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墨書 Inktalez
The middle-aged man wrote with ease; although he was not a master of calligraphy, his characters were still quite neat.
Beside him, a woman dressed in dark red silk had her hair pinned up with a silver hairpin. Her lightly made-up face looked considerably younger.
"Dear, are you done writing? If you're finished, you should rest early!" The woman was none other than Liu, the wife of Zhang Wuliang.
Since Zhang Wuliang was the shopkeeper, she acted as the manager among the women. Over the past two years, she had not done much work and was only responsible for assigning tasks and arranging personnel. Therefore, she had started to take more care in her appearance compared to when she used to wear coarse cloth.
Compared to other women of her age in the village, she looked much younger.
"Alright, let's go." The two walked side by side toward the bed.
The bed, covered with thick and soft bedding, was extremely comfortable to sleep on. They lay side by side on the bed.
Zhang Wuliang's gaze became distant: "It's truly hard to imagine!" He let out a heavy sigh.
"Yes, while we may not be living a lavish lifestyle now, it's not much different from the master's days," Liu said, touching her well-maintained skin and feeling pleased.
If it weren't for Liu Qingxi, she would still be facing the dirt every day and might have become quite haggard by now.
Zhang Wuliang reminisced about the completed letter and felt a wave of relaxation wash over him.
Once he relaxed completely, his mind began to wander.
While negotiating business outside, he had encountered all sorts of situations where competitors tried to drive prices down. Yet he knew that he was just an ordinary man who had come from farming, earning every penny through hard work.
Principles told him not to do anything that would betray his wife and children.
Now, lying beside him was his wife—the woman with whom he had shared joys and sorrows for most of his life.
Liu had always been attractive; after some grooming, she looked even more spirited and beautiful. Plus, tonight she had intentionally worn a more revealing nightgown, causing Zhang Wuliang to suddenly turn over.
Next door at Liu Qingxi's house,
The fourth and fifth branches of the Liu family gathered together; Liu Qingxi's letter was currently in their hands.
As for why they learned about this so late, it was entirely because there were few people at home. Liu Qinglian and Liu Qingju went to the county town and Biqi Town to carefully examine Liu Qingxi's works, leaving no detail overlooked. This was the best time for them to learn.
And Zhao and Zhang? After the bakery in town cooled down, business became increasingly booming, keeping them extremely busy. They had just returned when they were immediately caught up in a flurry of activity.
This led to the current situation.
Liu Laosi usually acted as the leader of both families and nodded, saying, "This way, we won't have to worry every day about whether the two children can eat enough or stay safe outside."
"Yes, it's a relief," Zhao suddenly felt a sharp pain in his heart. This feeling usually passed quickly, but today it seemed to linger longer than usual.
After a moment, feeling nothing more, they finally wrote a reply to Liu Qingxi.
Life in the Liu Family's Fourth and Fifth Branches was now quite notable in the village; however, the people from the First Branch and Second House could never change their lazy nature.
Liu Eldest and Wang were kicked out, initially thinking that time would lead them to reform. Who would have thought that both would become even lazier? As a result, the Qin Family had to bear the burden of providing enough food for their survival.
As for not being full? They could just endure the hunger.
The Qin Family was also speechless about their pampered eldest son and daughter-in-law, only ensuring that they wouldn't starve to death.
In just two years, the couple rapidly lost weight, living outside the village in a state of limbo, waiting for death. Zhang Wuliang had already given up on treating them.
Meanwhile, in the Second House, those who weren't kicked out lived in a house built with money earned from Liu Qingzhi's previous work.
Life gradually became unmanageable, and the Qin Family inevitably sought out their fourth and fifth sons.
At first, Liu Laosi didn't mind much; however, this old woman became increasingly unreasonable until they could no longer be soft-hearted.
They would only send the agreed-upon money to support the elderly and nothing more.
The family was known for being tough and unyielding, gradually ceasing to come around when they found no benefits.
However, today was somewhat different. Liu Laosi's family was just about to leave Liu Laowu's house when the Qin Family approached them.
The elder, worn down by years of hardship, had a hunched back and appeared increasingly frail and thin. Her hair was nearly all white, and the wrinkles on her face resembled the bark of an old tree.
Seeing her in this state filled everyone present with a deep sense of sorrow.
"Mother, why are you here?" After all, she was their mother, and as sons, they could not refuse her.
"Fourth Brother, Fifth Son, I really have no other choice. Can you help me manage your elder brother and Sister-in-law? This situation cannot continue," she finally realized her mistakes.
Repeated indulgence had led to severe consequences, fostering Liu Eldest and Wang's lazy and untidy nature.
It turned out that Liu Eldest and Wang had secretly plotted to target Liu Qingzhi again, realizing that living like this day after day was not sustainable.
Although this daughter had endured inhumane suffering and returned looking like a bag of bones, after two years of recuperation, she had almost recovered. While not exceptionally beautiful, she was still considered quite good-looking in the village.
Today, Liu Qingzhi had run over in tears seeking help because those two had secretly snuck into a cave, intending to sell her again to a fierce hunter from the neighboring village known for his bad temper.
This man had already killed two wives, and no one nearby dared to marry him.
However, the bride price he offered was substantial, which piqued Wang's interest.
"Fourth Brother, Fifth Son, your father and I are getting old; we really can't control them anymore. Can you think of something?" The actions of those two were truly outrageous.
"Mother, have you eaten? Please have something first. Don't worry; we'll come up with a plan. Let's keep Branch Girl from running around for now. If it doesn't work out, she can stay with us," Liu Laosi said as he ushered the Qin Family inside and arranged for her to sit at the dining table.
On the other side, Zhao had already taken the initiative to heat up the leftover food and prepared two fresh eggs.
"Mother, don't worry, let's think of a solution after we finish eating," Zhao and Zhang comforted from the side.
Fortunately, although the Qin Family was anxious, they were not confused. With the reassurance from her two sons, Ah Hong calmed down considerably.
The next day, Zhao and Zhang went into town as usual, while Liu Laosi went to work with Liu Laowu.
However, they couldn't stop thinking about the situation with the Qin Family.
In the bakery, Zhao was absent-mindedly kneading the dough for the day's use, his eyes unfocused as he stared ahead.
Even the assistant nearby noticed something was off.
Meanwhile, Zhang skillfully managed the proportions of various fillings, quickly placing each dough ball into the molds, gently pressing them down and slowly removing them from their shells.
As time passed, a unique aroma of vegetable oil began to waft from the kitchen, traveling through the door and down the hallway into the dining area.
Zhao started working on another bowl of dough when suddenly, a scent wafted past his nose. The usually sweet aroma made him feel nauseous today: "Ugh."
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