Chapter 15 TGBW

FlamingoBees

Translating Chinese Historical Dramas for your enjoyment... and mine! :)

Chapter 15:

Ideal ・A Simple and Beautiful Little Idea

Earning sixty wen in a day was something they had never dared to imagine before. As they looked at the money in the purse and heard the number reported by their daughter-in-law, both of their hands were trembling. They couldn't help but think back to the days when they used to worry about just a few coins, their eyes now reddened with emotion.

"Is it really this much? Are you sure you haven't miscounted?" Madam Zhao rubbed her hands, feeling as if she were in a dream and couldn't believe it.

Old Master Chu shared the same sentiments.

He had many questions and was equally shocked.

Seeing the eagerness in Madam Zhao and Old Master Chu's eyes, Lou Jian Jia nodded heavily and affirmed, "Yes, indeed, it's this much, no mistake."

In the next moment, Lou Jian Jia saw tears streaming down Madam Zhao's face, and then she quickly wiped them away with her sleeve.

At that moment, Lou Jian Jia also understood Madam Zhao's emotions.

Initially calm and composed, she now felt her heart warming up.

She held Madam Zhao's hand and said, "Mother, there will be even more in the future."

Today, they sold three catties, and it went smoothly. Tomorrow, they could sell five catties. As more people gathered at the dock, they could sell ten catties, twenty catties...

© translations belonging to flamingobeestranslations.blogspot.com. If you read this somewhere else instead of flamingobeestranslations.blogspot.com then the translations has been posted WITHOUT permission of translator.

Madam Zhao had already stopped crying, but upon hearing these words, tears welled up in her eyes once again.

"Okay, okay," she managed to say.

Though Old Master Chu didn't shed tears, his excitement was evident from his trembling hands.

"I'll go to town later and buy some meat to eat," Old Master Chu said.

"Good, get more," Madam Zhao said generously.

Upon hearing about meat, Lou Jian Jia's eyes immediately lit up, countless delicious dishes floating through her mind.

Wasn't the purpose of making money for these moments?

It had been a long time since she had a proper meat dish. Just hearing the word "meat" made Lou Jian Jia's appetite awaken.

At noon, after a simple meal, everyone went to rest.

In the afternoon, Old Master Chu went to town.

Lou Jian Jia went to tidy up the vegetable garden and arranged the wildflowers in the corner of the wall.

Madam Zhao went to the neighbor's house to deliver some cucumbers. This year, they had a surplus of cucumbers at home, and since they didn't fetch much money and would go bad quickly if not eaten soon, Madam Zhao often sent some over. The neighbor, Madam Wang's family, had fewer cucumbers this year, and since Madam Wang usually took good care of Old Master Chu and Madam Zhao, Madam Zhao would frequently send some over.

Madam Wang loved gossip and knew all the ins and outs of the village. She also enjoyed chatting.

When she saw Madam Zhao coming over, she couldn't resist striking up a conversation.

Madam Wang first talked about the affairs of the Li family and the Sun family.

"Most likely, it was Madam Li who stirred up trouble in the Sun family. A few days ago, some villagers saw her meeting with the daughter-in-law of the Sun family. It was almost dark at that time, and they were sneaking around in the back hills. They thought they were being discreet, but they didn't expect to be seen by Sanxi's parents coming down from the mountain," Madam Wang said in a hushed voice.

Madam Zhao was in a good mood today.

She had already suspected that it was Madam Li who had done it, so she wasn't too surprised or angry.

Nevertheless, although she thought this way, Madam Zhao still appreciated Madam Wang for informing her: "Thank you for reminding me."

"You're welcome, sister-in-law. We're all neighbors here, and with Brother Leng not at home, it's only right," Madam Wang replied.

"Big sister, you don't need to worry about these matters anymore. No matter what she says, she's still the village head's daughter-in-law. If we offend her because of something, I'm afraid the village head might hold a grudge against our family. When something happens, they won't think of us anymore," Madam Zhao said.

'Besides, their family is now making money not only from the set meals but also from the more profitable egg fried rice.' Madam Zhao thought to herself.

"I'm not afraid of her. She's the one who did something wrong and she knows it," Madam Wang said with a hint of annoyance.

However, she also knew that what Madam Zhao said was true, and her husband had also reminded her a few times.

But every time she thought about the previous hardships faced by Old Master Chu and Madam Zhao, she couldn't help but sympathize with them and lend them her support.

"I know you mean well. But as my daughter-in-law said, falsehoods can never become truth. Besides, now my daughter-in-law has figured out a way, and business is booming. They can't take that away," Madam Zhao said with a smile.

She couldn't hide her pride when mentioning Lou Jian Jia.

Madam Wang, upon hearing Lou Jian Jia's name, immediately changed the subject.

Because she thought of another fresh and juicy gossip.

"Your daughter-in-law indeed seems different from before," Madam Wang remarked.

Thinking of the changes in Lou Jian Jia over the past month, Madam Zhao nodded and said, "Indeed, she has come up with quite a few ways to make money."

Madam Wang wasn't interested in these money-making matters; she was only interested in the gossip about everyone in the village. So, she automatically ignored Madam Zhao's words and instead asked, "Did your daughter-in-law tell you anything?"

"What?" Madam Zhao was slightly surprised.

"About her visit to her parents' home."

"Oh, yes, she did. She said the first time she went, nobody was home, and later her in-laws sent a letter saying there was no need to come."

Upon hearing this, Madam Wang immediately exclaimed, "She's lying to you!"

Madam Zhao looked puzzled.

Her daughter-in-law lying to her?

Seeing Madam Zhao's confusion, Madam Wang excitedly told her what she had heard.

"...Your daughter-in-law had a big argument with her father at her parents' home."

Madam Zhao was deeply shocked by this news.

"She... she had an argument with her in-laws?"

Madam Zhao furrowed her brow.

She couldn't believe it.

Her daughter-in-law had always had a great relationship with her in-laws and was very dependent on her parents' home.

How could they suddenly argue...

Madam Wang, however, seemed quite pleased.

~ Part 2 ~

Previously, Lou Jian Jia had always favored her natal family, bringing all the good things to them while showing indifference to her in-laws.

Moreover, Madam Wang had heard that the Lou family was preparing to find a match for Lou Jian Jia, which made her even more displeased with her.

Now, hearing that Lou Jian Jia had argued with her natal family and seemed to be siding with her in-laws, Madam Zhao felt happy for herself.

"Sister-in-law, don't get it wrong. This is a good thing," Madam Wang said.

Madam Zhao pursed her lips, her expression somewhat bitter. "How can this be considered a good thing?"

She couldn't help but wonder what conflict had arisen between her daughter-in-law and her natal family.

Was her daughter-in-law feeling unhappy?

Lately, she had been so focused on making money that she had overlooked this aspect.

"Why wouldn't it be a good thing? Don't you remember the rumors going around before? They said her natal father was preparing to find her a new match. Now that she's had a falling out with her natal family, it means they haven't settled things. She also knows she's helping her in-laws make money, so it seems she's given up on leaving," Madam Wang explained.

"She doesn't mean that..." Madam Zhao reiterated.

She had never thought there was anything wrong with her daughter-in-law.

She didn't think so before, and she didn't think so now.

However, if she were to compare, she naturally preferred her daughter-in-law's current demeanor. In the past, her daughter-in-law seemed more spoiled and seldom spoke to her. But now, although she still didn't talk much, she often helped her around the house and even made money.

As for finding a new match, it was unclear who spread such rumors to tarnish her daughter-in-law's reputation.

Seeing Madam Zhao like this, Madam Wang said, "Ah, sister-in-law, you're too kind-hearted."

Madam Zhao nervously explained, "She really didn't, she's a good girl..."

"Alright, I understand. Let's just say I misspoke," Madam Wang no longer argued with Madam Zhao.

Because she knew Madam Zhao's temperament well, further argument might make her angry.

Overall, seeing Lou Jian Jia look different now compared to before gave people much relief.

"Mm."

"You know, I heard from someone that during the argument, the neighbors happened to be around. They said the reason for the argument seemed to be because your family is doing business at the dock, and her family wanted to inquire about the details, but your daughter-in-law didn't say anything."

Women always tend to be closer to their natal families, and as a woman herself, Madam Zhao naturally understood this.

In the past, her daughter-in-law was also close to her natal family, often visiting them.

But now, her daughter-in-law's heart seemed to be gradually leaning towards their family...

Initially, Madam Zhao hadn't thought about it this way, but after hearing Madam Wang's words, she began to consider it.

Indeed, she hadn't misjudged her daughter-in-law's character.

When she came out from the neighboring house, Old Master Chu had just returned from the town.

After handing over the meat and vegetables to Lou Jian Jia to handle, Madam Zhao and Old Master Chu went to the inner room to talk.

Madam Zhao recounted everything she had heard from Madam Wang next door in detail.

Old Master Chu shared the same sentiment as Madam Zhao. Upon hearing her words, he said, "Our daughter-in-law is indeed a good person. We shouldn't believe what others say about her."

Madam Zhao nodded in agreement. "Exactly."

After a moment of silence, she asked, "Do you think I should ask our daughter-in-law what happened between her and her parents?"

Old Master Chu pondered for a while before responding, "Let's just leave it be."

In the past, he might have wanted his wife to inquire, but now he had changed his mind. Over the past month, their daughter-in-law had undergone significant changes. Their family had unknowingly begun to rely on her.

Such a capable person surely knew how to handle things properly. If they were to pry too much, it might not be good.

"She'll tell us when she wants to," Old Master Chu added, still feeling somewhat uneasy. "But you should also take care of her more in your daily interactions."

Madam Zhao replied, "Yes, I understand."

Meanwhile, Lou Jian Jia was unaware of what was happening on this side. As she looked at the meat in her hands, a faint smile appeared on her lips.

It had been a long time since she had eaten meat.

Normally, all she could taste was the flavor from the bones, but now she had real meat in her hands.

As she looked at the small piece of meat, Lou Jian Jia already had a plan in mind.

She first went to the vegetable garden to pick some eggplants and prepared a few potatoes.

Just as she was about to start, Madam Zhao came over.

Seeing Lou Jian Jia busy, Madam Zhao first observed her expression. Seeing that there was nothing unusual, she took the vegetables from her hands with a smile and asked, "Let me do it. What are you planning to cook today?"

Lou Jian Jia smiled and replied, "I'm going to make minced meat with eggplant and stewed potatoes with meat."

Madam Zhao was familiar with stewed potatoes with meat, but what about minced meat with eggplant?

Although she didn't know, Madam Zhao didn't ask further and quietly helped with the ingredients.

Lou Jian Jia divided the meat into two portions.

One portion was minced quickly with her strong hands.

The other portion was cut into chunks.

After Madam Zhao peeled the eggplants and potatoes, Lou Jian Jia took the eggplants and cut them into long strips.

Once cut, she placed them in a plate and steamed them.

While the eggplants were steaming, Lou Jian Jia started preparing the sauce, chopping scallions, ginger, garlic, and chili.

With the minced meat ready, Lou Jian Jia heated another pan, added oil, and fried the minced meat along with the chopped scallions, ginger, garlic, and chili.

By the time the eggplants were steamed, she added them to the pan with the minced meat and poured in the sauce.

Soon enough, a fragrant dish of minced meat with eggplant was ready.

Madam Zhao couldn't help but praise, "Jian Jia, your culinary skills are truly remarkable. If you were to sell these dishes, they would surely be in high demand."

Indeed, Lou Jian Jia had the same thought.

Unfortunately, she had no outlet for her skills.

Dishes like these could only be afforded by people in the town at least. The villagers couldn't afford them.

The cost of this dish alone was five copper coins, which the laborers at the docks couldn't spare.

If only she could open a small restaurant in the county town one day...

Lou Jian Jia started to dream about the future involuntarily.

Unfortunately, she only had two hundred copper coins on hand. She couldn't even afford to rent a place, let alone buy a storefront.

But at least they were no longer worrying about food and drink.

It had been nearly a year since the appearance of the male and female protagonists. She still had time to figure out ways to make money.

No need to think too far ahead. Take it step by step.

"It's just too expensive," Madam Zhao sighed. "Even if we sell it at a high price, no one can afford it."

Lou Jian Jia, focusing back on her tasks, replied while scrubbing the pot, "Once we save up more money in the future, we can go to the town, to the county town, and then we can sell it."

Hearing her daughter-in-law's plan, Madam Zhao's eyes lit up.

"To... to... to the county town?" Madam Zhao stuttered, then immediately negated herself, "No, it's impossible. The county town is not a place we can go to. We can only live in this small place."

Lou Jian Jia thought, Chu Wei Leng is the male protagonist in the book.

In the future, he would become a general in the Great Li Dynasty, let alone the county town, Madam Zhao could even go to the prefecture city or the capital.

Moreover, there would be endless wealth and glory in the latter part of their lives.

It was completely different from someone like her, who was about to be abandoned and had no means of subsistence.

She thought to herself, in the future, she would open a small restaurant in the county town.

Save some money, then find a beautiful and peaceful place, marry a reliable and honest man, and have two children.

Living a peaceful life for the rest of her life, with enough to eat and drink, would be enough.

•••

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Chapter 15 TGBW

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