Large tears slid down Li Shaoming's hands. "Do you despise me? Do you think I'm useless?"
Zhang Qingzhu hugged him tightly, shaking her head hastily, tears streaming down her face. "No, no, it's not like that. It's San'er who's sick, which has dragged down our family. You've always been the pillar of our family."
Zhang Qingzhu had three children. Last month, her youngest child contracted chickenpox. Her family dared not make a fuss and secretly sought out a doctor. The child took medicine after medicine and was kept alive by ginseng. After half a month, the child still passed away. The family always wrapped the deceased child in straw mats and secretly buried the child on the hillside without making a sound. Therefore, only a few close family members knew about the death.
They lost both their lives and their money.
In just half a month, the family, which had been living comfortably, collapsed overnight. Zhang Qingzhu had been driven to the brink of desperation, which is why she had just disregarded her husband's reputation and begged Lu Yunfeng for help. Fortunately, Lu Yunfeng gave the family some face.
Li Shaoming wiped away his tears, "I may lose face in front of my brothers, but I can't lose substance too. Tomorrow at the first crow of the rooster, I'll go to the fields with you to pick vegetables."
Zhang Qingzhu was gratified. Her husband was indeed the one she had chosen. No matter how difficult things were, he would always strive in the most positive direction.
Lu Yunfeng felt somewhat guilty the whole way. They all lived in the county town, and he was completely unaware that his brother was in trouble. It was his sister-in-law who came to him for help. As for the reason for the trouble, he didn't dare to ask. They had been scolded and punished together before, but now they were each in their own homes. Everyone valued face, and since the other person didn't say anything, he couldn't embarrass them. However, he still wanted to keep in touch more often in the future and help each other out if he could.
Qin Xiaozhou, fiddling with a pomegranate in her hand, looked up and asked, "What's wrong?"
Lu Yunfeng told Qin Xiaozhou about Li Shaoming's family wanting to sell vegetables, and Qin Xiaozhou had no objection. "Just go to the kitchen of the textile factory and tell them. The supplier hasn't been decided yet. As long as the vegetables are good, it doesn't matter who it is. Since we can do them a favor and get them to say some good things about my aunt in Lijiaba, that's a win-win situation."
After saying that, she couldn't help but sigh, "That Li Yang is really a scoundrel. Even if the marriage doesn't work out, he shouldn't ruin my aunt's reputation like this. I don't know if my aunt can handle it. Why don't we just build a house in the county town and move in? We can also bring my aunt over and have Doctor Li and his apprentice open a pharmacy in the county town."
“You know, Dr. Li has her own way of doing things. Your aunt won’t allow you to interfere too much in her future life. She needs to grow up a bit, otherwise, no matter how good the conditions or how much money she has, she won’t be able to live a good life.” Lu Yunfeng sat down on one side of the stone table, picked up the paper on the table, which was still stained with pomegranate juice. “This pomegranate is beautiful, and it has a good meaning. The pomegranate-colored dress is also beautiful. If there were milk tea stains, the color would be even richer.”
Qin Xiaozhou snorted and raised an eyebrow. She didn't expect Lu Yunfeng to think of this. People who can live a good life will always flourish, while people who can't live a good life will die even in a greenhouse. "You're just making fun of me."
She couldn't sit still. Sitting and drawing blueprints was already a form of torture for her. She always liked to touch and fidget with things, whether it was eating, being thirsty, or wandering around. Inevitably, some things would get on the paper.
The gossip from Lijiaba eventually reached Lu Yu's ears, and she once again shut herself in her room. Wang Lan started wiping away tears again, and Qin Xiaozhou sighed heavily when she heard about it.
"Either erupt in silence or perish in silence." Clearly, Lu Yu is not someone who can erupt, and Qin Xiaozhou is powerless to stop her. However, Li Zhen has impressed her.
At the end of September, Li Zhen remarried. Wearing her red wedding dress, Li Zhen sat on the bed, looking at the room with reluctance. Thirteen years ago, she married from Lijiaba to Wangjia Village and entered this family. Now she was going to marry out of here and into Tanshui Village. Overwhelmed with thoughts, she could only pull her daughter over and touch her face, "Da Ya, did you remember what I told you last night?"
Daya nodded, "Mom, I remember everything. If anyone dares to bully me and Grandma in the future, I will go to the village chief or you."
Li Zhen held back her tears. "Da Ya, you've grown up. I'm so happy. Remember, I'll always be your mother. I'll never abandon you. Even if I remarry, I'll still be your mother. You're the apple of my eye, and I'll protect you." She then turned to comfort her mother-in-law. "Mother, the silver is hidden in the bricks under the bed, and the land deeds and house deeds are all inside. You must guard them carefully and not let those uncles and elders in the clan take them away."
It's not uncommon for villagers to bully those without male heirs; it happens in every village. Since Li Zhen's husband died, she has had a very difficult time in the village. Those uncles, under the guise of keeping the Wang family's property from leaving the village, have their eyes on the house deeds and land deeds. They have come to her door many times to try and seize them. Fortunately, the village chief didn't want things to get too ugly, so he kept those people in check, and those uncles didn't drive the three of them to their deaths.
Moreover, widows often face gossip and trouble. Fortunately, her mother-in-law treated her well and was more assertive than her, which drove away those shady men. As a result, Li Zhen rarely went out alone. Whether it was washing clothes or working in the fields, the two of them were inseparable, which reduced a lot of trouble. Even so, only she knew the bitterness of being a widow for the past two years.
Fortunately, thanks to the Lu family, she gradually rose through the ranks and has now found herself a marriage partner, finally taking charge of her own life and choosing her own path.
For the sake of the Lu family, those people in the village should think twice before bullying others.
She wiped away her tears. This marriage was arranged by Granny Qian, but it was also something she fought for. In the past six months following Qin Xiaozhou, she had learned that as long as it didn't harm others or herself, she could strive for anything she wanted. Ye Su was quiet and reserved, but he was a decent person and could earn money. She wouldn't have any in-laws to serve after she married him, and she could continue working at the embroidery shop. This was the best possible marriage.
Qin Xiaozhou took a wooden box to help Li Zhen with her makeup, which was a blatant act of supporting Li Zhen's mother-in-law in Wangjia Village.
Li Zhen opened the box. Inside were two silver ingots, each weighing five taels, and a batch of silk, a bright and beautiful crimson-purple color. Li Zhen's hand trembled slightly. "Shopkeeper, I can't accept this."
Ten taels of silver is several years' savings for a family. And this silk can make two sets of clothes. With such good material, one set of clothes can be worth seven or eight taels of silver.
Qin Xiaozhou handed the box to Li Zhen's mother-in-law, saying, "Please trouble you to put it in her trunk, Grandma."
Li Zhen's mother-in-law's eyes widened in disbelief. She had never seen so much silver in her life, and the cloth was just so beautiful. Li Zhen tried to refuse, but Qin Xiaozhou stopped her. The money Li Zhen had earned for her was far more than a hundred times that ten taels of silver.
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