there a written document for the severance?”

Hu Zhaodi coldly spoke, “Sorry, I actually do have one. The county magistrate personally stamped it with the official seal. Would you like to take a look?”

“That’s impossible! That can’t be true! The severance document can only be obtained if the village head goes to the county office to explain the situation. How did you get it?”

Hu Zhaodi mockingly responded, “Yang Dahui got it for me. How about that? Surprised? Shocked?”

“That’s impossible. Yang Dahui promised me he would never get you the severance document.”

“Well, why don’t you go ask him at his house right now and see if he got me the severance document? By the way, now that my Uncle Ji is the village head, getting a severance document is as easy as eating or drinking.”

Yang was stunned, automatically ignoring the fact that Uncle Ji was now the village head.

Hu Dashan tugged at Yang’s clothes and whispered, “Mother, let’s go.”

Yang shook him off. “What’s wrong with you? Are you embarrassed? Do you even have any face left to lose? What’s more important, face or your stomach?”

Hu Dashan lowered his head as far as it could go.

Yang glared at Hu Zhaodi. “Zhaodi, are you really going to show no mercy at all?”

Brother Ji snorted coldly, “Hmph! Mercy? What mercy are you talking about with Zhaodi?

In your Hu family, Zhaodi was either starving or being beaten. She nearly died several times at your hands.

And now, you come to talk to her about mercy. Shouldn’t Zhaodi be talking to you about hatred instead?”

Yang was left speechless, her face turning green with anger. She grabbed Hu Dashan and lowered her head, turning to leave.

Watching the mother and son leave, Brother Ji asked, “Zhaodi, aren’t you planning to move your household registration?”

Hu Zhaodi shook her head slightly. “Brother Ji, where am I supposed to move my registration now?

I know the Ji family will accept my registration, but moving it again later would just cause more trouble.

Once my house is built, I can just move my registration there. It’ll be much easier that way.”

Brother Ji nodded. “Hmm, you’ve thought this through. Once the private school is done, your house can start construction as well.”

Hu Zhaodi smiled. “After the autumn harvest, most of the work for the private school will be taken care of by the craftsmen. We can start digging the foundation at the Xiaosonglin site.

After the autumn harvest, we’ll discuss this with Uncle Ji. We’ll have the villagers help with digging the foundation, hauling stone, and clearing the land. We can pay them with either cash or grain. This way, we can increase the villagers’ income and improve their lives.”

Uncle Ji, who overheard Hu Zhaodi’s words, looked at her with admiration and pride in his eyes.

However, Uncle Ji had no idea about Hu Zhaodi’s full plan. If he knew, he would be shocked.

The plot of land Hu Zhaodi bought was very large. In addition to building a four-courtyard house, she planned to build a pigsty, a chicken coop, and a fish pond. The entire area would be cleared for vegetable and fruit gardens.

Originally, Yang Dahui had agreed to allocate a smaller plot of land to Hu Zhaodi, but after the county magistrate personally measured the land, the plot given to Hu Zhaodi was much larger.

In fact, the entire Xiaosonglin land usage rights now belonged to Hu Zhaodi.

The total area of land in Xiaosonglin, including the plot allocated to her, was about fifteen acres.

However, more than half of it still needed to be cleared before anything could be planted.