Just then, another burst of firecrackers went off in the courtyard below.
Sister-in-law Zou, Li Chunmei, and others came with their families.
Liu Yingying hurriedly went down to greet them; "Sister Zou, Chunmei, you've finally arrived!"
How have you been these days?
Liu Yingying smiled and said, "Everything is fine. Although the fertile fields in Baotian Town were washed away at first, they have been reborn after the flood."
“You’ve been away these days, but it would be a real shame to leave those fields to lie fallow. So my husband took it upon himself to get some fruit and vegetable seeds from the village and planted sweet potatoes and tomatoes. I never expected them to grow so fast; they were ripe in just one month. We’ve made some money in these past few months.”
"Here I am, I've brought the account books with me today!"
Shi Sanmei, standing to the side, chuckled and teased, "Today is Sister Liu's special day. Are you going to make things difficult for her by showing her your messy accounts?"
Everyone chatted and laughed as they toured the house, both upstairs and downstairs, praising Liu Yingying's new design.
Soon it was time to start the feast, and all the children in the village came over to Liu Yingying to say a few auspicious words.
This is an old custom, and it was also intentionally arranged by the village chief.
Liu Yingying took out the money bag she had prepared beforehand and gave each child a red lucky bag.
The bag contained ten coins and some candy.
The children were delighted when they received the package and opened it.
The village chief raised his wine glass to Liu Yingying and deliberately said loudly, "Your Excellency, I, Old Wang, must offer you a toast. Half a year ago, our Taoyuan Village was still struggling to make ends meet. But look at us, only half a year has passed, and apart from the second son of the Zhu family and the Zhu Guanbao family, everyone else is living a good life."
"Moreover, I believe that life will only get better and better in the future... This is all thanks to Lady Ning'an!"
The others also stood up and toasted Liu Yingying.
Unlike the bustling atmosphere at Liu Yingying's house, the old Zhu family residence was desolate.
Ma Jinhua stood in the courtyard, listening intently to the sounds coming from Liu Yingying's new house.
"That little whore has really grown wings now. She spent so much money hiring people to build a new house, and she didn't even consult us, an old couple. Now that she's moving into the new house, she invited the whole village, but not us. Does she think we're dead?"
Zhu Youcai squatted on the threshold, a roll of tobacco between his fingers, his brows furrowed as if he were thinking about something.
Ma Jinhua's throat was dry from cursing. She glared at him and said, "Old man, I'm talking to you, are you deaf?"
"What are you yelling about? If you yell again, I'll beat you to death!" Zhu Youcai glared at her impatiently.
The old lady was stunned for a moment, then immediately shut her mouth.
Don't let Zhu Youcai's current age fool you; he was quite the wife-beater when he was young!
Ma Jinhua felt resentful when she thought about how well her eldest daughter-in-law was living while she was still living the same life as before.
As the daughter-in-law of the Zhu family, how could Liu Yingying not be respectful and filial to her parents-in-law?
Zhu Youcai slowly spoke up: "Alright, the eldest son's wife is shrewd. What can you do even if you're upset?"
Actually, there were some things he didn't say.
Ever since his wife was arrested and imprisoned, the second son has become completely useless.
The third son's family now relies entirely on the eldest son's wife for their livelihood. Even the elderly couple's living expenses are covered by the eldest son's wife, who gives them fifty coins a month according to regulations.
"If you anger her, what will you do if she abandons us?"
Ma Jinhua immediately retorted, "She wouldn't dare!"
Zhu Youcai ignored her completely and continued to smoke his pipe in silence...
Just then, three furtive figures appeared at the entrance of Taoyuan Village, hiding behind a haystack and craning their necks to peer into the village.
That person was none other than Ma Qiumei and her daughter Zhang Qiaonu, who had been imprisoned by Lord Shen.
Today is the day they are released from prison.
They originally thought their family members would definitely come to the county jail to pick them up and take them home.
But when they came out, they couldn't see a single person.
Both Zhu Erqiang and Zhu Guanbao were henpecked, which shouldn't be the case.
However, what they didn't know was that because their attempt to harm Liu Yingying failed, their entire family was now being ostracized by the whole village.
Every household in the village owes their good life to Liu Yingying, so who wouldn't want to please her?
Therefore, even though Liu Yingying did not intend to target Zhu Erqiang and Zhu Guanbao, the villagers would not let them have an easy time.
At this point, how could Zhu Erqiang and Zhu Guanbao dare to risk public outrage to pick up their wives and take them home...?
Ma Jinhua: "The village seems quite lively today... When was that new house built? It actually has two floors!"
Zhu Dongxi thought for a moment and then continued, "Could it be the village chief's new house?"
Liu Yingying's two-story house with blue tiles stands out like a crane among chickens in Taoyuan Village, which is full of single-story houses.
Anyone passing by the village entrance will find it hard not to be drawn to this building!
Zhang Qiaonv shook her head; "Impossible. Although the village chief's family lives a little better than others, they still can't afford to build such a magnificent house!"
So whose house is this?
Two horse-drawn carriages and several oxcarts were parked by the main road at the entrance of the village.
These were all rented temporarily by Zou Xiuzhi and others to attend Liu Yingying's housewarming party.
In fact, the three of them already had a rough guess in their minds, but they simply refused to believe it!
After a moment of silence, Zhu Dongxi asked softly, "Mom, Aunt Ma, should we go straight home now?"
In any era, it is a bad reputation for women to be imprisoned, and they will be despised.
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