Chapter 55: Made another sum of money
Du Wanchun was slightly surprised to see Liu Lanzhi, but then she smiled and said, "This incense shop is owned by my family, so naturally I'm here."
Liu Lanzhi stared wide-eyed at her incredulously, "You're saying this shop is owned by your family? How is that possible? Your husband's family is dirt poor, how could they possibly have the money to open a shop?"
Du Wanchun didn't want to explain too much to her, so she ignored her and asked Madam Li, who was standing to the side, "Madam, are you still going to buy perfume today?"
Madam Li pushed Liu Lanzhi aside with a look of disgust, walked into the shop, glanced at the incense on the shelf, and said, "The sandalwood cone incense you gave me the other day is quite nice, I'll buy another box."
Du Wanchun quickly smiled and took a small wooden box from the shelf, handing it to Madam Li.
Madam Li took it in her hand, opened it, and after looking at it, asked her, "How much is this box of incense?"
Du Wanchun smiled slowly and said, "Madam, one of our Zhongxiang incense towers costs seventy coins. This box contains fifteen towers, which is about one tael of silver and fifty coins. Forget about the fifty coins, just give me one tael of silver."
Mrs. Li nodded slightly and slowly closed the box. "Yes, I'll buy it."
After saying that, he had the maid beside him take out one tael of silver and give it to Du Wanchun.
Du Wanchun smiled and took it, then turned and handed it to Zhou Feng to do the bookkeeping.
Although Madam Li initially looked down on Du Wanchun and Aunt Zhou, the incense that Du Wanchun sold her last time was indeed effective. Magistrate Li, who usually suffered from headaches, felt refreshed after using it and praised her repeatedly.
This made her genuinely admire them, so when she saw Du Wanchun and Aunt Zhou again, she was a completely different person, and her attitude was much gentler than usual.
When she looked at her daughter-in-law, she even wondered if what the fortune teller said was true, and whether this child was really a lucky star.
Unfortunately, Madam Li didn't really believe in these superstitious beliefs. After putting away the incense, she turned and left the shop.
Liu Lanzhi stood outside the door, still looking terrified. She never expected that her silly stepsister, whom she had bullied since childhood, would be so adept at doing business, and that she could earn one or two taels of silver from just one box of some kind of incense.
This is more than her monthly salary at the Li family's residence.
Liu Lanzhi was immediately filled with jealousy, especially when she saw Du Wanchun's smiling face, which made her even angrier.
She was the one who married into Magistrate Li's family, and she was also the one who rose to prominence and became a phoenix.
How could she possibly be doing better than me?
Liu Lanzhi seemed to be trapped in a vicious cycle, hating everything about Du Wanchun, her teeth chattering unconsciously.
Seeing that she hadn't moved for a long time, Madam Li turned around and shouted at her, "Hurry up and come here!"
Liu Lanzhi was startled by her shout, and everything in her hands fell to the ground with a thud.
When Madam Li saw this, her face immediately filled with anger. She rushed over, pointed at her forehead, and scolded, "You can't even carry something properly! You're such a useless thing! Look at the Zhou family's daughter-in-law, she's better than you in every way!"
Du Wanchun looked towards the door upon hearing the sound and saw Liu Lanzhi standing outside the door, her head bowed and her face pale, not daring to utter a single word, after being thoroughly scolded by Madam Li.
Madam Li became more and more enraged with her scolding, completely forgetting her status as the wife of a county magistrate. She grabbed her ear and yanked her, "Hurry up and pick up what's on the ground, don't embarrass yourself here!"
Liu Lanzhi cried out in pain, glanced at Du Wanchun, then gritted her teeth, hurriedly turned her face away, and awkwardly picked up the things on the ground.
Du Wanchun sighed with regret. Luckily, she hadn't married into the Li family, otherwise she would be the one being scolded on the street today.
She patted her chest and breathed a sigh of relief.
Aunt Zhou, who was standing nearby, also noticed what was happening outside. She stepped forward, took her hand, and whispered to comfort her, "Let's go home."
"Mm," Du Wanchun replied with a smile, looking up at herself.
Just then, Zhou Ruiyuan brought the carriage back. He strode forward, took his wife's hand, and carefully helped her into the carriage. Then he turned around and helped Zhou's mother up as well.
Zhou Zhao sat in front, holding the reins of the carriage, and slowly started driving it.
After returning to Changliu Village, they returned the carriage to the Wang family at the village entrance and also gave them some copper coins.
The family then returned home and started a fire to cook.
Du Wanchun washed the vegetables, Aunt Zhou cooked the vegetables, Zhou Ruiyuan started the fire, and Zhou Zhao fed the chickens in the backyard.
The family worked until dusk before finally enjoying a delicious dinner.
Inside Magistrate Li's residence in Cheng'an County, Liu Lanzhi, though not required to cook, was responsible for serving the dishes.
Magistrate Li and his wife were sitting at the table eating, and she had to stand beside them and use chopsticks to serve them food.
Let her pick out whatever she wants to eat.
Liu Lanzhi, starving, drooled as she looked at the table full of food.
Young Master Li paid no attention to the matter and said while eating, "Mother, how's the concubine thing going? If it's any later, that girl's belly will be big."
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