They've all separated, so what does it matter to me if they get poorer and poorer?

Chapter 78 You should all leave too.

After they left, Master Zeng glanced at his second in-laws and their family, and his expression darkened considerably.

“Mother Lou, your home is nearby. Since you’re already here, have dinner before you go back. Just don’t be late for leaving the city.”

The Lou family used to be quite wealthy, so it was appropriate for their illegitimate daughter to marry into their family. I never expected them to decline so quickly.

Lou Er's gambling addiction was something Lou Er found utterly repulsive and contemptible. In his eyes, gamblers were fools who gave away their money to outsiders. Business was about making money; what kind of person would give money away to strangers? Utterly stupid.

After this family fell from grace, they displayed a truly shameful side, possessing no skills whatsoever except for flattery and sycophancy.

You still want him to take care of you? It's good enough that he didn't say he was breaking off relations with you.

Lou Er smiled obsequiously, nudged his wife with his elbow, and quickly signaled.

Zeng Xiaojuan was very resistant, but her husband's sharp, threatening gaze made her dare not disobey. She could only bite the bullet and force a smile, saying, "We're not... not very busy at home. Why don't you stay the night and help out Dad and Mom?"

Aunt Lou and Second Sister Lou couldn't wait to smile and flatter her.

"Yes, yes, yes, such a big birthday banquet, with so many guests, there must be a lot of things to do. Let the eldest son and his wife go back, we'll stay and help out!"

"Father-in-law and mother-in-law, please don't stand on ceremony with us. This is just what we, as daughters and sons-in-law, should do, hehe."

Master Zeng felt disgusted; he would have rolled his eyes if it weren't for the inappropriateness.

Madam Zeng smiled slightly, "That won't be necessary. Our family has no shortage of servants. Today is a mess inside and out, so we won't keep you any longer. Your family isn't doing well either, so it's probably not right to leave you like this. You should go back as soon as possible."

"Mother-in-law, don't worry, there's really nothing urgent at home, haha. Father-in-law's birthday banquet is more important. Your family doesn't lack servants, but our good intentions are different from those of servants. Of course, it's better for family members to take care of things than for servants, haha."

Lou Er didn't want to go back. He wanted to stay and drink with his brother-in-law and sister-in-law tonight. It would be even better if his father-in-law joined them too.

Lou Er firmly believes that friendships are built through more communication. Drinking together is the best way to build relationships.

This was a rare opportunity, and he really didn't want to waste it.

Master Zeng suddenly remembered, "Where is that girl Qiao'er?"

The Lou family members exchanged glances, their expressions slightly changing; none of them had expected Master Zeng to suddenly ask this question.

Zeng Xiaojuan was eager to go back as soon as possible, and hurriedly said, "Qiao'er didn't come. She's too young, and we were afraid she would cause trouble, so—"

"Nonsense!" Master Zeng was both disdainful of their family and angry. "If I remember correctly, Qiao'er is only two years old, right? What kind of mother are you? How can you leave her at home like that?"

Madam Zeng was delighted to kick someone when they were down, and said with a faint smile, "Xiao Juan, this is where you're wrong. Even if she's your daughter, she's still your own flesh and blood. You can't treat her like this. You're too heartless as a mother."

Master Zeng frowned and snorted coldly.

Aunt Lou and Second Sister Lou pretended it was none of their business and, feeling guilty, dared not utter a single word.

How could Zeng Xiaojuan dare to tell the truth? She could only swallow her anger and take the blame, bowing her head and admitting her mistake: "It's my fault, I didn't think things through."

Master Zeng said impatiently, "Alright, alright, you all go back now! The child is the most important thing. What if something happens to him? Will I still be able to celebrate my birthday in the future?"

If his birthday celebration caused his granddaughter to have an accident, how could he possibly not think of this incident every time he celebrated his birthday in the future, and would he still be able to hold a happy banquet to celebrate?

Zeng Xiaojuan breathed a sigh of relief and quickly agreed.

Seeing this, Aunt Lou San and Aunt Lou Er had no choice but to leave dejectedly, taking Lou Dajiang and his wife with them.

Master Zeng was angry and didn't even give any special instructions on how to return the gift.

Butler Zeng only took two boxes of pastries as a token gesture.

Being a housekeeper means being adept at accurately understanding the thoughts and feelings of the homeowner, especially a stingy one.

The Lou family was extremely frustrated.

Zeng Xiaojuan endured a torrent of abuse and a slap from Lou Er in a fit of anger. She lowered her head and silently suffered, feeling utterly desolate. This was probably her fate. She had long since learned to accept it.

It's alright, she can endure it. As long as her Qiao'er is alright, that's all that matters.
Xu Zhichun and the others left the Zeng family. Although they didn't say anything, the smiles on their faces and their relaxed demeanor showed that they were genuinely at ease.

"Today was pretty good, hehe!"

"Thanks to Zhichun's help, those longevity noodles really made our family proud!"

"Yes, thank goodness for Sister Zhichun."

Zeng Xiaoyan's words were pointed.

"Yeah!"

Liang Mingliang understood immediately, and felt a lingering fear.

The two of them haven't told their parents about this yet, and it's not convenient to talk about it now. They'll find an opportunity to tell them when they get home, so that their parents will be aware of the situation.

The whole family praised him, making Xu Zhichun a little embarrassed. Everyone chatted and laughed, and soon they had traveled halfway.

When I got home, the sun hadn't set yet.

Around this time of day, villagers who had picked lantern fruits would come to sell the seeds, but after a heavy rain, they were all gone.

Xu Zhichun's house also quieted down.

Zeng Xiaoyan arrived home and soon brought over the flowers and plants she had picked.

"Sister-in-law Zhichun, take a look and see if you like it!"

She was overjoyed, showing it off like it was a treasure.

Zeng Mingzhu used to be particularly fond of music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, and she would pretend to be refined every day. She even had her mother send people to collect many precious flowers and trees to plant, so that Zeng Mingzhu could invite her girlfriends to enjoy the flowers, play music, paint, and so on from time to time.

Zeng Xiaoyan and Zeng Xiaojuan were not allowed to pick any of the flowers and plants, let alone even look at them.

She would never have dared to pull them up before, but now, she, the dignified young lady of the Zeng family, dares to pull up some flowers and plants. If she has the guts, her mother and son can chase after her and beat her up.

I felt incredibly happy.

Xu Zhichun didn't know so much about the inside story, but Zeng Xiaoyan was right; Zeng Xiaoyan was also a master, so it was fine to remove her. He just needed to appreciate her kindness.

"This is a hydrangea, this is a rose—wow, so many kinds of roses! The colors are so beautiful. This is a periwinkle, this is an amaryllis, this is a peony, um, this one is a pomegranate, and there are also impatiens, begonias, and hibiscus."

Xu Zhichun was convinced.

Little Swallow's wool shears is so abundant, it could be planted into a garden.

It must have been hard on her; she managed to get so much stuff onto the oxcart and hide it under the straw mats.

Luckily, she's a member of the Zeng family, and it's a special day like today, otherwise, the situation wouldn't have been resolved.

"Are they all good?"

"Yes, they're all good. They'll all look beautiful when they bloom."

"That's great! All my hard work has been worth it. I'll go call Aunt Zhu'er, and we'll share it together."

Xu Zhichun smiled and nodded, "Okay."

Aunt Zhu arrived quickly and was quite pleased. "I've been wanting to plant some flowers for a long time, but I didn't know where to get seedlings or seeds. What a coincidence! Thank you so much, Xiao Yan!"
-
The second sister will eventually sever ties with the Lou family, taking her daughter with her.

Please vote for me, mwah!



(End of this chapter)