Chapter 177: Unlucky

Not finding anyone from Jiang Mixia’s household outside upon leaving, Mrs. Niu breathed a sigh of relief and briskly headed towards the street.

After wandering around and haggling for a while, Mrs. Niu finally bought the vegetables she was satisfied with: a carrot, a cabbage, a bunch of mustard greens, and a pound of tofu.

Returning home, Mrs. Niu  started preparing lunch.

She steamed a dish called “Cai Wo Tou,” made by mixing cabbage stalks with stick rice flour and sweet potato flour. She also stir-fried the carrot and tofu together and pickled the mustard greens in salt to be served with the Cai Wo Tou and stick rice porridge in the evening.

These dishes cost a mere five wen in total, including the stick rice flour and sweet potato flour, amounting to only four to five wen.

With just ten wen, she could provide two satisfying meals for her household, a feat that few could match in terms of thrift and efficiency.

In terms of diligence and frugality, Mrs. Niu  felt unmatched by anyone as she proudly lifted her chin.

As the Cai Wo Tou and the stir-fried carrot and tofu were being served, there was suddenly some commotion at the door.

Mrs. Niu  peeked out and saw Zhang Yaosheng.

“Is my husband back?” Mrs. Niu ‘s face lit up with joy. “Why did you come back for dinner today?”

Mrs. Niu  looked at Zhang Yaosheng expectantly, hoping to hear words like “I missed you, so I came back to see you.”

However, Zhang Yaosheng remained expressionless and replied calmly, “The cook at the academy fell ill with a cold but didn’t see a doctor in time, infecting others. Several people fell ill, so the headmaster ordered everyone to rest, resulting in no food supply at the academy for a while.”

“A few classmates planned to go out for a meal together. I thought about the expenses of dining out and the fact that I hadn’t seen our daughter for a while, so I came back to check on her.”

He then waved to Zhang Daya, “Daya, come here, I brought malt candy for you.”

Excited at the mention of malt candy, Zhang Daya hurried over, taking the paper-wrapped candy from Zhang Yaosheng and sweetly thanked him, “Thank you, Dad.”

“Go ahead and enjoy it.” Zhang Yaosheng, who had only one daughter, showed his affection by patting Zhang Daya’s head. “It seems like Daya has grown a bit taller.”

But she also seemed to have lost some weight.

Zhang Yaosheng furrowed his brows slightly.

Noticing that Zhang Yaosheng didn’t mention her at all or bring her anything, Mrs. Niu  felt a bit hurt, although she dared not show it. She simply said, “Dinner is almost ready. Wash your hands and let’s eat.”

“Why are you talking like this?” Zhang Yaosheng sensed something amiss in Mrs. Niu’s words, and upon noticing the darkness around her missing tooth, his expression turned displeased. “What happened to your tooth?”

“I accidentally tripped over the doorstep and fell…” Mrs. Niu ‘s voice trembled as tears rolled down her cheeks. “I ended up losing two teeth, and it has been painful for days.”

“How could you be so careless?” Zhang Yaosheng frowned.

Coming from a wealthy and prestigious family, their doorstep was much higher than the average household’s.

If Mrs. Niu  could trip over this doorstep, how would she manage in the future if Zhang Yaosheng achieved success and they moved into a grand mansion? Would she stumble every day?

It seemed that Mrs. Niu  truly wasn’t destined for a life of luxury.

Perhaps her lack of fortune extended to Zhang Yaosheng’s inability to pass the imperial exams despite being a successful scholar for many years.

Mrs. Niu  felt increasingly distressed as Zhang Yaosheng showed more concern about her carelessness than her well-being. Holding back her tears, she wiped her eyes, carried the food into the dining room, and called Zhang Yaosheng and Zhang Daya to eat.

At this point, Zhang Daya was famished and delighted to find tofu in today’s meal. She enthusiastically devoured the food, eating with gusto.

Feeling hungry herself, Mrs. Niu  kept stuffing dumplings into her mouth, also making sure Zhang Yaosheng ate well by adding carrot and tofu slices to his bowl.

Zhang Yaosheng furrowed his brows once again.

The taste of the stir-fried carrot and tofu was unappetizing, and Mrs. Niu ‘s cooking skills were notably inferior to the academy’s cook.

Despite the unpalatable food, Zhang Daya enjoyed it immensely, highlighting the stark difference in their usual meals.

It appeared that Mrs. Niu  lacked in managing the household and even in properly raising and educating her children.

Unaware of Zhang Yaosheng’s growing displeasure, Mrs. Niu  was simply happy that her husband had returned for a rare visit. “Since the academy can’t provide meals lately, how about you come back for dinner more often? Tonight, I’ll fry an egg for you.”

Just one egg…

Zhang Yaosheng’s mouth twitched slightly.

Considering the size of the iron pot in the kitchen, frying just one egg might not even be visible.

“As the butcher usually sells pig offal in the evening, though it may have a strong smell, at least it’s meat. I’ll buy some this evening, wash it thoroughly with wood ash, cook a big pot of it, and we can have it for several days,” Mrs. Niu  suggested.

Pig offal…

Zhang Yaosheng’s mouth twitched again.

While it was indeed meat, the strong odor would likely linger, making him smell unpleasant. Being a scholar, and aspiring to be a higher-ranking official, he couldn’t imagine stooping to eat pig offal.

Feeling displeased, Zhang Yaosheng’s tone turned curt, “I provide you with money every month for household expenses. Are you not able to manage it properly?”

Even though the money provided might not afford extravagant meals, it should at least cover simple fare without the need for pig offal.

Mrs. Niu  didn’t catch the discontent in Zhang Yaosheng’s tone, assuming he was praising her thriftiness. She replied busily, “Living in the county town requires spending money everywhere. I save the money you give me by being frugal and resourceful, cutting costs wherever possible. I save what’s left to support your future exam preparations.”

“When it comes to being thrifty and managing the household, I’ve always been diligent to maintain a well-organized home. It gives me peace of mind, unlike that Lady Jiang, who indulges in luxuries all day and seems eager to deplete their entire family fortune. Lord Song seems to have encountered misfortune by marrying a wife who lacks thriftiness, truly pitiable.”

Pitiable?

Who is really pitiable here? It’s Zhang Yaosheng!

Unable to contain his anger any longer, Zhang Yaosheng slammed the chopsticks on the table, “If Lady Jiang indulges in luxuries, that’s her business. Why do you care about what she does? Besides, the money in their household is earned by Lady Jiang, so she has the right to enjoy it!”

“As for you, as a woman, everyone knows you could engage in business, find work, and earn money to support the household, allowing your husband to focus on his studies. Instead, you spend your days idling at home, solely relying on me to copy books and write poetry to earn money, hindering my studies and aspirations?”