Chapter 985: Imperial Examination Essay: The Evil Mother-in-law (8)
Wu Shichu enjoyed her dinner very much, it was the most enjoyable meal she had had in the past few days. Zhang Luoyi was even more so. She thought her parents' family was relatively well-off and she had eaten all kinds of delicious food. However, she did not expect that her mother-in-law, whom she did not care about and even looked down upon, would cook much better meals than she had eaten before. This surprised and ashamed her.
What made her even more ashamed was that she and her mother-in-law finished the whole pot of taro stewed chicken! It was not until her stomach was bloated and the bowl was empty that she realized the fact in astonishment. How could she have eaten so much without realizing it?
Wu Shichu didn't care about her shyness. She raised and cooked the chicken herself. What if she had eaten it? Was she really going to wait until tomorrow to send it to Han Ji in town?
"Go wash the dishes after you finish eating." Wu Shichu ordered Zhang Luoyi. Zhang Luoyi was ashamed and shocked because she ate too much. She went to clean up the dishes without any objection. She urgently needed a quiet place to digest the embarrassment after eating too much alone...
From then on, Wu Shichu would never again suffer such a hardship like the original owner did, and devoted herself to her son. She no longer saved the eggs laid by the chickens and ducks to exchange for money, but cooked them every day for breakfast or for lunch and dinner, under the pretext of nourishing the body. Although Zhang Luoyi felt that something seemed wrong, she could not think of it for a while, and since she could eat the delicious food herself, she would not have any objection. So soon, the chicken and duck eggs saved by the original owner were eaten up by the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law.
"Mrs. Wu, I heard that you are going to sell all the chickens and ducks at home? Can you sell me three chickens? My daughter is about to give birth, and she needs to drink chicken soup during the confinement period..." When Wu Shichu was leisurely embroidering in the yard, she heard a familiar neighbor walk in and say to her.
"Your daughter is about to give birth? Congratulations. You are willing to buy chickens for your daughter to nourish her body. You really love her. Come, come, I will take you to pick three chickens. The chickens I raise are all majestic, big and fat. I guarantee you will be satisfied." Wu Shichu happily took his neighbor to the chicken coop to pick chickens.
The neighbor stared at the fat and strong hens in the chicken coop, his eyes shining with satisfaction: "The chickens you raise are really good. It seems that they can still lay eggs. Why are you willing to sell them?"
"Alas, it's because my health is not good. I have been getting less and less energetic recently. I can't raise so many poultry and I can't take care of them." Wu Shichu sighed helplessly.
The neighbor asked curiously, "Didn't you just marry a daughter-in-law? Can't you just ask her to help raise the child?"
Wu Shichu shook his head and said, "She is a pampered young lady in town. She has never learned how to cook or wash clothes since she was a child. She only started learning after she married into our family... How can we bother her to do such dirty work as raising chickens and ducks? Besides, my son feels sorry for her and doesn't want her to suffer..."
After hearing this, the neighbor looked at her with sympathy and whispered, "It seems that the daughter-in-law your son married has no advantages except for her good looks and good family background. She can't even do housework. She is not as good as my daughter-in-law. At least my daughter-in-law does all the housework and takes care of everything at home and outside."
"Han Ji likes it, what can I do?" Wu Shichu sighed.
"That's right, a mother can never win over her son, and young men are attracted by beauty..." the neighbor sighed, feeling fortunate that her son had been obedient and married the capable girl she had chosen. Sure enough, she had a lot more free time after bringing her home.
Wu Shichu chatted with his neighbor for a few words. The neighbor carefully selected three fat hens, paid the market price, and then left with the chickens.
Wu Shichu looked at the remaining chickens and ducks in the chicken coop and duck pen, wondering whether he should transport them directly to town to sell them, so as to avoid dragging it out and not knowing when he would be able to clear them out.
But before she could take any action, Zhang Luoyi's eldest brother came with a woman in her forties.
"Brother! Why are you here?" Zhang Luoyi asked Brother Zhang excitedly.
"Didn't you say you wanted to buy an honest and capable woman to do the work? My parents were afraid that you would be waiting anxiously, so they asked me to bring her here." Brother Zhang said with a smile.
Then he bowed to Wu Shichuyi and said, "Auntie, how are you recently? My sister is spoiled and can't do many things. This time, my parents are worried about her, so they asked me to send someone to help with the work. I hope you can bear with her. If she does anything wrong, just teach her a lesson. If she doesn't listen, you can tell me and let me teach her a lesson."
Brother Zhang's words were polite and beautiful, so Wu Shichu certainly wouldn't deliberately give him face, so he smiled and said, "No, no, no, your sister is very well-behaved, innocent and cute. I love her so much that I can't bear to teach her a lesson."
Wu Shichu would naturally not say bad things about Zhang Luoyi in front of his elder brother. After the greetings, elder brother Zhang pointed to the respectful woman behind him with her head bowed and said, "This is the maid I found. She used to be a kitchen helper in a wealthy family in the county. Although she is a kitchen helper, she can do other jobs as well. She is honest and hardworking. Aunt, take a look at her and see if she is suitable for you. If not, I will find another one."
Wu Shichu looked at the maid carefully. Although her clothes were patched, they were clean, and the stitches on the patches were fine and smooth, which showed that she was a good sewing worker. The shoes on her feet were also clean. Her hands had prominent joints, thick fingers and calluses, which showed that she had done a lot of work in the past and was not a pampered maid. Her nails were trimmed short and kept clean without a trace of stain.
More importantly, after she followed Brother Zhang into the house, she kept her head down and did not raise it to look around. It was obvious that she was quiet and not frivolous.
Wu Shichu was already very satisfied, so he asked, "What's your name?"
"My lord, my late husband's surname was Song. You can call me Chen Song, the Song family, or Mrs. Song." Mrs. Song answered in a low and reserved voice.
"Call her Sister-in-law Song." Wu Shichu said, "We are not a wealthy family, but just a village family. We don't have so many rules. Just call her Sister-in-law Song. It's more friendly. When you come to our house, just do your job honestly and don't be lazy. We are not a family that treats people harshly."
When Brother Zhang heard this, he knew that Wu Shichu was very satisfied with the maid he brought with him, so he smiled and said, "As long as Auntie is satisfied."
So the maid was decided. Brother Zhang stayed to chat with his sister about some private matters. Wu Shichu was tactful enough not to disturb the brother and sister's conversation. He took Sister Song to prepare meals to entertain his brother-in-law.
Mrs. Song was indeed a hard-working person who spoke little and was willing to work hard. As long as Wu Shichu opened his mouth, she would immediately do the task neatly and beautifully.
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
