Chapter 32

Shen Mo smiled brightly and no longer teased Shen Lin.

He turned to Aunt Shen and said, “Here are the remaining 50 copper coins; you can count them.”

At first, Shen Mo had only paid half of the deposit, agreeing to pay the other half once the work was completed.

In front of Shen Mo, Aunt Shen was not at all reserved; she finally regained the feeling of being an elder. She did not pretend to be formal and took the counting seriously.

“Perfectly fine; I will accept it. Aunt will accept it.” Aunt Shen said as she put away the copper coins.

She was in no hurry to leave and chattered away with Shen Mo about trivial matters.

“By the way, how did you find the ducks you bought from my home last time? They were fat, right? My skills in raising ducks are just as meticulous as my sewing. The ducks I raise are guaranteed to have big heads and ears, with tender meat. Even when steamed, they taste better than those from other places.”

Aunt Shen observed Shen Mo’s expression and then continued: “Look, I’ve bought another batch of ducklings, thinking of fattening them up to give you all some. But tell me, how many should I raise this time?”

Shen Mo understood Aunt Shen’s meaning—she was subtly asking for his opinion!

In fact, Shen Mo had already planned to support Aunt Shen. Back when Wang Jing was still alive, many families in the village bullied Shen Mo—not with actions but with hurtful words.

However, Aunt Shen never joined in. Sometimes, when she happened to witness it, she would even argue on Shen Mo’s behalf. Though it wasn’t a big favor, Shen Mo had always remembered it.

Shen Mo and Shen Lin quietly exchanged a glance, and then Shen Mo said, “Aunt Shen, our business in duck products will continue, and the demand will only grow in the future. If you want to be our sole supplier, I’m afraid you don’t have the capital for such a large scale. How about starting by raising a hundred ducks? We can handle that amount.”

In fact, a hundred ducks would only cover a little over half a month’s sales for the Zhou family’s current business, which wasn’t nearly enough to meet their needs. However, villagers were cautious with their money, and there were only a few who would be willing to invest in raising ducks. Even so, what Shen Mo suggested was already a large number.

After all, each duckling cost ten coins, and a hundred would amount to one tael of silver. One tael was no small sum, and for Aunt Shen’s family, it would be quite a significant investment.

Aunt Shen quickly did the math in her head: a duck could grow to weigh five or six catties, and at eleven coins per catty, that meant each duck would bring in about sixty coins. A hundred ducks would total around six thousand coins, which equaled six strings, or six silver coins!

It would take her about four months to raise the ducklings to full-grown ducks if she fed them well. Earning six silver coins in four months—last year, after working the land for an entire year, she had only saved eleven silver coins by the end of it! My goodness! Aunt Shen was overwhelmed by the numbers, feeling dizzy as she stood up in a daze, grabbing Shen Mo’s hand tightly.

“You really mean it? You’ve decided to take ducks from my family?” Aunt Shen asked, her voice full of excitement. “Such a big deal—don’t you need to discuss this with Zhou, the head of your household? Can you, as a son-in-law, make this decision on your own?”

Shen Mo’s hand was aching from her tight grip, but he discreetly pulled it away without showing any discomfort. He gently patted the back of Aunt Shen’s hand to reassure her.

“This is a small matter. I can make the decision,” he said calmly.

‘This is still a small matter? Six silver coins!’ Aunt Shen thought to herself, inwardly grumbling at how casually Shen Mo treated such a large sum. But on the surface, she continued to smile cheerfully.

“Shen Mo, it’s not that I don’t trust you….” Aunt Shen said with a warm smile. “But you see, for business matters like this, shouldn’t we also sign some sort of contract? That way, it looks proper!”

“Alright.” Shen Mo picked up a pen and wrote a contract for her.

“Aunt Shen, there are some things I must make clear to you first. We don’t care how you raise the ducks or how many die during the process. We only look at the final number. However, no matter how much you deliver to us, we will pay you for that number. As for how many die during the raising process, that has nothing to do with us. Also, we absolutely won’t accept sick or dead ducks. I need to make this very clear to you.”

Aunt Shen nodded repeatedly and said, “I understand, I do. The ducks that die under my care naturally have nothing to do with you. As for the sick or dead ducks that you don’t want, I’ll just eat them myself.”

Shen Mo responded, “It’s better not to eat sick or dead ducks, to avoid catching any illness.”

What kind of illness could it attract? In the village, didn’t every family eat their own sick or dead ducks? Who would be willing to throw them away?

Aunt Shen knew that the Zhou family was no longer what it used to be, and it was no longer a situation she could argue against.

She casually responded a few times and left.

Unexpectedly, as she walked back from the Zhou family, the villagers had not dispersed at all. They were all waiting for her!

“Auntie, you must have made quite a bit of money making clothes for the Zhou family, right? Must be at least 100 copper coins?” Wang Fen came up to her with a jealous tone, sourly asking.

Ever since her husband had passed away, Aunt Shen’s family had fallen into hard times, and over the years, others had gossiped behind her back, calling her poor. Because of this, she had been holding in a sense of resentment.

Now, she finally found an opportunity to raise her head proudly.

She lifted her chin, trying her best to straighten her hunched back.

With a heavy snort through her nose, she said, “A few dozen copper coins are nothing!”

“Keep boasting! A few dozen copper coins are nothing; then why are you even making clothes and wearing yourself out? You might as well not do it!”

Aunt Shen scoffed, “What do you know? I’m doing this out of respect for the Zhou family. If it were someone else, I really wouldn’t take the job! My family has now taken on the task of raising ducks for the Zhou family—one hundred of them! There’s no time to do anything else!”

“100?” Someone in the crowd gasped. “If you fatten up one duck, it sells for about sixty wen. One hundred ducks would be six silver coins! Oh my, you can earn six silver coins in just four months!”

Wang Fen hurriedly asked, “Zhou Jing agreed to take them all? That can’t be true, such a large amount!”

Aunt Shen took out the contract from her arms to show everyone. “It’s all signed; how could it not be true!”

The farmers couldn’t read, but many of them could recognize numbers since they often went to the market to sell vegetables. When they took a look, they indeed saw the number one hundred, and their eyes widened in disbelief.

“It’s true! The Zhou family really wants her one hundred ducks!”

“What? It’s really true, not just boasting! Let me see it!”

At that moment, Aunt Shen raised her hand and snatched it back.

“Don’t tear this thin piece of paper; this thing is worth silver!” Aunt Shen treasured it and tucked it back into her arms. “Alright, I still have to hurry home to tell my son. Don’t delay my business!”

Aunt Shen returned home with her head held high. After waiting anxiously, she finally saw her son, Wang Dali, come back. Instead of rushing to eat, she first spoke about the duck-raising matter. Wang Dali couldn’t read, so he didn’t understand the contract, but he still curiously turned it over in his hands, examining it for quite a while.

“Tomorrow, you should quit your job. With so many ducks at home, I definitely can’t raise them by myself; you should come back and help me!”

Wang Dali was exhausted from carrying heavy bags, and earning only 30 copper coinsa day meant he would make 900 copper coins in a month. It would take him six or seven months to earn six silver coins. Raising ducks would allow him to earn that in just four months, and it wouldn’t be tiring at all. He certainly understood how to choose.

“Alright, I’ll quit my job tomorrow. I’ll just go to the town to buy ducklings.”

Aunt Shen suddenly thought of something. After considering it for a moment, she finally said, “What do you think? Today, out of the blue, Shen Mo suddenly brought up the engagement of Shen Lin, saying that Shen Lin should dress well to show himself to families with good young men. He even mentioned that if someone liked him, they might come to propose. What does that mean?”

Wang Dali replied nonchalantly, “What could it mean? Shen Lin is already so old; it’s about time to talk about his marriage.”

“No,” Aunt Shen said thoughtfully. “Even though I didn’t respond at the time, I always felt that there was something behind those words as if they were meant for me. Otherwise, why would Shen Mo suddenly bring it up? ‘Families with good young men who are spirited and hardworking’—isn’t that just talking about our family? You are spirited and hardworking; it’s clearly a hint to me.

Take the clothing-making job, for example. There are certainly other skilled families in the village, and they offer good money. For any family, that would be a decent supplement. So why did he specifically choose our family?

And as for the duck-raising business, that wasn’t my idea to begin with. I just mentioned it casually without expecting anything to come of it, yet he was eager to work with me. You tell me, given all this, could it be that he is looking out for my interest as a woman? That’s impossible! At my age, what could he possibly find attractive? It’s obvious he is interested in you, using me as a front!”

(Lucia: Next level delusional)

Aunt Shen saw her son and naturally thought he looked spirited, which only further convinced her that Shen Mo’s words were indeed meant for her.

Wang Dali, confused, asked, “A few days ago, didn’t you tell me that Shen Lin and Zhou Jing had an unclear relationship? How is it that today his older brother wants to arrange a marriage for him?”

Privately, Aunt Shen still felt that Shen Lin and Zhou Jing definitely had an inappropriate relationship; otherwise, why would Zhou Jing willingly support him?

However, when she thought about the Zhou family’s current capabilities, she realized that her family had just formed a relationship with them, and they could easily earn six silver coins in four months.

If they became relatives, wouldn’t that amount double? In just four months, they could earn what other families would make in six months of farming! That was not a small sum of money.

With this in mind, Aunt Shen spoke vaguely, “Those are all rumors, it’s not truth. If they were true, Zhou Jing wouldn’t let him get married; his family isn’t lacking in food right now.”

Wang Dali didn’t think deeply about it; he just listened to what his mother said.

However, Aunt Shen’s expression became very complicated.

She suspected that Shen Lin was probably not clean anymore. Although she didn’t know why Zhou Jing would agree to let Shen Lin find a husband, one thing was for sure: since he was willing to let Shen Lin marry, he would definitely not mistreat her.

Her thoughts were natural, she was not willing to let her son have an unclean husband, and she didn’t want to mention the possibility of having a ger as a marriage partner for her son either.

However, her son was simply too tired. Every day, he carried sacks from morning until night, returning home so exhausted that he fell asleep immediately.

That wasn’t all; the employer would occasionally pick at him, finding faults and causing trouble, which often resulted in a significantly reduced amount of money he took home.

But if she mentioned Shen Lin and connected with the Zhou family, her son wouldn’t have to work so hard; he could easily and comfortably earn money.

He could dress like Zhou Jing, wearing a long gown and exuding an air of confidence, living in a spacious and bright house. At that time, who would still dare to look down on them, mother and son?

Shen Lin is a ger who couldn’t give them a son, but that couldn’t stop the Wang family from ensuring their lineage didn’t end.

They could use this as an excuse to find another high-status girl for her son to marry as a primary wife, and then everything would fall into place!

They didn’t need to worry about Shen Lin causing trouble; they could easily use the fact that she was not clean when she married as leverage. With this leverage, not only would Shen Lin dare not cause a fuss, but even Zhou Jing would have to continue quietly helping their family prosper.

This way, her son wouldn’t have to keep suffering. As for Shen Lin, she would certainly not be mistreated. They could treat her well after marrying her off, providing her with food and drink, which would be fair to her. It would simply be like marrying into a business, and that was nothing unusual.

Aunt Shen had a shrewd plan in mind and said to her son, “I think that Shen Lin is quite good. He’s learning to read and is getting into business; he will definitely be able to help his husband’s family in the future. How about I ask someone to bring it up? What do you think about bringing him into our family?”

Wang Dali furrowed his brow slightly and paused for a moment. “But she’s a dual marriage partner; she probably can’t have sons!”

Aunt Shen waved her hand dismissively. “That’s not a problem. At worst, we can find you a good girl from a respectable family later on.”

Wang Dali replied, “But our family can’t afford to support two mouths!”

Aunt Shen: “Silly son, if Shen Lin said so, wouldn’t the Zhou family still take care of you?” However, she was afraid that her son would let his pride get the better of him at that moment, so she didn’t dare to speak the truth.

“Our life will surely get better,” she said.

As for matters of marriage, since ancient times, they had been dictated by matchmakers and parental arrangements.

In the village, except for a few rebellious ones, most young men and women listened to their families’ arrangements.

Some even ended up marrying old men they had never met before. Therefore, Wang Dali did not think much of it; he nodded and agreed.

—o—o—o—

The news that the Zhou family was not only rampantly buying ducks in the village but had also signed a long-term business deal with Shen Damao’s family, promising to earn six silver coins in just four months, seemed to have grown wings and spread throughout every household in the village overnight.

Inside the Wang family’s main room, Aunt Wang was holding a rice bowl and desperately trying to grab a piece of meat the size of a fingernail from the green beans. Upon hearing her eldest son’s words, she suddenly lost her appetite.

Since Zhou Jing had been removed from the family tree, it was as if the Wang family no longer recognized Zhou Jing as their eldest son.

They simply promoted their second son, calling him the eldest.

The eldest son said, “It’s true! People saw that scoundrel signing the contract with Old Lady Shen, so it can’t be wrong!”

Aunt Wang stopped eating altogether, pushed her rice bowl aside, and got up from the table.

Wang Cheng asked, “What are you in such a hurry to do?”

Aunt Wang replied irritably, “Our family’s silver is going to be squandered by that scoundrel, so of course I have to go see!”

In reality, during this time, her eldest grandson had been ill, which made Aunt Wang very anxious and exhausted, leaving her no time to pick on Zhou Jing. Otherwise, she would have caused a scene right after Zhou Jing built his house.

It was unclear what the Wang family was thinking. Although they clearly feared Zhou Jing, treating him like a venomous snake, they were immediately unafraid whenever they could gain something from him.

Aunt Wang rushed to the front of the Zhou family’s entrance. Upon seeing the imposing large door and tall surrounding walls, she was momentarily stunned. She was so startled that she had to grab a villager to confirm whether this was indeed Zhou Jing’s home. After receiving a positive answer, she finally dared to pound on the door.

“Who is it?” After a short while, a person came out to answer the door, asking from behind the red-painted gate.

Outside the door, Aunt Wang held her breath, nearly bursting with anger. She refused to answer, only pounding on the door louder and louder. During this recent period, she had been taking care of her sick grandchild at home, and when she did go out, it was just to the fields to take a look.

She hadn’t passed by Zhou Jing’s house, so she had always dismissed the rumors about Zhou Jing building some grand blue-brick house. She hadn’t taken them seriously at all.

Today, she saw that it was far more than just a grand blue-brick house!

The people in the yard called out several times, but not only did they receive no answer, but Aunt Wang’s pounding began to sound more and more like she was trying to break down the door, making them too afraid to open it.

Even those inside the house sensed that something was off, and Zhou Jing and Shen Mo walked out one after the other.

“No one responded, and I don’t know who it was.” Shen Lin shook his head at Zhou Jing.

Zhou Jing touched a large machete standing in the courtyard and gestured for the two gers to step aside so he could open the door and take a look.

The Zhou family’s front door was silently opened from the inside. Aunt Wang was caught off guard; her foot, which she had used to kick the door, failed to find purchase, and she suddenly stumbled forward, nearly falling into Zhou Jing.

Fortunately, Zhou Jing had practiced martial arts for a period in his previous life; his reflexes were sharp and his hands quick. Once he recognized it was Aunt Wang, he retracted the machete just in time. Otherwise, had he struck, Aunt Wang would have been in dire danger.

The tip of the machete didn’t even brush against Aunt Wang’s hair, yet she was so frightened that she let out a piercing scream. Her voice was sharp and shrill, quickly attracting the neighbors who had nothing to do after dinner.

“Oh my God, what are you trying to do? How dare you raise a knife against your own mother!”

Upon seeing Aunt Wang, Zhou Jing realized that this old woman was up to no good.

“Aunt, since I call you ‘Aunt,’ you should understand that you are merely my aunt, not my mother. No child would refer to their own mother as ‘aunt.’ Also, Aunt, next time you come to someone else’s house, remember to knock before entering. Otherwise, don’t blame others for mistaking you for an intruder and being attacked.”

“You little harbinger of misfortune, how dare you not recognize your own mother!” she shouted, raising her hand to strike.

No one expected that at that moment, Shen Mo, who the villagers had always thought was easy to bully, stepped forward and seized Aunt Wang’s wrist, forcefully throwing her aside.

“Aunt, how can you come uninvited to my house and still dare to hit my husband? What kind of reasoning is that?”

Aunt Wang looked at Shen Mo, then at Zhou Jing, and cried out, “This is outrageous! My son and his husband are trying to kill their own mother…”

Shen Mo cast a cold glance at Aunt Wang and said, “Xiao Di, please ‘escort’ this aunt out.”

Shen Mo had his reasons; after all, Aunt Wang nominally held the title of Zhou Jing’s mother and was his mother-in-law. If either of them laid a hand on her, it would attract gossip in the village. However, it was different for Shen Lin.

To him, Aunt Wang was merely an aunt with a bit of a familial connection.

Upon seeing that Shen Lin was genuinely coming to “escort” her out, Aunt Wang realized it wasn’t a real invitation. Fearing for her own safety, she hurriedly got up, crawling and rolling away.

Her demeanor didn’t reflect someone unwelcome; instead, it appeared as if she were doing them a favor. “I don’t need you to see me off; just give me six silver coins. Your eldest nephew fell ill a few days ago. If you give me six silver coins, I’ll take him to the town to see a doctor!”

Zhou Jing replied coolly. “No way.”

Those 2 words nearly left Aunt Wang gasping for breath, almost choking her. After a long moment, she regained her composure and shouted, “You won’t?! How dare you refuse to give your own mother money? Are you even my son?”

As she continued to scold him, Aunt Wang suddenly became frantic and muttered, “Wait a minute, you’re not my son! My son is filial and wouldn’t hesitate to spend money on me. Now tell me, who are you?”

Aunt Wang’s words caused Zhou Jing’s expression to suddenly turn pale, while Shen Mo was even more terrified, his face turning ashen. Trembling, he stepped forward to confront Aunt Wang.

“You… you mustn’t speak nonsense!”

“I’m not speaking nonsense! In the past, my son always listened to me; whatever I said was what he would do. Even if I wanted wild boar meat, he would risk his life to go hunt it for me. And now, he won’t even give me a mere six silver coins. He must not be my son!”

“I—I won’t allow you to speak recklessly!” Shen Mo flustered and desperate, rushed over to cover Aunt Wang’s mouth, but she was not someone to be easily subdued.

As the two struggled, Shen Mo suddenly rolled his eyes back, and with a thud, he collapsed straight to the ground.

He had fainted from sheer distress.

“Shen Mo!”

“Eldest brother!”