Chapter 3

Chapter 3 She Has Studied the Green Tea Playbook, Too, and Knows How to Be Sarcastic “Who do you think you are?” Old Madam Zhang exploded the moment money was mentioned. “The money my son earned should naturally be offered to his mother!” “Then as their grandmother, it’s also only natural for you to provide food for your own grandchildren! Unless we’re not family, you have to take care of them!” Zhizhi knew perfectly well that the Zhang family would rather cling to those few copper coins in their hands than care for the children. Otherwise, the original owner wouldn’t have been driven to the point of dying from rage. Zhang Xiaocui, the younger sister-in-law, hurriedly tugged at Old Madam Zhang’s sleeve. “Mother, separate the households! Once you do, she won’t be able to force you anymore!” “We can’t separate the household!” Old Madam Zhang’s abacus beads flew through her mind. If they split up, she would have to give this branch a house and money. She couldn’t bear to part with either. While her son had still been alive, she had been willing to provide for them. But now that he was dead, she didn’t even want to care for his children. She had plenty of grandchildren anyway. Especially Yuanbao. He was her precious eldest grandson, and he studied well. He would certainly become a person of great promise in the future. “Mother, if we don’t separate the household, what are we supposed to do when Fourth Sister-in-Law brings that whole bunch of money-losing goods to our house to eat every day? Do you know how expensive grain is now? She’s the one who made such a fuss. If we don’t give her anything at all, she’ll just have to endure it!” Zhang Xiaocui was full of schemes. The family’s money had to be saved for her dowry. There was absolutely no way she would let any of it be divided out. Old Madam Zhang thought about it. It seemed workable. At worst, she would lose a little face and have people gossip about her behind her back. That was still far better than handing over money. “My son is already dead, and our Zhang family isn’t heartless enough to keep you tied down. We’ll separate the household with you now. If you want to remarry in the future, we absolutely won’t interfere!” “No! Why should we separate?” Zhizhi put on an indignant expression. “My husband joined the army for your Zhang family. Now that he’s dead, your Zhang family has a responsibility to raise his children! From now on, I’ll bring the children to your ancestral home for all three meals every day!” They wanted to kick her out without paying a thing? Dream on! Though she disdained those paltry scraps, she was not someone who would quietly swallow abuse, much less let them profit at her expense. Zhang Pozi and Zhang Xiaocui exchanged a glance. How could that be allowed!? All three meals every day? What kind of fantasy was this? At present, they were lucky if they could scrape together one watery meal a day. Even back when times were good, they had only eaten two meals a day. Three meals? That was something only wealthy families dared dream of. Zhizhi continued, “When Huaiyang was still alive, every copper coin he earned was handed over to you. Later, during the nearly eight months he spent in the army, he earned about five taels of silver, and you took every bit of it. I never even touched a single copper coin. “Your Zhang family wants to kick us out without paying a single coin. You’re trying to leave my children and me with no way to live! If you won’t let me live, then I have nothing left to fear. At worst, I’ll take every member of the Zhang family down to hell with me!” “Don’t try to scare me. Do you really think we’re afraid of you?” Old Madam Zhang was frightened, but still put on a tough front. This daughter-in-law had always been a spineless pushover, but the expression on her face today was genuinely frightening. She really looked ready to throw everything away. It wouldn’t be worth sacrificing the entire family over her. “If the children and I can’t survive, then there’s nothing left for me to fear! I might not be able to burn you all to death, but I can find an opportunity to poison you with rat poison! Your precious eldest grandson started attending a private school when he was three, and for fifteen whole years, my husband paid most of his tuition. “If necessary, I’ll go to Yuanbao’s academy and ask his teacher whether they’ll tolerate one of their students attending school on the blood and suffering of our fourth branch! Will they do anything about it?” At the mention of her precious eldest grandson, Old Madam Zhang truly cowered. The academy’s teachers were extremely strict and placed great importance on their students’ character. If they learned about everything Yuanbao had done in everyday life, he might not be able to continue studying there. “You’ve gone mad! Once Yuanbao succeeds, could he really forget his Fourth Aunt?” “Heh… I can’t even survive right now, so why should I care about the future? Either you support our family of seven for the rest of our lives, or we can separate… But our fourth branch must receive every bit that belongs to us. If you short us even one coin… I’ll go to the city and find his teacher tomorrow!” Old Madam Zhang was so furious that the wrinkles on her old face bunched together. She had come to sell Dahua off in order to bring some money into the family. How had things turned into her having to pay money out? But this normally silent daughter-in-law looked as though she truly couldn’t go on living. For a moment, Old Madam Zhang had no idea what to do. Why hadn’t she simply died of illness? “Listen to her. Separate the household!” An aged voice sounded from outside the gate. “Give the fourth branch what they’re entitled to. After all, they’re all members of the Zhang family. We can’t mistreat them!” Zhizhi looked up and secretly rolled her eyes. This was the original owner’s father-in-law. In the original owner’s memories, this old man was the family’s good-natured peacemaker, and she had respected him immensely. Bah! With one glance, Zhizhi could tell that this old man was especially sinister. The kind who hid his wickedness beneath a harmless exterior—worse than Old Madam Zhang. They had been making such a commotion for so long, yet he hadn’t shown himself. But the moment his precious grandson was brought up, he came out? “You’re truly fair-minded, Elder!” She had studied the Green Tea Playbook, too, and knew exactly how to be sarcastic. “Unlike certain treacherous hypocrites who speak so pleasantly to your face but act completely differently behind your back!” Old Zhang: “…” He felt as though he had been insulted, yet somehow it didn’t sound like an insult!? It was simply very unpleasant. Seeing that her father had said so, Zhang Xiaocui didn’t dare say anything else. She immediately ran off to find the village head. The village head was already troubled enough. It had not rained a drop anywhere in Xianyang Commandery for four full months. Famine was breaking out everywhere. The riverbeds had long since dried up, and now even the wells were nearly empty. If the rain continued to hold off, they could only wait for death. He had heard that many people from several neighboring counties had already begun fleeing the famine with their entire families. It seemed that the villages nearby were also discussing whether they should leave. Easy for them to say! How could it be easy to abandon their homes and flee the famine with entire families in tow, carrying the old and the young? And now news had arrived that Anyang County, at the far western edge, had fallen. If it was true, then once the Xiongnu reached their area, it would only take ten days to half a month. Staying here would likely be a dead end as well. “Uncle Village Head, my Fourth Sister-in-Law is making a fuss about separating the household. My father asked you to come and serve as a witness!” Zhang Xiaocui was somewhat afraid of the village head and deliberately put on the appearance of a sweet, obedient young woman. “At a time like this, why are you separating the household?” The village head’s head began to ache. “Who knows? Fourth Sister-in-Law said that if we don’t separate, she’ll set fire to our house tonight!” Zhang Xiaocui specifically chose to mention the things that reflected badly on Zhizhi. The village head was an upright man who placed the greatest importance on family harmony. If she put it that way, he would certainly take their side when the household was divided. “Absurd!” The village head had no choice but to make the trip. Naturally, he was already somewhat displeased with the wife of the Zhang family’s fourth son. She was someone who couldn’t distinguish right from wrong. Her husband had died, so she should have considered the children and tried to live properly for their sake. But what had she done? Not only had she collapsed ill after hearing that her husband had died in battle, she had also abandoned the children entirely. Those poor youngsters had a mother who was no better than having no mother at all. How could anyone feel at ease entrusting the children to someone like her?