These are the kinds of thoughts that even ordinary village women can see through, but this mother and daughter confidently believe that He Jiuniang can't see through them, which is somewhat disrespectful to her, and He Jiuniang is quite angry.
The consequence of her anger was that no matter how harsh their words were, she pretended not to hear them and just smiled at the pale-faced mother and daughter.
At first, the Zhang mother and daughter were fearless, but when they heard these words, which were all detrimental to them, they suddenly became anxious.
This is not the outcome they wanted!
They came to apologize, not to be a laughing stock.
After thinking for a moment, Madam Zhang said, "Madam, we are here to apologize sincerely. We did not mean to offend you. Perhaps I said something wrong and caused you to misunderstand, but we really are just here to apologize."
This means that He Jiuniang is petty; she came to apologize, but she twisted the truth and accused them of having ulterior motives.
Before anyone could speak, she continued, "My Cuiya is still young and doesn't understand anything. It's especially wrong of her to offend such an important person. Please, Madam, give us a chance to forgive her."
These words truly belittle themselves; they are genuinely pitiful, and He Jiuniang is an unreasonable old tyrant who oppresses ordinary people.
Hearing this, He Jiuniang couldn't help but admire Zhang Lishi. It was a wonder that an ordinary peasant woman could be so shrewd. If she had come from a wealthy family and been raised and influenced by others from a young age, she might be some kind of mastermind behind the scenes now.
This skill level is indeed beyond Zhang Cuiya's reach.
However, even so, they had nowhere to hide in front of He Jiuniang, after all, He Jiuniang was a tea connoisseur.
"What if I don't give it to you? Are you going to run yourself over and die in front of me?"
He Jiuniang picked at her nails, still with that indifferent expression, which would infuriate anyone who saw it.
Zhang Li seemed surprised that He Jiuniang was so unyielding, and for a moment she was annoyed and didn't know how to respond.
He Jiuniang continued, "For Aunt Li's sake, I don't want to argue with you. Go back. Oh, by the way, if you still have any ulterior motives, I won't be lenient with you."
He Jiuniang felt she had seen enough of the play today, so she went home and would come back for the second performance tomorrow.
She knew that the mother and daughter wouldn't listen to reason and wouldn't give up until they got what they wanted; they would definitely come back tomorrow.
Some people with wicked intentions should pay the price for their greed.
After He Jiuniang finished speaking, she smiled and thanked the group of people who had come to support her. There was no trace of the arrogance she had shown to the Zhang family mother and daughter just now. It was obvious that she wanted to annoy them.
The crowd gathered around with smiles, generously saying it was nothing and there was no need to thank them.
"By the way, Third Madam, how do you roast these melon seeds? They smell so good! Do you sell them? I'd like to buy some to eat during the New Year!"
Someone seized the opportunity to speak up. Ordinary people just dry-fry the melon seeds in a pan without adding anything, and that's it. But the Lu family's melon seeds are very fragrant, and the shells have a sweet taste, making people reluctant to spit them out right away. They have to suck the taste away before they are willing to spit them out.
"These sunflower seeds aren't worth much; we just roasted them at home for the New Year. If you all like them, I'll have someone deliver a basket to each of you later!"
This stuff was made by Madam Yu and her maids. The recipe came from that cookbook, and now the restaurant offers melon seeds as a free snack.
Although they are not expensive items, they can attract more guests, so the family always prepares them, and giving away a small basket to everyone is nothing.
"Oh dear, thank you so much, Third Madam. Even now that you're an official's wife, you're still as down-to-earth as ever. You're something that ordinary country bumpkins can't compare to!"
This praise and denigration of one was accepted by everyone, and they all praised it. He Jiuniang was overjoyed. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw that the mother and daughter had taken the opportunity to run away, but it seemed that they did not want to go back to their own village. They should have gone to the Li family.
"Mother, that woman has gone too far. What should we do now?"
Zhang Cuiya was a little anxious. If she couldn't get into the Lu family, how would she have a chance to get close to Lu Baichuan?
She saw many of the young maids of the Lu family today, each one more beautiful than the last. She was determined to enter the Lu family as soon as possible and outshine them all, so that she could truly attract Lu Baichuan's attention.
But now even getting into the Lu family's house is difficult, and she's really starting to lose her composure.
"How about I just go to the Lu family's door and make a scene, saying that Third Master Lu has taken liberties with me, so that they have no choice but to let me in?"
As Zhang Cuiya spoke, she thought this was a really good idea. Although it would damage her reputation, as long as she could get into the Lu family and live a life of luxury, she didn't care about her reputation.
"What nonsense are you spouting, you brat?"
Zhang Li glared at her disapprovingly and continued, "Those wealthy families value their reputation the most. If you make a big scene and damage their reputation, do you think they'll let you have a good life? In that case, not only you, but our whole family will be implicated! I've taught you to use your brain more since you were little, how come you're still so stupid!"
Zhang Li rolled her eyes, thinking that this daughter was hopeless.
According to Zhang Cuiya, that's a direct threat. Can a high-ranking official tolerate that kind of threat?
Zhang Cuiya bit her lip, unsure of what to say, and followed Zhang Li to the Li family.
Starting today, the Lu family workshop is on holiday. The Li family is all at home, tidying up the house and preparing for the New Year. There are only three days left until New Year's Eve, so they need to hurry.
In the past, these were all women's jobs, but this year the demand for Lu Hei Ya (a type of braised duck) and clothing is relatively high. Lu's workshop has been working overtime for several days, paying triple wages every day, and everyone is happy to work more.
We were so busy that we almost didn't have time to prepare for the New Year, so everyone, young and old, pitched in, and the whole family pitched in, so it wasn't too chaotic.
They learned all this from the Lu family. The men in the Lu family don't have these bad habits. In particular, the story of Lu Lao Er personally taking care of his wife during her postpartum period has gone viral in the village. People think that the men in the Lu family are all real men.
Of course, a small number of people felt that Lu Lao Er had disgraced himself as a man, how could a grown man do such things?
However, most of the people working for the Lu family in Anping Village now are women, and they have more and more say. These thoughts are only talked about in private and are not brought up in public, since everyone knows the influence the Lu family has on the village.
It wasn't just Lu the second son who doted on his wife; Lu the eldest and third sons, and even the sons-in-law, were all loving towards their wives. This set a good example for the village, and everyone followed suit, treating their wives well. Gradually, there were no more negative comments.
Under such influence, the Li family father and son did not feel there was anything wrong with doing housework.
But when Zhang Lishi arrived and saw this scene, her eyes widened instantly.
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