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As Su Zhi spoke, the previously noisy room fell silent instantly. All eyes turned towards her, filled with looks of disbelief, as if they were staring at a madman or a fool. Shen Zi’an, concerned, held Su Zhi’s hand, worried that his family had pushed her too far.
“Fourth Brother’s wife! Are you crazy or just plain foolish?!” Sun shi was the first to speak, her voice loud enough to be heard outside, filled with disbelief and then heavy mockery. She couldn’t believe that Su Zhi, whom they thought might come up with a clever solution, had instead proposed something so obviously deceitful. She berated Su Zhi for her lack of filial piety towards the elderly couple.
“Father, Mother, look at this! Look at this! This is the wife you chose for Fourth Brother. Not only is she sick, but also dubbed a jinx. She’s stirred up trouble in our once harmonious family, leading to our separation. Now, she’s trying to deceive both of you! It’s just about asking for some ginseng. If she didn’t want to give it, she could’ve just said so. Instead, she sneaked out early this morning to sell it! We suggested we spend more money to buy a subpar ginseng for Fifth Brother, but now she’s spouting nonsense to deceive us! Is she foolish? I don’t think so; she’s the most cunning daughter-in-law in the old Shen family!”
Sun Shi spoke fluently, her words flowing without interruption, spraying saliva as she shouted. Su Zhi was relieved she wasn’t standing too close.
Shen Youfu’s expression darkened further. What did his Fourth Daughter-in-law say? She wants to invite a sacred beast to live in the house?! This was madness! However, observing Su Zhi’s calm demeanor, he realized she wasn’t insane. Did she think they were fools?! Even if they were considered fools, such a low-quality excuse was infuriating!
“Fourth Son! Are you going to let your wife behave like this?!” Shen Youfu erupted at Shen Zi’an, no longer wanting to look at Su Zhi. Whether or not she was a jinx, she had brought chaos to the Shen family. He regretted rejecting the proposal to have Shen Zi’an marry someone else, leading to the marriage with the ailing Zhao Xiaomei. Not only had they spent a fortune on her treatment, but she had also disrupted the household. Now, she dared to deceive them with such absurd lies. Wasn’t this a disaster in the making?!
Shen Zi’an, already worried about his wife, grew angry at Shen Youfu’s outburst. He felt neglected by his father since childhood, and now, when he finally saw a glimmer of hope with his wife, his father had to come and stir things up. He couldn’t understand why his father wouldn’t allow them to live peacefully.
“Father, even if my wife is acting out, you should consider why she’s doing so?! I believe that she has her reasons for everything she does. Whatever she says, I support her! The ginseng was her find, so she has the right to decide how to use the money from its sale. Even if she decides to throw it all away, as long as she’s happy, I won’t say a word!”
Su Zhi felt a mix of sweetness and sourness in her heart upon hearing Shen Zi’an’s words, thinking how wonderful her husband was. If they weren’t in the presence of others, she would have wanted to cast away the shyness of a woman and kiss him!
“You disobedient child!” Shen Youfu’s beard trembled with anger, gasping and clutching his chest. Shen Zhang shi quickly patted his back, soothing him with comforting words, embodying the role of a virtuous wife.
Shen Ziping exclaimed, “Fourth Brother! Aren’t you still a man? Why are you letting your wife lead you around like this? Once a wife enters your home, everything she has is yours, including her money! Why can’t you access that money? Being so afraid of your wife, be careful not to be ridiculed outside!”
“Yes, exactly, Fourth Brother, you can’t pamper Fourth Sister-in-law like this. Be careful she doesn’t take advantage of you and your leniency. When you marry a wife, it’s to serve your husband and in-laws. It’s not about angering your in-laws by controlling your husband! That’s unacceptable.”
Sun shi felt envious that Su Zhi had found such a handsome, caring, and capable husband in Shen Zi’an, while she ended up with Shen Ziping, who was constantly falling short. Normally, she would have berated Shen Ziping, but now she had to stand by his side, feeling nauseated.
Shen Zi’an retorted, “You don’t need to meddle! Remember, we’ve already split from the family!”
“Even though we’ve split, I’m still your father! If I tell you to give the money, you should give it!”
Shen Youfu, overcome with anger, disregarded any sense of decorum and directly asked for money. Initially, he had come under the guise of needing ginseng, but in reality, he was always after money. He wasn’t overly concerned about appearances, but for the sake of Shen Ziju’s future, he had pretended to seek ginseng to avoid gossip. However, his impatience led him to set aside his pride and openly state his true intentions.
Su Zhi thought to herself, “I knew this was your real motive all along. Talking about ginseng was just a way to ask for money. Bringing your Third Son and his wife to ask for money on your behalf… Let’s see how you handle this now!”
Shen Zi’an intervened, “In our house, my wife manages the finances. This money belongs to her. If she says no, then it’s a no.”
Su Zhi felt Shen Zi’an had done enough, and it was time for her to step in.
“Father, Zi’an is right. I handle the money in this household. It’s not ideal for in-laws to have a daughter-in-law managing finances, but we’ve already split from the family! With the separation, we are now two distinct households. Each family manages its own finances, and outsiders, even parents, cannot demand anything from us.”
Su Zhi gazed at Shen Youfu, her eyes dark and bright, exuding a watery sheen. Her voice, usually gentle, carried a firmness now, as cold as ice, with a resolute undertone.
“In this household, Zi’an is my husband and the man of the house. He entrusted me with managing the finances, showing his trust in me. I naturally reciprocate by handling the money responsibly. Now, I am neither crazy nor foolish. Using this money to buy land, build a house, and enclose a large courtyard to invite a sacred beast to reside is indeed true! Have you considered how large and well-kept a yard must be to accommodate a sacred beast? How much money would that require? The funds I have may not be enough. How can I give it to you?!”
“Wife.”
Shen Zi’an looked at Su Zhi, initially worried that his family had pushed her too far. However, seeing her composed demeanor, he remembered her encounter with the sacred beast and the thousand-year-old ginseng it had gifted her. Could she truly summon the sacred beast?
Su Zhi smiled at Shen Zi’an and said, “Darling, we must invite the sacred beast. If we lack funds, we’ll build fewer rooms, ensuring there’s enough space for us and the sacred beast. Let’s enclose the courtyard and keep it undisturbed for the sacred beast.”
Shen Zi’an became convinced that Su Zhi was sincere. He recalled her assurance that his family wouldn’t be able to extort money from them. This was her plan! Regardless of whether she could truly summon the sacred beast, it was a solution. Spending all the money to prevent others from taking advantage was a satisfactory outcome.
“Wife, I’ll follow your lead. Even if we spend all the money, it’s fine. We’ll earn more.”
“Fourth Brother! How can you go crazy with her?!” Shen Ziping exclaimed. He still couldn’t believe that his Fourth Sister-in-law could bring a sacred beast to live with them. What was a sacred beast? It was a wolf. How could a wolf come to live in someone’s home?
“Third Brother, we’re not crazy. When the time comes, whether we have the sacred beast or not, you’ll see, won’t you?” Su Zhi told Shen Ziping confidently, though she was only about seventy to eighty percent certain. The idea had come to her in a Moment of inspiration. She had always wanted to buy land and enclose a large courtyard. With the spiritual spring in hand, she planned to fill the courtyard with flowers, plants, and trees, creating a utopia she had always dreamed of but never experienced in her past life. Concerned about potential trouble with such a large courtyard, she thought of the White Wolf family.
Su Zhi remembered how in novels, the female lead often had one or two mystical pets by her side. If others could have them, why couldn’t she? The White Wolf family seemed quite extraordinary. She adored the two wolf cubs and had longed to adopt them if they were without a family. The majestic White Wolf would be a powerful guardian, capable of warding off evil spirits and malevolent forces. With them around, not only would the Shen family be safe from unwanted intrusions, but even the people of Riverside Village wouldn’t dare to cause them any trouble. Moreover, word would spread, and even the county officials would treat them with respect!
Shen Zhang shi, observing Su Zhi’s unwavering confidence, inquired, “Zi’an’s wife, can you truly summon the sacred beast?”
Su Zhi nodded and replied, “I can indeed summon it!”
Su Zhi’s seventy to eighty percent certainty stemmed from her possession of the spiritual spring, knowing that the White Wolf family enjoyed drinking from it. She planned to offer them the spring water in exchange for their presence in her courtyard. Moreover, the White Wolf’s wife was just a dog, and dogs, even when with wolves, preferred human company!
At this Moment, Shen Youfu set aside his anger, contemplating the potential benefits of Su Zhi obtaining ginseng from the sacred beast. Could she truly summon the sacred beast? He swiftly calculated the advantages this could bring to the Shen family, especially in terms of Shen Ziju’s future.
Sun shi sensed that they might not secure any money that day. Despite Shen Ziju’s importance, the significance of the sacred beast surpassed it. If the Fourth family were to construct a house and courtyard for the sacred beast, it would bind the entire Shen family together, outweighing any other consideration. She felt discontent no matter how she looked at it.
“Oh, my stomach is hurting so much!” Sun shi began to groan, a pretense. She thought, “If you prevent me from getting money, I’ll make trouble for you. They say you’re blessed, but I’ll bring you misfortune. Even if you remove the jinx title I branded you with the first time, I’ll still make others believe you’re causing me trouble!”