Beautiful Peasant Girl: The Young Marquis's Beloved

Liu Xu never thought that Liu Dashan would make a decision so quickly.

Today was the first day of the winter month, and the chefs and maids she had hired were coming to taste the food, so Liu Xu asked Liu Ming to take Granny Fang to the town to buy food early in the morning. They also bought 20 catties of muddy wine and 5 catties of the best Huadiao wine.

At the beginning of the Si hour, several cooks arrived at Liu Xu's house one after another.

Uncle He led the people in, and Liu Xu went forward and bowed to everyone one by one.

"Second Aunt Fang, Grandpa Wang, Grandpa Wang, I'll be thanking you all for your hard work from now on."

"Hahaha, this girl is just polite. Okay, go and do your own thing. Just let someone take us to the kitchen." Wang Zhuzi laughed heartily.

"Yes, girl Xu, if you have something to do, just go and do it. We will ask someone to call you when you are done." Second Madam Fang said kindly.

Old man Wang also nodded lovingly.

Seeing this, Liu Xu was grateful and asked Uncle He to take them to the kitchen.

After a few people left, Liu Xu took Qiao Yun to Liu Changshun's house next door.

Liu Quan respectfully welcomed the person in, and Liu Xu went to the living room as if she was familiar with the place. As expected, Liu Changshun was studying again, and Dong Bin was his teacher.

Seeing her coming, Dong Bin packed up his things and politely retreated.

"Xu girl, why are you here?" Liu Changshun asked gently.

"Uncle San, I need a very important seasoning, but I really don't have the extra energy to make it, so I want you to do it." Liu Xu said straight to the point.

"Sit down and talk." Liu Xu sat down as she was told. Dong Bin brought in tea and left again.

Liu Xu picked up the teacup and took a sip before saying:

"Brother Chang and I plan to abandon Zuiyunxuan and start a new business."

Liu Changshun was very surprised when he heard this, "What's wrong? What happened to Zuiyunxuan?"

"No, Third Uncle. There are many dirty things in big families, and I don't like to put all my eggs in one basket. So we decided to use the soup pot and braised meat we ate that day to open a new restaurant. And this seasoning is very important. I only trust you, so I plan to let you make it. The ingredients for making this thing can also be used to make many other things. I only have one request, this seasoning can only be supplied to Zhenxiu Pavilion, which is our restaurant. As for other things, I don't care how you sell them."

Liu Changshun didn't ask any more questions after hearing this, and agreed without hesitation: "Okay, when are you going to start?"

The reason why he was so straightforward was because he knew that Liu Xu would never cheat him, and he was sure that the seasoning and other derivative products that Liu Xu mentioned would definitely make money, and a lot of money.

"I remember your family planted a lot of soybeans. Find some time to find someone to make a stone mill. I'll come and teach you when the materials are ready. The sooner the better. It takes time to make that thing."

"Okay, I'll go find someone to make a stone mill later." There were no stonemasons in Liujia Village, so they could only go to the neighboring village.

After finishing the business, Liu Xu asked Liu Changshun how the house-warming banquet was going. Liu Changshun's family was different from hers. Her family had to buy everything, but Liu Changshun's family had many things at home.

Liu Changshun said that the chefs would still be the same people she hired, and they would just change the dishes when the time comes.

Before leaving, Liu Xu went to see her little sisters again. Liu Changshun and his wife were probably influenced by Liu Xu or Dong Bin, and now they are paying close attention to their children's homework. Xing'er and Shuisheng are assigned to learn to read and write every day. The two siblings are now in dire straits.

Seeing Liu Xu coming, Xing Er was overjoyed. She hugged Liu Xu and complained, "Xu Er, please try to persuade my parents. My hands are almost broken from practicing."

Liu Xu looked at her miserable appearance and smiled unkindly: "Show me your results."

Xing'er, with a sad face, led her to the desk. Seeing the clumps of ink on the paper, Liu Xu's mouth twitched. Although her handwriting was like a dog's crawling, at least it was clear what it was. Xing'er's...

"Sister, come on! The revolution has not yet succeeded and comrades still need to work hard!" Liu Xu patted Xing'er on the shoulder and said seriously.

"I don't think I'm cut out for this. Look, it's been a few days, and I still...wasted so much paper and ink, eh"

"Xing'er, we still have a long way to go, and we won't stay in Liujia Village or even Yuyang Town forever. So it's not just you, I also need to work hard. Although many things can be done by servants, you can't even read the account book, right?" Liu Xu paused, and seeing that Xing'er listened, he said:

"It's a little difficult at the beginning. You can learn to recognize the characters first, then slowly practice with a pen dipped in water on a wooden board or stone slab. When you feel you can do it, practice with paper and ink. Don't be discouraged. Look at me. My mother taught me a long time ago, and I still write in a dog-crawling style!"

Liu Xu's self-mockery made Xing Er laugh. Seeing that she was in a good mood, Liu Xu said goodbye to her. There was nothing she could do, as her family was waiting for her to taste the dishes.

When they returned home, Uncle He said that the dishes were ready, so Liu Xu went to the living room.

The mother and daughter tasted everything one by one, ordered six meat dishes and four vegetable dishes, left the three of them for lunch, and agreed to come over the next afternoon to start preparing. Then they each packed a bag of snacks and left.

The mother and daughter had finished their meal and were preparing for a nap when Uncle He reported back that the old man had sent someone to invite them over.

The mother and daughter were stunned and looked at each other. "Mom, Grandpa is not going to split up the family today, is he?" "I'm afraid so!"

Then he asked Yue Niang and Qiao Yun to look after the children at home, and took Aunt Lin and Huanxi to Liu Dashan's house. Uncle He was worried, so he asked Liu Ming and He Lei to follow.

When the group arrived, there were already some people gathered outside the yard, and sounds of an argument could be heard from inside.

Seeing them coming, everyone made way for them. After Xu Ruolan and her daughter thanked them, they went in.

It was still the same mud courtyard, but when Liu Xu came here again, it felt like a lifetime ago.

In the yard, Liu Dongcheng said to Liu Dashan with a sad face: "Dad, what did my son do wrong that you insist on splitting up the family and moving out? Aren't you asking everyone to poke my spine?"

Liu Dashan opened his mouth and said after a long while: "Big brother, when a tree grows big, it branches out; when a person grows up, he or she divides into families. Now that you have all started families and your children have grown up, it's time for your mother and I to enjoy a peaceful and happy life."

"Even if that's the case, why did you move to the second room's old house? Wouldn't it be the same if you just lived at home?"

Zhang wanted to speak when she heard this, but Liu Dashan held her back, glanced at Chen Shuman, then at Liu Chengming, and said, "It's quieter over there!"

"What else could it be? The old house belongs to the second wife, and she's rich now!" Chen Shuman muttered.

Zhang couldn't hold it in any longer. The old man had always asked her to endure it for the sake of her eldest son and grandson, but what did Chen Shuman say?

"Why? Don't you have any sense, Chen Shuman? You stir up trouble at home every day, causing unrest in the family. I almost killed my own granddaughter, and almost killed three people in the second wife's family! I only hate myself for being so stupid. It took me so many years to see your true colors. Yesterday, you instigated me to go to the second wife to make trouble. If your father hadn't stopped me, I would have been fooled by you again. The most hateful thing is that you, a wicked woman, don't even give me food to eat."

Zhang sat on the ground and cried loudly. "Oh my God, why did you let such a wicked woman into our family? She bullies my sisters-in-law and mistreats my mother-in-law. Why don't you send a thunderbolt to kill her?"

"Old woman, you..." Liu Dashan was angry and helpless. With red eyes, he helped his old wife up.

Liu Xu and her daughter were stunned after hearing this: Wow, Chen Shuman is really capable, he even made the old woman the opposite, wow, he is a capable man.

The people around were also shocked by the big news revealed by Zhang, and started talking about it.

"Hiss, so the reason why Zhang Shi treated the second wife harshly in recent years was because of her eldest daughter-in-law? She looks so gentle and kind on weekdays, but why is her heart so vicious?"

"Isn't Zhang trying to excuse herself? No one forced her to hit anyone."

"Not really. Didn't she say that she was instigating her to go to Renxu's house and cause trouble yesterday? And she didn't even give her any food. This is simply unfilial!"

"Why keep a daughter-in-law like this? Divorce her immediately, or she will ruin the reputation of our Liujia Village!"

"That's it."

Zhang's accusation shocked Liu Dongcheng and Liu Chengming greatly. After being stunned for a while, they came to their senses and heard the villagers' discussions and condemnations. The faces of the father and son turned blue and red.

Chen Shuman was so scared that her face turned pale. Her mouth was trembling, but she couldn't say a word for a long time. She wanted to instigate the old woman to go to the second room to make trouble, but later, because the plan didn't work out, she was angry and didn't call her to dinner. But she always thought that the old woman valued her son's future, so even if she was a little angry, she wouldn't say it. Unexpectedly, now she not only said it, but also labeled her a troublemaker and unfilial in front of so many people. She knew that her son's examination for the scholar would take into account the character of his family. If this word got out, then...

She secretly looked at her husband and eldest son, and seeing that they looked very unhappy, she couldn't help but tremble.

Liu Dongcheng also reacted, turned around and slapped Chen Shuman, "You evil woman, I asked you to stay at home to take care of your parents, but you did such a thing, I, I will divorce you today."

Chen Shuman was slapped to the ground, her face quickly became red and swollen, but she didn't dare to refute. She looked at Liu Dongcheng and Liu Chengming helplessly. Liu Dongcheng was angry and anxious, and Liu Chengming also thought that if her mother was labeled as unfilial or divorced, her path to the imperial examination would be cut off.

So, he quickly took two steps forward and knelt down in front of the old couple: "Grandpa, grandma, dad, there must be some misunderstanding. My mother definitely didn't mean to not bring food to grandma. She has always respected grandma and would definitely not do such a thing! Mother, please tell grandma quickly, didn't you say you were not feeling well when your son came back just now? Is this the reason..."

Liu Dongcheng and Chen Shuman's eyes lit up and they reacted immediately.

Chen Shuman quickly knelt down and took a few steps forward, kowtowed, and cried, "Mom, I really didn't mean it. I wasn't feeling well the day before yesterday. I felt so dizzy halfway through cooking yesterday that I went back to the room to rest, leaving Juaner to watch the fire. When I woke up, it was almost dark. I really didn't know you didn't come out to eat! Mom, I wouldn't dare to let you starve on purpose even if I had a thousand or ten thousand guts!"

Liu Xu looked at it and couldn't help but sigh in her heart. This family is really smart, but they don't use the right way. The matter with their second house can only be said to be a disagreement between sisters-in-law. In this world, such things are everywhere. But if he is labeled as unfilial, then Liu Chengming is finished.

After all, this was her grandson whom she had loved for so many years. Although Zhang was stupid, she remembered that Liu Xu had said before that if his reputation was not good, his grandson would not be able to take the exam for a scholar. So although she was very angry and did not say anything, she did not make a fuss after all.

Liu Dashan naturally understood this truth, but what hurt him even more was that his eldest grandson actually plotted against him in front of him. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, slowly opened his eyes, and looked at Liu Dongcheng calmly: "Boss, let's split up the family, so there won't be any misunderstandings."

Liu Dongcheng felt relieved and a little flustered when he heard this, as if something important had been lost. However, he had no time to think about anything else and just wanted to deal with the matter first.

"Yes, Dad. My son is unfilial. Even if Chen didn't mean to do that, she still didn't serve her parents-in-law well. My son is ashamed to face his parents, so he is willing to separate from the family."

Willow Catkins: Look, that’s a very nice statement, you’re worthy of having studied for several years.

"Before, because your mother and I were with you, I only gave the second brother three parts of the land. Now your mother and I don't plan to farm anymore. We'd rather enjoy a peaceful life in the old house. So the family's land will be divided into two parts, and the two parts we two old people got will be given to the second brother's family. As for the house, the second brother's family has built a new house. This house will be left to you, and we will take our own things and move to the old house. As compensation, I will give six taels of silver from the public treasury to the second brother's family. In the future, you two brothers will pay me and your mother twenty catties of grain every month, and the pension will be the same as the second brother's family, one hundred coins a month, and you can do whatever you want during the New Year holidays. As for the silver, I will give you as much as I gave to the second brother's family before, and the rest will be used as the coffin money for us two old people. Do you agree?"

Liu Dongcheng's family was naturally unwilling to do so. They always felt that those things should belong to them. However, the situation was not good to create any more trouble, so they could only nod and let the two elders make the decision.

Liu Xu and the others naturally had no objection. However, she felt that she had to say something first while there were so many people around, so she stepped out:

"Grandpa, I'm growing mushrooms over at the old house. Before I move the mushrooms away, please don't go over there." Seeing that Liu Donglai wanted to say something, she raised her hand to stop him and said:

"Grandpa and grandma, I will send servants to take care of them. When the mushroom house is demolished or moved away, I will not stop you anymore."

Liu Dongcheng lowered his eyes and gritted his teeth. This damn girl was too cunning. But under the circumstances, he could only agree, thinking that he would think of a way to prepare later.

Anyway, he must get the method of growing mushrooms, and then he will have plenty of ways to deal with them. And the two old guys, sooner or later they will regret it.

Liu Xu had no idea what Liu Dongcheng was thinking, but even if she knew, she would just smile and tell him to come on!