Chapter 29 The unfaithful Shen Rongzhi has written again.
The next day, before dawn.
Lu Zhaoruo then got up and went to the kitchen, where she made Seven Treasures Vegetarian Porridge, Jujube-wrapped Lotus Leaf Cakes, and Three Crispy Soup.
While having breakfast, Dongrou was sipping her porridge from a porcelain bowl when she saw Abao sitting upright on a cushion, holding a lotus leaf cake in his two front paws, nibbling on it with his three-lobed mouth, not caring that crumbs covered his mouth with downy fur.
“Abao is becoming more and more like a child.”
Dongrou smiled and reached out to wipe it.
Ah Bao turned his head away, his emerald green cat eyes glancing sideways as he snorted, "I'm just a child."
To Dongrou's ears, all she heard were a few unhappy meows.
Seeing this, Lu Zhaoruo couldn't help but smile gently and pushed the Three Crispy Soup towards it.
At this moment, Stone was waiting outside the door.
Stone must have come looking for something.
As soon as Lu Zhaoruo stepped out the door, Shi Tou bowed respectfully and said in a low voice, "Madam, I bumped into Granny Zhou coming back from outside today. She had a letter hidden in her sleeve, which I knocked to the ground... It looks like... it looks like it's from the master..."
Before he could finish speaking, he glanced around warily and hurriedly left.
Lu Zhaoruo was just thinking about going to find Zhang Shi to see if she would ask her for fifty taels of silver, just like in her previous life.
Buddhist hall.
Zhang examined her breakfast with her chopsticks: thin, watery porridge, half-cooked steamed taro, and stale tea with foam on top...
She had no appetite and threw her chopsticks on the table, making the food box rattle: "How dare you serve such swill?"
The newly arrived maidservant's knees buckled in fright, and she stammered, "The mistress has strictly ordered that the shop is currently in debt, and all household expenses must be cut. She also said... she also said that since the old lady is a vegetarian and a Buddhist... she must want to eat something light."
"Get out!"
Zhang roared, startling the maid who stumbled backward.
Then, Granny Zhou rushed in, clutching a letter, her sleeves still damp with incense ash, and said, "Madam, this old servant has brought your letter back from the City God Temple."
Zhang was just angry, but now she's in a better mood.
She snatched the letter away, ran her fingers over the paper a couple of times with delight, then suddenly looked up warily: "Invite the master over, then wait outside the door."
Grandma Zhou bowed and withdrew.
Ever since Li Chunyan peeked at the letter last time, she dared not trust it easily again. Even though Granny Zhou was an old servant brought from her maternal family, she still had to be wary.
She didn't know many characters, but she squinted and glanced at it, noticing the words "having good fortune".
His face instantly lit up with joy, and he clasped his hands together before the Buddha statue, saying, "Buddha has shown us! Rong-ge'er's wife overseas is pregnant again!"
She hurriedly kowtowed, pleading, "Buddha, please grant me a son to continue the Shen family line!"
A while later, Shen Qingshu arrived, dragging his ailing body, and pressed his chest, asking anxiously, "Did Dalang write again?"
Zhang immediately handed over the letter: "The letter says that the daughter-in-law overseas is pregnant. Quickly read to me what it says below."
Shen Qingshu read aloud word by word: "Your unfilial son kowtows to wish you, my dear parents, a thousand blessings and peace. I am doing well overseas, but I am only concerned that you are getting older and I cannot visit you morning and evening. This is truly my fault... I want to start a salt business, but I do not have enough funds. I humbly beg my mother to borrow some money from Zhaoruo to help me out."
Zhang looked troubled.
She clenched the prayer beads in her hand: "After the Lu family took over, the entire household became frugal and the monthly allowances were cut back. Those servants who were useful in the past were exiled, and no one can help her secretly withdraw public funds anymore."
Shen Qingshu, panting, had a rare glimmer of joy in his cloudy eyes as he said, "Isn't there a hundred taels of private silver hidden at the bottom of your dressing case?"
After thinking for a moment, Zhang said, "Foolish!"
She continued, "With Lu Zhaoruo around, why should she touch my private money?"
She sneered, "Since she's in charge of the household and is also the daughter-in-law of the Shen family, even though business has been slow lately, she should still support my son's expenses even if she has to sell everything she owns!"
Shen Qingshu coughed twice, then fell silent.
At this moment.
Lu Zhaoruo's voice came from outside the door.
Zhang was startled and quickly stuffed the letter into her sleeve, saying sternly, "Don't you know I'm reciting Buddhist scriptures? Are you going to let me have my peace and quiet?"
Then, remembering that he needed money, he softened his tone and said, "Come in."
Lu Zhaoruo walked in, still holding an account book in her hand.
She curtsied to the two elders: "I apologize for disturbing your meditation, Auntie. However, the shop's accounts need to be reviewed by Uncle."
Shen Qingshu didn't say anything, took the ledger, and sat down to examine it carefully.
He suddenly asked, "Why has the shop been losing money lately?"
Lu Zhaoruo lowered her eyes: "This winter is exceptionally damp and cold. The cotton cloth in the warehouse has developed mold spots, and the satin has also become damp. Three out of ten bolts are unusable, and some customers..."
Her voice trailed off, “The Chen family in the south of the city and the Wu family in the west of the city are people I used to visit often. Now that I’ve received my winter clothes, they’re still delaying paying my dues.”
Zhang slammed the Buddhist prayer beads in her hand onto the table and said coldly, "What a shrewd mistress of the house! You can't even run a shop properly, and you even skimp on our food, clothing, and daily necessities? Before my son left, he knelt down and begged you to serve us properly. Is this how you show filial piety to your in-laws?"
"These past few days, I've been unable to see you during my daily greetings, and the food and drink I've offered you have been coarse and unpalatable. Did my Shen family marry you into our family to worship a deity?"
Lu Zhaoruo hurriedly said, "Aunt, please understand! Businesses in the market are always subject to ups and downs, how can a daughter-in-law like me control that? Although the shop has been without income for a long time, how could I dare to shortchange you two? I was just thinking that you have been observing a vegetarian diet and chanting scriptures these days, and I mistakenly thought you wanted to eat some vegetarian food, plus Uncle needs to rest and recuperate..."
Zhang was speechless for a moment and couldn't find a reason to retort.
Shen Qingshu coughed twice and flipped through the ledgers with his fingers: "Why has all the treasury funds been spent?"
Lu Zhaoruo immediately lowered her head: "Replying to Uncle, I asked Master Gu of the silk shop to send some top-quality medicinal herbs from the capital. I heard that Lord Wang of the Privy Council uses this prescription, which is especially good for nourishing the lungs..."
Shen Qingshu scrutinized Lu Zhaoruo's facial expression.
His eyes and brows were filled with worry and concern.
He sighed deeply and closed the ledger: "It's so kind of you to be so filial... When my son returns home in the future, I will make sure he treats you well."
Yeah?
Lu Zhaoruo curtsied: "Serving one's parents-in-law is simply one's duty."
Zhang glanced at Shen Qingshu and, seeing him lower his eyes and remain silent, simply said, "This old woman wants fifty taels of silver."
Just as I thought in my previous life!
Lu Zhaoruo feigned surprise: "What does Auntie need so much silver for?"
Pointing to the Buddha statue, Zhang said, "Look at this, the gold leaf has peeled off! With the end of the year approaching, I want to recast the Buddha statue to show my sincerity. I hope Buddha will bless our Shen family and my son to make a fortune overseas and return home in glory..."
Lu Zhaoruo clenched her fingers.
Seeing that she remained silent, Zhang said again, "Isn't blessing my son the same as blessing you? If he brings back mountains of gold and silver, you can sit back and enjoy the wealth he brings back and comfortably be the mistress of the house."
He truly didn't blush or skip a beat.
Oh.
That's hilarious.
In Lu Zhaoruo's memory, it was also on this day that Zhang asked her for fifty taels of silver, claiming it was for reshaping the Buddha statue. Of course, in the end, it was never reshaped.
In her past life, she was unaware of this and foolishly borrowed money everywhere, handing over fifty taels.
Only now do I realize that they intended to send it overseas to that heartless man, Shen Rongzhi…
How shameless!
Lu Zhaoruo's nails dug deeply into her palms, but a gentle smile appeared on her face: "Aunt is absolutely right, but... your daughter-in-law really can't come up with the money."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
