The villagers were overjoyed to hear this. It was wonderful; with these coal briquettes, they wouldn't have to suffer from the cold this winter.
Song Yun then explained some precautions for burning coal briquettes at home, and asked Mo Zhu to make a registration. The villagers lined up one by one to collect their coal.
In the afternoon, Cheng, carrying out Old Lady Zhao's task, shamelessly went to He Tiantian's house.
All four children are home, as is Sister-in-law Yulan. Only He Tiantian is still working as a supervisor at the mine and hasn't returned yet.
With a forced smile, Cheng arrived at He Tiantian's doorstep.
"Lantern, meatballs, is your mother home?"
When Sister Yulan heard someone outside, she put down her embroidery and got up to open the door.
Upon hearing that familiar voice, Zhao Denglong and Zhao Wanzi's two young faces quickly turned pale with fear and panic.
That was Third Aunt's voice. Third Aunt had always treated them rudely. Back in the Zhao family's old house, she had made them do a lot of chores.
They were kicked out of their home; last time, their third aunt even brought people from the village to cause trouble.
Sister-in-law Yulan had no prior knowledge of the family affairs of so many people. She opened the door and said with a smile, "Oh, it's Sister-in-law Cheng. Sister-in-law He is still at work in the mine. What can I do for you?"
Cheng thought to herself, "Isn't she just trying to come and see us before He Shi returns? If that little bitch comes back, I'm afraid she won't even be able to get through the door."
"Well, it's nothing much. I just wanted to come and see my two nieces." As she spoke, Madam Cheng went inside.
Coal was burning inside, and the warmth from the steam made Cheng feel instantly warm and comfortable.
She walked quickly to the stove, stared at the glowing red coals inside, and asked in surprise, "What's burning? It's so warm!"
Yulan's mother felt uncomfortable with Cheng's rudeness, but since this wasn't her home, she couldn't say anything.
"This is coal that Sister He took out of the mine. Don't you have two men from the Zhao family working in the mine? How come you didn't know?" Sister Yulan casually replied.
Cheng's expression darkened slightly. "My mother-in-law won't let Xiang Nan and Xiang Bei go to the mine anymore. You know, I have three sons, one of whom died in a mining accident. This job is dangerous, and I absolutely refuse to let them go."
Yulan's mother pursed her lips, not wanting to argue with Cheng Shi. She had heard that this person was very irritable and unreasonable.
When Madam Cheng saw that Yulan Niang had no intention of paying attention to her anymore, she looked somewhat embarrassed.
She looked at Zhao Denglong and Zhao Wanzi sitting in the corner, walked up to them, and said, "Denglong, Wanzi, you two have been out for so long, Grandma has missed you very much. Come back to the Zhao family's old house when you have time."
"Grandma wouldn't miss us. She was the one who kicked us out of the house!" Zhao Wanzi said angrily.
Cheng's face stiffened for a moment before she calmed down.
"What are you saying? You two are, after all, your grandmother's own granddaughters. Of course she misses you! Hehe..." Cheng himself felt uneasy as he said this.
With her sharp eyes, Madam Cheng looked around the room and finally her gaze fell on the cross-stitch that Yulan Niang had just put on the ground and was not yet finished.
"Oh, Sister Yulan, what is this? I've never seen it before. It's so colorful and pretty..." Cheng's eyes widened as she looked at it. Ever since she married into the Zhao family, she had been wearing drab gray clothes.
It's been so many years since I've seen such vibrant embroidery.
Also, on her way here, she saw the village head's wife embroidering this thing.
When did this become popular in the village? How come she didn't know?
Yulan's mother quickly picked up the basket from the ground and put it away, saying, "There's nothing in it, I just embroidered it for fun."
Cheng clearly didn't believe what Sister Yulan said, did she think she was a three-year-old child being coaxed?
After leaving He Tiantian's house, Cheng spat disdainfully in the direction of the dilapidated temple, "Pah! What a bunch of bastards! I could have found out on my own even if you didn't tell me."
Cheng then went to the home of Zhao Tingzhang's eldest daughter-in-law, since she had come out today to gather information on the orders of Old Lady Zhao.
Go home as late as possible, so that old woman won't make her do all the housework.
Ever since Zhao San drove Liu Shi out of the house, he and Widow Zhang have become even more brazen.
Zhao San used to try to cover this up, but now he's fearless.
Widow Zhang was, after all, a woman, and she still had some sense of dignity. Every time she saw Zhao San swaggering into her house, she felt extremely disgusted.
"What's wrong with you? I told you to be careful, but you didn't listen." Widow Zhang was annoyed when she saw Zhao San enter the room.
Zhao San rubbed his hands together, looking rather sly.
"What's there to be afraid of? Your house is so remote, who would want to wander around here? It's very cold outside now, not many people want to come out."
As soon as Zhao San entered the house, he noticed that the temperature inside Widow Zhang's house was exactly the same as the weather outside. So he frowned and complained, "It's so cold, why didn't you light a fire? I'm going to freeze to death."
Widow Zhang sneered, "My house has been without firewood for days, and there's not a trace of warmth. What can a woman like me do?"
She now looks down on Zhao San more and more. She was willing to submit to Zhao San before because he would give her a few coins each time.
But this ungrateful bastard didn't appreciate it. Using the excuse that he saved her last time, he started taking advantage of her for free.
He even threatened her that if she didn't comply, he would expose the matter to the whole village and make it known to everyone.
Widow Zhang couldn't bear the humiliation, so she could only swallow her anger in front of Zhao San.
Zhao San sprawled out on the bed without a care in the world. He seemed to remember something. "Hey... I heard that people in the village are burning something called coal briquettes. They say it burns much better than firewood, and one briquette can burn all night."
Widow Zhang's eyes lit up instantly; she had heard about it too.
"Yes, but the mine said you can only get coal briquettes if you go to work, and they're free. Zhao San... didn't you work at the mine before? Why aren't you going anymore?"
Zhao San spat and said disdainfully, "I'm afraid of dying. If that thing explodes, you won't even be able to find a bone."
Widow Zhang had an idea: perhaps she could ask Zhao San to let her family burn coal briquettes.
Thinking of this, the expression on her face softened.
"What are you talking about dying for? There are plenty of men in the village who have gone too." Widow Zhang nudged Zhao San, who was lying on the bed, her eyes filled with affection.
"Besides, I've heard that the mines are much safer now that they've been improved. If you go to work, you can bring back coal, which will keep my house warmer."
Zhao San frowned and thought for a moment. Perhaps... he could get that thing back without going to work.
[Author's Note]: My darlings, please only vote for the latest chapter updates each day! Thank you so much!
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