141 Da Lang, You Are Truly Virtuous
When Madam Zhu heard this, her face went pale.
She had been doing such things for a long time.
Zhao Chuchu only had herself to blame for being the daughter of that vixen, Xia Chenglan.
Even though Xia Chenglan was already dead, each time she saw Zhao Chuchu, Madam Zhu’s jealousy consumed her like ants. She looked forward to Zhao Chuchu living as miserable as possible.
She had done precisely that.
“Did you think that I wanted to stand up for them? You’re mistaken. I was waiting for you to show up at my doorstep. Otherwise, how would I come across such a good opportunity to settle old scores?” said Zhao Chuchu as she smiled radiantly. “Don’t be afraid. It is only for half a month. I trust that you can bear with it.”
Madam Zhu stuttered, “You… you…”
“What are you trying to say about me? If you want to commit suicide, by all means, go ahead. Then, Zhao Guiqing could get married to a younger girl. They will sleep on your bed and mistreat your children. Their stepmother might even marry your daughter off to a widower. Tsk. Now, that’s karma.”
Terrified, Madam Zhu stared at Zhao Chuchu as though she was looking at a demon.
Old Madam Ma cautiously held her breath, fearing that Zhao Chuchu would also force the poison down her throat.
Zhao Chuchu sneered when she saw their panic-stricken faces. Her mocking smile perfectly conveyed her despise towards them.
She ordered. “Get lost. I won’t hold back if you dare to set foot in here again. I wonder how serious the offense of robbery is. Perhaps I don’t even need to bring the case to the county office. The village chief can decide on a punishment for you.”
Old Madam Ma and Madam Zhu did not dare refute even a single word. They endured their pain as they scampered out of Zhao Guitang’s house.
Zhao Chuchu clapped.
“All of you have witnessed how they have tried to squeeze every last bit of benefit they can get out of you. If you cannot stand up for yourselves after this, I will have helped you for naught!” said Zhao Chuchu as she turned around and looked at Madam He and her daughter sternly.
“First, it will be Meilan’s marriage. Then, it will be money. For all we know, they might force Uncle Guitang to divorce you and take a new wife. You can make some concessions for some things. However, there are some lines that they absolutely cannot cross. Otherwise, they will ask for a foot when given an inch until all of you are dead.”
Madam He lowered her head in shame and apologized. “Sorry, Chuchu. I…”
“You don’t owe me an apology. You have to ask yourself whether you owe an apology to yourself and Meilan. This is the last time I will intervene in your household’s shitty mess. If there is a next time, I will not lend you my aid,” said Zhao Chuchu with a straight face.
Zhao Guitang emerged from the kitchen and swore to Zhao Chuchu. “There will definitely not be a next time. I will not allow them to continue bullying our family of three.”
“Actions speak more than words. I know that filial piety is weighing down on you like a mountain. However, if you still wish to be filial even when cornered, then you only have yourselves to blame.”
“I understand, Chuchu. You have helped us so much. I will remember this.”
Zhao Chuchu nodded her head and then entered the kitchen.
Zhao Guitang walked up to his wife and daughter. He lowered his head and said, “Darling, I have wronged you. Do not worry. I will not be like I once was and obey my mother in everything. Let us close our doors and live our own lives. Things will definitely not be like before.”
Madam He replied, “I believe you.”
Zhao Meilan did not say anything.
She once again sensed the malice from Old Madam Ma and the others.
Just as Zhao Chuchu said, if they did not become stronger, Old Madam Ma and the others would still harass them to no end.
This interlude was soon known across Lengshui Village.
However, no one sympathized with Old Madam Ma and the others.
It was because they had gone too far.
They also knew she did not want Zhao Meijuan to marry Blockhead Hu Yiming because of his dimwittedness. However, she forced Zhao Meilan to marry him instead because of the betrothal gift.
No one would push their own granddaughter into the fire pit like that!
When they heard that Zhao Chuchu had fed Madam Zhu poison, most of them clapped and cheered.
When Madam Yang heard this, she quickly rushed home and closed her doors. She feared that Zhao Chuchu would come to settle old scores and feed her poison as well.
Zhao Chuchu did not know about this.
After the tofu was fried, Zhao Chuchu and Zhao Meilan went door to door to deliver it.
Of course, the people who wanted Zhao Chuchu beaten and killed did not get a share. It was the same regardless of whether or not they had the surname of Zhao.
This was the first time the villagers had seen tofu.
When Zhao Chuchu gave them the tofu, she told them the prices.
“White tofu costs 12 cents per block. Tofu puffs are worth three cents for two. Soft tofu is one cent per piece. If you want to eat some in the future, you can come to my house to buy some. These prices are only available in our village,” Zhao Meilan informed the villagers as she gathered her courage.
A block of white tofu weighed around half a catty. 23 to 28 tofu puffs were around one catty. Soft tofu was heavier. Zhao Chuchu had not weighed it yet, but one catty of soybeans could produce three catties of white tofu. Even after deducting their cost, Zhao Guitang’s family would surely be able to make a profit.
Aside from tofu, they also gave out tofu pudding. Overall, the villagers were quite pleased.
After giving out all of the tofu, Zhao Meilan massaged her waist and said, “That was so tiring, but it was enjoyable. Sister Chuchu, with tofu being so delicious, there will surely be buyers, right?”
Zhao Chuchu replied, “That is right. Get ready early tomorrow morning. We will make a trip to the county town.”
“Aren’t we selling it in the village?” asked Zhao Meilan. She was momentarily stunned.
Zhao Chuchu replied, “How much can we sell in the village? Let me tell you, the taverns in the county town are the truly big spenders. If we can get our products into the taverns, you won’t even need to deliver the tofu to them. They will come and collect the stock themselves.”
“Can…can we actually pull it off?”
“Tavern business requires their dishes to be new and exciting. Otherwise, if the dishes are always the same, the customers will quickly grow tired of them.”
“Then, will they want tofu?”
“We will need to send it to them to know whether they want it. Oh, right. Do you remember the recipes for the dishes Da Lang made? Honestly speaking, I am not good at cooking. To make the tavern want our tofu, we must show them how delicious it is.”
Zhao Meilan replied, “I remembered the recipes. Although it is not as good as what Brother-in-law can make, it should be edible. Worst comes to worst, we will let the tavern’s chefs cook the dishes. They will certainly be better at it. However, Sister Chuchu, what time will we be leaving tomorrow?”
“It is quite a distance to the county town. I will also come over to help out tomorrow. We will leave once we finish. We will most likely need to spend the night in town.”
Zhao Meilan made a mental note of this. She asked a few more questions before the two of them parted ways.
Zhao Chuchu returned to the Xie residence and discovered Xie Heng was soaking glutinous rice.
...
“Da Lang, what are you doing?”
“Didn’t you want to eat stuffed tofu with glutinous rice? I was trying to make some. It just so happened that we had some leftover lard.”
Others had a woman in the kitchen. Zhao Chuchu had a man in the kitchen. It was perfect.
“Da Lang, you truly are virtuous,” praised Zhao Chuchu.
Xie Heng froze as he was pouring water.
After a short while, he helplessly said, “Virtuous is not used to describe men.”
“Why not? Aren’t you being virtuous?” asked Zhao Chuchu as she raised her eyebrows.
Xie Heng swallowed his retort.
If he was virtuous, so be it.
There was no benefit to winning such an argument.
It was fine as long as she was happy.
...
After soaking the glutinous rice, Xie Heng made Zhao Chuchu head over to Old Mrs. Chen’s house to harvest some Chinese chives. He himself went back into his room to read.
Zhao Chuchu was naturally more than willing to carry out such a menial task.
While Old Mrs. Chen brought Zhao Chuchu to the vegetable garden, she took the opportunity to gossip. She asked, “Did you actually poison that gossiper, Madam Zhu? Then, Meilan and Blockhead have not been forced to marry each other, right? Aiyo, their family sure has bad luck.”
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