In the afternoon, Zhulan was afraid of snakes and didn’t go up the mountain. There were so many snakes in the ancient woods that you couldn’t be on guard. When the vegetation became lush in summer, she didn’t even go to the river. She really couldn’t muster up the courage to go up the mountain.
Li Shi and Zhao Shi followed their husbands up the mountain. There were a lot of wild vegetables on the mountain, especially bracken and other vegetables that could be dried and eaten in the winter. Zhulan signaled to pick more and save them so that at least the dishes would be more varied in winter.
Last year, she and Zhou Shuren came here in the fall and didn’t have much bracken at home. They went to the county grocery store to buy some, but unfortunately, they couldn’t buy it because if bracken wasn’t cooked right, there could be a bitter taste, and so wealthy families in the county didn’t like it. As for fresh bracken, farmers in rural areas basically pick it themselves, so grocery stores don’t sell it.
This year, Zhulan was determined to collect bracken when in season, and she also planned to collect some dried bracken from the village. She liked to eat spicy vegetables when she was in college. The bracken was delicious after being soaked in spicy sauce.
The neighbor moved out, and apart from the opportunistic Wang Xin who came to greet them, no one else came. The lively atmosphere in the morning didn’t last long, and there was no sign of any activity in the afternoon, not even a sound.
Zhulan and her two girls were picking vegetables and hanging them in the yard, talking and laughing, and the neighbors could hear clearly.
Wang Ru sat on a specially made long bench, and the more she heard the laughter from the next room, the more unpleasant her expression became. The house that she was initially satisfied with now looked tiresome. When she thought about the silver she spent on buying the house, Wang Ru felt a pang of heartache. Zheng Shi initially quoted a price of one hundred taels, and only after Wang Ru said she wouldn’t buy it did they settle on sixty taels. She even had to include the recently purchased old house from the Wang family, spent thirty taels on renovating the courtyard, and added another two taels spent during the half-month at the Qian family, leaving her with no more than ninety taels of silver.
Shi Qing sent fifty taels of silver for half a month, and combined with what she had before, she had a little over one hundred and twenty taels. After spending more than ninety taels, including buying a dog and giving some benefits to her two sisters, she was left with just over twenty taels of silver.
Wang Xin held her breath in the morning and came over in the afternoon. She suddenly remembered what she had forgotten and hurriedly came to find Wang Ru, “Third sister, the time for Mr. Shi to send money has passed.”
In the Zhou family, Zhulan happened to be standing on the shelf under the wall. Turning over the bracken, she listened clearly, counting the days in her heart, and she really lived her life. She knew in her heart that Shi Qing was annoyed with Wang Ru, and he wanted to teach Wang Ru a lesson. He knew that the only way to teach her a lesson was to withhold her money.
Wang Ru was shocked and realized that she was right. She had only twenty taels left in her hand, and she felt panicked.
Wang Xin looked at Wang Ru carefully, and her heart skipped a beat. The life she had just imagined as a young lady would not come true. “Third sister, why don’t you write a letter and ask?”
Wang Ru quickly calmed down, disdainful of Shi Qing in her heart. Since he couldn’t control her, so he wanted to teach her a lesson. She still had something in her hand. She just wanted to see who consumes more energy than the other. “It’s okay. I will send it to him in a few days.”
Wang Rong stood under the eaves and looked at her sister. Her heart sank. She thought her weak sister was the best person, but now her sister looked so much like Sun Shi. She smiled sarcastically and turned back to the house.
When Zhulan heard that there was no movement on the other side, she pulled Xuehan away.
After finishing the work in the yard, Xuemei cleaned the yard, put down the broom, and wiped her hands, “Mom, the eldest brother, and the second brother will help me get firewood. I will buy some meat and fish and come back to add food to the family in the evening.”
Zhulan thought for a moment, “Please buy two pieces of tofu by the way. It would be good to make wild vegetable tofu soup at night.”
In the modern era, she rarely had a chance to eat wild vegetables, especially those uncontaminated and purely green. It was challenging to find them in the city. Ever since wild vegetables became edible in ancient times, bidding farewell to days without greenery, Zhu Lan developed a fondness for them. She transformed the wild vegetables at home into various dishes – dumplings with shepherd’s purse, steamed buns with wild vegetables, cold dishes, stir-fries – she tried every imaginable way. Just dipping them in the dipping sauce made for a delicious meal.
Zhulan’s favorite was the wild vegetable and tofu soup, it was so fresh!
Xuemei wrote down, “Yes.”
Zhulan took her little girl back to the house. Zhulan poured herself a cup of tea, “Tell me, how do you think Shi Qing will teach Wang Ru a lesson?”
She really seized any opportunity to teach her children. Well, Zhao Shi and Li Shi were not at home today and missed a class.
Xuehan also poured herself a cup of tea, smiling with narrowed eyes. “If I were Shi Qing, the first step would be to cut off the money supply. The second step would be to leave Wang Ru penniless. The third step would be to force Wang Ru to seek help, thereby gaining more of what I want.”
Her mother never hid Wang Ru’s abnormality from her, and she was always taught by her mother. She never looked at the immediate future. She also learned to look at things in the long term and change perspectives when thinking about a problem.
Zhulan was really satisfied with her little girl, “Tell me, how will Shi Gongzi make Wang Ru have no money?”
In the afternoon, Zhulan was afraid of snakes and didn’t go up the mountain. There were so many snakes in the ancient woods that you couldn’t be on guard. When the vegetation became lush in summer, she didn’t even go to the river. She really couldn’t muster up the courage to go up the mountain.
Li Shi and Zhao Shi followed their husbands up the mountain. There were a lot of wild vegetables on the mountain, especially bracken and other vegetables that could be dried and eaten in the winter. Zhulan signaled to pick more and save them so that at least the dishes would be more varied in winter.
Last year, she and Zhou Shuren came here in the fall and didn’t have much bracken at home. They went to the county grocery store to buy some, but unfortunately, they couldn’t buy it because if bracken wasn’t cooked right, there could be a bitter taste, and so wealthy families in the county didn’t like it. As for fresh bracken, farmers in rural areas basically pick it themselves, so grocery stores don’t sell it.
This year, Zhulan was determined to collect bracken when in season, and she also planned to collect some dried bracken from the village. She liked to eat spicy vegetables when she was in college. The bracken was delicious after being soaked in spicy sauce.
The neighbor moved out, and apart from the opportunistic Wang Xin who came to greet them, no one else came. The lively atmosphere in the morning didn’t last long, and there was no sign of any activity in the afternoon, not even a sound.
Zhulan and her two girls were picking vegetables and hanging them in the yard, talking and laughing, and the neighbors could hear clearly.
Wang Ru sat on a specially made long bench, and the more she heard the laughter from the next room, the more unpleasant her expression became. The house that she was initially satisfied with now looked tiresome. When she thought about the silver she spent on buying the house, Wang Ru felt a pang of heartache. Zheng Shi initially quoted a price of one hundred taels, and only after Wang Ru said she wouldn’t buy it did they settle on sixty taels. She even had to include the recently purchased old house from the Wang family, spent thirty taels on renovating the courtyard, and added another two taels spent during the half-month at the Qian family, leaving her with no more than ninety taels of silver.
Shi Qing sent fifty taels of silver for half a month, and combined with what she had before, she had a little over one hundred and twenty taels. After spending more than ninety taels, including buying a dog and giving some benefits to her two sisters, she was left with just over twenty taels of silver.
Wang Xin held her breath in the morning and came over in the afternoon. She suddenly remembered what she had forgotten and hurriedly came to find Wang Ru, “Third sister, the time for Mr. Shi to send money has passed.”
In the Zhou family, Zhulan happened to be standing on the shelf under the wall. Turning over the bracken, she listened clearly, counting the days in her heart, and she really lived her life. She knew in her heart that Shi Qing was annoyed with Wang Ru, and he wanted to teach Wang Ru a lesson. He knew that the only way to teach her a lesson was to withhold her money.
Wang Ru was shocked and realized that she was right. She had only twenty taels left in her hand, and she felt panicked.
Wang Xin looked at Wang Ru carefully, and her heart skipped a beat. The life she had just imagined as a young lady would not come true. “Third sister, why don’t you write a letter and ask?”
Wang Ru quickly calmed down, disdainful of Shi Qing in her heart. Since he couldn’t control her, so he wanted to teach her a lesson. She still had something in her hand. She just wanted to see who consumes more energy than the other. “It’s okay. I will send it to him in a few days.”
Wang Rong stood under the eaves and looked at her sister. Her heart sank. She thought her weak sister was the best person, but now her sister looked so much like Sun Shi. She smiled sarcastically and turned back to the house.
When Zhulan heard that there was no movement on the other side, she pulled Xuehan away.
After finishing the work in the yard, Xuemei cleaned the yard, put down the broom, and wiped her hands, “Mom, the eldest brother, and the second brother will help me get firewood. I will buy some meat and fish and come back to add food to the family in the evening.”
Zhulan thought for a moment, “Please buy two pieces of tofu by the way. It would be good to make wild vegetable tofu soup at night.”
In the modern era, she rarely had a chance to eat wild vegetables, especially those uncontaminated and purely green. It was challenging to find them in the city. Ever since wild vegetables became edible in ancient times, bidding farewell to days without greenery, Zhu Lan developed a fondness for them. She transformed the wild vegetables at home into various dishes – dumplings with shepherd’s purse, steamed buns with wild vegetables, cold dishes, stir-fries – she tried every imaginable way. Just dipping them in the dipping sauce made for a delicious meal.
Zhulan’s favorite was the wild vegetable and tofu soup, it was so fresh!
Xuemei wrote down, “Yes.”
Zhulan took her little girl back to the house. Zhulan poured herself a cup of tea, “Tell me, how do you think Shi Qing will teach Wang Ru a lesson?”
She really seized any opportunity to teach her children. Well, Zhao Shi and Li Shi were not at home today and missed a class.
Xuehan also poured herself a cup of tea, smiling with narrowed eyes. “If I were Shi Qing, the first step would be to cut off the money supply. The second step would be to leave Wang Ru penniless. The third step would be to force Wang Ru to seek help, thereby gaining more of what I want.”
Her mother never hid Wang Ru’s abnormality from her, and she was always taught by her mother. She never looked at the immediate future. She also learned to look at things in the long term and change perspectives when thinking about a problem.
Zhulan was really satisfied with her little girl, “Tell me, how will Shi Gongzi make Wang Ru have no money?”
