The Fang family members were already at odds, and their conflicts intensified during their escape from famine due to issues such as the distribution of food.
The incident involving Lu Cuilan and Fang Peiru further exacerbated the conflict.
Lu Cuilan and Fang Peiru were annoyed that the other families were standing by and watching without going to their rescue.
The people in the other rooms secretly resented Old Madam Fang's favoritism. They handed over all their earnings to the public treasury, but Lu Cuilan and Fang Mulin did not hand over the money they earned outside, leaving the fourth family to keep it for themselves.
The families already had serious conflicts, and today Fang Mingming brought up the fact that Lu Cuilan had secretly given him special treatment in the past.
Although Lu Cuilan later explained that the pastries were not bought by her, but were a gift from the master, and wouldn't have cost more than two taels of silver, saying that the pastries cost two taels of silver a box was just her son bragging.
However, the other sisters-in-law of the Fang family were not arguing about the value of the pastries, but rather about their dissatisfaction with Lu Cuilan's selfishness and Old Madam Fang's favoritism.
Lu Cuilan was also unconvinced. If we're talking about selfishness, who isn't? Who doesn't think about their own child? She jumped up and down, exposing the selfish behavior of her other sisters-in-law.
The various branches of the Fang family were arguing fiercely, each insisting on dividing the family property. Old Mrs. Fang was powerless to mediate, and in the end, she could only tearfully agree to the division.
However, when the family divided the property, they argued fiercely over the amount and value of the belongings they received.
This family, who should have supported each other and weathered the storm together, ended up fighting like enemies over who got an extra piece of dry rations and who got a less water bag.
Fang Peiru didn't concern herself with the division of the family property. In her opinion, all the Fang family's assets combined couldn't compare to the two foals, one big and one small, belonging to the Lu family.
Although Lu Shiyan's recent behavior has dealt her a heavy blow, the more this happens, the more convinced she becomes that Lu Shiyan still has feelings for her.
My cousin wasn't like this before, but recently he's changed his ways and is very obedient to Jiang.
In her view, Lu Shiyan's actions were all manifestations of his love without his knowledge.
All she needs to do now is make her cousin realize his true feelings and stop pretending to be nice to the Jiang family to provoke her.
Although she firmly believed that Lu Shiyan loved her, she felt so jealous and resentful whenever she saw Jiang Tangtang being pampered by Lu Shiyan and protected like a treasure by the Lu family that she was ready to vomit blood.
Just as Fang Peiru was about to lose her mind, Wang Ergou walked up to her, grinned, and said, "Miss Fang, I have some good news to discuss with you."
Fang Peiru turned her head and saw Wang Ergou grinning, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth. His greasy hair was messy and frizzy, hanging down to his face. His hair, sweat, and dirt were all stuck together, making him look nauseous.
She gave a disgusted look, got up, and was about to leave.
Wang Ergou stopped her.
Fang Peiru was furious and opened her mouth to call for help.
Wang Ergou leaned close to her ear and whispered, "Miss Fang, don't you want the Jiang family to disappear from your life? Hurry up and marry your beloved cousin?"
Fang Peiru's plea for help was already on the tip of her tongue, but she hesitated.
Wang Ergou continued, "If I had a way to deal with the Jiang family without anyone suspecting you, would you like to hear it?"
Fang Peiru's heart was pounding.
Seeing that Fang Peiru's attitude softened immediately, Wang Ergou knew that there was hope. He said, "It's not convenient to talk here. Let's go to the side to talk."
Fang Peiru clenched her fists, a conflicted look on her face.
"Don't worry, it's broad daylight and your parents are right here. Even if I had bad intentions, they couldn't do anything to you."
As Wang Ergou spoke, he adopted a nonchalant attitude, saying, "Of course, if you're not afraid of outsiders knowing your thoughts, I don't care what you say here."
Fang Peiru gritted her teeth and finally made up her mind, saying, "Where should we say it?"
Wang Ergou raised his chin and gestured to the grove of mixed trees not far away, saying, "Over there. You pretend to go pick wild vegetables first, and I'll come back later. Otherwise, people will see us talking together for so long and then going into the grove, which would ruin your reputation."
In the countryside, sneaking into a grove of trees is a euphemism for having an affair.
Fang Peiru felt that he was taking the opportunity to flirt with her. Her face showed a look of annoyance and disgust. She glared at him hatefully before turning her head and walking towards the mixed woods.
After Fang Peiru left, Wang Ergou, with a dog tail in his mouth and his belt tugged at, walked into the woods as if he needed to relieve himself.
Fang Peiru felt nauseous looking at him. She looked away and said with disgust, "What's the solution? Tell me quickly."
Wang Ergou's gaze was fixed on her high, firm breasts, but remembering that he still had important business to attend to, he suppressed his urges and put on a loving expression. "To be honest, I really like the Jiang family. If you cooperate with me a little, once I elope with her, your cousin will be yours."
"You and her are having an affair?" Fang Peiru turned around in shock, met Wang Ergou's ugly face, and immediately denied her guess.
Even if Jiang is not picky, she wouldn't stoop so low as to have an affair with Wang Ergou!
But jealousy had already consumed her reason.
She secretly hoped that Jiang Tangtang and Wang Ergou would have an affair.
Even if they hadn't been intimate before, she still hoped that Jiang Tangtang could become Wang Ergou's woman in the future. Just thinking about Jiang Tangtang lying under a man like Wang Ergou and letting him do whatever he wanted filled her with a sense of pleasure.
Wang Ergou stared into her eyes and saw the resentment in them. He went along with her and said, "You've seen how spoiled she is. Once I take her away, she'll have no choice but to depend on me. In the future, she'll just have to be my wife."
Fang Peiru asked, "Then what do you want me to do?"
Wang Ergou whispered a few words in her ear, and Fang Peiru's eyes widened immediately. She said unwillingly, "You want the Jiang family, and you want to take the carriage and everything on it as well. You're too greedy."
If the carriage and all the supplies are gone, won't she go hungry and have to travel with great difficulty?
"How could I escape without a carriage?" Wang Ergou said, "It's just a broken carriage. With your cousin's abilities, what can't he have in the future?"
Besides, if you can't marry into that family, what do those things have to do with you? Even though I'll take a carriage with me, I'll leave you with a pony. Your life will definitely be better than it is now.”
After some hesitation, Fang Peiru was finally persuaded by Wang Ergou and decided to cooperate with him.
Fang Peiru casually plucked a handful of leaves from the mixed woods and guiltily returned to her resting place.
She secretly observed everyone, fearing that someone would discover her and Wang Ergou's secret conversation in the grove.
When they discovered that the Lu family was gathered around the two new foals Lu Shiyan had brought back, Jiang Tangtang was resting with his eyes closed, while his parents were arguing fiercely with several uncles and aunts.
Most of the villagers had already left, and no one had discovered her affair with Wang Ergou, so she secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
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