Chapter 406 The sister-in-law ran off to become a concubine
Aunt Tao's hysteria did not bring Tao Meiyu to her senses. Back home, Tao Meiyu looked at her clothes and touched the hairpin in her hair, already imagining herself as the lady of the He family.
To repay the thirty taels of silver, Aunt Tao went to her parents' home and begged many people. In the end, she had to sell her house to raise the thirty taels of silver.
As soon as she got the money, Aunt Tao rushed off to the He family's house, but her third son stopped her as soon as she stepped out the door.
"Mother, my little sister is missing."
To prevent her daughter from doing anything foolish, Aunt Tao locked her in the house, locking the doors and windows.
Aunt Tao was shocked and rushed into the house. When she saw the lock that had been pried open on the ground, she felt dizzy and almost collapsed.
Tao Laosan quickly stepped forward to help her up, "Mother, are you alright, Mother?"
Aunt Tao looked at the lock on the ground and said in a trembling voice, "Your little sister is inside the house, who opened this lock?"
Tao Laosan turned his head away guiltily, "Mother, I don't know who opened it!"
Aunt Tao sensed something was wrong with his voice and immediately looked up, glaring at him coldly. "Tell me, did you do it?!"
Tao Laosan was startled by his mother's scolding and nodded.
Aunt Tao shoved him away and angrily scolded, "You idiot, how could you let your sister out?!"
Tao Laosan staggered back a few steps, then looked up and said righteously, "Mother, you were wrong in this matter. My little sister is going to the He family to live a good life. How could you not let her go!"
"And my little sister said that if she becomes the lady of the He family, she'll give me thirty taels of silver every month! Mother, thirty taels of silver every month! We can live a life of luxury just by lying at home every day!"
Aunt Tao was so angry that her face turned red. She looked at her good-for-nothing son, sighed deeply, and casually got up to chase after him outside.
Tao Laosan hurriedly followed, "Mother, where are you going?!"
Aunt Tao said sternly, "Go to the He family!"
Upon hearing this, Tao Laosan hurriedly chased after her, saying, "Mother, please don't go. This is my little sister's own choice. You will only hinder her future prospects if you do this."
Aunt Tao ignored her and continued walking forward, saying, "I absolutely cannot allow your sister to become a concubine in the He family."
Old Master Tao strode forward and stopped her. "Mother, why can my eldest sister become a concubine, but my younger sister can't? Aren't they both your daughters? How can you be so biased!"
Aunt Tao glared at him angrily, "You idiot, get out of my way!"
Tao Laosan blocked her at the door and refused to leave, saying, "No, I won't let you through."
Aunt Tao turned to grab a broom, shouting, "If you don't move aside today, I'll beat you to death!"
Tao Laosan was desperate. "Mother, are you going to beat me like you beat my eldest sister to death?!"
Aunt Tao paused, but did not reply.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, Tao Laosan strode forward and knocked Tao's aunt unconscious with a single slap.
Aunt Tao was still thinking about finding her daughter from the He family, but she didn't expect that when she woke up, it was already the third day. Tao Meiyu and Master He had already consummated their relationship.
Aunt Tao sat in the house and cried for two or three days.
Du Wanchun, who was working at the rice shop, learned about the matter from the villagers who were buying rice that very afternoon, before the next day had even arrived.
Du Wanchun turned around and looked at Tao Yaofang, whose injuries had almost healed. With a smile in her eyes, she called out to her, "Yaofang, I just heard that your sister got married."
Tao Yaofang was wiping the table and the rice cupboard with a rag when she heard Du Wanchun's words. She looked up in surprise and said, "What? My sister got married? So fast!"
Du Wanchun came over and said, "I heard she's going to be a concubine for the He family."
"A concubine in the He family?" Tao Yaofang was astonished. "I heard that the patriarch of the He family is no human being. How could my mother bear to let my little sister marry into that family?"
Du Wanchun picked up a handkerchief from the side and helped wipe the table, saying, "I heard from the person who bought rice earlier that your sister wanted to become a concubine in the He family, and your mother couldn't stop her."
This completely astonished Tao Yaofang.
Du Wanchun put down the handkerchief, took her hand, and smiled, "Never mind, since you're still estranged anyway, her affairs are none of your business in the future."
“Yes, that’s right.” Tao Yaofang nodded emphatically.
Because Zhang Qiuhe was going home to prepare for childbirth, Du Wanchun personally managed everything at the rice shop.
Fortunately, Tao Yaofang has been there for me during this time.
Tao Yaofang was indeed capable, no less so than an ordinary man. Her leg injury had just healed when she took on all the odd jobs in the rice shop.
Actually, there were employees in the rice shop who were busy with these tasks, but Tao Yaofang couldn't stay idle. She didn't want to eat and live there for free, so she took the initiative to work.
Du Wanchun tried to persuade her several times to no avail, so she just let her be.
Besides teaching at the school these days, Zhou Quan also often works with Zhou Ruiyuan at the yamen, saying that he would need money after they get married and he couldn't let Tao Yaofang suffer.
Seeing that he was so ambitious, Du Wanchun specially instructed Zhou Ruiyuan to give Zhou Quan more work to do.
In just a few days, Zhou Quan was no longer the cowardly prince who was useless in the capital, but a learned and family-oriented man.
Their wedding is scheduled for a month from now.
Aunt Zhou wanted to make it a proper celebration.
This is the first time in the Zhou family's history that they have seriously held a wedding.
So everything is done in the best possible way.
As evening approached, Du Wanchun specially took Tao Yaofang to buy jewelry and clothes.
Du Wanchun was afraid that Tao Yaofang would be too polite, so she pretended that she wanted Tao Yaofang to accompany her to choose these things.
As luck would have it, Du Wanchun had just stepped inside when she spotted a familiar-looking girl. Upon closer inspection, she realized it was Tao Yaofang's younger sister, Tao Meiyu.
She wore a peach-colored ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress) and a gold hairpin in her hair, looking both wealthy and frivolous.
Tao Meiyu was looking at the gold and silver jewelry in the shop when she looked up and saw Du Wanchun and Tao Yaofang.
She picked up a string of gold bracelets with a smile and said, "Oh, it's you, big sister! I didn't expect you to be in a place like this before. What's wrong? Are you short of money and want to pawn your jewelry?"
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