On this day, Tao came to He Tiantian's house with ten steamed buns in her hand.
She held a steaming hot wild vegetable bun in her hands, specially made with white bread, which was quite precious. This was the most presentable thing she could offer right now.
Tao hesitated for a long time outside the gate of He Tiantian's newly built house, but did not have the courage to go up and knock on the door.
She's not good with words and hasn't figured out what to say yet.
Just as she was hesitating, Zhao Wanzi opened the door from the inside and came out.
Their eyes met, and both of them were somewhat stunned.
"Aunt?"
Tao smiled awkwardly, "Oh, it's meatballs. Is your mother home?"
Zhao Wanzi nodded. "Auntie, you've come to see Mother, right? Come in quickly." As she spoke, Zhao Wanzi stepped forward, grabbed Tao's clothes, and pulled her into the house.
Cheng and Tiezi's mother were returning in an oxcart when they saw Zhao Wanzi leading Tao inside as soon as they reached the village entrance.
Mrs. Cheng thought she was seeing things. She pointed to the four rather impressive houses and couldn't believe it.
Was that my sister-in-law just now?
"It seems so." Tiezi's mother also saw it.
"Does this house belong to the He family?" Cheng asked, her tone becoming sharp.
After taking a couple of puffs of his pipe, Uncle Li, who was rushing to catch the cart, looked up at the rather impressive house.
"Yes, Chief Zhao personally supervised the construction. I didn't guess at first that anyone could afford to pay twenty coins a day to build a house. Later I found out it was Wanzi's mother," Uncle Li said with a smile.
Maruko's mother really had a tough time; she had to go to the county to earn money while heavily pregnant.
No wonder they're rich.
Ms. Cheng was originally happy to return home, but when she saw He Tiantian's house, her beautiful mood was instantly ruined.
Where did that little bitch He get the money to hire someone to build a house? That damn cross-stitch is so profitable.
Is it possible that she earns more than working in a restaurant?
Cheng was extremely frustrated. She had thought that earning a hundred coins a month while working herself to the bone at the restaurant was already quite a comfortable life. But she never expected that He Tiantian would earn even more than her.
Otherwise, they wouldn't be willing to spend money to build a house.
Cheng held his newly received wages tightly in his pocket, his heart filled with resentment.
However, she came back today specifically to show off in front of Old Lady Zhao, and she was confident enough to tell her mother-in-law that she could earn money.
When Cheng arrived at his doorstep, Zhao Xiaocao was squatting there with some neighborhood children, playing with mud and making firecrackers.
The children were having a great time when Xiao Mao from next door spotted Cheng Shi coming over. He quickly grabbed his mud and ran away.
"Little Grass, your mother is back. I'm leaving."
Zhao Xiaomao looked terrified; he dared not meet Aunt Cheng. Aunt Cheng had scolded him countless times before for playing with Zhao Xiaocao.
Zhao Xiaocao silently gathered up her mud and hid it in her sleeve before slowly getting up and turning around.
"Mother, you're back." There was no trace of happiness on Zhao Xiaocao's face.
Cheng glared at Zhao Xiaocao, "You brat, all you do is play! You think nobody's going to take care of you while I'm not home?!"
Zhao Xiaocao lowered her head and remained silent; she was already very clear about the Cheng family's tactics.
No matter what she said at this point, her mother would always have something to say to shut her up, so she simply kept quiet.
Cheng ignored Zhao Xiaocao and walked into the courtyard. She happened to run into Wan Cunhua, who was chopping wild vegetables in the yard, and the two exchanged a glance.
Wan Cunhua had never met Cheng before, so naturally she didn't recognize her.
Cheng was taken aback for a moment, then realized what she meant. She smiled and said, "You're Da Niu's wife, right? Oh, I'm your third aunt. You've never seen me before. I work at a restaurant in the county."
Cheng deliberately emphasized the words "county restaurant" as if afraid others wouldn't know.
Wan Cunhua then realized what was happening. She put down the knife in her hand and wiped her hands on her apron.
"It's Third Aunt! I... this is the first time I've met you."
As the two were talking, Old Lady Zhao came out of the house. She glanced at Madam Cheng, but didn't seem particularly happy.
"Why are you back today? Is it possible to rest at the restaurant?" Old Mrs. Zhao asked casually.
Madam Cheng's smile faded. "Mother...it's almost the end of the month, and the restaurant can take a day off. So I came back."
Suddenly remembering what she had seen at the village entrance, Cheng asked deliberately, "Mother, where did my sister-in-law go? I didn't see her."
Before Old Lady Zhao could answer, Wan Cunhua, unaware of Cheng's intentions, smiled and replied, "Mother said she's going out for a bit and should be back soon."
"Oh...really? I think I saw my sister-in-law at the He family's house at the village entrance. What was she doing there?" Cheng asked, deliberately frowning.
Upon hearing this, Old Lady Zhao was indeed quite agitated.
"That lowly He family?"
Cheng nodded firmly, "I also saw my sister-in-law carrying something in her arms."
"Mother just took some steamed buns with her when she went out..." Wan Cunhua replied, puzzled.
Cheng was overjoyed and secretly gave her niece-in-law a thumbs up; she was such a great wingman.
Old Mrs. Zhao, her face grim, shouted, "Come on, all of you, come with me to take a look."
Cheng and Wan Cunhua followed closely behind Old Lady Zhao. Cheng even complained that Old Lady Zhao was walking too slowly, so she pretended to help her up.
Although Zhao Xiaocao didn't know what the three were going to do, she always loved watching a good show. Her intuition told her that following them would be a good opportunity to see a good spectacle.
Supported by Cheng Shi and Wan Cunhua, Old Lady Zhao arrived at He Tiantian's house at the village entrance in a great hurry.
At this moment, Tao was sitting on He Tiantian's bed, talking happily.
She held Xiao Mingzhu in her arms, utterly delighted, looking at her from every angle as if she couldn't get enough of her.
"I'm tired of looking at my three boys. Girls are so much more lovable," Tao said happily.
Just as He Tiantian was about to reply, Old Lady Zhao's voice rang out from outside.
“What’s so great about a worthless piece of trash, Tao? Who let you in without my permission?” Old Mrs. Zhao said as she walked in.
Her face was gloomy, as if someone owed her money.
He Tiantian's family was all talking inside the house, even the children were listening to the adults chat, so no one noticed that Old Lady Zhao had entered.
Tao was so frightened that her face turned pale. She handed the doll in her arms to He Tiantian and then stood up.
"Mother, I..."
"Shut up!" Old Mrs. Zhao glared at Tao, showing no respect for her daughter-in-law.
Her eyes fell on the white bread in the basket next to her, and she became even angrier.
"Who told you to take the family's grain out? Cheng, put the things away."
Cheng, wielding the chicken feather as a weapon, immediately stepped forward to take the steamed bun away.
"Mother, this can't be done!" Tao stood in front of Cheng, preventing her from passing.
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