Chapter 81 – A Calculated Request

Chapter 81 - A Calculated Request

After a night of... well, you know, Jiang Chun once again had trouble getting out of bed. By the time she reached the main courtyard, even Qiu Shi had already arrived.

Technically, due to her lack of decorum, Lady Zhuang, as her mother-in-law, should have reprimanded her. But considering the reason for her tardiness—fulfilling the duty of having children with her son—Lady Zhuang was too delighted to reprimand her. How could she stand in the way?

So, she maintained a stern expression and spoke coldly, "Since everyone is here, let's start the meal."

After they finished breakfast, the maids served tea.

Gui Ye entered, head lowered and demeanor humble, and quietly stepped behind Jiang Chun. She whispered into her ear, "Madam, Doctor Hua from Hui Chun Hall, whom the young master invited, is waiting in the outer courtyard."

Jiang Chun turned her head and, lowering her voice, instructed, "Have him check the pulse of my father and cousin, so if the Mistress asks, I’ll have a good explanation."

She and Song Shian were just being cautious. If we announced the doctor’s visit publicly, what if Lady Zhuang didn’t faint?

Inviting a doctor without a reason could seem inauspicious.

It was better to have him check on Jiang He and Zheng Kun. That way, if Lady Zhuang didn’t need his services, she’d have an excuse to explain it away.

Gui Ye acknowledged the order and left.

Qiu Shi glanced at Jiang Chun and, trying to stir up trouble, said, "Chunniang, what were you whispering to the maid about? I'm just an aunt, but is there anything that your mother shouldn't hear?"

Jiang Chun let out an "Oh!" and, looking slightly embarrassed, said, "I was a bit hesitant to say it, but since Third Aunt asked, I’ll just be straightforward."

At these words, not only did Qiu Shi get a bad feeling, but even Lady Zhuang felt her eyelid twitch.

Then they heard Jiang Chun, speaking boldly, say, "My father said that although the Song family is generous, it's not proper for a father to live long-term at his daughter's in-laws' house, so he bought a small estate behind the West Market.

He was planning to go out to the carpentry shop to buy some furniture today, but I stopped him.

I was thinking, since the Ministry of Revenue has returned most of our family's furniture, the makeshift furniture the Mistress had bought won't be needed anymore.

The furniture is made of good wood, and it would be a waste to give it to the servants or let it gather dust in the storeroom. Instead..."

Here, she gave a sly grin. "Instead, we could give it to my father, so it's put to good use, and outsiders, seeing this, will praise our Song family."

"They say our Song family isn’t prejudiced against the poor or overly fond of the rich, and we're considerate and thoughtful even to in-laws from a butcher's family. Our character is truly exceptional."

Madame Zhuang: '……'

Qiu Shi: '……'

Song Shiyue: '……'

The three women were left speechless.

Forgive their limited experience, but it was the first time they had seen someone ask for things so boldly.

Song Shiying calmly sipped her tea. As expected, the eldest sister-in-law is skilled at managing household affairs. She managed to furnish the house without spending a penny.

Madame Zhuang remained silent for a moment before finally saying, "I was just worried about what to do with these hastily bought pieces of furniture. If they can be used by Master Jiang, then that's for the best."

Qiu Shi scoffed and retorted sarcastically, "Worried? What's there to be worried about? There are quite a few relatives living on the back street. Their homes have been stripped bare due to the confiscation of their properties. Once they return to the capital, all you need to do is send someone to inform them, and they’ll be vying for these pieces."

Jiang Chun wasn't upset. With a smile, she said, "My father bought a modest house with just one courtyard and a few rooms. Our household is small, so two sets of furniture will be more than enough.

With these hastily purchased sets of furniture, giving two to my father will still leave eight or nine sets remaining. Those can be distributed among the relatives on the back street."

Qiu Shi was about to say something else when Song Shiyue cut her off, "There are only seven or eight households on the back street. With eight or nine sets of furniture, there will be enough for each family to get a set."

Unwilling to contradict her own daughter, Qiu Shi pursed her lips and fell silent.

After finishing their tea, Xie Niangzi from the tailor’s shop arrived to deliver the remaining garments.

Since everyone was present, Madame Zhuang had them each collect their clothes and try them on. If there were any issues, Xie Niangzi could take them back for adjustments.

Although Song Shian wasn't present, Jiang Chun had made plenty of clothes for him over the past two years. A quick measurement would suffice to check if they fit.

Each person had eight sets of autumn garments and eight sets of winter garments. Excluding the two outfits hurriedly prepared for a previous banquet, there were still sixteen outfits left for each person.

Given the complexity of ancient clothing styles, trying them on one by one would take considerable time.

As the main courtyard was in a state of chaos, Liu Guanshi’s excited voice came from outside, "Madame, Second Young Master and Second Mistress have returned!"

"What?!"

Madame Zhuang was so excited when she heard the words "Second Young Master" that she suddenly stood up, asking eagerly, "What did you say? Is Second Young Master Rui back?"

Manager Liu smiled and said, "Yes, it's Second Young Master Rui, and he's brought Young Madam Rui along."

Madame Zhuang's smile vanished from her face, thinking she might have misheard, and asked unbelievably, "What did you say? What do you mean by Young Madam Rui?"

Manager Liu was about to explain when maids and older women in the courtyard greeted them.

"Second Young Master is back!"

"Greetings, Second Young Master and Second Young Madam."

"We pay our respects to Second Young Master and Second Young Madam."

"Madame has been looking forward to Second Young Master's return. She will be overjoyed to see you."

Madame Zhuang: "..."

If it were only her second son returning, she would naturally be delighted.

Both her eldest son and second son were her pride and joy; she loved both of them equally.

But now, her eldest son had become a son-in-law in a rural butcher's family, and his wife was a shameless woman with a thick skin who would resort to physical altercations at the slightest provocation, and Madame Zhuang could do nothing about her.

She had pinned all her hopes on her second son, determined to find him a gentle and virtuous noblewoman as his wife, just to show Jiang Chun what it means to be a daughter-in-law in a prestigious family like theirs.

But what did she just hear?

Young Madam Rui?

Where did this Young Madam Rui come from?

Don't tell me that Second Young Master Rui has also become a son-in-law in some small family!

If that were the case, she would rather die!

A moment later, a tall and strong Song Shi Rui, with a healthy wheat-colored complexion, walked in, holding the hand of a young woman with delicate features and a petite, graceful figure.

This young woman was evidently the female lead from the original story—Zhong Wenjin.

After entering, Song Shirui led Zhong Wenjin to kneel in front of Madame Zhuang and said in a low, sob-choked voice, "Unfilial son Song Shirui, together with my wife Zhong Wenjin, pays respects to Mother."

Madame Zhuang hadn't seen her second son for two and a half years—two years while he was sold away and an additional six months when he was imprisoned in the Heavenly Jail.

However, she had no time to worry about whether he had gained or lost weight, turned darker or fairer, or if he had been hurt during his escape. She did not consider the hardships he might have faced while wandering outside.

All of her attention was fixed on the young woman with a married woman’s hairstyle standing next to her second son.

This woman was roughly the same age as Jiang Chun, with an oval face, almond-shaped eyes, a delicate nose, and a cherry-red mouth. Her skin was as pale as snow and she didn’t seem like a village girl who worked in the fields all day.

With a calm and composed demeanor, she didn’t show any timidity or submissiveness when facing her mother-in-law. Instead, she seemed like a young lady from a well-respected scholarly family, one who had seen much of the world.

Madame Zhuang’s disapproval unconsciously eased somewhat.

However, upon noticing that Zhong Wenjin wore only a plain silver hairpin, without earrings, and devoid of any jewelry on her body or hands, her heart sank.

Such simplicity suggested that either the family had once been prosperous but had fallen into decline, or, like Jiang Chun, she came from a rural area with little family background.

If it was the latter…

Madame Zhuang’s breathing grew heavy, her heart pounding.

It was impossible that her second son’s wife could be a village girl!

Madame Zhuang dared not dwell on it and quickly dismissed the thought.

But she couldn’t help but compare. Zhong Wenjin’s family background was even poorer than Jiang Chun’s.

When Jiang Chun returned to the manor with Shuan Ge, they brought several carts of luggage. Both of them were even dressed in silk clothes.

They even had the means to redeem Miss Yin from her predicament and supported her at their home for a full year.

Although most of the money came from Shuan Ge's earnings, it was also due to Jiang Chun’s skill in managing finances and being good at managing daily life.

Thinking of this, Madame Zhuang shot a disdainful glance at her second son.

Both were husbands, yet her second son was pursuing a military career. With a stronger body and better martial skills than his elder brother, who had nearly died after a serious injury, how was it that the elder brother managed to earn money, but the second son couldn’t?

Lady Zhuang snorted coldly and said irritably, "Stop kneeling here and being an eyesore. Stand up and speak."

Song Shi-rui took Zhong Wenjin by the hand and helped her stand up, then led her over to pay respects to Lady Qiu, the third aunt.

When his eyes fell on Jiang Chun, he was taken aback and asked in surprise, "Mother, who is this madam?"

Song Shiying immediately answered, "Second brother, this is the eldest brother's wife, our elder sister-in-law."

Song Shi-rui was visibly shocked and muttered, "Has elder brother also taken a wife?"

Song Shiying quickly corrected him, "You're mistaken, second brother. It's not that elder brother got married. He married into the Jiang family as a son-in-law."

Before Song Shi-rui could react, she continued chuckling, "Now, elder brother has to continue the Jiang family's lineage. The responsibility of continuing the eldest branch's line and producing heirs falls on you, second brother!

Second brother and second sister-in-law, you two need to do your best! Have twins every time, and four children in two births. Your eldest aunt would be very happy!"

Jiang Chun: "..."

If it weren’t completely impossible, she would have suspected that Song Shiying had been reborn. How else could she be so spot-on?

Indeed, the female lead, Zhong Wenjin, really did have twins every time, four children in total, all sons. Through her efforts, she significantly increased the Song family’s birth rate.

Although Lady Zhuang remained silent, the thought of having four grandsons by her side, calling her "grandmother," caused the corners of her mouth to rise involuntarily.

She pretended not to realize how inappropriate it was for an unmarried young lady like Song Shiying to say such things.

Whether it was appropriate or not, she would leave it for her second daughter-in-law to judge when she returned.

Zhong Wenjin gently scratched Song Shi-rui's palm.

Regaining his composure, Song Shi-rui quickly bowed to Jiang Chun and said, "This younger brother greets Elder Sister-in-Law."

Zhong Wenjin also performed a curtsy and said calmly, "Wenjin greets Elder Sister-in-Law."

Jiang Chun stood up and personally helped Zhong Wenjin to her feet.

With a playful smile, she teased, "Mother always says I’m slow-witted, lazy, and greedy, and that I love to take the husband’s family’s resources to support my own family. Now that such a remarkable second sister-in-law has arrived, as the elder sister-in-law, I’m afraid I won’t even have a place to stand before Mother."

Madame Zhuang's lips twitched almost imperceptibly. He still has some self-awareness.

Jiang Chun pulled off a pair of green jade bracelets from her wrist and slipped them onto Zhong Wenjin's hands, saying with a smile, "I'm just a country butcher, so I don't have much in the way of fine things. This was given to me by the elder madam of Jinxiang Marquis's estate when I attended a banquet there yesterday, dear second sister-in-law. If you don't mind, feel free to wear it for fun."

"Thank you, Elder Sister-in-law," Zhong Wenjin replied. She knew this was essentially her first time meeting her in-laws as a new daughter-in-law. According to the customs of the time, the elder sister-in-law traditionally gave a gift to the new sister-in-law, so she didn't decline.

Because the gift from her elder sister-in-law was so valuable, she felt compelled to add a few more words, "I also come from a rural background. My family only has two acres of poor land, which is even worse than yours, Elder Sister-in-law. Being a butcher is certainly better than being a farmer who relies on the heavens."

Before Jiang Chun could respond, Madame Zhuang raised her hand to her chest, pointing a trembling hand at Zhong Wenjin, she said with difficulty, "You're from a rural village?"

Zhong Wenjin turned around, facing Madame Zhuang politely, and truthfully replied, "Yes, Mother. I am from Ten Mile Gully in Anhe Town, Ning'an County, Gusu Prefecture, Su Province. For three generations, my family has been farmers who depend on the weather."

Madame Zhuang's breath caught, her eyes rolled back, and she fainted, falling backward.

Jiang Chun had been closely watching Madame Zhuang's complexion and immediately instructed Gui Zhi, "Quick, bring Physician Hua from the front courtyard."

Shanhu and Feicui quickly supported Madame Zhuang.

Jiang Chun stepped forward, steeled herself, and pinched Madame Zhuang's philtrum with her thumb.

Indeed, it was a light pinch. Given her strength, if she had applied more force, she might have strangled the person to death.

Jolted by the pain, Madame Zhuang gradually came to.

Song Shirui led Zhong Wenjin to kneel before the lohan bed and concernedly said, "Mother, please calm down and let your son explain the situation in detail."

Madame Zhuang didn't want to listen and closed her eyes, turning her head to the side.

Aware that his mother could hear him, Song Shirui continued his narrative, "Two years ago, I was meant to be sold along with Father, Second Uncle, Third Uncle, and Third Brother to work in the mines.

The work in the mines is hard and perilous, and most of those sent to the mines face a grim fate. I thought about how I needed to preserve the Song family lineage, so I escaped halfway.

Unfortunately, my luck ran out when General Conghua sent his elite soldiers to chase me after hearing about an escaped government slave.

They pursued me for five or six days, and finally caught me.

I fought back with all my strength but was ultimately hit in the chest by one arrow and in the abdomen by another before falling off a cliff."

He deliberately paused here.

Sure enough, Mother’s breathing grew heavier, and she unconsciously clutched the corner of her garment, clearly very nervous about herself.

Only then did he continue, “Fortunately, it was not my time to die. What seemed like a precipice to me was actually the back mountain of Jinyin’s village.

By chance, on that day, Jinyin was digging for sweet potatoes on the back mountain. Seeing me severely injured, covered in blood, and unconscious, she kindly carried me back to her home and took out the few taels of silver they had left to hire a doctor to treat me...

That small amount of money was clearly insufficient. To save up for my daily medicine, Jinyin would go to the back mountain before dawn to dig for herbs, sweet potatoes, collect wild eggs, and pick mushrooms, among other things.

Thanks to her efforts, I not only survived but gradually recovered from my injuries.

I have no way to repay such a life-saving favor. With nothing of value and being a lowly official slave, I could only offer myself in marriage, taking her as my wife.”

At this point, Song Shirui’s face turned serious, and he solemnly said, “When I was down and out, she risked her life to save me and spared no effort to treat my injuries. Now that the Song family has been exonerated and I have become wealthy, I cannot be ungrateful or act like a despicable person who forgets his benefactor once he has crossed the river.”

Madame Zhuang suddenly opened her eyes, indignant, “You don’t need to deliberately say all these things to me. Who is forcing you to be a despicable person who forgets his benefactor?”

Song Shirui quickly bowed his head and explained, “Son is not blaming Mother, but merely stating my position so that Mother will not misunderstand my intentions.”

Madame Zhuang leaned against the pillow beside her, holding her chest weakly, “One becomes a son-in-law who moves into his wife’s family for a butcher’s daughter from the countryside; the other marries a poor peasant girl with nothing.”

If this gets out, who knows how they will mock the Song family.

"Oh, what have I done to deserve this, to give birth to you two brothers!"

Jiang Chun pursed her lips. To be honest, she felt some sympathy for Madame Zhuang.

Imagine if she had given birth to two outstanding sons, and instead of marrying girls from well-matched families, they both chose to marry peasant women from the countryside. How would she react?

The thought was suffocating.

Just then, Gui Zhi's voice rang out from outside, "Madam, Lady Jiang, Doctor Hua is here."

Jiang Chun smiled at Madame Zhuang. "Father isn't feeling well due to the change in climate. My husband has invited Doctor Hua from Huichun Hall to treat him. I thought it would be good to ask him to check on Mother as well."

Madame Zhuang let out a light snort but said nothing.

Not refusing meant agreement, so Jiang Chun decisively instructed, "Come in."

Doctor Hua, with his hair and beard both gray, clearly an elderly physician, entered followed by a young apprentice carrying a medicine box.

"Wishing Madame well." Physician Hua greeted Madame Zhuang and carefully felt her pulse.

Then he smiled and said, "Madame is suffering from a sudden surge of internal heat attacking the heart. Fortunately, there is no major issue this time, but this old man will prescribe three doses of medicine for you to nourish your qi and blood over the next three days.

However, you must remember not to easily become angry in the future, or else you may not be as fortunate as this time."

After hearing Gui Zhi’s report, Song Shi-rui immediately stood up, bringing Zhong Wenjin along with him.

He listened attentively to the doctor's instructions and then personally led Physician Hua to the study room in the western wing to write the prescription.

Jiang Chun walked up to the arhat bed and stood firm, deliberately teasing Madame Zhuang: "Mother, how are you feeling? Would you like me to anger you some more? Perhaps the combined anger will heal you without medicine."

Madame Zhuang glared at her and retorted, "I think you’re trying to anger me to death so you can take over the household affairs and rake in the money."

Jiang Chun immediately cried out in protest, "Oh dear, Mother, you overestimate me too much. I, an illiterate person who doesn't even recognize characters, managing the household? It would turn the Song family into a stage, performing jokes daily for outsiders until they laugh themselves to death."

She paused and concluded dramatically, "What a wicked plan I have!"

Madame Zhuang was amused by her nonsensical speech.

She said helplessly, "You do realize you’re illiterate, don’t you? You have spare time to learn martial arts but no time to learn to read and write? Do you plan to stay illiterate forever?"

Jiang Chun grinned and said, "My husband has already agreed to teach me to read and write. We’ve just been too busy at night recently and haven’t had the time yet.

Mother, please wait a little longer. In a while, I’ll definitely be able to recognize characters."

Madame Zhuang: "..."

She felt her ears were assaulted by such improper talk.

Annoyed, she snapped, "Get out of here!"

Jiang Chun plopped down on the brocade cushion next to her and grinned, "I’m sorry, Mother, but I don’t know how to roll. Maybe you could find someone to show me how to roll?"

Madame Zhuang, furious, actually looked for someone to demonstrate. But Jiang Chun wasn’t worried.

She didn’t say she would roll even after the demonstration.

Madame Zhuang covered her forehead in frustration.

As they say, without comparison, there is no harm. With someone as shameless as Jiang Chun to compare against, even the quiet and steady Zhong Wenjin becomes appealing.

At least she doesn’t anger herself three times before nightfall.

Zhong Wenjin was taken aback.

The mother-in-law fainted dead away when she learned of Zhong Wenjin’s background, which shows just how much she cares about her daughter-in-law’s background.

And my elder sister-in-law, who shares a similarly lowly background, is obviously not favored by the mother-in-law either.

However, it seems that my elder sister-in-law doesn’t care whether the mother-in-law respects her. She behaves very casually, as if she is strolling leisurely, more relaxed, more so than when she's in her own space.

To her chagrin, the mother-in-law can’t do anything about her.

Although Zhong Wenjin feels she can’t adopt such a way of handling things, nor does she have the boldness to completely ignore others' opinions, that doesn’t stop her from admiring her elder sister-in-law.

With such an elder sister-in-law, conflicts between us as sisters-in-law should be minimal.

Otherwise, with the strained relationship between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, if she were to become exhausted both physically and mentally every day, she would begin to doubt whether her decision to come to the capital with Song Shirui was correct.

Thinking of this, Zhong Wenjin said with a smile to Jiang Chun, "Although my family is poor, I have prepared some gifts for the family. However, the dockworkers loaded our luggage onto the wrong ship. The next ship will arrive in Tongzhou in five days, so I'll have to owe you for now."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Chun first remarked, "These dockworkers are really careless, causing so much trouble for you."

Then she added enthusiastically, "Incidentally, earlier, a fellow villager of mine, Second Lady Lu from the Marquis of Jinxiang's residence, sent me some daily necessities.

I’ve already given some to my father and my cousin, but there’s still a bit left. I’ll send someone to bring it over for you, so you and Second Brother can manage for a few days."

Zhong Wenjin thanked her gratefully, "Thank you for your help, Elder Sister-in-law. You've really solved my urgent problem."

Their return was quite sudden, and the Song family had just been exonerated, so the house was in chaos. Even if they were to go out to make some urgent purchases, it would still take time.

Jiang Chun, unbothered, waved her hand and said, "It’s just a small matter, Second Sister-in-law. No need to be so polite."

But in her heart, she was running through calculations.

As the protagonist of the original story, Zhong Wenjin possessed a cheat system — the Pinduoduo Mall System.

She just needs to sell ancient items to Pinduoduo's official mall in exchange for modern currency, and then place orders in the official mall to buy things.

The mall's trans-temporal nanobots will be responsible for silently delivering the goods to the location she specifies.

Initially, she was stuck in a mountain village called Ten Mile Gully, an isolated area surrounded by nothing but barren mountains and wilderness. She had to spend her days digging up items from the mountains to sell for money.

So the modern currency in her account is limited, and she has to compare prices for each purchase. After receiving the goods, she writes detailed reviews to earn a few dollars from positive review cashback.

However, even if they are cheap, they are still modern items.

She's really looking forward to seeing what gift she'll receive.

It would be best to get some household essentials. Although ancient fragrant soaps and tooth powders are quite good, they pale in comparison to modern equivalents.

But right now, what she needs most is shampoo. A large, simply packaged bottle of shampoo would be wonderful.

Washing hair with fragrant soap is a real nuisance, anyone who has tried it knows.