Chapter 5: Don't go down the wrong path at a young age
Breakfast at a farmhouse is simple: a bowl of porridge and a dish of pickled vegetables.
Chunzhi was generous with the amount of rice, and the porridge was cooked to be almost like rice. "Take as much as you can eat, but leave a small bowl on the stove for my mother to eat after she wakes up. My mother usually gets up around 7 a.m., so it's still early. Don't disturb her."
Su Zhenzhen nodded, ladled a large bowl of porridge from the pot, took a stack of pickled vegetables and three pairs of bowls and chopsticks, and walked towards the east room.
It was now broad daylight, and the old man and his son had also woken up.
Upon seeing that breakfast was plain porridge, the old man was very excited. "How much rice must have been wasted? This old lady is too kind."
Su Zhenzhen poured herself a bowl of porridge, took a sip, and then glanced at Old Man Bai. "The old lady hasn't woken up yet. Her daughter-in-law Chunzhi made the meal. She said we can take as much porridge as we can eat."
Old Bai didn't know what to do with his hands and feet, but still poured him a bowl of porridge. "Dad, eat first. Since we're here, let's make the best of it."
This sentence successfully drew Su Zhenzhen's attention to him. Hensheng poured himself a bowl of porridge and began to drink it by himself.
Compared to the old man's hearty gulps, Hensheng drank very politely.
Su Zhenzhen finally understood why she had always felt strange about Hensheng. Not only was he excessively beautiful, but he also exuded an air of nobility in his every move.
That's right, it exudes luxury.
Since we're here, we might as well make the best of it. This person is even educated.
After finishing one bowl of porridge, Su Zhenzhen poured herself another bowl, and only after finishing that bowl again did she feel like she had something in her stomach.
"I'll help Chunzhi with her laundry in a bit. You two can see if there's anything you can do and help out. You can't just sit around doing nothing, can you?"
The father and son nodded repeatedly, unaware that everything was being commanded by Su Zhenzhen without their knowledge.
The Xu family is really particular; they even set aside a separate room for washing. What farmer doesn't wash in their own room?
Su Zhenzhen brought her dirty clothes to the riverbank, where several women were already washing them.
Seeing that Su Zhenzhen was a stranger, these people all turned their gazes toward her.
The woman closest to Su Zhenzhen asked, "Hi, whose wife are you? I've never seen you before?"
Su Zhenzhen lowered her head and answered shyly, "I am a daughter-in-law of the Bai family. My surname is Su and my name is Zhenzhen. I am not from this village. I came to stay with Aunt Xu last night."
"Oh, no wonder." The woman, who was two people away from Su Zhenzhen, poked her head out. Her hair, which was half black and half white, was tied up at the back of her head and secured with a silver hairpin. "I was wondering why I heard noises next door last night. I thought it was Hua Zi coming back in the middle of the night."
Su Zhenzhen met her gaze openly and reached out to brush her hair from her forehead. "If we had known that Brother Xu wasn't home, we wouldn't have bothered him so late at night. I wonder if knocking on the door in the middle of the night scared Sister-in-law Xu."
"Hey." The woman beside her gestured with her chin. "If any other young wife were to have her door knocked on in the middle of the night, she would definitely be scared. But Chunzhi is different. She is this one!"
The woman gave a thumbs-up, her expression showing strong agreement.
The women started chatting about the couple, from Chunzhi managing the household to how she was over thirty and still hadn't had children, and how Xu Hua respected her by not taking a concubine.
Su Zhenzhen remained silent and diligently washed the clothes in her hands.
The woman beside her suddenly nudged her with her elbow and whispered, "Young lady, your whole family has come to the Xu family for refuge. You mustn't go down the wrong path at such a young age. It's not like they didn't have relatives visiting before. One of their young wives tried to climb into their bed in the middle of the night, and Chunzhi threw her out naked. Listen to your aunt, no matter how rich or powerful other families are, they're not yours."
Su Zhenzhen smiled and thanked her.
After washing the clothes, the women went home one after another.
Su Zhenzhen noticed that the woman with the silver hairpin had been traveling with her all the way. "Auntie, are you traveling with me?"
The woman smiled and said, "My house is right next to the Xu family's. Come visit sometime. My son Wu San and Xu Hua are good brothers."
Holding the washed clothes, Su Zhenzhen rubbed her fingers together as if she were a little embarrassed. "Aunt Wu, can I ask you something?"
Aunt Wu asked curiously, "What do you want to know?"
Su Zhenzhen blushed, "It's just... I heard that Brother Xu has quite a few lucrative businesses..."
"I thought it was something serious," Aunt Wu patted Su Zhenzhen's hand. "Since your family has come to the Xu family for help, you must be starving. Hua Zi is a kind-hearted man; he helps everyone in our village earn money. When he goes to steal sheep from the Hu people again, have your husband go with him. You'll get paid if you go."
Su Zhenzhen looked conflicted. "Is it...is it dangerous? I heard that the Hu people eat people."
"How can it not be dangerous? Even our imperial army might not be able to defeat the barbarians. It's only because Hua Zi is clever that his body was brought back. If it were anyone else, their bodies wouldn't have been brought back."
Hearing this, Su Zhenzhen's expression improved. "Okay, when Brother Xu comes back, let my husband come along. I just don't know when he'll be back."
“I saw him just two or three days ago. I guess it will be a few days before I can go back. Our place is quite far from the Hu people.”
Aunt Wu gave a few more instructions, telling her to be diligent and do more work at the Xu family's house, as both the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law were easy to talk to.
Su Zhenzhen agreed to everything, perfectly playing the role of a well-behaved young wife.
Back at the Xu family home, after hanging up the clothes, Su Zhenzhen saw no one around and was considering whether to go for a walk in the village when a shifty-eyed man swaggered into the house.
The person who arrived called out in a loud voice, "Sister-in-law, sister-in-law!"
After calling out to everyone but finding no one, he finally turned his attention to Su Zhenzhen.
"Who are you? What are you doing at my aunt's house?"
Su Zhenzhen immediately realized that the person in front of her was Xu Hua's cousin. He did not look like a good person, but he did not have the ferocity of someone who had killed someone.
Furthermore, Xu Hua had only recently died; what murderer would dare to brazenly come to their door?
Su Zhenzhen didn't believe this person had such good mental fortitude.
The door to the main house was pushed open from the inside. Old Mrs. Xu, dressed neatly, looked at the shifty-eyed man with a displeased expression.
"Hu Yong, I've told you the rules."
Hu Yong grinned and approached the old lady. "Aunt, it doesn't matter if you sleep a little longer or a little less. I'm hungry. Is there anything to eat?"
Grandma Xu glared at him fiercely, "No! You go out and fool around after eating and drinking your fill! When will you get married and have a child? That's the important thing!"
Hu Yong pleaded and acted coquettishly, "Of course, of course! Aunt, you decide. I'll marry whoever you want me to marry. I'm out of money."
Grandma Xu didn't bother to look at him. "Your sister-in-law is in charge of the household. If you want money, ask her."
Hu Yong then feigned a pitiful state, saying, "Is my sister-in-law home? Otherwise, Aunt, you can give it to me first."
Grandma Xu went straight to the kitchen, completely ignoring Hu Yong's antics.
Having witnessed everything, Su Zhenzhen was even more puzzled. The old lady didn't dote on this nephew much, and even said that Chunzhi was in charge of the household. So why was Xu Hua so sure that Hu Yong was murdering him for money?
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