If we let such a heartless person like Old Lady Zhang go unchecked, who knows how many decent women would be sold.
Lanhua sighed and said, "My sisters and I usually help each other. Now that they have been in the barbarian tribe, their fate is uncertain."
Life in the Zhang family was difficult. Lanhua witnessed the drastic change in Old Mrs. Zhang's face. She and Daya were insulted and forced to work like oxen and horses.
If it weren't for the need to find out the news, Lanhua would have taken her daughter away long ago.
Although she was a woman, she had worked as a chef in a big restaurant for several years. With her skills, she could make a living anywhere.
"Are you a chef in a restaurant?"
Jiang Yuzhu was about to buy a servant for her family, but when she heard that Lanhua had skills, she immediately wanted to keep her.
Lanhua looked at her belly and said with a wry smile, "My benefactor, I'm willing to do it in my heart, but I'm about to give birth in two months. If I go to your house to work, I'm afraid I'll cause you trouble."
For this reason, Lanhua prefers to rent a small yard and live with Daya.
She considered that after she set up her own business, even if she sent Old Lady Zhang to jail, she would still be harassed by the entire Zhang family.
When Lanhua has saved enough money, she will take her daughter away from the sad place and completely leave the Zhang family.
"No problem."
Jiang Yuzhu waved her hand and said with a smile, "As long as you have the skills and the food you make is to your liking, protecting you and your daughter will not be a problem."
Upon hearing this, Lanhua wanted to kneel down again, but this time she was not trying to apologize, but to make a request.
"I have a knot in my heart. I have always wanted to give Daya a nice nickname. Unfortunately, Daya's father and I are not well-educated. Plus, Old Lady Zhang favors boys over girls, so I just call her Daya. Now the girl is almost ten years old and still has no name."
When talking about the past, Lanhua felt bitter.
From now on, the mother and daughter depend on each other. She only hopes that her daughter can live a good life and make up for the hardships she has suffered over the years.
Jiang Yuzhu glanced at the little girl Ningxiang beside her, then glanced at the dead tree in the yard and said, "Ningdong, how is it?"
"That sounds good! Madam, I will have a name from now on. It's Ningdong!"
Zhang Daya savored it carefully, muttering to herself silently, and then her eyes turned red with joy, and she sniffed hard.
Without further ado, Lanhua began to pack her packages.
She only brought a few sets of clothes, then entered Zhang's kitchen and looted all the bacon and sausages hanging on the roof.
Finally, he explained somewhat awkwardly, "Madam, I made these with the meat I bought. I smoked them with pine, cypress, and wormwood to make them tasty. I didn't want to let the Zhang family get away with it!"
"Great, then we're in for a treat!"
The maids were the happiest when a cook came to the house. They had been relying on trickery to get food and drink these past few days, and now they could finally have a better diet.
It was almost noon when the group returned to the city. As luck would have it, they ran into Old Lady Zhang again.
The main reason why Old Lady Zhang took Zhang Yaozu to see a doctor was to avoid the general's carriage.
A plate of peanuts costs ten cents in the teahouses and restaurants in the city, but the stingy old lady Zhang is reluctant to spend the money.
She glanced at the sky and hurried back home to receive the man from Heizhong.
Suddenly, she saw her daughter-in-law Lanhua and her granddaughter Daya shopping at the market. She immediately snatched the mutton and scolded, "Lanhua, where did you get the money?"
Old Mrs. Zhang frowned. Could it be that her daughter-in-law was hiding something from her?
"For so many years, I always thought you were an honest person. I didn't expect you to be so scheming behind the scenes!"
First find out where the money is hidden, and then Mrs. Zhang will sell the person.
Having made up her mind, Old Lady Zhang threatened with a fake smile, "If you don't consider yourself, will you ignore Daya?"
"Mrs. Zhang, let go!"
Lanhua frowned, lamenting that the Zhang family members were still haunting her. She had specially chosen a route to avoid Old Lady Zhang, but she didn't expect that she still couldn't escape.
"We have already separated, what right do you have to ask?"
Lanhua, the chef, was very strong and pushed Old Lady Zhang, who took several steps back and sat down on the ground.
"Someone, come here! My son's body is still warm, and I see my daughter-in-law is so treasonous and disobeying me, her mother-in-law. I don't want to live anymore!"
Old Mrs. Zhang screamed, and immediately people around her gathered around to watch and condemn Lan Hua.
The little girl Ningdong took the initiative to stand up, protecting her mother behind her, and glared at Old Lady Zhang and said, "You are talking nonsense, my mother didn't do that!"
"Whether there is or not, people passing by are not blind!"
Old Mrs. Zhang hummed a few times and easily controlled the mother and daughter.
She thought that Lanhua would apologize humbly as usual, but unexpectedly, Lanhua just looked at her quietly with a clear expression.
Old Mrs. Zhang opened her mouth, feeling something was wrong.
"Fellow villagers, since Old Lady Zhang has accused me in this way, I will ask you to make the decision."
Lanhua had been married into the Zhang family for many years and had suffered countless grievances. What made her most sad was that Old Lady Zhang treated Daya like an animal.
Old Mrs. Zhang turned her head away guiltily and said, "I'm not good at speaking and I can't defend myself."
The more you talk in front of others, the more mistakes you make.
Old Mrs. Zhang made up her mind that it would be unfilial to bite Lanhua to death, after all, everyone saw her being pushed down.
Lanhua gritted her teeth and borrowed a dagger from Mo Yan, cutting off her daughter's sleeves, revealing several dirty rags in an instant.
Facts speak louder than words.
At this point, the onlookers showed expressions of pity.
Some kindhearted ladies couldn't stand it and said, "Is this not valuing your granddaughter? This is murder!"
People in the north know how cold it is in winter.
No matter how poor a family is, they have a thick coat. Even if the old cotton is not as warm, it is better than these torn strips of cloth.
The rags were obviously scraps from old clothes, junk that couldn't even be used to make shoe soles.
The little girl caught a cold when she was young, which will have a great impact on her future. If she is not taken care of properly, she will suffer from lifelong illness and may even be unable to get pregnant and give birth.
"Is this her own grandmother or her enemy? She wears a goose down coat herself, and it's obvious she's from a wealthy family, yet she gives this to her own granddaughter? Even the beggars in the dilapidated temples in the city have a coat!"
"Oh my god, look at how shabby the mother and daughter are wearing. If there is no comparison, we almost got dragged into a ditch by the old lady!"
Everyone was talking at once, making Old Lady Zhang blush.
Lanhua added, "It's not that our family doesn't have money, but we have to support our nephew Zhang Yaozu's education. He's still young, but he's already treating my daughter like a servant."
Old Lady Zhang's sore spot is Zhang Yaozu. Lanhua spoke a lot of truth, which Old Lady Zhang couldn't bear to hear.
Lanhua dared to smear Yaozu's reputation. How important is a scholar's reputation? Old Lady Zhang had already laid down and wailed, but she jumped up with a somersault, her eyes bulging, and said sinisterly, "Bitch, I'll fight you!"
Old Mrs. Zhang bent down, wearing a hairpin on her head, and rushed straight towards Lanhua's belly.
If Lanhua were hit by Old Lady Zhang, the baby in her belly might not be saved.
At the critical moment, Jiang Yuzhu calmly stretched out her foot, and Old Lady Zhang tripped and fell to the ground.
"Zhang Yaozu fell into an ice hole, and my wife kindly rescued him. Not only did she not receive a single word of thanks, but she was also slandered and blackmailed."
Hongli recounted the story of his rescue in rapid succession, which successfully aroused the anger of the people.
"Old Lady Zhang sells the women in the village to the barbarians through the black market."
When the people were most angry, Lanhua added another sentence.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
