Chapter 65 of Volume One: Placing Business

  PS plus more seeking pink powder

  "... Aren't you going back with him?" After sending off Li Changhe and the others, Zhen Shiniang turned around to ask Xi Que, "I have Qiuju serving me, it's enough, why don't you go back and rest for a couple of days?"

  Looking at Li Changhe's expressionless face, anyone whose wife was beaten like that would feel heartbroken.

  "It's not as comfortable at home, I like to eat the food made by the young lady." Ji Kuai smiled with a chuckle, and her mouth twitched, moving the wound on her face, which hurt so much that she let out an "ouch".

  Really don't know who is the real mistress among them?

  Zhen Shi Niang glared at her, took off the towel from her face, and splashed cold water on it again. "Next time don't be so stupid, this slap hurts whoever it lands on, just tell her I'm home, or she'll eat me alive?" Xiku said that because she didn't say where she was, Chu Xinyi beat her up like this.

  Zhen Shining was very angry, extremely angry.

  "Miss, you've forgotten, you used to hit me like this all the time, it doesn't hurt." Jixiao smiled, but suddenly her expression turned gloomy. "You shouldn't have offended her, she holds great power in the general's mansion, and the general dotes on her. With this wounded face as evidence, going back now will only provide proof...". She looked up at Zhen Shiniang, "Miss, you promised me that you would get along well with the general!"

  Her eyes stared straight at Zhen Shiniang, meaning: "If you dare to break the agreement, I will not keep Wen Ge and Wu Ge alive!"

  Zhen Shiniang lamented her own bitter fate.

  "I didn't plan on breaching the agreement." Zhen Shi Niang's face was filled with sorrow, "It's just that I saw Chu Niang today, she's so beautiful. I won't have another chance." She shrugged her shoulders, "Might as well smash the pot and be done with it."

  "Miss is even more beautiful than you!" The magpie suddenly sat up, "As long as you are willing to lower your status, General will be moved sooner or later." After finishing her words in one breath, she just found out that Zhen Shiniang was teasing her, "Miss!"

  "You've stirred up trouble." Zhen Shi Niang supported her with one hand, seeing that she was still flushed and staring at herself, and let out a sigh. "I'll tell you, Chu Niang came today to force me to divorce the general. Whether I fight or beg her, it's all the same result." Her eyes narrowed, "It seems like she can't wait any longer, not even letting me have a peaceful New Year."

  Magpie bit her lip, "But you hit her like that, I'm afraid General's mind is made up now."

  "The general's heart was never with me anyway. I've also hindered his wealth and glory, even if I didn't hit Chu Niang, even if I knelt down and begged him, he wouldn't have any room for compromise." Zhen Shi Niang shook her head, "It's just that I wanted to drag it out for two more years before divorcing, I never planned on going to beg him anyway."

  The general has always been soft-hearted but never hard-hearted. Besides begging, what other method can make him agree to delay the divorce for two more years?

  The magpie lifted its head in surprise.

  Zhen Shining changed the subject. “... Has Yu Bo's house been signed?”

  Yu Bo is a bondservant of Zheng Ge Lao, and the Seventh Master of the Zheng Ge Lao's mansion is going to be appointed as the Magistrate of Anping. He plans to take Yu Bo and his family with him after the New Year. Yu Bo intends to sell his house.

  Three thatched cottages, with a large courtyard, and the house of the magpie mother is just separated by a wall. Because of the urgency to sell, the price was very cheap, Zhen Shiniang wanted to buy it.

  "The slave and I came early to talk to you about this matter. This fuss has made me forget." Ji Kuai sat up straight, "Originally, we agreed on 100 taels of silver for us, just waiting for Yu Bo's eldest son to return from the capital to sign the contract, but unexpectedly last night Yu Bo suddenly changed his mind and wouldn't sell it for even one cent less than 120 taels."

  "Didn't say why?" Zhen Shining furrowed her brow.

  "Chang He asked around and found out that Zhang Lao Ye from the East Street Silver Building had secretly kept a mistress outside, wanting to buy her a house. The price was 120 taels of silver because Yu Bo agreed to sell it to us first at that price." He sighed, "To be honest, that house is worth 160 taels of silver, selling it for 120 taels isn't a loss, but..."

  The magpies shook their heads, where did they get the silver?

  "Let's just make it 120 taels then." Zhen Shi Niang lowered her head and thought for a moment, "Have Zhang He sign the contract as soon as possible." Lest they have too many dreams on a long night and stir up more trouble.

  "Miss..."

  "They all know the root of the matter, and that house is indeed valuable." Zhen Shi Niang smiled calmly, "Xiao Da Ren rewarded one hundred taels for the medical fee, and just now I sold the autumn grain, and after adding up the miscellaneous expenses, I have accumulated more than one hundred and eighty taels of silver in my hands." The rice and grains for these few months were all provided by Shen Zhong Ke, except for buying medicine, Zhen Shi Niang hardly had any other major expenses.

  "It's still the twelfth lunar month, and it'll be four or five months after the New Year before we can have fresh vegetables to eat." Jixiao strongly disagreed, "Not to mention that Miss will still need to take medicine, just talking about spring plowing after the New Year... you'll have to buy fish seedlings and fertilizer again..." That's when things get really tough, Jixiao counted on her fingers for Zhen Shiniang, "And as soon as spring begins, Wengong and Wugong will have to go to school, and suddenly we'll have to pay half a year's tuition..."

  "This hundred taels of silver was originally obtained by unfair means, and it's not like we didn't have a good year before. Zhen Shi Niang wasn't worried, "The ancestral home will always belong to the general, who knows when he'll be in a good mood and take it back? At that time, with such a small courtyard, my mother and I will also have a place to settle down."

  The magpie reluctantly muttered: "The old lady has already promised to vacate a room for you."

  Zhen Shi Niang pretended not to hear, "I think the several zhang of coarse hemp cloth you pulled out is very good, it's enough for a few kids' clothes. Tomorrow, let Qiu Ju send those two pieces of brocade that Xiao Da Ren rewarded us with to the fabric store to buy some. On the 19th of the twelfth lunar month, there's a market, we can sell the mountain goods Xiao Da Ren gave us together then."

  "Miss!" Looking at Zhen Shining's old cotton-padded jacket full of patches, Jixiao's eyes welled up with tears.

  "Right..." Not wanting to continue talking about this, Zhen Shiniang changed the subject, "You just said I used to hit you often, is that true?" Originally it was just a casual question, but thinking of Chu Xinyi also saying that her spoiled temper hadn't changed at all, Zhen Shiniang's expression turned serious, "Tell me, what was I like in the past?"

  Because she didn't want to mention Shen Zhongjie, in all these years she never came to ask about him, and Jixiao also never mentioned anything from the past.

  "Miss was very overbearing before." After a slight hesitation, Jiyu began to speak fluently, "The second aunt was diagnosed with pregnancy, and you let the slave girl send a bowl of bird's nest congee. That night, she had a miscarriage. The general came to find you for questioning, but you still quarreled with him and refused to admit it... The third aunt was pregnant for more than two months and was afraid of being discovered by you, so she didn't even dare to find a doctor. But the fourth aunt's little maid accidentally revealed it, and you used this as an excuse to punish the third aunt by making her stand in the courtyard all day. When she returned, she also had a miscarriage..." Sighing, "Miss doesn't know, but at that time, I was both afraid of and pitied you..."

  "So that's how it is." Zhen Shi Niang was a bit dazed, "No wonder the first time I saw you, my voice just got louder and you were so scared that you trembled with fear." She still remembered five years ago when she had just arrived here, after Shen Zhong Jie scolded her and left, she asked Xi Wu, "Who called him over?" In fact, at the time, she wanted to ask, "Who is he?"

  Who would have thought that the magpie, upon hearing this, immediately knelt down like a sieve and repeatedly begged for forgiveness.

  "What did Miss say? What was it about seeing me for the first time?" Ji Xi didn't understand what Zhen Shiniang said, and happily looked up at her with a confused expression.

  "Oh..." Zhen Shi Niang suddenly realized she had misspoken and quickly changed the subject, "So, it's not entirely because he's tired of me and prefers someone new?"

  The magpie nodded, "It's because Miss was too arrogant at first..."

  Zhen Shiniang's face flushed with anger, and she muttered unwillingly, "No matter what, he has a wife on the left and a wife on the right, bringing back so many concubines is just a lecherous rogue!"

  "Carrot nose?" The magpie blinked its eyes.

  "It's just that you're too fickle, always liking new things and getting tired of old ones!" Zhen Shiniang said with a gloomy expression.

  After that, Zhen Shi Niang would often come up with some strange and weird words, Ji Zhuo had already seen it all before, she chuckled, "Actually, the general originally brought back so many aunts, apart from Chu Niang being an old love, the others were all forced by Miss."

  "How could this be?" Zhen Shi'niang exclaimed in shock.

  "Marriage to Eldest Aunt was because at the time, Miss and Old Madam had a falling out, and even physically fought with Old Madam's personal maid. The General asked you to apologize to Old Madam, but you refused, saying you were not wrong and why should you apologize? You also said that as a legitimate daughter of the Minister's household, how could you apologize to an unrefined village woman? The General's face turned black at the time, and word by word, he told you that he was indeed the son of an unrefined village woman. If you looked down on him, you could leave immediately. He immediately signed the divorce papers...

  Recalling Shen Zhongjie's furious anger at the time, Jiyu still has lingering fear in her heart. After a long while, she finally caught her breath and continued, "That night, the General slept in the study room. The next day, Old Madam sent betrothal gifts to Eldest Aunt's family, and half a month later, they brought her back home. As for marrying Second Aunt...". Like telling a story, Jiyu counted on her fingers, one by one, recounting each aunt to Zhen Shiniang."

  Zhen Shining blinked her eyes.

  Is she so timid?

  The legitimate daughter of a prominent official's family, even if she is a bit young, was born in that environment, how could she not know the most basic things about palace intrigue?

  The means of harming one's love rival have actually been used on family members!

  Even a modern peaceful woman born and raised under the red flag in new China is not as good as her, she doesn't even want the most basic cover. She will definitely be defeated if she goes out without a name, is she so arrogant because she thinks her father is a powerful Minister of Revenue who can protect her for life to call the wind and rain in the Shen family?

  Still, is there another hidden reason?

  It's not that she must defend the original owner of this body, but Zhen Shiniang couldn't help feeling that these things were a bit too unbelievable.

  Just as he was lost in thought, Autumn Chrysanthemum led Jian Wu and Jian Wen in through the door.

  "Daughter, Joy Quail Auntie, eating sugar gourd..." Jian Wu rushed to the edge of the kang in a few steps, holding up the sugar gourd in his hand and was about to climb onto the kang.

  Jianwen also rushed over.

  Zhen Shining carefully handed over the sugar gourd.

  Qiu Ju handed a towel to Jian Wu and Jian Wen to wipe their hands, while squatting down to help them take off their shoes. "...Uncle Wen and Uncle Wu refused to stay in the backyard, making a fuss and wanting to come see Aunt Jixia."

  When it came to talking about Shen Zhongjie's affairs, Zhen Shiniang had already sent Qiuju to the backyard.

  "It seems like someone has arrived......" La Jianwen got on the bed, and Zhen Shiniang heard that there seemed to be someone shouting outside, so she looked out through the window.

  "Slave, go and take a look." She carried Jian Wu onto the kang, then turned around and ran out.

  Li Qizhen's wife has arrived.

  As soon as he entered the door, he had a big smile on his face, "...... Congratulations to Ah You, it's great news!"