The Zhang family leaves all their money to their good grandson for his studies, hoping that Zhang Yaozu will bring honor to the family in the future!
As for the girl who had to pay compensation, Old Lady Zhang felt so heartbroken that she was twitching when she spent a copper coin. Three hundred taels of silver would be worse than taking Old Lady Zhang's life!
"Lanhua, listen to your mother. It's cold, so we can go home first. We don't want to be laughed at by outsiders."
Old Mrs. Zhang wiped her face, then nimbly stood up. Her words became much softer, but a violent look flashed in her eyes.
Now that Lanhua has discovered the secret, this person cannot be kept.
Around noon, someone came to pick someone up, and Old Lady Zhang just sat at home counting money.
Selling people before the New Year is the right time. The barbarians are willing to pay more money, and the extra money is enough to buy New Year's goods.
Old Lady Zhang's abacus clanged loudly, and she smiled a rare smile: "You are pregnant, so don't lose your temper, otherwise it will not be good for the baby. Look at Daya's little face, it's red from the cold. Make her a new coat before the New Year."
Old Mrs. Zhang made big promises and tried to bribe her daughter-in-law with some small favors.
Zhang Yaozu, who had already put on his cloak, saw this and shouted, "Grandma, it was that little bitch Daya who made me fall through the ice. You must not let her go!"
First, trick Zhang Daya back home and beat her up, otherwise Zhang Yaozu will be furious.
Old Mrs. Zhang understood and winked at Zhang Yaozu, her eyes almost twitching.
To secure the silver, Old Lady Zhang, for once, frowned and reprimanded her grandson, "Yaozu, you're a scholar, how dare you speak of your cousin like that?"
Zhang Yaozu snorted coldly and continued, "Grandma, why are you so partial?"
On normal days, Zhang Yaozu always said that Zhang Daya was his servant who served him tea, water and foot washing water.
Old Mrs. Zhang stammered and couldn't answer, so she had to wink again.
The scene before her was particularly ironic. Lanhua stroked her daughter's head, feeling even more bitter in her heart.
When her husband was alive, the couple worked from morning to night, focusing on making money just to make Daya live a better life. Little did they know that in the old house, their daughter lived worse than the fat pig raised in the family.
Old Mrs. Zhang always said that girls should not be spoiled. When the eldest girl was a few years old, she carried a small stool to the stove and almost fell into the big iron pot several times.
Lanhua had no selfish motives and didn't know how to hoard money. She handed over all the money she earned to Old Lady Zhang. The couple worked hard to provide food and clothing for the family of more than a dozen people.
Now that her man is gone, the sky is falling.
"Mrs. Zhang, stop pretending to be ignorant when you know the truth!"
Lanhua was tired and didn't bother to argue with Old Lady Zhang. "Over the years, Daya's father and I have brought back at least several hundred taels of silver. I only want three hundred taels."
"impossible!"
Old Lady Zhang glared at Lanhua and cursed, "You don't spend money on food and clothing for the family, and you don't hire a teacher to educate your ancestors? You have so many mouths to feed, and you don't want to feed them?"
"What does that have to do with me? Our family split up a long time ago."
To be precise, Lanhua and her man were separated.
Even so, I still have to pay money to my family.
The rest of the Zhang family were lazy and only wanted to eat and work, so they rented out their few acres of land to the villagers for farming.
Old Mrs. Zhang is an old farmer's wife. She has never had to do housework. Her granddaughter Zhang Daya does all the laundry, cooking, and feeding the pigs and chickens.
All the delicious food and drinks at home went into Zhang Yaozu's mouth.
“No money!”
The two couldn't reach an agreement, so Old Lady Zhang simply sat down on the ground and cried, "Son, you died in an accident, and your wife is trying to force an old man like me to death. It's so unfair!"
Lanhua looked at them coldly, too lazy to continue acting with Old Lady Zhang. She lowered her eyes and thought for a while, then said dejectedly, "Forget it. If Daya's father were alive, he wouldn't want this."
"My second son is the most caring. Son, why did you leave just like that?"
Old Mrs. Zhang thundered without any action and wailed a few times.
Lanhua said, "Yaozu looks unhappy. Since the Zhang family only has this one scholar, why don't we go to the city and take a look?"
Lanhua has a thorough understanding of the Zhang family.
Given Old Lady Zhang's personality, even if she was successfully threatened, she would still tamper with the money.
In the afternoon, a group of black men came to the village, and the fate of Lanhua and her daughter Daya was about to be rewritten.
If that’s the case, why did she ask Old Lady Zhang for money?
"That's right, the teacher said Yaozu has the talent of a top scholar!"
When talking about her beloved grandson, Mrs. Zhang's expression changed again and she looked very proud.
Realizing that what Lanhua said made sense, the Zhang family immediately sent someone to pull a donkey cart from home. Old Mrs. Zhang and her entire family accompanied them as they marched into the city in a grand procession.
It wasn't that Old Lady Zhang didn't want to blackmail Jiang Yuzhu and her group, but some of the younger generations in the Zhang family were literate and recognized the carriage from the general's mansion.
When Old Lady Zhang heard this, she was afraid of being in trouble with the people in the General's Mansion, so she found an excuse to slip away, leaving the mess to Lanhua.
After the group walked away, Lanhua squatted down and knelt with one hand on the ground: "Benefactor, if you don't mind, come back with me to warm yourself by the fire."
The houses in the village have kangs, so it is always warmer inside than outside.
Jiang Yuzhu agreed when she saw that the guard's wet coat was still wet.
Mo Yan leaned forward and asked, "Aunt, you were so insistent on asking Old Lady Zhang for three hundred taels before, why are you suddenly not asking anymore?"
Judging from Lanhua's personality, it doesn't seem like she suddenly figured it out, so there must be something hidden.
"My benefactor, I won't hide it from you. Even if I use tricks to get it back, the money is in the hands of Old Lady Zhang. She can think of a hundred ways to trip me up."
Old Mrs. Zhang is cruel. If Lanhua confronts her head-on, she is worried that she will harm her daughter Daya.
After sending the Zhang family away, Lanhua went back to get the money. She knew where Old Lady Zhang hid her money, which was in the cellar.
When they returned to the village, Lanhua carried a rather heavy box out of the cellar with the help of the guards.
The box was pried open, revealing a large box full of gold and silver, as well as some simple jewelry.
For the villagers, it is a huge sum of money.
"Aren't you afraid that Mrs. Zhang will come back and find out something's missing and report it to the police?"
Jiang Yuzhu admired Lanhua's decisiveness and was concerned about her subsequent plans.
Lanhua shook her head. Even if Old Lady Zhang noticed, she wouldn't dare to say anything.
"This silver only has a few hundred taels for me and Daya's father. After all the expenses for food and clothing for the whole family over the years, I estimate that there are still three hundred taels. I will report the rest of the silver to the government."
It was hers, but she took it. It was ill-gotten gains, and Lanhua felt guilty about taking it.
"My benefactor, can I borrow your carriage to go to the government office?"
After Lanhua returned to the village, she found that the villagers often interacted with the Hei Zhongren.
After Lanhua married into Zhangjia Village, she made friends with several young wives whose families lived far away. But after she came back this time, almost all of those strange wives disappeared.
Every time Lanhua asked about it, Old Mrs. Zhang would evade the question by saying that she was divorced and sent back to her parents' home.
"I overheard a conversation between Old Lady Zhang and Yao Zu's mother and learned that they were both sold to the barbarians after giving birth."
Women who go to the barbarian tribe are bound to be abused.
Lanhua had to endure the pain of losing her husband and protect her daughter Daya, and had to stay in the village to look for clues.
She was not on good terms with Old Lady Zhang, and after giving birth, she was bound to be sold.
"I deliberately stayed in the village for a while, and then I reported to the authorities after I got the silver."
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