Yun shi was led to Lin Ruixue's room by Old Madam Lin, and Yu shi also followed.
Qi Zhenzhen, on the other hand, pulled Song Mingyue back to her own room. As soon as they entered, Qi Zhenzhen stretched lazily, climbed onto the heated brick bed, and leaned comfortably against a specially made large bolster. "After all this work, my arms can barely lift."
Song Mingyue also climbed onto the bed, acting obsequiously as she massaged Qi Zhenzhen's shoulders.
The pressure was just right. Qi Zhenzhen closed her eyes comfortably. "I've cooked a lot of good food for you before, and you've never been this attentive. Tell me, what are you plotting?"
Song Mingyue chuckled. "It's nothing really. While we were eating, I was thinking about how delicious the fish head tofu soup was and how simple it is to make. See, could I focus on this? Also, you said to eat what replenishes what. Cousin studies a lot and uses his brain, so wouldn't drinking more fish head soup be good? My cooking skills are really not good, but if I had one thing I could do well, my aunt wouldn't be able to hold onto me so tightly, right?"
Was Ge family cousin really that attractive? She had analyzed it quite a bit. Given Song Mingyue's personality, she shouldn't be so infatuated. But at this moment, she was clearly pondering how to deal with her aunt.
"Fish head soup is simple, but fathead fish is rare and not something you can just get anywhere. Secondly, if you bring fish home, you can't just chop off the head and discard the body, can you? Then, when you make the fish head, will your mother-in-law make the fish body? Will she be happy about that?" Da Feng Xiao Shuo Wang.
Song Mingyue shrunk her neck. "I can just throw the fish body away!"
Throw it away...
This approach was indeed very Song Mingyue.
"If you throw it away, I don't think any other excuse is needed. Just this one act of wastefulness would make your mother-in-law grit her teeth in hatred." Qi Zhenzhen opened her eyes and rolled them at Song Mingyue.
Song Mingyue was embarrassed and deflated. "Although cousin is good, for my future life to be more comfortable, I, I'd better seriously try to negotiate with my mother."
"Alright, alright, this is something your mother needs to think about carefully. As for me, I'm just worried that she's so focused on finding a scholar as a son-in-law that she'll neglect other aspects. After all, your happiness is the most important thing," Qi Zhenzhen said.
Song Mingyue also leaned against the bolster, tilting her head to look at Qi Zhenzhen. "Zhenzhen, even though you're younger than me, you think and act much more maturely. Not only compared to me, but sometimes I feel you're even more capable than my mother. Oh, right, I almost forgot to tell you, that cousin-in-law of mine, after he went back that day, he praised you a lot in front of my grandfather. He said directly that if you were a man, you would definitely achieve great things. Even as a woman, you certainly wouldn't be as mediocre as village girls."
Wen Cen? He was a constable at the county yamen. Although he had no official rank, he was still an impressive figure in the eyes of commoners. When the noodle stall was in the county town, he would be a sort of backer. Wen Cen had been very friendly that day. Qi Zhenzhen had been worried about facing many troubles upon arriving in the county town, but now it seemed she didn't need to worry too much about any trouble.
"Your cousin-in-law is exaggerating a bit."
"I don't think he's exaggerating either. You are indeed very capable. Look, there are many girls your age in Xinghua Village, but which one of them is as capable as you?" Song Mingyue said earnestly.
Qi Zhenzhen pursed her lips and smiled. What could she say? Her core was that of a seasoned mercenary who had struggled in the mercenary world for many years, with a beautiful mother who always attracted attention and a younger brother. If she were like the village girls, how could their family of three have the comfortable life they had now? They would have been picked clean, leaving no bones behind.
In the kitchen, Da Zhang shi prepared another basin of warm water. The midday meal was oily and rich today, and the dishes were still a bit greasy after the first wash.
"Sister-in-law, we are guests at the Qi family, so isn't it appropriate for us to wash the dishes and clean up?" Xiao Zhang shi muttered with an unpleasant expression.
"Second sister-in-law, this is what Mother instructed. If you're unwilling, you can tell Mother," Da Zhang shi said slowly. "It's all work we usually do at home, and it's not tiring, just a casual thing."
"No wonder Mother favors you, sister-in-law. Sister-in-law is better than me, you know how to please Mother. I'm foolish and say whatever I feel unhappy about," Xiao Zhang shi said irritably.
Da Zhang shi stopped what she was doing. "Does sister-in-law feel that Mother just spoke to you? Wronged? Think about it, today is a happy day for Father and Mother, and you insisted on spoiling the mood. If Sister Yun and Zhenzhen were to hold a grudge, with what you said, you've offended them terribly. Your tone was sour, so petty! What's wrong with using Xuan paper? Does it affect you in any way? What's wrong with people having standards? People with standards have the right to be particular!"
She paused and added, "If you're not convinced, fine. Then be more capable. If your life becomes better than the Qi family's, let alone using Xuan paper to steam braised pork, you can eat at restaurants every day, and no one will say anything."
Xiao Zhang shi became somewhat flustered and angry. "Sister-in-law, how can you insult me like this?"
"Insult? How have I insulted you? I'm just speaking the truth. We are sisters-in-law, and I can't just watch you be foolish. Although the two families have recognized each other as god-relatives and call themselves one family, the five fingers are not all the same length! The Qi family's closest ties are to Ruixue and Hu Zi, and secondly, to our Father and Mother. As for our husbands, they are ultimately benefiting from Ruixue and Father and Mother. Sister-in-law, you must remember this clearly," Da Zhang shi said with a cold face. "As for me, I am very satisfied with the current life of our Lin family. If sister-in-law incites the second brother to stir up trouble with his elder brother and Father and Mother, and ruins this good life, I will not let you off."
Xiao Zhang shi's face turned red. She wasn't foolish and understood that Da Zhang shi was warning her. Xiao Zhang shi scoffed inwardly, pretending to be magnanimous and reasonable. If Da Zhang shi's maternal family was here, she didn't believe she wouldn't be envious of such a good money-making opportunity. Besides, she hadn't made any excessive demands, she just wanted to make more kimchi and then share some with her maternal family to sell.
Da Zhang shi finished her work, wiped her hands, and went to Lin Ruixue's room, not even waiting for Xiao Zhang shi.
After entering the room, Yu shi pulled Da Zhang shi to sit on the edge of the heated brick bed and started talking to her without even asking about Xiao Zhang shi.
"Lan'er, your second sister-in-law, she's a bit short-sighted and has quite a few petty thoughts," Old Madam Lin suddenly said. "When you deal with her in the future, you need to be careful. If she says unpleasant things, just pretend you didn't hear them. You don't need to agree to any of her requests. Absolutely do not have the thought of agreeing out of consideration for me and your father. That person, if you give her an inch, she'll take a mile."