Chapter 14 Trouble
"What are you thinking? I don't consider you family by marriage. Didn't Zhao Yuzhi tell you? I'm Zhou Chengli's stepmother. We don't get along. Do you think I would send money to my stepson's in-laws?"
Song Yushu really looked down on Zhao the Cripple, so there was no need for him to be polite.
"You damn woman! You really think you're something special? Today, to avenge Yuzhi, I'm really going to take those two sheep away!" Seeing that Zhou Lao Er wasn't around, Zhao the Cripple ignored Song Yushu and headed straight for the two goats in the sheepfold.
Seeing that Zhou Chengli and Zhao Yuzhi did not react at all, Song Yushu sneered, grabbed a kitchen knife, and rushed towards Zhao the Cripple.
This terrified Zhao Yuzhi. She immediately forgot her gloating and hurriedly asked Zhou Chengli to stop him. She couldn't let Song Yushu actually kill her father.
Unaware of the danger behind him, Zhao the Cripple stared at the two goats with shining eyes.
"Zhao the Cripple, put the sheep down!" Song Yushu's face was gloomy as he pointed the kitchen knife directly at Zhao the Cripple.
"You..." Zhao the Cripple looked at the kitchen knife in front of him and quickly swallowed his words.
"What are you doing, my dear in-law? I was just joking."
"I don't have time for jokes with you, get out!"
Seeing that he didn't move, Song Yushu directly raised her knife and slashed at him. Only then did Zhao the Cripple realize that she was serious and quickly ran away.
"My dad was just joking, how could you cut him with a knife!" Zhao Yuzhi felt as if she had stomped her own face on the ground.
“My father-in-law only wanted two sheep, just give them to him, there’s no need for such rudeness!” Zhou Chengli stood up for his wife at this moment.
"Brother! It was clearly that cripple Zhao who stole our things just now. You didn't even come out to stop him, so why are you blaming Mother?" Zhou Chengyu also spoke up for Song Yushu.
“That’s right, that cripple Zhao doesn’t look like a good person!” Zhou Chengzhu was also frightened just now.
“You two have truly been corrupted by the Wei family! That cripple Zhao is my father-in-law, how could he take a knife and drive him away! It’s utterly rude!” Zhou Chengli’s eyes no longer held the gentleness he once had when he looked at the twins.
“That’s your father-in-law. If you want to be filial, then take the money and be filial yourself. Don’t drag other people into this. We have no responsibility to be filial to your father-in-law on your behalf.” Sometimes Song Yushu really thought the male protagonist was an idiot.
"How could you say that about Chengli? I know you look down on my father and the Zhao family, but driving him away with a knife is just too disrespectful!"
"Since you've put it that way, I'll be frank. I do look down on your father. He's a gambler who doesn't support his family and frequents gambling dens all day long. What could I possibly think of him? I don't want to have anything to do with him! It's bad luck!"
With each word Song Yushu spoke, Zhao Yuzhi's face grew more and more unpleasant. Finally, she felt satisfied, and now she thought that being a wicked stepmother wasn't so bad after all.
"Yuzhi, is it true that she said Zhao Yuzhi is a gambler?" Even though Zhou Chengli liked Zhao Yuzhi very much, he could not accept the fact that Zhao the Cripple was a gambler.
"No, Chengli, listen to me, my father isn't a gambler..."
Song Yushu felt a sense of relief watching the couple argue. He liked watching her make a scene, so this time he would let her see the drama unfold between the male and female leads.
However, she is now increasingly eager to break away from the Zhou family. Now that Zhao the Cripple has come knocking on her door, it won't be long before the people from the gambling den come to collect debts.
Wei's mother eventually discovered that Song Yushu was looking for a place to rent in town.
"Tell me the truth, what's really going on between you and that Zhou Lao Er?" Mother Wei's feelings were complicated.
"Mother, I really can't go on like this..." Song Yushu told her all about Zhao the Cripple, and Wei's mother, who had originally wanted to reconcile them, immediately gave up.
"I'll ask your older brother and the others to help you look for a place. If all else fails, you can just go back to live with the Wei family. But what about Chengyu and Chengzhu?" Mother Wei couldn't help but worry about her two grandsons.
“I’ll try my best to bring them along, but I’m afraid the Zhou family won’t agree,” Song Yushu said, also worried.
"If things really get out of hand, send someone over to let us know, and your older brother and the others can lend a hand," Wei's mother could only hope for.
Song Yushu originally thought that Zhao the Cripple would behave himself for a few days after being scared away once, but he underestimated the gambler's courage.
This time, Zhao the Cripple didn't cause trouble at the Zhou family's house. Instead, he brought people from the gambling den to her stall to cause trouble.
"It's her. Look how well her business is doing, she's definitely not short of money!" Zhao the Cripple said obsequiously to the people at the gambling den.
"You're Zhao the Cripple's in-law?" The people from the gambling den walked over, instantly scaring away the customers gathered in front of the stall.
“No, we don’t get along,” Song Yushu said. If possible, she didn’t want to have anything to do with him at all.
"Hmph! That's still related. He owes the gambling den fifty taels of silver. What do you think we should do about it?" The people at the gambling den don't care about stepmothers or stepsons. As long as they have connections and can get the silver, that's all that matters.
“Go find whoever owes me. I have a family to support, and I can’t help him pay off his debts.”
"My dear in-law, you can't say that! My daughter is already married into your family, you have to help me!" Zhao the Cripple couldn't let Song Yushu get rid of the relationship, otherwise who would pay back his debts?
"Give me my money! Fifty taels of silver, or none of you will get away with this!" The gambling den's people had little patience and led their men to smash up the shop.
"Zhao the Cripple has nothing to do with my daughter, and the man who married her isn't her biological son. Why should my daughter have to pay for it? You're going too far!"
Mother Wei and eldest son Wei surrounded Song Yushu.
The group of gamblers rushed over, intending to teach them a lesson, but suddenly someone in the crowd shouted, "The officers are here!"
When the group saw that officials had indeed arrived, they had no choice but to leave hastily after uttering some harsh words. Zhao the Cripple, realizing that his goal had not been achieved, could only slink away in disgrace.
Song Yushu recognized the person who had called out as the servant that Master Xue had sent to buy braised meat earlier, and quickly went over to thank him.
"It's nothing. My young lady loves Mr. Wei's braised pork. It's a pity today," the old servant sighed.
"You can leave your address, and I'll have someone deliver it to you later as a token of my gratitude."
"Then thank you very much, Madam Wei."
The officials only came to understand the situation before leaving. Song Yushu couldn't set up his stall today, so he and Wei's mother packed up and went to find Zhou Lao Er.
Zhou Lao Er was puzzled as to why Song Yushu insisted that he go back. He initially thought she was giving in to him, but seeing her bad expression, he dismissed the idea.
Even though Song Yushu rarely bothered him during this time, he kept hearing people discussing her braised meat. Even if he didn't want to, he had to admit that Song Yushu's business was doing very well, earning more than he did as a carpenter.
"I came back today to tell you something: I want a divorce."
Song Yushu's words immediately stunned the people of the Zhou family's second branch.
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