Chapter 98

Chapter 98

Don’t easily sympathize with a man.

The result of sympathizing with a man is not only falling hopelessly in love with him but also ending up with aching soreness in crucial places, limping with every step.

Of course, Jiang Chun was reflecting on herself here.

She limped all the way to the main courtyard for breakfast.

And, unsurprisingly, she received a look of unspoken judgment from the group of female relatives.

Song Shian and Song Shirui had gone to the government office, so they usually had breakfast there.

Zhong Wenjin glanced at the eldest daughter-in-law, then glanced again, and once more.

The eldest daughter-in-law had a strong build, great strength, and had always been rough and tough. For her to end up limping, it’s truly impressive that her husband could manage such a feat. He must be quite the man.

Jiang Chun gave her a sideways glance and said with a smile, "What are you staring at? I just twisted my ankle in bed. What's so strange about that?"

Zhong Wenjin stifled a giggle.

Does a sprained leg look like that, Elder Sister-in-Law?

Song Shiying glanced at her elder sister-in-law, then at the second sister-in-law, and also caught on, stifling a giggle.

Madame Zhuang’s lips twitched, unsure whether to be happy or not.

In any case, she became even more convinced that her eldest son must have fallen for Jiang Chun’s beauty, which was why he was willing to become a live-in son-in-law for the Jiang family.

Song Shichu bowed her head, a knowing smile playing at the corners of her lips.

Only young Song Shiyue, being young and inexperienced, and concerned, said, "Should we invite a doctor skilled in trauma to take a look at elder sister-in-law?"

Jiang Chun coughed lightly and said with a smile, "It's nothing. Your elder brother has already examined me. No damage to bones or skin. It'll be fine after some rest."

Everyone except Song Shiyue: ……

They wished they hadn’t grown ears and minds, because they understood it all too well.

Understanding this was worse than ignorance.

Especially the three wives, whose husbands were still traveling from the mines to the Imperial City. Understanding was pointless.

After breakfast, Jiang Chun planned to make braised meat.

To make braised meat, she needed a kitchen first.

Dangui Courtyard was constructed with a reserved kitchen area in the northwest corner of the third courtyard.

However, since the Song family hadn’t divided the household yet, meals for each courtyard were supplied by the main kitchen, so this small kitchen had been left idle.

Jiang Chun went to take a look herself and saw that the small kitchen was truly just an empty room, not even a single pot on the three stoves.

Jiang Chun had no choice but to make a list and take out twenty taels of silver. She handed these to Gui Zhi, instructing her to give them to Wu the steward, who was the father of Jin'er, Song Shiying’s maid, so he could help her purchase the necessary items.

The most expensive items were the three pots, each worth several taels of silver. After purchasing everything, there wouldn’t be much left of the twenty taels.

She had plenty of pots stocked in her system warehouse, but they were too conspicuous, so she couldn’t take them out.

Secondly, she would also need meat.

Jiang Chun wanted to go to the market to buy it herself, but considering her status as the Song family’s Eldest Madam, it wouldn’t be quite appropriate.

She personally didn’t care, but Madame Zhuang would surely be enraged.

So, she took out a few more taels of silver and asked Wang the steward, who was in charge of procurement in the main kitchen, to buy four pig heads and four sets of pig organs.

Once the items were bought, Jiang Chun began the cleaning.

To make it easier to get water, she had Wang the steward deliver the four pig heads and four sets of pig organs directly to the main kitchen.

The main kitchen had its own well, and there was a drainage ditch for wastewater nearby, making it far more convenient than Dangui Garden.

What followed was Jiang Chun shocking everyone in the main kitchen and, indeed, the entire Song family.

At that moment, Madame Zhuang, Madame Li, and Qiu Shi were paying respects at Pine Crane Garden when Qiu Shi’s senior maid, Qiu Tong, hurried in.

Without holding back, she loudly exclaimed, “Unbelievable! The Eldest Madam is washing pig intestines in the main kitchen. It’s covered in feces. After that, she rubbed salt on them and scrubbed with her hands, then she applied flour and scrubbed again with her hands...”

“Ugh...” Zhou Shi, who was sipping bird's nest porridge, felt queasy and gagged.

Madame Zhuang, Madame Li, and Qiu Shi displayed undisguised disgust.

Madame Li, sarcastically, said, “Eldest Madam, as I recall, Shian’s spouse once said that after she finishes braising the meat, she would send portions to the wife of the Marquis of Jinxiang’s heir, Lady Lu the Second Mistress, and Princess Xincheng...

Are you sure that after she sends the items over, these two families won’t sever ties with our Song family?”

Madame Zhuang also thought Jiang Chun was acting recklessly.

I've naturally eaten braised meat before, but the braised meat sold in restaurants typically includes pig head meat, pig heart, liver, lungs, and pig trotters.

I haven’t seen any place selling smelly and unclean braised pig intestines.

However, she didn’t want to embarrass her daughter-in-law in front of Madame Li.

She forced herself to stay calm and said, "Shian's wife comes from a butcher's family and has sold plenty of braised meat back in her hometown. Wouldn't she know if pig intestines can be braised?"

After a pause, she added kindly, "Since Second Sister-in-Law is so interested in braised pig intestines, I'll have Shian's wife send you a portion once it's done, so you can have a proper taste."

Madame Li declined with a courteous smile, "Thank you for your kindness, elder sister-in-law, but I'm not particularly fond of braised meat. I wouldn't want to waste Shian's wife's effort."

Madame Zhuang said with a cheerful smile, "How would second sister-in-law know whether she likes braised pig intestines or not if she hasn't tried it? What if it turns out to be just what you like?"

Madame Li scoffed, "Shian's wife shows great filial piety, but as her mother-in-law, elder sister-in-law should eat more braised pig intestines. Otherwise, wouldn't Shian's wife's hard work be for nothing?"

As she entered, Song Shiying exclaimed, "What? Elder sister-in-law braised pig intestines? I love braised pig intestines!

Oh wow, what a great day! It feels like a celebration!"

The four elders present were speechless: "..."

Especially Madame Li, who had just made a sarcastic remark about her elder sister-in-law, only to have her own daughter contradict her.

She said with annoyance, "As a young lady, you should be careful about what you eat. Don't eat anything that’s dirty or smelly."

Song Shiying replied dissatisfied, "What do you mean by ‘dirty or smelly,’ Mother? Braised pig intestines aren’t smelly at all. Not only are they not smelly, but they are also incredibly delicious.

Elder sister-in-law is very meticulous when preparing her braised meat. She washes the pig intestines over ten times with flour and salt, then soaks them in salt water to eliminate any odors before braising them."

The braised pig intestines have no strange smell at all; they are so fragrant that I could almost swallow my own tongue.

Moreover, Sister-in-law finds it troublesome to clean them, and salt is precious, so selling braised pig intestines isn't profitable. That's why she usually only braises some for our family, and you can't even buy them outside."

Lady Li gave her daughter a stern look and scolded, "Is it such a wonderful thing that it deserves your praise? As the third young lady of the Song family, who has grown up eating delicacies, how can you still act so ignorant?"

Song Shiyin mumbled, "Delicacies are common, but Sister-in-law's braised pig intestines are not. If I had to choose, I would definitely pick the braised pig intestines."

Lady Zhou waved her hand, signaling the maid to take away the bird's nest, and said irritably, "Sister Shiyin, with every word about braised pig intestines, are you here to visit your grandmother or to deliberately disgust me?"

Song Shiyin sulked and fell silent.

But she secretly signaled to Song Shichu and Song Shi Yue, nodding toward the direction of the main kitchen.

Her meaning was clear: after leaving Pine Crane Garden, they would go to the main kitchen to find Sister-in-law.

This little maneuver did not escape the keen eyes of Lady Zhou, whose face darkened immediately.

Sister Shiyin had always been her most beloved granddaughter, and their relationship was very close. Whenever Sister Shiyin had any issues, she would come to her grandmother rather than her mother, Lady Li.

But over the past two years, Sister Shiyin's heart had been captured by An Ge's wife, a country girl who slaughters pigs, and she now follows her like a shadow.

Wherever An Ge's wife goes, Sister Shiyin follows, like a little lapdog.

Consequently, her relationship with her grandmother has become distant, and she no longer circles around her as she used to, calling her "Grandmother" all the time.

Lady Zhou had never looked favorably upon Jiang Chun's background, and now, with this additional "sin" of "stealing" her granddaughter, she disliked her even more.

She glared fiercely at Song Shiyin before turning to Madame Zhuang and asked, "What is the reason for Princess Xinchang's summons of An Ge's wife?"

Zhuang Shi shook her head and replied, "An's wife said that Princess Xinchang summoned her just for a casual conversation and didn't mention anything important."

Zhou Shi pouted and said somewhat puzzled, "Princess Xinchang, being of noble birth, what could she possibly have to talk about with a countryside pig butcher girl?"

Zhuang Shi smiled and said, "Perhaps she is curious about An's wife."

This explanation found agreement with Zhou Shi, who nodded and said, "Probably only this explanation makes sense."

However, she still felt some doubts in her heart. Princess Xinchang, as the eldest princess born of Empress Xian and the emperor's own sister, had always been aloof and rarely showed favor to the titled ladies of various families.

Even if she were curious about Jiang Chun, a countryside pig butcher girl, did she really need to send a special invitation asking her to the Princess’s mansion for wine?

Isn’t this too much of an honor for her?

But Zhou Shi couldn't go and ask Princess Xinchang the reason for this, so she could only remain puzzled.

Since Grandmother Zhou did not give the order to let them leave, Song Shiying and her sisters had no choice but to stay and listen to the elders' conversation.

They endured it for a full three-quarters of an hour before they were finally able to leave.

As soon as they left Pine Crane Courtyard, Song Shiying said excitedly, "Second Sister, Fourth Sister, let’s go to the main kitchen to find Big Sister."

Song Shiyue covered her nose and said, "Let’s not. Didn’t you hear what Qiutong just said?

Big Sister is cleaning dirty pig intestines in the main kitchen. Let’s not go there and risk picking up that smell."

Song Shiying thought about it and agreed, then said with a smile, "Then let’s go to Dangui Courtyard and wait. I heard from Jin’er in my courtyard that Big Sister asked her father to help purchase pots, pans, and other kitchen utensils. She’s definitely planning to braise meat in the small kitchen there.

Since the monk can run but the temple can’t, we’ll just lie in wait in Dangui Courtyard for her."

Song Shiyue immediately nodded vigorously, like a hammer striking garlic. "Alright, alright, alright, let's go to Dangui Courtyard and wait for Big Sister."

With Third Sister finally agreeing not to go to the main kitchen, she had to quickly concur, didn't she?

Song Shichu said with a smile, "It's good that we stay in Dangui Courtyard. Once the braised meat is ready, we’ll be the first to taste it."

After hearing Song Shiying praise the braised pig intestines so extravagantly, she had to try it.

If it tastes good, that’s great; if there’s any strange flavor, she can just spit it out and rinse her mouth a few more times.

When Jiang Chun finished cleaning the internal organs and pig heads and returned to Dangui Courtyard, she saw the three beautiful sisters-in-law seated in a row in the east wing room.

She teased, "Did you come to help me stoke the fire?"

Song Shiying volunteered, "Second Sister and Fourth Sister don’t know how to stoke the fire, so I’ll do it for you, Big Sister. Anyway, over the past year, you’ve made me stoke the fire plenty of times."

Jiang Chun didn’t refuse and said with a smile, "Alright, then you can stoke the fire."

She then said to Song Shichu and Song Shiyue, "Since you two are here, you might as well learn how to stoke the fire in the kitchen. It’s always good to be prepared for anything."

After the incident of the Song family being raided, the mindsets of the young misses of the Song family had changed somewhat.

Even Song Shiyue, who had been redeemed by her uncle early on and raised in the countryside without much hardship, nodded obediently, "We’ll have to trouble Big Sister to teach us."

So Jiang Chun, carrying a large wooden basin containing four pig heads and four sets of pig offal, led the three young misses to the small kitchen in the third courtyard.

Wu Guanshi had been quite efficient and had already delivered the items Jiang Chun had asked him to purchase.

He even brought along Old Qiu, the only servant in the estate who was a mason by trade, and they had set up three large iron woks.

Jiang Chun put down the wooden basin, personally washed the three woks clean, and then filled them with water, asking Song Shiying to bring the water to a boil.

Meanwhile, Jiang Chun explained the key points of stoking the fire to Song Shichu and Song Shiyue, based on Song Shiying’s actions.

Song Shichu and Song Shiyue had serious expressions as they learned very attentively.

After the water boiled, Jiang Chun thoroughly cleaned the three woks again, completing the initial preparation of the woks.

After scooping out the hot water, she cut a piece of fat from the pig head and asked Song Shiying to heat the wok and rub the fat all over the wok’s surface to season it.

She let the lard-coated wok sit to absorb the oil.

She began preparing the spices.

The spices were also purchased through Wu Guanshi. However, when no one was paying attention, Jiang Chun took one jin (about 500g) of each spice from her system’s storage and mixed them with the regular spices.

The popularity of her braised meat owed much to the system-produced spices, as her own skills were only average, and the braised meat she made would not have been particularly impressive otherwise.

She had Gui Zhi sew three small cloth bags with fine hemp cloth and filled them with spices such as star anise, cinnamon, bay leaves, tangerine peel, cardamom, and white asarum.

She also added a small handful of pepper to each bag.

Then she refilled the three woks with water and asked Song Shiying to bring the water to a boil, blanching the pig heads and offal in the boiling water.

After thoroughly cleaning the woks again, she placed the four pig heads and four sets of offal into the three woks, added water, and added the spice bags.

She then added ginger slices, scallions, garlic cloves, soy sauce, and white sugar.

Once everything was ready, she didn’t ask Song Shiying to continue tending the fire. Instead, she let Mother Li, who was skilled in cooking, take over.

She instructed, "After the pot boils, simmer on high heat for half an hour, then slow-cook on low heat for an hour and fifteen minutes."

The smaller pig heads would only need one hour, but the four pig heads purchased by Manager Wang from the main kitchen were quite large.

She was concerned they wouldn’t be tender enough, so she extended the cooking time by fifteen minutes.

Of course, the offal would cook faster, and she would have Mother Li take them out early to prevent them from becoming too soft and losing their texture.

They returned to the main room in the second courtyard.

*

Song Shichu sighed, "I never realized braised meat was so complicated. Today, I’ve really learned something."

Song Shiying nodded, "Yes, it’s both complex and troublesome, and it uses so many spices. Unless it’s a major festival, ordinary families would never splurge on braised meat."

Well, the Jiang family couldn’t be considered ordinary.

Although they were butchers, Uncle Jiang and Big Sister-in-law were both capable of earning money. Big Brother also supplemented the household income by painting and copying books. Plus, she herself paid for her meals, which allowed Big Sister-in-law to braise a pot of meat every now and then, selling half and keeping the other half for the family.

Jiang Chun teased, "A young mistress like me only receives ten taels of silver a month."

These ten taels had to cover tips for the staff, daily necessities, and social engagements with other ladies.

There wasn’t much left to splurge on expensive braised meat.

It was only because she had savings and was generous that they got to benefit.

If it were someone else, they wouldn’t even dream of eating braised meat. They’d be lucky to have anything at all.

She had intended to say "eat nothing," but thought better of it, not wanting to sound vulgar in front of the well-mannered Song Shichu and Song Shiyue.

Both Song Shichu and Song Shiyue agreed deeply.

However, Song Shiying replied, "We didn’t eat nothing. Second Sister-in-law gave us some crystal preserved eggs yesterday."

This had happened during dinner the previous evening, with Jiang Chun present, so she knew.

Jiang Chun smiled and said, "Your Second Sister-in-law is a kind person. But her family lives in a remote mountain area and finds it hard to earn money. She’s not as well-off as I am. Don’t disregard her just because she can’t afford to give you nice things. We shouldn’t be so snobbish."

Song Shiying pouted, "Big Sister-in-law, what kind of talk is that? Second Sister-in-law even gave us valuable worm-expelling medicine from a wandering monk and a traveling doctor. How could we not appreciate her?"

Song Shiyue chimed in, "Yes, Second Sister-in-law is very kind and treats us well. We really like her."

Song Shichu added, "Second Sister-in-law even gave us her last preserved eggs, having the main kitchen make ginger-flavored eggs for us. How could we not be grateful?"

Hearing their sincere comments, Jiang Chun was satisfied that they weren’t just being polite.

She grinned, "If Second Sister-in-law knew how much you respect her, she’d be very happy."

Song Shiying smiled and said, "Then Big Sister-in-law, why don’t you ‘accidentally’ mention this to Second Sister-in-law? That way, she’ll be pleased, and we’ll be seen as grateful younger sisters."

Jiang Chun laughed and scolded, "You have quite the scheme, manipulating me so smoothly."

Song Shiying reached out and grabbed Jiang Chun's arm, shaking it. "Good elder sister-in-law, please help us out. It's just a simple favor and won't take much effort."

Jiang Chun said coyly, "Hmph, depends on my mood."

Song Shiying immediately took advantage of the situation. "Thank you, elder sister-in-law! You're such a good person."

Jiang Chun was left in a state of mixed emotions, unsure whether to laugh or cry, after receiving this "card."

*

The three of them spent more than half an hour playing in Dangui Courtyard before the braised meat was finally ready.

Jiang Chun went to the small kitchen and put together a large platter, having Gui Zhi carry it to the main room.

She then instructed Mother Li, "No need to take them out of the pot; leave them in for a few more hours. They'll become more flavorful that way."

Mother Li quickly agreed.

When Jiang Chun returned to the main room, she saw Song Shiying hovering over the plate of braised meat, fanning the air to waft the aroma towards her, a blissful expression on her face.

It was clear she had been waiting for Jiang Chun.

Jiang Chun laughed. "Why aren't you eating? Quick, try it and see if it's good."

With that, she picked up her chopsticks and placed a piece of braised pig intestine in her mouth.

Seeing their elder sister-in-law start eating, Song Shiying and the others also picked up their chopsticks.

Like Jiang Chun, Song Shiying went straight for the braised pig intestines.

Song Shichu selected a piece of pig heart.

After hesitating for a moment, Song Shiyue finally picked up a piece of mostly lean meat from the pig snout and put it in her mouth.

"Ah, the braised pig intestines are so delicious..." Song Shiying murmured in approval.

Jiang Chun also thought it was good and felt quite proud of herself.

She had braised so much meat before and had fully mastered the technique. A casual braise resulted in a perfect balance of texture and saltiness.

She decided that at dinner, she would use the braised pig intestines and the dried chilies provided by Zhong Wenjin to personally cook a spicy stir-fried pig intestines dish to add to the meal.

Of course, she also sliced some braised pig heads and various internal organs like the heart, liver, and lungs, creating a braised meat platter.

Jiang Chun was a woman of action, so once she thought of something, she would act on it.

Thus, at dinner, when the Song family sat down, they noticed two rather unusual dishes on the table.

One was a plate of braised meat, the pieces piled together without any presentation.

The other was pig intestines sliced and stir-fried with red spices, the intestines a brownish hue.

This immediately brought an unpleasant association to Madame Li.

She quickly said, "Remove it! Quickly, remove the braised pig intestines dish!"

Before anyone else could speak, Song Shiying immediately jumped in to stop her. "No, why take it away? This is spicy stir-fried braised pig intestines, made with the chilies provided by our second sister-in-law. This dish is worth several taels, perhaps even over ten taels of silver."

Madame Li glared at her ungrateful daughter. "I'll give you ten taels of silver. Can we then have the braised pig intestines removed?"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Chun immediately stood up and took the spicy stir-fried pig intestines dish.

Song Shiying immediately wailed, "No, eldest sister-in-law, don't take it away! It's my spicy fried intestines!"

However, Jiang Chun did not take the spicy fried intestines away. Instead, she scooped up a large helping into her own bowl.

Then, she circled around the massive round table and, with lightning speed, placed a large serving into the bowls of Zhuang Shi, Zhong Wenjin, Song Shirui, Song Shichu, Song Shiying, and Song Shiyue.

In the blink of an eye, the plate of spicy fried intestines was empty, with only a bit of oil left on it.

Jiang Chun carried the empty plate to Madame Li, stretched out her hand, and said with a grin, "Second Aunt, as you wished, the spicy fried intestines are taken away. Now, give me the ten taels of silver."

Madame Li was momentarily speechless.

Is this what you call "taking away"? She clearly distributed the dish to everyone!

But it couldn't be denied that the spicy fried intestines were gone from the table, and even the empty plate was no longer on the table.

It was as good as taken away.

When Madame Li came to her senses, her face turned pale. She wanted to lose her temper but feared being mocked by Madame Zhuang for going back on her word and being unwilling to part with a small sum of ten taels of silver.

Adding insult to injury, Song Shiying jumped out and exclaimed, quickly scooping a piece of spicy fried intestines into her mouth. She hissed and praised, "Wow, wow, wow, these spicy fried intestines are so delicious, they are the best delicacy under heaven. Those who don't appreciate it are missing out."

The latter phrase, quite modern, was obviously something Jiang Chun had said before, and she used it directly.

Zhong Wenjin heard this familiar phrase and was momentarily stunned.

Coincidentally, Song Shiying was sitting to her left, so she leaned to the left and whispered, "Heaven covers earth tiger?"

Song Shiying was calculating how much her elder sister-in-law should sell such delicious spicy fried intestines for if she were to set up a stall.

Hearing her second sister-in-law's words, she instinctively responded, "Three hundred and fifty wen a plate."

Zhong Wenjin: "???"

She had matched "Heaven covers earth tiger," but didn't get "Imperial Court jade liquid wine."

Moreover, "Imperial Court jade liquid wine" was followed by "one hundred and eighty wen a cup."

What kind of price is that?

Could it be that Third Sister just happened to say a modern meme she had heard before?

This made Zhong Wenjin feel somewhat disappointed.

She felt that, leaving aside the elders of the Song family, the younger generation had good qualities and showed great respect to her, a second sister-in-law of low birth.

That’s why she had unhesitatingly chosen to acknowledge her as family.

Who would have thought it was all a mistake.

Being alone in this strange era was too lonely. Although Song Shirui and she were deeply in love, Song Shirui was a native of this time. Even though he was devoted to her, he could hardly bridge the gap between her and this era.

However, a fellow modern person would be different. They could empathize with each other and support one another.

Of course, the premise is that this fellow countryman had good character and no ambition to rule or become a king.

Otherwise, she would rather live with regret than acknowledge such a relative and risk danger.

When she heard her daughter’s words, Madame Li, unable to maintain her dignity, stood up suddenly and replied sternly, "Yin'er, what do you mean by saying I’m in trouble? You dare to curse me? Are you defying me?"

Without further delay, she quickly walked over to Song Shiying's side and raised her hand, about to slap the side of Song Shiying's face, who was busy enjoying the spicy stir-fried intestines.

The nearby Zhong Wenjin was startled and immediately tried to dissuade her: “Third Aunt, please, let's talk...”

Before she could finish, Jiang Chun, who was sitting on the other side of Song Shiying, suddenly kicked her chair back, jumped up, and grabbed Madame Li's arm.

At this point, the second half of Zhong Wenjin's sentence finally came out: “Let's talk calmly.”

Jiang Chun nodded in agreement. “Second Sister-in-law is right. Second Aunt, please speak nicely. How can you raise a hand to Third Sister, a young girl?”

Song Shiying, only now realizing what was happening, put down her chopsticks in confusion. “What happened? What did I say? Why does Mother want to hit me?”

Madame Li, struggling to free her wrist, coldly said to Jiang Chun, “Let go, Shian’s wife!”

Then she turned to scold Song Shiying again. “You still have the nerve to ask? You cursed your mother! How dare you!”

Song Shiying was even more confused. “It was just a joke! And I didn’t even mention any names. How did that become a curse? I’m so wronged!”

She indeed hadn’t mentioned any names, but Madame Li disliked spicy stir-fried intestines, so when Song Shiying's words left her mouth, it felt like a stab to Madame Li's heart.

Madame Li said coldly, “You’re a fifteen-year-old girl. If the family hadn’t fallen on hard times, you might have been married by now. Yet you still don’t know your place, talking nonsense every day. Which young lady acts like you?

With your undignified behavior, how can I bring up your marriage to your third cousin with your aunt?”

Song Shiying, though scolded by her mother, didn’t seem too upset or angry. However, when she heard her mother wanted to marry her off to her third cousin from her uncle's family, she immediately exploded. “I’m not marrying that rascal, Li Jilin! Since he was fourteen, he’s been taking in concubines one after another. There are six or seven in his rooms now! I’d rather die than marry a disgraceful man like him!”

Madame Li, seeing that Jiang Chun wouldn’t let go, raised her other hand to hit Song Shiying again, saying, “What rubbish are you saying, young girl?

Your third cousin is a man. What’s wrong with having a few concubines?

It’s only natural for a man to have multiple wives. You’re so jealous and have such a bad reputation. Have you thought about whether any respectable family would want to marry you?

If you don’t marry into your uncle’s family, do you plan to stay home as an old maid?”

Stubbornly, Song Shiying shouted back, “Then I’ll be a spinster! I’d rather stay home than marry a disgraceful man like Li Jilin.

Pah, besides, being a spinster isn’t so bad. After all, Eldest Sister-in-law and Second Sister-in-law will support me.”

Upon hearing this, Madame Li immediately shot an angry glare at Jiang Chun and Zhong Wenjin. With a harsh tone, she said, “What kind of nonsense have you two sisters-in-law been teaching Yin'er?

It’s because of you two that she’s become so unruly!”

Qiu Shi, watching from the side, secretly marveled. Second Sister-in-law is truly bold, daring to scold Jiang Chun like that, fearless due to her ignorance.

She returned late and likely didn’t know about Jiang Chun’s capabilities. Didn’t she notice that even her own mother-in-law didn’t dare to speak harshly to her? Did she even consider why?

After years of conflict with the elder sister-in-law, she still didn’t realize that the elder sister-in-law was very practical and never did anything as foolish as confronting someone more powerful.

Jiang Chun, with a slight smile, thought, am I being held responsible here?

Although Madame Li was right, Song Shiying’s personality was indeed influenced by her. But who would confess just because they were suspected?

Jiang Chun cleared her throat, ready to argue with Madame Li, when Song Shian stood up beside her and said calmly, “My wife and Second Sister-in-law are compassionate. They were worried that Second Cousin, who had been sold to a brothel, might despair and take her own life. That’s why they promised to take care of her, to give her a way out.

Who knew that this kindness would be perceived as a fault by Second Aunt.”

After all, Second Cousin is just their cousin, and as her sisters-in-law, they have no obligation to raise her.

If they were to raise Second Cousin, that would be Third Brother and his future wife’s duty.

At this point, he lowered his head to glance at Jiang Chun and Zhong Wenjin, and said with a cold hum, "You two should stay out of it. Do you really enjoy taking care of your sisters-in-law? Isn't Second Sister enough for you to take care of?"

Feeling abandoned, Song Shiying wailed "Wah!" and kicked over her chair, falling to the ground. She rolled around, crying out, "No, I don’t want Third Brother and his wife to raise me! I want Elder Sister-in-law and Second Sister-in-law to raise me!"

Thinking of the words "considering suicide" that her elder brother had hinted at, she cried out in despair, "Mother, you think I’m shameful because I was sold to a brothel!

Wah, even my own mother can’t accept me. Who else can I turn to?

I might as well find a white silk rope and hang myself in the middle of the night. That way, I won’t be a burden to others or be forced to marry some scoundrel."

Song Shian glanced up at Jiang Chun.

Jiang Chun looked innocent—she definitely didn’t teach her how to throw a tantrum. She must have picked it up from someone else in the village.

Madame Li was stunned by her daughter’s harsh words. Each word cut her deeply, and overwhelmed, she felt a darkness cloud her vision and collapsed to the ground.