Chapter 37: Liu Ya's money is the Zhou family's money; take it back!
Zhao Yunjing stretched out his hand, palm facing up.
Zhou Mujiao took a homemade red pen and drew a heart on his palm.
Zhao Yunjing couldn't understand what it was or what it meant, but she was so close to him, almost touching him, that when she drew the heart, her fingers touched his palm.
He was very happy.
After drawing the heart, Zhou Mujiao handed the things she was carrying in her other hand to Zhao Yunjing: "This heart, and this, are gifts from me to you. I hope that Brother Zhao will have all his wishes fulfilled and all his desires come true!"
Drawing hearts for boys and giving them carefully selected gifts were things Zhou Mujiao had never done before. She had never experienced the joy of giving a gift or the anxiety of not knowing if the recipient would like it.
Being sent to ancient times by fate this time allowed her to experience the full spectrum of feelings of a young girl in love.
All in all, it felt pretty good.
After giving the gift, Zhou Mujiao turned to leave, but suddenly her arm tightened as Zhao Yunjing grabbed her. She blinked and asked, "Brother Zhao?"
Zhao Yunjing was stiff all over, and his heart was pounding. He asked Zhou Mujiao with a tense face, "Love, does it mean intention?"
Zhou Mujiao smiled brightly: "Guess."
Zhao Yunjing tightened his grip, grabbing her other hand as well. His eyes were deep and anxious; he needed to confirm, "Ajiao, I, I also—"
"Sister! Dinner's ready!"
Eighteen ran out and saw her older brother holding Zhou Mujiao tightly, his face looking terrifying. The little girl ran over, crying, "Big brother! Don't bully sister! You can't bully sister! Let go! Let go! Mother, come quick! Big brother is bullying sister!"
Zhao Yunjing's expression changed, and he quickly released Zhou Mujiao: "I, I didn't—"
"I saw it all! You bad big brother! Sister's hand is all red! You were so rough!" Zhou Mujiao bent down, the little girl felt extremely sorry for her, and blew on it hard. "Don't worry, sister, we won't be friends with big brother! From now on, Shiba will protect you! If big brother bullies you again, Shiba will take a knife and chop him up!"
Aunt Zhao came out upon hearing the noise, and Shi Ba immediately complained. Aunt Zhao looked at her son, whose face was dark red, and then at Zhou Mujiao, and understood.
"Ah Jiao, you're eighteen. It'll be time to eat soon. Go inside and wash your hands."
Watching the two enter the house, Aunt Zhao went over and patted her son: "Yun Jing, your mother knows what you're thinking, but A Jiao... won't be able to stay in Peach Blossom Village in peace."
Even if she reciprocates your feelings and is willing to stay in Peach Blossom Village for you, would you dare accept her affections?
Aunt Zhao sighed, "Yun Jing, your parents are sorry. If our family were a little better off, your mother would have swallowed her pride and asked for your help. But right now, everything we have is thanks to her. Yun Jing, you... think about it again."
A few words calmed Zhao Yunjing down, and he nodded: "Mother, Yunjing understands."
Aunt Zhao sighed again, shook her head, and went inside.
Zhao Yunjing stood still, the heart in his palm seemed to be burning hot. He slowly tightened his hand, but the temperature of the heart gradually cooled down.
Before going to sleep, Zhao Yunjing opened his palm once again.
The red heart shone brightly under the dim light. As he looked at it, his heart alternated between warmth and coldness, as if he were ill.
Xiao Wu, Chu Liu, and Chu Jiu were already asleep in the next bed, with their books on the bedside table—all gifts from Zhou Mujiao.
He took out the gift that Zhou Mujiao had given him, stared at it for a while, and then opened it.
It's also a book.
His eyes welled up with tears, and he stroked each book carefully for a long time before putting them back, wrapping them up, and placing them on the top shelf of the cabinet.
Aunt Feng and the others went to the Zhao family's house for several days in a row, going in the morning and returning in the evening. They always came back with smiles on their faces. Soon, the villagers noticed. No one knows who among the fifteen people let it slip, but in just half a day, the whole Peach Blossom Village knew that the Zhao family was hiring people to do work for twenty-five coins a day.
Aunt Zhou heard this too, and her mind immediately started working. She called over her eldest daughter-in-law and said, "Eldest daughter-in-law, go to the Zhao family on the mountain. Liu Ya and Xiao Wu are working there. They are members of our Zhou family, so we should naturally take their wages."
Zhou's eldest daughter-in-law's surname is Lu. Madam Lu has given birth to three sons and two daughters. She is both shrewish and fierce, and even Aunt Zhou can't handle her. Hearing this, she rolled her eyes and said, "No matter how much wages Liu Ya and Xiao Wu get, I'm just their aunt. What right do I have to take them? Mother, you are their grandmother. It's only right and proper for you to take the money!"
Aunt Zhou: "You were so happy to receive the money when you sold Liuya!"
“I didn’t sell Liuya, but once the money was in Mother’s hands, it became the Zhou family’s money. Since it’s the Zhou family’s money, why can’t I take it?” Madam Lu said righteously.
"I need to get out of bed, I don't have time."
"I need to do laundry, and I don't have time!"
The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law kept pushing the issue back and forth, neither of them wanting to go. It wasn't that they didn't want the wages, but they were afraid of being tainted by the Zhao family's bad luck. If something happened to their family members, the money they brought back wouldn't even be enough to buy medicine.
The third daughter-in-law, Wang, and the fourth daughter-in-law, Tian, exchanged a glance. Tian said, "Mother, eldest sister-in-law, since you are both too busy to go, then my third sister-in-law and I will go."
So many people go there every day and haven't had any bad luck, how could it be just the Zhou family who's going to have bad luck? Anyway, going to see won't hurt anything. When they get their wages, the two of them will split a portion and bring the rest to Zhonggong.
Aunt Zhou was unhappy again. None of her daughters-in-law were easy to deal with. If she asked the two of them to go and get it, she was afraid they wouldn't get a single copper coin. So the old lady slammed her hand on the table: "Alright, stop arguing! Call the eldest and third sons, and let them all go!"
The family set off for the Zhao family in a large group, but encountered another group of people on the way.
Another group of people were Uncle Zhao and Uncle Zhao Er. They had also heard that Zhao Yunjing's family had hired workers and wanted to take advantage of them. Putting everything else aside, the third brother's family hadn't taken care of the elderly for many years, so it was only right for them to ask for some money. If they weren't given any, they would report them to the authorities and accuse them of neglecting their parents!
The two families were initially wary of each other, but by the time they reached the foot of the mountain, they had formed an alliance. The men addressed each other as brothers, the women called each other "sister" and "younger sister," and the children ran and jumped around playing happily. Anyone who didn't know better would have thought they were really close friends.
It was lunchtime, and Xiulan was feeding Xiaobao in front of the house when she glanced down the mountain and saw a large group of people. She immediately ran in, shouting, "Auntie! Ajiao! Someone's here to cause trouble!"
Upon recognizing the Zhao family members, Uncle Zhao and Aunt Zhao's expressions changed.
Uncle Zhao said, "Yun Jing and A Jiao, you should both go back inside. I'll take care of this."
Zhou Mujiao looked at the people who had already reached the halfway point of the mountain and shook her head: "Uncle Zhao, the Zhou family has also arrived."
Aunt Feng knew the Zhou family's situation best. Upon seeing this, she grabbed a stick without saying a word. Aunt Yang also picked up a broom without asking any questions. The others also grabbed whatever they could find, thinking that if the Zhou family bullied Zhou Mujiao, they would drive them away!
Before long, people from the Zhou and Zhao families arrived.
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