Chapter 41 Coming to Demand Money

In the past, he had no money, stretching every single coin as if it were two.

Now, his balance stood at over six thousand coins, allowing him to spend freely.

First, he needed to sort out the dry latrine to solve his basic bodily needs, and then address his personal hygiene; he had grown thoroughly sick of brushing his teeth with a willow twig dipped in charcoal powder.

Within the small mountain village, ninety percent of the people did not brush their teeth, especially the men. Whenever they grinned, their mouths revealed full sets of large, yellow-stained teeth.

He had only his predecessor’s formerly prosperous ancestors to thank; otherwise, he certainly would have been left with a mouth of rotting teeth.

Having marked out the location, Zhao Zheng did not idle. He dug up plenty of yellow clay, preparing to mix it with mud and mold adobe bricks.

After finishing the firewood splitting, Zheng Chunmei felt her hands and limbs grow weak with exhaustion. "Zhaodi, I've split all the firewood!"

To be honest, she truly envied the Zhao family for having so much firewood that they could heat the kang as much as they pleased.

"This is for you." Zhang Xiao'e handed over half a small bowl of charred crust rice, alongside another steaming bowl of 'chicken soup' with a layer of glistening fat floating on top.

Zheng Chunmei shuddered all over, instantly energized. "Thank you, Xiao'e."

Delighted, she took the crust rice and chicken soup, walked aside, and immediately took a bite of the crust rice.

Then, holding the bowl of chicken soup with both hands and wearing an expression of utmost reverence, she gazed at the shimmering fat on the surface—animal fat she had not tasted for months.

It was the grease her body desperately craved.

Slurp!

She took a cautious sip.

Her eyes immediately narrowed into slits.

"This is so delicious!"

Although the soup was a little light on flavor, it at least had salt, a meaty taste, and rich oil.

In times like these, how many families could afford to eat meat, let alone drink meat broth?

"The third girl is in for a treat today. With this bowl of soup, she'll definitely be full today!" Zheng Chunmei thought happily, inwardly thanking her lucky stars that she had apologized earlier. Otherwise, how could a delicacy like meat soup ever fall to her to enjoy?

"Hmph, it's just a bowl of soup, ninety percent water at that. Look how happy it made her," Zhang Xiao'e muttered, curling her lip.

Yang Zhaodi tapped her on the head. "You, oh you. Can't you think? If not for father-in-law, would we be able to eat meat or drink soup?"

"I just don't like her. Even if she apologized, I still don't like her," Zhang Xiao'e said, pouting.

"Dislike is dislike, but from now on, whatever father-in-law does, you follow suit. Our father-in-law is very clever," Yang Zhaodi remarked.

Once Zheng Chunmei finished the crust rice and chicken soup, a long-absent sense of fullness settled in her stomach. She felt completely revitalized and brimming with energy. Rushing over to Zhao Zheng, she declared, "Uncle, I'll help you mold the adobe bricks!"

She didn't even notice how fawning her tone had become.

Working until nearly noon, Zheng Chunmei felt her clothes dampening with sweat. Only then did she say with a blushing face, "Uncle, I'll go back to feed the third girl first. Once I'm done, I'll come back to help you."

She had never expected the chicken soup to be so nourishing; in such a short while, her clothes were already soaked through.

Zhao Zheng didn't keep her. Wiping away his sweat, he prepared to have his meal.

......

Meanwhile, Zhao Erbao ran home in a frantic panic. "Grandma! The village doctor says my dad is crippled. Even if we go to the county town to find a famous physician, it's no use. For the rest of his life, my dad can only spend his days lying in bed."

"What did you say?" The old lady abruptly stood up, feeling the world spin around her. Had Zhao Erbao not supported her, she surely would have collapsed onto the ground.

After a long while, she regained her composure and wept, "My poor son, how can you be so wretched..."

Her mind was in complete chaos. She had always regarded her eldest son as her pride, placing all her hopes for her old age upon him.

Now that he was immobilized, let alone providing for her in her old age, he couldn't even take care of himself.

As for Zhao Yi, his hand was broken too, and his family was not having an easy time either. His wife was no pleasant character; she was a sheer shrew.

"How is your stepmother holding up?" the old lady asked.

"She, she said if he can't be cured, we should just stop treating him to save some money!" Zhao Erbao said with a bitter smile.

"That foolish woman," the old lady fumed with rage. "By the way, who is holding your father's silver?"

"My eldest brother has it."

"That's a relief." The old lady let out a breath, then said, "Since he can't be cured, bring your father back."

"But Grandma, the money spent on treating my dad this time has mostly been used up. I came back this time to, to ask for silver. If we don't give them money, they won't let us leave!" Zhao Erbao said with a distressed face.

"Doesn't your father have more than ten taels on him? How could it be gone?" The old lady knew very well how much money her eldest son possessed.

"Grandma, you know very well that my dad spent several taels marrying his stepmother. Besides, my dad loves to drink and gamble; how could he save any money? The money my brother has is simply not enough."

With reddened eyes, Zhao Erbao pleaded, "I had no choice but to come back for money. Grandma, you can't just stand by and watch him die!"

"Go, go, go! That's my son, how could I not save him?"

The old lady still had a few taels of silver set aside for emergencies, but she certainly couldn't give that money away. Once given, she would have no further source of income.

After pondering for a moment, she said, "Go call your fourth aunt and come with me to the third family's house to demand money. His brother is injured, so he has to shell out!"

"Alright!"

Zhao Erbao nodded and hurried off to fetch his fourth aunt.

Soon, Qian Xiulan, the wife of Zhao Yi, arrived with her son Sanbao. "Mother, let's go to the third family's place."

The group marched aggressively toward Zhao Zheng's house.

Zhao Zheng had just finished eating and was lying on the bed to digest his food when he heard a commotion in the courtyard. "Third brother, come out right away!"

Zhao Zheng got up and took a look, frowning as well. "Why are you all here?"

Yang Zhaodi and Zhang Xiao'e also grew nervous, hurriedly offering greetings, "Grandmother, Fourth Aunt!"

However, the two older women merely glanced at them sideways and ignored them completely.

"What? Can't this old woman come?" the old lady said.

"Of course you can, absolutely. It would be even better if you could stay here with me," Zhao Zheng chuckled, though he had no intention of letting them in and promptly shut the door.

"Then what do you mean by closing the door?" The old lady's expression turned ugly.

"Oh, I've got a fire burning inside; if the door stays open, all the heat escapes." Zhao Zheng laughed it off, then asked, "Mother, what brings you and sister-in-law over?"

"Your two brothers are injured like this, and you aren't going to cough up a single cent?" the old lady raged. "Do you have any shame?"

Qian Xiulan chimed in, "Third brother, when Liu Tieniu was crippled by Wang Dazhi, you were willing to fork over money. Now that your own flesh and blood brothers are injured and you turn a blind eye, you're far too cold-hearted."

Zhao Erbao added, "Third uncle, do you know what outsiders call you? They all call you 'Stingy Zhao'."

Zhao Zheng replied calmly, "What other people call me is none of my business; I won't lose a piece of flesh. You know my family's situation as well as anyone. The consolation money is gone, and the consolation grain is gone too. If Zhaodi hadn't gone to borrow grain from her maiden family, the three of us—father-in-law and daughters-in-law—would have starved to death long ago.

"The fifteen coins I gave to the Liu family were my very last copper coins. Even if you sold me off, it would be useless. You call me cold-hearted, but why don't you think about who swindled my money away in the first place?

"Mother, it's not that I'm unwilling to give money, nor is it that I disregard fraternal bonds. But it's not like I can go out and steal or rob, is it?"