"I can't control what my brother does, but Wan Quan is my man, and I will never let my man work for you!"
“Even between brothers, accounts should be kept clear. I won’t let my eldest and second brothers work for nothing. The firewood will be sold at the market price of two coins per load, and we need to carry six loads a day.”
Liu's and Wan Shu's voices rang out almost simultaneously in the Wan family's courtyard.
Liu was dumbfounded.
She never expected that Wan Shu would be so generous as to spend money to buy firewood from them, and at such a fair price!
Actually, if you cut firewood and carry it to the county town to sell, the price is also two coins per load, but you have to spend an extra two coins to take the oxcart round trip.
In addition, with the current poor harvest, some stingy buyers will insist on giving an extra load if they buy more than five loads of firewood.
Therefore, the price offered by Wanshu is quite good, and it's also very convenient, as it saves time by eliminating the need to travel to the county town, allowing for more time to be used for farm work.
This is such a great opportunity, we can't let the eldest son's family snatch it all away!
Liu had no idea what it meant to be slapped in the face or lose face. In the blink of an eye, she put on a big smile again, looking at Wan Shu with a very warm tone.
“Oh dear! Little sister, why didn’t you tell me about this good thing sooner! Six loads of firewood isn’t a lot, but it’s not a small amount either. I definitely can’t handle it all by myself. Why don’t you let me take charge of three loads and let your second brother take charge of the other three?”
Two coins for a load, three loads would cost six coins.
Although the Wan family has not yet separated, half of the money earned by family members must be handed over to Wan's mother as a form of public offering.
But even if you hand over half, you'll still have three coins left.
Three coins a day, that's ninety coins a month, and over a tael of silver a year!
With a little over an ounce of silver, she could buy so much more meat for her man to nourish his body.
Moreover, Baozhu is thirteen this year, and in two more years she will be ready to meet potential husbands. If she can take this opportunity to save more money to add to Baozhu's dowry, Baozhu will be able to speak more confidently when she arrives at her husband's family.
As for why she wasn't worried that Wan Shu would be angry because of what she had just said and thus refuse to let Wan Quan chop wood with her,
Need I say more?
No matter what, she is still Wan Shu's second sister-in-law!
As the second sister-in-law, she put on a smiling face, not believing that her sister-in-law, Wan Shu, would dare to offend her.
Hmm...maybe in the future, she can use her status as the second sister-in-law to get Wan Shu to raise the price of firewood again, or to gain some other advantage.
Liu was calculating in her mind, her eyes darting around.
Wan Shu could tell from her expression that she was thinking about something random again.
She opened her mouth, wanting to shatter Liu's dream and bring her back to reality, but before she could utter a sound, Wan's mother gave a cold snort.
"Liu Zhaodi, didn't you just say that you would never let your man do chores for Shu'er?"
Liu looked embarrassed: "I didn't know my sister was going to give me money. It's her fault for not making it clear from the beginning."
Mother Wan almost laughed out of anger: "So you're saying it's Shu'er's fault?"
Liu: "That's not what I meant, I..."
"I don't care what you mean!" Mother Wan was too lazy to listen to her explanation anymore. She said with a stern face, "Since you said you would never let your man do it, then you really shouldn't do it. All six loads of firewood will be given to the eldest son's family to chop!"
The reason why Wan's mother made this decision was partly because she was determined to punish her increasingly outrageous second daughter-in-law.
On the other hand, it was also because she knew that Liu was a restless person, and if this matter were given to the second wife, who knows what kind of trouble she might cause in the future.
The price Shu'er offered would be so high that even in other villages, people would be eager to give her firewood, let alone in Qingshui Village.
Mother Wan knew very well that the reason Shu'er had come to ask the eldest and second eldest sons to deliver firewood was simply because they were brothers and sisters and she wanted to help them out if she could.
Since Shu'er is willing to help her brother, she certainly can't let Shu'er feel disheartened because of this.
So no matter how much Liu tried to persuade or make a fuss, Wan's mother never agreed to let the second branch of the family participate in chopping wood.
Unable to accept that more than one tael of silver had vanished, Liu simply sat down on the ground, intending to throw a tantrum.
Wan Quan finally couldn't stand it anymore and, blushing with embarrassment, pulled Liu Shi up.
"Enough! Don't you think you've embarrassed yourself enough?!"
"Why should I feel ashamed!" Liu cried and wailed, "Mother gives all the good things to the eldest son's family and wants to starve us second son's family to death. If anyone should feel ashamed, it's them!"
"Shut up!" Wan Quan's face turned even redder, and he glared fiercely at Liu Shi: "You were the one who told me not to do it, so stop making a scene here!"
Baozhu blushed and advised, "Yes, Mother, you said those words yourself, so stop making a fuss!"
Liu was surprised that even her own husband and daughter didn't understand her situation and said she was just making a fuss.
Who is she making such a fuss for? Isn't it all so that her family's life can be a little better?
But instead of accepting it, they joined their mother-in-law in bullying her!
Liu was faking her tears, but after being scolded by Wan Quan and Bao Zhu, she felt more and more aggrieved, and her eyes actually turned red.
Seeing this, Wan Shu felt that this matter should teach Liu a lesson so that she wouldn't cause too much trouble later, so he finally spoke up again.
"Second sister-in-law, don't worry. Besides chopping firewood, I have another matter I'd like to ask for your help with."
Liu was so heartbroken that she ignored her completely.
Wan Shu wasn't in a hurry, and simply added, "They also pay for it."
"What!! You're paying me!?"
Upon hearing that there was money, Liu's eyes lit up instantly. She forgot about being sad and asked with sparkling eyes.
"Little sister, just tell me what happened!"
Wan Shu: "It's nothing serious. I just wanted to ask you, Second Sister-in-law, to keep an eye on the Li family when we go to set up our stall."
The incident of Liu smearing excrement on Li Chuanzong's face caused quite a stir, and Er Ya knew about it at the time.
Worried that the Li family might come back later, she immediately told Wan Shu about it after Wan Shu returned.
Of course, this also includes the matter of Liu coming to inquire about the recipe for the braising liquid.
Er Ya was very worried: "It's one thing for the Li family to be like this. We've already cut ties with Grandma and Uncle, so even if they want to know the recipe for the braising liquid, they can only look at it from outside. But Auntie is a different story. If she keeps asking like this every day, she'll find out the recipe for the braising liquid sooner or later."
After hearing this, Wan Shu felt that Liu was not a threat, but the Li family was someone who needed to be closely guarded against.
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