Chapter 324 I heard that I am the best (11)
After Li Wei left, Zhou Shichu's life was no different from before. He still sold buns with Aunt Qian and Zhou Shiwan every day to make money. But Li Ji was different. Without his biological father who would strictly discipline him, he was like a bird out of a cage. He played so much every day that he almost forgot everything else. It was impossible for him to go to school. He also stopped his daily boxing exercises. He just hung out with a bunch of bad friends, causing trouble and making trouble everywhere. The neighbors nearby hated them to death.
It was only because Li Wei was not at home and Zhou Shichu was not a good person that she did not complain to her family. Zhou Shichu had warned Li Ji to go to school because of Li Wei's words, but Li Ji's temperament had been fixed and he would not listen to her, so he just turned a deaf ear to her warning and continued to indulge in pleasure every day.
Zhou Shichu immediately gave up the idea when she saw this. She was not here to be a good stepmother, and Li Ji was not her son. If he insisted on falling into depravity, Zhou Shichu did not have the intention to straighten him out.
Nowadays, Zhou Shichu’s steamed buns have become famous. Every day, many old customers line up at her fixed stall early in the morning. The buns are sold out without her even shouting, which makes the surrounding vendors envious.
When Zhou Shichu was busy paying the bill and getting change, he suddenly heard a gentle and shocked voice shouting, "Mrs. Li! You're actually selling buns here?"
Zhou Shichu didn't realize at first that the person calling "Mrs. Li" was referring to her. It was not until the female voice called out a few more times and added the three characters "selling buns" that Zhou Shichu realized that the person was calling her.
She looked in the direction of the voice and immediately raised her eyebrows. This woman with several servants, elegantly dressed and beautiful appearance, wasn't she Mu Yunchao's wife Liu Yan?
"Madam Mu, you're out in disguise again? Would you like to try the buns I sell? The skin is thin and the filling is rich, and the soup is fresh and salty. It's absolutely delicious. You won't regret it once you try it..." Zhou Shichu greeted her enthusiastically, as if he didn't see her expression of disbelief.
"No, no, I came out after having breakfast. Madam Li, why are you selling buns here? This is not in line with your status, right?" Shock, disbelief and disapproval alternately appeared on Liu Yan's face, which made Zhou Shichu laugh. This lady cared too much about her status.
"Why is it inappropriate? I was born in a peasant family and married a rough warrior. Isn't it normal for me to sell buns on the street?" Zhou Shichu deliberately said this. Sure enough, Liu Yan's expression suddenly changed unpredictably. She frowned and said with disapproval:
"Madam Li, how can you say that? Lord Li Wei is already a lieutenant, which is an official position. As his wife, you should protect his dignity and not do anything to embarrass him."
What he meant was that Zhou Shichu lost face for Li Wei by selling buns.
The smile on Zhou Shichu's face disappeared immediately. People like Liu Yan were the most hypocritical. The person involved, Li Wei, had no objection to Zhou Shichu selling buns, but she, an outsider, came here to make comments. Li Wei was her husband's subordinate, but she, Zhou Shichu, was not Liu Yan's slave. What qualifications did she have to tell Zhou Shichu what he should and should not do?
So Zhou Shichu's face turned cold and he said, "Madam Mu, you mean that I am embarrassing Li Wei by selling buns? I started selling when Li Wei was at home, and he didn't object. Now Madam Mu, you are an outsider, and you come to tell me that I can't sell buns? I am not your family's servant, and Li Wei is just your husband's subordinate, not your subordinate, right? What qualifications do you have to come to me and accuse me? Is it because you can influence Master Li Wei?"
"You, you vulgar woman!" Liu Yan felt embarrassed and angry when she heard Zhou Shichu's words. Zhou Shichu didn't give her any face at all. The last sentence was no less than a humiliation to her. So Liu Yan was so embarrassed and angry that her face was about to smoke. She wished there was a crack in the ground for her to crawl into so that she wouldn't have to face the scene at this moment.
The customers who were queuing up to buy buns heard what they said. When they heard Liu Yan say that it was shameful for Zhou Shichu to sell buns, they immediately became unhappy:
"Madam, you are meddling too much, aren't you? Madam Zhou's buns are so delicious, wouldn't it be a shame if we didn't sell them? Please don't let us lose this delicious treat!"
"That's right! You look so delicate and weak, but I didn't expect you to be like a nosy gossip girl and meddle in other people's business. You are too overbearing!"
"Get lost, woman! Don't leave us without any buns to eat!"
"It sounds like she's the wife of Madam Zhou's boss? Madam Zhou criticized her, so she won't make things difficult for Madam Zhou's husband, right?"
"It's hard to say. She is such a proud person. If she is insulted, will she not retaliate?"
"Tsk tsk, being an official these days doesn't have much of a future. The rebel army might come someday, and the officials will be the first to die then... Hey, Madam Zhou, why don't you just ask your husband to resign? At least he can live a good life by selling buns with you."
"That's right. Seeing how nosy this woman is, it must be very hard to be her husband's subordinate!"
…
Liu Yan listened to the people around her talking about her. Every word was as sharp as a knife, stabbing her heart fiercely, almost making her faint from shame and anger.
But she managed to endure it. With tears in her eyes, she said to Zhou Shichu indignantly, "I just kindly advised you to think more about Captain Li, but I didn't expect you to take my kindness for granted. Not only did you not appreciate it, but you also incited so many people to accuse me. You, you are really a hopeless case! Captain Li is really unlucky to marry you."
People who force others to do things according to their wishes under the pretext of "doing it for your own good" are just being hypocritically kind. If they are truly doing it for the good of others, shouldn't they respect their wishes?
So Zhou Shichu said sarcastically: "Is Madam Mu really doing this for my own good and for Li Wei's good?"
"Of course! If you were not Li Wei's wife, I wouldn't bother to care whether you sell buns or not." Liu Yan said immediately, with a firm look in her eyes to show that she had no selfish motives.
"Alas!" Zhou Shichu immediately started acting like a drama queen, "Madam Mu, you don't know, I don't want to work so hard every day to sell buns. Do you think selling buns is easy? No, it's actually very hard. My hands are almost swollen from kneading the dough every day, and I'm so tired from making the bun skins that I can't even straighten my back. The steaming makes me sweat all over... If it wasn't for the purpose of supplementing the family income, who would want to work so hard?"
"Yes, yes, making buns is hard work." Another lady who was queuing to buy buns nodded in agreement.
"Mrs. Mu, you think that my actions are embarrassing for Li Wei. I know this myself, but I have no choice but to do this. If I don't, Li Wei's monthly salary alone won't be enough to support our family."
(End of this chapter)
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