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Xiao Lihua held fifty taels of Silver, feeling that Xiao Ziyi was quite meticulous in her dealings. Xiao Ziyi had already promised to resolve the matter with Liu Butler, which was already a reward for the shoes. Even without this fifty taels of Silver, she wouldn't have been in the wrong, but Xiao Ziyi took the initiative to give her the money.
Suddenly, Xiao Lihua thought about wanting to find someone to sell the recipe for Pickled Egg and Tea Egg. She originally intended to prepare them and directly promote them at a restaurant, but now seeing that Xiao Ziyi was sharp yet not cunning, she thought selling it to Xiao Ziyi might be feasible; at least she was generous.
Xiao Ziyi seemed somewhat interested. She thought that since Xiao Lihua could come up with such shoes, her mind must be quite agile, and those eggs might indeed be special.
"Bring them here when they're ready. I'll take a look. If they're good, I won't shortchange you."
"Thank you, Miss Xiao."
Xiao Lihua smiled and felt very pleased. This trip was truly worthwhile; not only had she resolved the issue with Liu Butler, but she also received Silver and found a market for Tea Egg and Pickled Egg—three benefits in one go.
When Xie Youshun saw Xiao Lihua, he noticed her beaming smile and the nice bundle of fabric she was carrying. He thought things had gone smoothly. After leaving the village and walking along the road, he listened to Xiao Lihua recount what had happened and felt happy as well. Their family still owed money, and this fifty taels could help pay off their debts.
Carrying fifty taels of money, they quickened their pace home. By the time they returned to the village, it was already past lunchtime. They went to Wang Dashan's house to pick up the children but learned that they had gone out to play. Without stopping, they headed straight home. Once inside, they closed the door and took the bundle out of the backpack. Inside was a box with two layers filled with gold ingots—three ten-tael ingots, two five-tael ingots, and ten one-tael small ingots—all looking very appealing. The two of them picked them up, examining them closely with smiles on their faces.
"Wife, Mother-in-law is sick. Previously we didn't have much money at home and couldn't show her much filial piety. Now you should take some money over; this time we got this Silver mainly because of your family's matters," Xie Youshun said.
Xiao Lihua thought Xie Youshun was being sincere; she actually wanted to give some Silver to her family as well but hadn't gotten around to it yet. She was worried he might be displeased, but he brought it up first. Xiao Lihua felt happy and decided to send ten taels of Silver to her family as compensation for all the trouble caused by the original owner over the years.
"Since I’m giving some to my family, I should also give something to Father-in-law and Mother-in-law. However, I'm worried that if I do so, it might make them envious. At that point, we wouldn't have peace; they might think we have a hundred taels just because we have fifty," Xiao Lihua said, not wanting to give any money to her old home.
Xie Youshun replied, "You're right; it's better not to mention it to them."
Xiao Lihua felt relieved hearing Xie Youshun say this. She dreaded encountering men in novels who were overly filial towards parents who treated them poorly while being indifferent towards their siblings. Previously, knowing he saved some private funds eased her worries somewhat; now she felt completely at ease.
After securing the money, Xiao Lihua started cooking while Xie Youshun helped wash vegetables. Before they even started lighting the fire, they saw Shitou running back with Muzi. It was a bit hot outside, and both boys were sweating from running. Xiao Lihua quickly took out a handkerchief to wipe their faces and noticed their complexions had improved significantly over these days; she felt very gratified and thought about nurturing them further until they became chubby little dumplings.
"Mom, Aunt is back," Shitou said obediently while Xiao Lihua wiped his face but only spoke when she started wiping Muzi's face.
“Aunt cried, I heard Grandma scolding someone, Aunt Zhu said Aunt is going to be divorced.”
“Don’t listen to what she says; six or seven out of ten things she says are false.” Xiao Lihua knew that the Aunt Zhu in Shitou's mouth was Sister Zhu, that woman was just a gossip, always exaggerating and spreading rumors. However, she thought that since that woman could say such things, it was likely that something had indeed happened to Aunt.
Xiao Lihua really didn’t like this Aunt Auspicious; this woman always came to her family to take advantage. They had quarreled before. She thought it wouldn’t be surprising if such a woman were divorced. She asked Shitou again but didn’t find out anything. Xie Youshun also heard about it and wanted to go to the old house to take a look. At this time, people cared a lot about their reputation; having a divorced woman in the family would not reflect well. So when such things happened, the woman's family would usually step in to help.
After thinking for a moment, Xiao Lihua decided to go see for herself.
When she arrived at the old house and saw Aunt Auspicious, she noticed her red eyes from crying, holding a handkerchief to wipe her tears, while the whole family was in the Hall. There were also two men and one woman standing there; the woman was Aunt Auspicious’s mother-in-law Zhang, and the men were brothers, with the elder being Aunt Auspicious’s husband Bai Da Bao and the younger brother Bai Erbao. All three had stern expressions.
As soon as Aunt Auspicious saw them enter, she cried even louder, asking Xie Youshun to help her vent her anger and make decisions for her.
Xiao Lihua thought it was still unclear what was going on; what decisions could be made? She didn’t pity Aunt Auspicious but knew that the Bai family was not easy to get along with. Aunt Auspicious had married into a good family but often helped her in-laws take things from her own family. Now seeing them at odds, she was really curious about what had happened.
Xie Youshun asked Second Brother Xie Youtai about the situation briefly; he frowned, looking angry at the circumstances. After hearing this, Xie Youshun also frowned; this time he really couldn’t say anything good for his sister; she had caused too much trouble.
It turned out that Aunt Auspicious did not get along well with her in-laws and Bai Erbao’s wife. Over the years, she hadn’t given birth to a son but only had three daughters. Bai Erbao’s wife was now pregnant, with a noticeably pointed belly; everyone who saw it said it would be a son. Bai Erbao’s wife also craved sour food, making their in-laws extremely happy and treating her like a goddess, allowing her to do no work at all. This made Aunt Auspicious unhappy; she was worried that if her sister-in-law gave birth to a son, she would lose her status. So she resorted to underhanded tactics that caused her sister-in-law to have a miscarriage.
The Bai family had been hoping for male heirs for years and were now in high spirits when they were suddenly doused with cold water. In anger, Zhang decided to divorce Aunt Auspicious, and Bai Da Bao was also furious, so they didn’t stop it and together with Bai Erbao forced Aunt Auspicious back to her in-laws, threatening to write up divorce papers. Of course, Aunt Auspicious did not want to be divorced; it would be difficult for a divorced woman to remarry well. So she caused a scene at home, asking her parents to speak on her behalf and refusing to agree to the divorce.
Xiao Lihua thought that this time Aunt Auspicious deserved it; in her previous life, she had suffered a miscarriage due to someone else's malice and hated such harmful people deeply. So she really wanted to pull Xie Youshun back home and not get involved in this mess.
Xie Shengcai felt embarrassed because of his daughter’s actions and kept his head down without speaking. The Wang Clan was talking with Zhang, discussing how Aunt Auspicious had contributed nothing but hardship over the years since marrying into their family and should not be divorced because of this. They mentioned the three granddaughters and said that having those three girls made it difficult for Bai Da Bao to find another match. They stated that as long as Aunt Auspicious wasn’t divorced, they would agree to any demands.
“Any demands? Well then, my grandson is gone; that's something money can’t bring back. But now we can only solve this with money. For one male heir, thirty taels of silver; as long as you give us this silver, Aunt Auspicious can go back with you. Otherwise, you can take her back without expecting any dowry!”
Zhang said while glaring at Aunt Auspicious. She felt heartbroken over losing her grandson and wished she could divorce Aunt Auspicious right away. However, as Wang Clan mentioned, if they divorced her, it would make it difficult for their eldest son to find another match. Therefore, bringing Aunt Auspicious back wasn’t just about divorcing her but also about getting money.
"Thirty taels? For a fetus that hasn't even been born yet, and we don't know if it's a boy or a girl, how can it be worth thirty taels?" The Li Family screamed from the side. She knew this silver had to come from the public funds, and she was unwilling. The money in the public account was theirs, and with Ruyi about to get married, they would soon be splitting up. If they really gave it to the Bai Family, would they end up like Fourth Son and leave with nothing? That couldn't happen!
"We farmers might save a few taels of silver after working for a year, but you come asking for thirty taels right off the bat. Are you trying to empty our family’s pockets? Do you think we are ignorant? A boy of ten or so can't even sell for thirty taels! Your unborn child, regardless of gender, isn't worth that much!"
"But that is our Bai Family's long-awaited grandson! Everyone says it's a boy! I say it's worth thirty taels, so it's worth thirty taels! If you don't give it, then keep Auspicious." Zhang said with a glare.
Bai Erbao said, "I am sure it's a son. My son is gone, and my wife is hurt; I don't know when she can conceive again. She might not be able to have any more children at all. Thirty taels is too little! Brother, say something!"
Bai Da Bao said, "I didn't divorce her even after she gave birth to three daughters. I was hoping my second brother's family could have a son to carry on the Bai Family line, but she caused him harm instead. I wouldn't feel sorry for such a woman if I divorced her. Asking for thirty taels of silver is just to give my second brother's family some closure and to cover his wife's medical expenses. It's also for the three girls to have their mother. If I don't get three hundred taels, I won't want her anymore; she's heartless!"
"Big Brother! You can't divorce me! If you do, I'll hang myself at the Bai Family's door!" Auspicious cried out and then turned to Wang Clan pleadingly: "Mother, please help me! Give them the thirty taels! I can't face going back home after being divorced; just give me this silver! I know there must be this money in the house."
"What money does the family have?" Aunt said. "I think it would be better for you to go back home. You can find another family later; it's hard to find a three-legged frog in this world, but there are plenty of two-legged men."
Li Family said this while thinking that this Aunt was still young; even if her reputation wasn't good, she could still find someone to marry her. In the end, she might even get another bride price, which would be more worthwhile than giving away thirty taels of silver.
Auspicious rushed over and hit Li Family, cursing her as a heartless mother-in-law. She shouted at Xie Youhe to divorce Li Family. Li Family wouldn't take the beating quietly either; they got into a scuffle. However, they were pulled apart after just a few tugs; neither was hurt except for their disheveled hair, which was quite embarrassing. Fang Family scolded them both a bit but secretly wished they could hit Auspicious too.
After watching the commotion, Zhang turned to Wang Clan and said: "In-laws, you decide whether we take out the silver or keep Auspicious here. I think this matter needs your decision."
Everyone from Xie Family nervously looked at Wang Clan, wanting to know what she would decide. However, whether it was paying out silver or having Auspicious sent back home, neither outcome was something they were willing to accept.
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