"Grandma Zhu, where are your parents who came to visit?"
Liu Yingying glanced around but did not answer her question.
Grandma Zhu then let go of her brother, picked up her dazed grandson, and stepped forward to explain;
“My son has gone out to work, and his wife is working in the fields behind the hill. If you need to find them, you can talk to me first.”
Then she turned and glared at Lai Di, "You brat, what are you standing there for? Hurry up and bring a stool for your Aunt Liu to sit down!"
Life in Taoyuan Village is much better now than before, all thanks to Liu Yingying for providing them with employment opportunities.
Since the villagers are able to earn money, they naturally won't neglect their children.
So nowadays, even the girls in the village rarely wear patched clothes.
But the clothes on the younger brother's body were dirty and tattered. It was not yet spring, and the first month of the lunar calendar in the south was very cold.
But the child's clothes were patched upon patched, and even then, they were too short, leaving his wrists and ankles exposed to the cold wind, turning purple with cold...
Liu Yingying shifted her gaze with a somber expression, looking at Grandma Zhu and her grandson in her arms with a hint of coldness.
The little boy was just over a year old, chubby, with a round, rosy face, and his body was wrapped up tightly.
"Lady Ning'an, what is it that you want? Why aren't you saying anything?"
Grandma Zhu felt increasingly uneasy under her intimidating gaze.
Liu Yingying then spoke up: "I run a snack-making workshop in the village, and I also have a large farm. Apart from the two families I don't get along with, almost every household in the village has a job. Nowadays, everyone else's life is getting better and better, so why is your family still like this?"
That's a very blunt question!
Grandma Zhu was slightly taken aback. "That's... isn't it because my daughter-in-law is the only one working in your workshop?"
"Naturally, they can't compare to the Lin Desheng family..."
These words were sarcastic and carried a hint of resentment.
Liu Yingying glanced at her sideways; "Ha, you're actually comparing yourself to the Lin Desheng family?"
“It’s true that both of them work for me, but there are quite a few families in the village who work for me as a whole. Why is it that only your daughter-in-law works for you? What about your son?”
Her son is lazy, good-for-nothing, and loves to gamble!
But Grandma Zhu naturally didn't want others to speak ill of her son.
"My son is the pillar of our family, so naturally he should go out and do great things!"
Liu Yingying glanced at her in surprise, almost letting out a cold laugh.
"Oh, I see. Your son must earn a lot every month, right?"
“Your daughter-in-law earns a hundred coins a month at my workshop. Logically, your family should be living a prosperous life. But why doesn’t your brother even have a decent winter coat?”
What Liu Yingying said was true. Everyone has eyes and can see that Zhu Dacong's family was the worst off in the village, and his daughter was the one dressed in the most tattered clothes.
Grandma Zhu opened her mouth, feeling like she wanted to refute but was powerless to do so.
Liu Yingying smiled, a smile tinged with sarcasm; "Didn't you just ask me what I came here for? To be honest, I came here today specifically to see my brother."
"What?" Grandma Zhu was slightly surprised, then immediately pinched Lai Di's arm hard.
"You little whore, what have you done?"
The magistrate of Ning'an County even came to our house!
"Grandma, I was wrong!" the little girl admitted her mistake reflexively.
"Grandma Zhu, what are you doing?" Liu Yingying frowned in displeasure.
Grandma Zhu immediately smiled apologetically, "Yingying, this girl is still young and doesn't know any better. If she has offended you in any way, please don't take it to heart!"
Liu Yingying is currently very popular in Taoyuan Village, and everyone is eager to curry favor with her.
If she offended her, she would lose her job. Grandma Zhu naturally didn't want to offend Liu Yingying because of a woman who was a burden on her livelihood.
“Grandma Zhu, I haven’t even finished speaking before you start hitting me. I think Lai Di is a good child, but everyone can see that Lai Di’s life in your family is not easy.”
"In this cold weather, your grandson is all bundled up, but she's barely clothed and is constantly being beaten and scolded by your family. If you can't stand this child, you can send her to a family willing to raise her. Why treat her like this?"
“Lord Ning’an, although you are a county lord, I don’t like hearing you say that.”
"Do you think our family wants to raise such a money-losing brat? Wasn't it because her mother was so unwilling to let me drown her back then? Now that we've finally raised her to eight or nine years old, in a few more years she can be sold to someone as a child bride. If we give her away now, wouldn't all the years I've raised her be for nothing?"
Liu Yingying was so angry that her breathing became heavier.
She felt that the old woman was beyond saving! So she didn't bother to beat around the bush anymore, stood up from her chair, and told Granny Zhu in an unquestionable tone.
“Then I’ll put my words out here today. Everyone knows that I’ve set up a private school in the village and asked everyone to send their children of school age to study and learn to read. But there are a few families who don’t take my words seriously and keep their girls from going to school.”
"I'm here today about my son's schooling. I'm not here to discuss it with you, but to inform you, Grandma!"
“If I don’t see Lai Di in Master Song’s class tomorrow morning, then starting tomorrow, your daughter-in-law doesn’t need to come to my workshop to work!”
After saying that, Liu Yingying didn't bother to look at Granny Zhu's expression and simply turned and left!
Grandma Zhu stood there stunned for a moment, feeling both fear and anger.
In the past, Liu Yingying would never have dared to speak to her like that.
But things are different now. She has the title of county magistrate, she is an official, and they are just commoners.
Moreover, Liu Yingying, as an official, was in charge of the livelihood of the entire village.
How could Granny Zhu not be afraid of Liu Yingying's authority?
But then she glanced at her granddaughter huddled in the corner and couldn't understand it at all.
Is it really necessary to make such a fuss over a girl's schooling?
But recalling the look in Liu Yingying's eyes when she left, Grandma Zhu had no doubt about the warning in her words!
"Mother, I'm back... I think I saw Sister Liu leave our house just now. Is there something she needs?"
Zhen Qiaozhen entered the house covered in sweat, carrying a bundle of firewood on her back. She noticed that her mother-in-law's expression was very strange, and her daughter was hiding behind the woodpile, secretly watching her.
Grandma Zhu told her why Liu Yingying had come earlier.
Zhen Qiaozhen hesitated after hearing this, "Mother-in-law, Lai Di can take care of Tianci at home and do a lot of chores. It would be too inconvenient for her to go to school..."
"Hmph, it's good that you understand!" Grandma Zhu felt a little gratified after hearing her daughter-in-law's words.
Hearing his grandmother and mother's conversation, the faint flame of hope that had risen in Zhu Laidi's eyes was instantly extinguished.
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