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Chapter 53 You borrow money and I borrow money

(Girls' Literature)

Lotus fell in love with the purse the first time she saw it. The gleaming green silk and the vivid pink lotus embroidered on it made her eyes unable to take her eyes off it. She originally thought that if her mother asked for it, she would be able to get it for herself. Then she would be holding such a beautiful purse, and others would envy her. She had thought well, but in the end, she saw that her mother wanted to return the purse, so she grabbed the purse without thinking.

"Lotus, what are you doing?"

Zhao Yang's eyes blurred, and she saw that the purse in her hand had disappeared. When she saw that it was Lianhua who took it away, how could she not know what her daughter was going to do with it? She did not try to snatch it back, but just asked lightly, without a scolding tone. She just wanted Lianhua to come forward and take the purse down, and would her younger sister be so shameless as to ask for it again?

"Mom, I like this purse very much."

Lianhua touched the purse, feeling the smooth silk surface, and felt her hands comfortable. She wanted the purse even more. She turned to look at Su Zhi and smiled. It was a fake smile and it was awkward, as if it was embarrassing to ask her sister for something. But the tone of her words was as if it was a matter of course. It was really contradictory.

"Sister, give me this purse, and make another one for my brother-in-law!"

Su Zhi looked at her and said, "This is something I gave to your brother-in-law. If it's not appropriate for you to take it, give it back to your brother-in-law. Don't let others laugh at you for being unruly."

"How can I be unruly? My brother-in-law is not an outsider." Lotus said as she glanced at Shen Zian, as if to get his approval, but Shen Zian also frowned. She pursed her lips and said to Su Zhi, "Sister, I like this purse so much. Look, there is a lotus on it. Doesn't it match my name? And it's such a coincidence that I saw it. It means that this purse and I have a destiny."

Lianhua found an excuse to ask for the purse. She looked at the lotus on the purse and thought that if she carried it with her, it would not only look good, but it might also be a good omen and help her find her ideal husband!

Zhao Yang also clapped her hands and laughed, "Hey! Don't tell me, there really is a lotus on it. My dear sister, why don't you give it to your sister? You have such a skillful hand. Then embroider a better one for your son-in-law."

Su Zhi thought this person was really shameless, really thinking that she was her daughter and she would hold on to anything she liked. Originally, a small purse was nothing, if she was willing to give it, it would not be a problem to give ten, but now she was unwilling to give it, but she knew that if she gave it, it would only seem like she lost a small purse. But thinking deeply, it was a matter of principle, she thought that if she gave in, maybe her mother and sister would think it was easy to ask her for things!

A small purse today, maybe another small purse tomorrow, and slowly they will become more and more greedy!

Su Zhi was never a stingy person, but she hated being taken advantage of, especially by her so-called relatives. She had experienced this in her previous life, and those relatives didn't take advantage of her. Not to mention these relatives of Zhao Xiaomei now. She could do her best for the sake of occupying this body, but she was not Zhao Xiaomei and didn't want to be robbed by them.

"Mom, this purse is the best one I have ever embroidered. Zi'an likes it very much. And this purse is not suitable for Lotus. Didn't you see that it has two lotus flowers on it? That is not something a little girl like Lotus should take out to show off. She will be laughed at. A girl's reputation is very important. So, give this purse to my husband."

Shopkeeper Su had been listening nearby. Originally, this was a family matter, and she didn't want to interrupt, but she still had a good impression of Su Zhi. Seeing that she insisted on not giving up the purse for her husband, she went up to help.

"Auntie Zhao, so this girl is your daughter. She is right. It is not good for a little girl to use such a purse. It will damage her reputation. If people spread rumors that such a little girl has fallen in love with you, then we will lose more than we gain. I think this little girl is pretty and smart. She will definitely marry into a good family in the future. You should pay attention to your reputation!"

Su Zhi glanced at Shopkeeper Su and thought that this woman was smart.

Zhao Yang rolled her eyes when she heard this and said to Lianhua, "Hurry up and return the purse to your sister. If you want it, ask her to embroider another one with flowers or grass for you in the future."

Lianhua was reluctant to part with the purse, but she was also frightened by what Shopkeeper Su said about her daughter's nickname. She was also delighted by her subsequent words, so she had no choice but to return the purse to Shen Zian, and did not forget to ask Su Zhi for a new purse.

Su Zhi made a victory gesture in her mind, thinking that she had won the first round with her in-laws. She would continue to work hard in the future to ensure that others would not regard her and her husband as easy targets for extortion!

Zhao Yang came here to sell silk, and she sold ordinary silk, which cost at most one cent each. She had forty-seven silks in her basket, and she sold them for forty-seven cents. While counting the money, she asked Su Zhi how much she had sold. Su Zhi said she just came to inquire about the market price of the silk and did not sell any this time.

"You don't make money from selling silk. I think your embroidery work is good. Take more work here. The money you make can help support your parents. Lianhua will be getting married in a year or two, and your sister-in-law is about to give birth. Life at home is very tight. You should live a good life, but don't forget your parents."

Su Zhi said, "Mom, we just separated and the house we live in is leaky. Because of my illness, we moved out of the house and are running out of food. That's why we came to buy things today. These things will last until the New Year and I don't think they will be enough. Mom, how about you lend me some money? I will definitely pay you back before the New Year."

"Where is the money at home?!"

When Zhao Yang heard Su Zhi asking for money, she immediately started to cry out. She usually would split a penny into eight petals, so she was not willing to give money to others, let alone this sickly daughter. This was like spilled water! She was pointing to the money she could get from her daughter's land, but she didn't want to give money away.

"You are such a good embroiderer. If you embroider a few more purses, won't you have money? Do you still need to borrow money from your parents? Isn't it here? Shopkeeper Su, please give my daughter some work. Look at how good her embroidery is. I know that an ordinary embroiderer can earn twenty coins for embroidering a purse like this. For an embroiderer like her, she can earn thirty coins, right?"

It turns out that this embroidery shop not only accepts embroidery products and silk threads, but also gives materials and threads to some people to make, and only pays for the labor. In this country, not all women can embroider, so it is still easy to find work in the embroidery shop.

Shopkeeper Su was satisfied with Su Zhi's embroidery. She said, "If you were to do this embroidery, I would give you thirty cents as labor fee. Sister, do you want to accept it?"

Shen Zian said at this time: "It's been cold these days, and my wife's illness hasn't recovered yet, so I won't make this money for now."

Zhao Yang said, "How can she be so coquettish? If she can embroider this purse, why can't she embroider a few more? Sitting down to work is not tiring, but resting all day will make you unhealthy."

Su Zhi thought that this little sister Zhao was really unloved at home. She was thrown into a nunnery when she was a child, and when she came back, she was thrown to Shen Zian as a burden because of her illness. Now that she is feeling better, he urges her to work. This is like spilled water. Isn't it too disheartening?

"Mom, you just hugged me and told me that I was weak, and you blamed my husband. Why are you saying this again now? Am I healthy or not in your eyes? Is Zi'an too good to me, or is he not good to me?"

Su Zhi asked Zhao Yang, and seeing Zhao Yang speechless, she felt a little better. She thought that she couldn't be polite to such a mother.

Zhao Yang moved her lips a few times and whispered, "How can you talk to me like that? I am your mother, and I care about you! You are so reluctant to ask you for some money, how can I count on you in the future? I have been worried about you for half my life, but it was in vain. You are such an ungrateful person!"

Lianhua also said, "I don't think my sister is poor at all. She has enough money to make a purse with such fine silk!"

Su Zhi glanced at Lian Hua and said, "You can go to the cloth shop or the tailor shop, you can buy a large bag for one penny. In the future, don't speak up when you don't understand something, or you'll be laughed at."

Lianhua blushed, turned away and said nothing. This elder sister left home when she was young and ignorant. The only time she saw her was a few days before she got married. She was really ugly at that time. She looked down on this elder sister. But now this elder sister suddenly became good, with such a handsome husband and such a beautiful purse. She felt uncomfortable. Now that she was told by her elder sister, she felt even more ashamed.

After Su Zhi finished tidying up the lotus, she said to her stepmother, "Mother, a daughter who is married off is like water spilled out. My daughter's life will be better in the future. If my parents have any difficulties, I will naturally give my share of filial piety. As for the extra, mother, don't think too much. Supporting my parents is my son's job. If I take away my eldest brother's job, he will definitely be unhappy. It will also make others talk about you. I dare not be a sinner of the Zhao family."

Zhao Yang stared, not knowing what to say to Su Zhi's words. Just as she was about to speak, she heard Su Zhi speak again.

"Mom, I haven't recovered yet. I feel uncomfortable standing for a long time. I need to go buy some medicine, but I'm out of money. You just sold some money. Can you lend me 40 cents? I'll pay you back when I visit you during the Chinese New Year."

Zhao Yang didn't care about getting angry at Su Zhi's confrontation, and said hurriedly, "That won't work. I have to use this money to buy supplements for your sister-in-law. She's pregnant and weak, even weaker than you! Go and return some of those things, and you'll have money to buy medicine. Well, we have something else to do, so we'll leave first. If you're not feeling well, don't go back to your parents' home. There's nothing you can do at home. Lianhua, let's go!"

Zhao Yang spoke incoherently, then pulled the lotus and walked out, as if she was being chased by a wolf.