Helpless, Madam Gu could only wipe her hands clean and carefully eat the pastries.
How could she not love sweets? When her husband was alive, he would buy her snacks from time to time, and she loved these little treats the most. It's just that the circumstances don't allow it now.
She never expected that after so long, the first time she would eat pastries was from her daughter-in-law, whom she had always feared.
Looking at Gu Shi, who was taking small bites of pastries, Meng Zhao felt that she should also explain the recent changes.
“Mother, I was at home a few days ago, and Father and Mother tried to persuade me for a long time. I've figured it out myself. Qing'an's matter is no one else's fault. I took my dissatisfaction out on the family. I apologize to you.”
Although she didn't commit the sins of the past, she had to bear the karma of the original owner now that she had taken over this body. Besides, saying this would also make Gu remember her parents' advice to her, and if they got along well in the future, she would also owe her parents a debt of gratitude.
Meng Zhao could tell that Madam Gu was soft-hearted and probably wouldn't make things difficult for her. The two children weren't very sensible, and as long as she didn't cause them any more trouble in the future, they would probably hold a grudge against her.
The main point is Shen Qinghe; the way he looked at her still makes her shudder.
Hearing Meng Zhao say this, Madam Gu became agitated and hurriedly explained, "Zhao Zhao, we really didn't lie to you. We really did give you the money back then, saying that it would exempt us from corvée labor. Who knew we would be deceived?"
Previously, when she explained things this way, Meng Zhao would always get even angrier and wouldn't let her finish, saying that their family had deliberately tricked her into marriage. Today, she was finally able to tell the whole story.
Having read the original book, Meng Zhao knew that the border guards were originally three strong men from one family, but only one person was needed. Shen's father was gone, and Shen Qinghe was only thirteen years old. Shen Qing'an should not have been on the border guard list, but his name was on the list anyway.
Later, someone approached him and said they could pay ten taels of silver to exempt him from this corvée labor, which Shen Qing'an was originally unwilling to do.
But looking at his mother and younger siblings at home, he was really worried. So he hardened his heart and sold the land, thinking that he could work hard to support his family.
To his surprise, even after paying the money, he was still not exempted from corvée labor. When he was about to leave, he wanted the ten taels of silver back, but he couldn't get it back and was beaten instead. He set off with injuries all over his body.
Meng Zhao knew this so clearly because after Shen Qinghe came to power in the book, he ordered a thorough investigation into the matter and found the culprit who had accepted bribes and altered the list. That person died a very tragic death.
Shen Qinghe was a civil official, but he was exceptionally ruthless in this matter. Anyone who was even slightly involved was severely punished by him, which made many political enemies in the court and laid the groundwork for his future as a lone minister.
“I know, Mother. This is not your fault. We are all victims. I have figured it out. From now on, our family will work hard to make money and live a good life. Qing’an can rest in peace in heaven.”
Hearing Meng Zhao say this, Madam Gu finally felt relieved. Zhao Zhao was also unfortunate, losing her husband shortly after marrying into the family. As a woman herself, she naturally understood her suffering, which was why she had been so accommodating to her before.
Now things are better, everyone's talking about it, and things will gradually get better.
After finishing the pastries, Meng Zhao and Madam Gu prepared dinner together.
There's only one pot at home, so after the rice is cooked, I have to quickly stir-fry the vegetables, which is why I choose quick and easy dishes.
A dish of celery stir-fried with pork and a dish of cabbage and tofu provided dietary fiber, protein, and healthy fats. Finally, Meng Zhao fried five eggs and placed one on each bowl of rice.
When frying eggs, Madam Gu insisted that only three eggs be fried, saying that she didn't need to eat eggs, but Meng Zhao immediately rejected this suggestion.
Setting up a street stall is hard work; without good health, how can you endure it?
At the dinner table, Meng Zhao and Gu's mother discussed setting up a food stall, while the two children quietly ate their food.
Even when their father and elder brother were still alive, they rarely ate such a sumptuous meal, not to mention their sister-in-law's culinary skills, which allowed her to create top-notch flavors from ordinary ingredients.
The Shen family's courtyard is at the foot of the mountain, dozens of meters away from the nearest house, so it is exceptionally quiet. Being in such an environment seems to instantly calm one down.
Right now, she doesn't have the mind to think too much about the original owner's fate; doing the things in the present is the most important thing.
After the meal, the two children conscientiously helped Gu Shi clear the table. Meng Zhao had also gotten used to this routine of only cooking and not cleaning up, and started walking around the yard.
She has just turned 16. Because the Meng family is relatively well-off, her height has developed quite well. She is currently a little over 1.6 meters tall. Although she is not considered tall and slender, she is already quite good compared to many people nowadays.
However, Meng Zhao was pampered at home and had never done any work. She was slender and looked rather thin. She was pretty, but she was not strong enough.
Cooking is physically demanding, especially cooking dozens of meals at once, which is difficult for most people to do.
Therefore, Meng Zhao consciously started exercising. At the beginning, it was not suitable to do strenuous exercise. She could start by walking around more often to increase her activity level.
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