Chapter 48 Support

"Isn't that Zhou Lao Er? They've been released from prison?" Wei's mother suddenly saw the familiar figure but didn't quite dare to recognize him.

“The carpenter’s shop didn’t hire him,” Song Yushu said, not expecting Zhou Lao Er to look so old after not seeing him for a while. However, she didn’t feel sorry for him. If she hadn’t run away quickly, she probably would have been in even worse shape than Zhou Lao Er.

Fortunately, Zhou Lao Er didn't bother them and left after being rejected by the carpenter's shop.

Zhou Lao Er is having a hard time these days. He spent several months in prison before being exonerated, while Zhou Chengli has been struggling to afford treatment for his broken leg. He is extremely anxious.

After being released from prison, Zhou Chengli became despondent and spent his days lying in bed with a blank and numb look in his eyes.

Zhao Yuzhi served him silently, while her younger siblings returned to the Zhao family and dared not come over again to provoke trouble.

Zhao the Cripple was beheaded along with the bandits a few months ago, and now only Zhao Yuhe can keep the Zhao family's reputation intact.

Not only that, all the evil deeds committed by Zhao the Cripple were punished on them. The people of Zhoujia Village would spit on them when they saw them, and the younger ones would throw stones at them. They were hated to the extreme.

Zhou Lao Er originally wanted Zhou Chengli to divorce Zhao Yuzhi and sever ties with the Zhao family, but seeing his current state, he couldn't be separated from his family at all, so he had no choice but to grit his teeth and hand Zhou Chengli over to Zhao Yuzhi to take care of, while he went to find work.

He asked all the carpenters in town, but no one wanted to hire him. They either thought he was too old and weak or couldn't afford to support so many workers. In the village, no one wanted to hire him as a carpenter because of the bandits.

If things continue like this, and they can't find any work, they won't be able to survive for long even with Zhao Yuzhi finding wild vegetables. Zhou Lao Er was anxious, and his hair turned quite a bit white.

Seeing that he came back empty-handed every day, Zhao Yuzhi guessed that he hadn't found work and began to feel anxious. Now that Zhou Chengli was in this state, she didn't dare to look down on him, after all, he was related to the Zhao family. Moreover, everyone in the village avoided them like the plague. If she left the second branch of the Zhou family, she would have nowhere to go.

Thinking about Zhou Lao Er going to town every day, she thought of Song Yushu, who had once prevented her from being with Zhou Chengyu. Recently, she heard that this man had opened a restaurant in town with his two children, and the business was doing very well. At first, she felt uncomfortable.

After all, the person she looked down on has now become a restaurant owner, while she herself is getting worse and worse. Now she thinks it's good that Song Yushu's restaurant has many customers, because when she goes there, she can't very well refuse her in front of so many people.

The more Zhao Yuzhi thought about it, the more she felt it made sense. The next morning, she told Zhou Lao Er that she was going to town.

She hadn't been to town for a long time, and now she saw that the shops on the street had put up several pots of wildflowers at their doors, and every now and then a few children were carrying flower baskets to sell flowers. She was surprised. If she had known that wildflowers could be sold for money, why would she have stayed at home serving Zhou Chengli?

However, she did not forget her purpose this time. She thought that she did not know the location of Song Yushu's restaurant and that it would take some effort to find it. Unexpectedly, she had not walked for long when she smelled a strong aroma of meat. This aroma was different from the meat aroma she had eaten before. It was too domineering and rich.

She turned around and saw a shop called Good Taste Restaurant. There were many customers at the door, but she still saw Song Yushu busy grilling lamb skewers.

She was stunned at just one glance. After leaving the Zhou family, she was living so well. The village woman who she had always thought of as vulgar and uncouth was now fair-skinned and tall, and was greeting guests with ease. For a moment, she didn't dare to go over and recognize her.

Song Yushu was unaware that someone outside the restaurant was watching her every move. It was peak time for customers, and she couldn't leave at all.

"Mr. Wei, do you know that lady outside? She's been standing there watching you for a long time," a customer reminded her. Only then did Song Yushu look up and see who it was. After recognizing the woman, the smile on her face faded a bit.

Seeing that her family had been seen, Zhao Yuzhi became less timid and immediately knelt down as she had planned.

“Aunt Wei, I was wrong before. I insisted on marrying into the Zhou family against your wishes, which caused you and your father-in-law to divorce. Now I have been punished. Chengli and my father-in-law are suffering greatly. We don’t even have money to buy food. Please have pity on us and lend us some money!”

The moment Zhao Yuzhi knelt down, the surrounding guests were stunned. Hearing these words, they didn't leave but instead gathered around to watch the spectacle.

After seeing her actions, Song Yushu's face turned ugly. He didn't expect that even after he had been away from the Zhou family for so long, Zhao Yuzhi still had the nerve to stick to him. She was like a persistent ghost.

“I have now divorced your father-in-law. We made it clear from the beginning that our two families would have nothing to do with each other. Now you’ve come out and done this. Are you trying to go back on your word and put me in an unjust position again?”

“I really have no other choice! If Chengli’s leg isn’t treated soon, he’ll be crippled! He’s called you mother after all, and you two have a mother-son bond. Are you just going to stand by and watch such a talented scholar be ruined?”

Zhao Yuzhi's moral blackmail made Song Yushu laugh in anger. She went up to Zhao Yuzhi and looked her over. She was indeed much more haggard than before. It seemed that she was really desperate, just as Zhao Yuzhi said. But what did it have to do with her? She had no intention of taking the blame.

“Zhou Chengli deserved his fate. What does his broken leg have to do with me? If we have to say, it’s related to your Zhao family. It was your father’s collusion with bandits that caused this trouble. Your father was beheaded, but he can only blame you at most. After all, he only suffered such misfortune because he married you. So it has nothing to do with me. Why should I borrow money?”

Song Yushu doesn't have that kind of magnanimity. She'll be good to whoever is good to her, but the Zhou and Zhao families should stay away from her.

"You! Even if you don't acknowledge your relationship with the Zhou family, what about Zhou Chengyu and Zhou Chengzhu? Even if you don't acknowledge it, they are Chengli's own younger brother and sister. Now that you're standing by and doing nothing for us, aren't you being unfilial and disrespectful to your elders?"

When Zhao Yuzhi's attempt at moral blackmail failed, she resorted to open confrontation. After all, she had nothing to fear now, having nothing to lose. On the contrary, Song Yushu had children and a restaurant. With her reputation ruined, let's see how she can open a restaurant again!

"How can you be so vicious? After Wei Niangzi got divorced, she came out to make a living with her child, and I didn't see you guys spouting any morals or shame to help her. Now that she's living a good life, you're bringing up these things and asking for money all the time, trying to ruin her reputation. Bah! Do you really think we're easy to fool!"

"That's right! We can tell what kind of person Madam Wei is after running her shop in town for so long. But you, you kneel down as soon as you arrive, putting on an act. You must have something to hide!"

“Both of her children are good. The little girl is so young but she can already keep accounts and settle money, which shows that she is smart and sensible. I have met her brother, and he sometimes helps with the dishes. How can she be unfilial and disrespectful to her brothers? If my son were that sensible, I would be laughing in my dreams!”

Song Yushu hadn't expected that Zhao Yuzhi's mudslinging would garner so many customers' support. He had initially thought her actions would somewhat affect the restaurant's business, but it turned out he had worried unnecessarily.